Apple may launch iPhone 5 on August 7.
Think You’re a Leader? Let’s Test That.
Leadership. It can seem like a simple thing at first glance, but it is by far one of the most complex and committed positions in any organization. On a recent road trip with my brother we got to talking about the characteristics of a good leader, my top three:
- Listen.
- Be more committed to the mission than their title.
- Have the confidence to let their people shine.
One of the reasons I started my own business was due to a lack of leadership I felt in the organizations I worked with, and the team would inevitably suffer. Time and time again I found the self-proclaimed leaders were more concerned with coming across as the smartest person in the room instead of listening to what talented team members had to offer. This not only would hurt the individual group, but the whole organization. There are a handful of people I know who I consider to be great leaders, and these leaders make all the difference in not only the team’s lives but in all the lives that the organization touches. Especially for businesses that are looking to make a difference, a great leader can make all the difference.
Recently I came across this Forbes article and found it to be a fun and yet honest approach:
Everybody thinks they’re a leader – most are far from it. The harsh reality is that we live in a world awash with wannabe leaders. As much as some don’t want to admit it, not everyone can or should become a leader (my take on the born vs. made argument). Simply desiring to be a leader doesn’t mean a person has the character, skill, and courage necessary to be a leader.
If you think you’re a leader, but haven’t been recognized as such, you have a problem. Either you’re incorrect in your self-assessment, or those you report to don’t recognize your talent. Here’s the good news; handled correctly, either scenario can be resolved if you’re willing to do some work.
I’m often asked what it takes to get to the top – it’s as if people want an add water and mix recipe for leadership. While there are many paths to leadership, they’re certainly not all created equal. Perhaps a more telling issue in today’s world is many of those desiring to get ahead, have no desire to help others get ahead.
I never cease to be amazed at the numbers of people in leadership positions that shouldn’t be. Likewise, I’ve stopped being surprised when those charged with leadership development can’t seem to figure out what constitutes a leader. It’s my hope the following list will eliminate the confusion about why someone isn’t a leader. You’re not a leader if…
1. You don’t get results: Real leaders perform – they get the job done – they consistently exceed expectations. No results = no leadership –it’s just that simple.
2. You get results the wrong way: If the only way you can solve the deficit described in point #1 above is through chicanery or skullduggery you’re not a leader. The ends don’t justify the means. If you abuse your influence, don’t treat people well, or confuse manipulation with leadership, you may win a few battles, but you’ll lose the war. Optics over ethics never ends well, and being a jerk doesn’t make you a leader.
3. You don’t care: Indifference is a characteristic not well suited to leadership. You simply cannot be a leader if you don’t care about those you lead. The real test of any leader is whether or not those they lead are better off for being led by them.
4. You’re chasing a position and not a higher purpose: If you value self-interest above service beyond self you simply don’t understand the concept of leadership. Leadership is about caring about something beyond yourself, and leading others to a better place – even if it means you take a back seat, or end up with no seat at all. Power often comes with leadership, but it’s not what drives real leaders.
5. You care more about making promises than keeping them:Leadership isn’t about your rhetoric; it’s about your actions.Leadership might begin with vision casting, but it’s delivering the vision that will ultimately determine your success as a leader.
6. You put people in boxes: Stop telling people why they can’t do something and show them how they can. Leaders don’t put people in boxes, it’s their obligation to free them from boxes. True leadership is about helping people reach places they didn’t know they could go.
7. You follow the rules instead of breaking them: Status quo is the great enemy of leadership. Leadership is nothing if not understanding the need for change, and then possessing the ability to deliver it.
8. You churn talent instead of retain it: Real leadership serves as a talent magnet – not a talent repellent. If you can’t acquire talent, can’t develop talent, or can’t retain talent you are not a leader.
9. You take credit instead of giving it: True leadership isn’t found seeking the spotlight, but seeking to shine the spotlight on others. The best leaders only use “I” when accepting responsibility for failures. Likewise, they are quick to use “we” when referring to successes.
10. You care about process more than people: But for the people there is no platform. Without the people you have nothing to lead. When you place things above the people you lead you have failed as a leader.
Thoughts?
Follow me on Twitter @mikemyatt
Do you know any good leaders? What do you think makes them a good leader? Are you a good leader?
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post by Jordan benShea
Established by Jordan benShea, SkyView Projects is a boutique marketing firm based in Santa Barbara, Ca. We believe your strength is your story, we share your story through innovative marketing initiatives. The SkyView Projects team provides comprehensive marketing solutions with clients near and far. Learn more at SkyViewProjects.com.
Think color doesn’t matter? It does…. How do you use color in your brand?
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post by Jordan benShea
Established by Jordan benShea, SkyView Projects is a boutique marketing firm based in Santa Barbara, Ca. We believe your strength is your story, we share your story through innovative marketing initiatives. The SkyView Projects team provides comprehensive marketing solutions with clients near and far. Learn more at SkyViewProjects.com.
Hidden Branding in Logos
Have you ever had an experience where you look at a logo and you do a quick onceover, and then you see it again only to realize all the different aspects you missed the first time?
We found this fun round up with hidden symbols in logos and wanted to share. How much do you think they benefit the brand?
Here are some of our favorites:
NBC Logo
One of the world’s most popular logos features a peacock looking to the right to show that the company is looking forward, not back. [link]
Amazon Logo
Logo features an arrow shaped smile that represents customer satisfaction and reflects Amazon’s goal to sell every product from A to Z. [link]
FedEx Logo
Negative space between the letters “E” and “X” creates an arrow. [link]
View the whole round up here.
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post by Jordan benShea
Established by Jordan benShea, SkyView Projects is a boutique marketing firm based in Santa Barbara, Ca. We believe your strength is your story, we share your story through innovative marketing initiatives. The SkyView Projects team provides comprehensive marketing solutions with clients near and far. Learn more at SkyViewProjects.com.
Dos Equis goes mobile, literally
Dos Equis is innovating it’s “most interesting man in the world” brand with a new literally mobile initiative.
Do you think it will work?
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Post by Jordan benShea
Facebook Stories
I am sure you have read them before just as I have, the numerous articles on how social media is just a time suck, a platform that is degrading our communication between each other, just teenagers talking to each other or companies try to sell you something, and on and on. But what isn’t being mentioned in these articles is the vast good social media is doing across the world.
What you are not reading is how social media is allowing the spread of authentic and real and true stories in ways that were never before possible. I am consistently on the lookout for how we can utilize social media for social good, how we can take this powerful communications platform which creates interactions across the globe at lightening speed and share a story that would otherwise go untold.
Many times clients ask me where to start when we meet to discuss their marketing needs, and consistently my response is the same, “tell me your story.” I believe the strength of every business and every non-profit is the story. Because above all else your story tells your “why,” why you do what you do, and the why is what people buy, what people get behind, what makes people believe.
The below link came across my Facebook stream and I found myself intrigued with the following post:
Facebook has created a page, website and videos of people from around the globe using Facebook in extraordinary ways. Now to me this is worth my time, this speaks to the power of stories. Does it help the Facebook brand? Absolutely. But is it a powerful example of how we can utilize this communication platform for good? It most certainly is:
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post by Jordan benShea
Established by Jordan benShea, SkyView Projects is a boutique marketing firm based in Santa Barbara, Ca. We believe your strength is your story, we share your story through innovative marketing initiatives. The SkyView Projects team provides comprehensive marketing solutions with clients near and far. Learn more at SkyViewProjects.com.
The iPhone brand
Whether or not you have an Apple device we can pretty much all agree that Apple is innovative when it comes to their marketing efforts. So it may not be a surprise that the upcoming iPhone 5 is creating such buzz across all blogs and social media platforms… except, they have done NO marketing around it, at all. There has not been a single comment, single social media post, there has been NO WORD at all from Apple about this upcoming product. However, over the last 30 days alone there have been almost 620,000 tweets. That is just on Twitter. That does not include the coverage on Facebook, news outlets, or any of blogs.
What other brand do you know that creates such a buzz about one of their products without a single mention from the company? I have been racking my brain to think of even one other example and have yet to come up with one, and why is this? Why is it that everyone (including myself) cares so much about this upcoming product? Is it because it is pretty? Well, that’s true is it a good looking piece of equipment, but that alone doesn’t create this buzz. Is it because it a cell phone that has such good reception? Not particularly, when the iPhone 4 came out it was plagued with reception issues. Is it because the camera is to good? That could very well be part of it, we know that Annie Leibovitz calls it the “snap shot camera of today.” Is it the apps that you can download? This does have great appeal, with the average number just two years ago being 40 apps per iPhone. So is it really any one of these things? I would say it is all of these things in a neat clean and easy to use package. The fact that this single device can not only allow you to video conference with a touch of the screen better then Skype with your mom or boyfriend. It can also take photos that blow people’s mind and hold all your music, while allowing you to be more productive in your professional life through the numerous apps and email.
I am someone who has been a big believer in BlackBerry since the beginning and I remember when I got my first one and all the sudden my productivity at work shot thru the roof. Suddenly I could check all my emails and answer them before I even got into the office. I could take an extra hour at the gym or a walk on the beach and be in the office and plowing through work well before I was even previously done sorting my email.
But we are in a different time now, things move faster and faster. Social media has us answering and conversing with lightening speed. We need a device that allows us to share the photos of family vacations while managing our email and tweeting and posting Facebook updates. For many people the iPhone is that device and Apple has done a BRILLIANT job at marketing themselves, and their products so you know WHY they make what they make. Because in every thing they do they think differently. And above all else, that is what people buy into, that is what people want and that is what people depend on them for, to create products that represent thinking differently.
Are you already searching for iPhone 5 release dates? I will fully admit I have been since March!
Below is an article about the social media buzz around the iPhone 5 that I thought would be pertinent for this topic:
By: Jason Boies
Rumors continue to swirl over Apple’s much-anticipated iPhone 5. Industry pundits are increasingly certain we’ll see the long awaited phone by year’s end and that the device will be a huge leap forward from its previous 4S model.
Sustained Buzz
Limiting our scope to Twitter only, we see references to the still officially unannounced device have hit over 619,000 mentions over just the past 30 days. The buzz has been relatively sustained with references to the device hitting a 30-day low of only 9,846 mentions on July 1.
A pair of tweets on July 16 from two much-followed accounts regarding a rumor of an August 7 launch provided the first solid conversation peek.
Apple may launch iPhone 5 on August 7.
Alas, those were but rumors, meant merely to stoke the flames of anticipation and drive the populace mad with mobile desire. The effects didn’t last, however, and conversation dipped again for several days before rising almost Batman-like on July 23. As social media users dared to trust again, this even bigger and more sustained spike was now being driven by yet another rumored launch date apparently set for September 21.
Sentiment
In the past, we’ve seen just how passionate iPhone users are with regards to their favorite mobile device, many were apoplectic about the arrival of Instagram on rival Android even. “Team iPhone” is a very dedicated fan base, to be sure.
Despite that strong brand loyalty, by using Radian6 automated sentiment we see that of the 27,500 posts with clear sentiment attached, positive tweets only slightly outnumber the naysayers.
The source of most of the negative sentiment is the new charger port. The new device is, apparently, set to drop the wide dock connector in favor of a smaller one, and the Apple faithful have weighed in on this change in droves.
Sorry: Your old Apple chargers won’t work on the iPhone 5huff.to/MzBXT6
Well on the plus side, Apple is changing the dock for the iPhone 5, so all the chargers and plugs we have right now will be worthless
Heard the. iPhone 5 will not work with anything made under it so no iPhone 4 or 4s chargers , docks, ect think it’s pretty dumb
Another reason why I hate Apple is the next iPhone5 will have a redesigned connector port so all docks & chargers will NOT work#Fail
Those concerns aside, the iPhone 5 remains a heavily-anticipated release. Instances of the word “excited” and/or “Can’t wait” account for almost 16,000 total mentions within the profile.
Can’t wait to cop this iPhone 5. I’m gassed
Can’t wait for the iPhone 5 to come out, getting impatient now
The more I see about the iPhone5 the more excited I’m getting
Team iPhone is Global
While the United States accounts for the largest portion of iPhone Twitter conversation (60%) , Team iPhone appears to have chapters across the globe. Sorting mentions by region, we find Japan, the UK, Indonesia, Canada, and Thailand among the top conversation hot spots.
The iPhone 5: A Lesson in Social Media Filtering
It could be argued that your product has not truly entered the public conscience until its name is used by spammers and other online no-goodniks in an effort to collect your clicks. Apple can rest assured that the iPhone 5 has truly arrived. As I began sorting through my results, I found the need to filter out several phrases using the DOES NOT CONTAIN field in the Radian6 topic profile set up that specifically referenced the iPhone 5 (e.g. “iPhone 5 is sooo sexy”, “iPhone 5 is so sick looking”) Eliminating these spambots brought my topic profile volume down considerably, showcasing the need to pay strict attention to what you’re including AND excluding from your social media monitoring efforts.
Are you excited for the iPhone 5? Or do you feel it’s already over hyped? Tell us about in the comments.And for more Radian6 coverage of items making news and other trending topics, be sure to bookmark our “Trending Topics” post tag!
Photo of iPhone by superstrikertwo
Tags: Apple, filtering, iphone 5, mobile, Social Media Monitoring
About the author Jason Boies is a Community Engagement Specialist at Salesforce Radian6. He’s an avid reader, comics fan and film buff. Focusing on current events and healthcare, Jason can be found on Twitter at @JasonBoies where he tweets about health, tech, breaking news and pop culture.
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post by Jordan benShea
Established by Jordan benShea, SkyView Projects is a boutique marketing firm based in Santa Barbara, Ca. We believe your strength is your story, we share your story through innovative marketing initiatives. The SkyView Projects team provides comprehensive marketing solutions with clients near and far. Learn more at SkyViewProjects.com.
What is the ripple effect of social media on friends and family?
While some people are finding themselves still having to defend social media, what has been clear from the beginning of marketing is the impact that a personal referral has on a purchase. A girlfriend raving about her new pair of wedges she got from Zappos and how they overnighted so she could wear them on an upcoming date, is an immediate endorsement.
First you have the human touch to the brand, this isn’t a commercial on TV, this is a personal story that is being shared with you by a personal friend.
Second, this is not an endorsement she is being asked to give, she is simply sharing a story about the brand that she feels compelled to spread.
Third, and possibly the most important, this is a trust source, she is your girlfriend, someone you have already vetted to be in your inner group. She is a trusted source providing you with a personal story and therefore an complete endorsement of this brand experience.
When people ask me why social media is important for their brand, time and time again my response is the same; if you have people that love your brand, give them the opportunity to share that love. The example above shows how a trusted source is cultivating the brand’s development and very possibly a purchase. Social media allows you to do this through multiple channels, from sharing a post on Facebook, to a Twitter status update, to posting an image through Pinterest.
How are you seeing brand development cultivated through social media?
Below is a piece from eMarketer with recent stats on the ripple effect of social media on friends and family. If you are more of a quantitative person then qualitative, here is another way to help justify the power of social media:
The Ripple Effect of Following a Brand on Social Media
JULY 10, 2012
Nearly one-fifth of US internet users would buy a brand if a friend followed that company on social media
Consumers are influenced by what brands their friends and family follow on social media.
A study from Ipsos OTX and Ipsos Global @dvisor asked internet users worldwide about their presumed action when they saw that a friend “liked” or followed a certain brand on a social network such as Facebook or Twitter. In March 2012, 22% of internet users worldwide said they would buy such a brand. But in the US, that number dropped a bit, to 18% of all US internet users.
While that is a relatively small percentage, younger consumers were more likely to buy because of a “like.” Ipsos found that 23% of US internet users under the age of 35 said they would buy a brand because of a friend’s social endorsement, and nearly as many internet users between the ages 35 and 49 would do so. Females and males were about even by this metric, at 18% vs. 17%.
As social media gives average consumers a larger reach, the impact of “liking” a brand is growing and becoming more significant for companies. Many companies must cater to their fans on social media as a way to cultivate brand advocates who can support and recommend the brand, and its products and services.
A May 2012 study from internet advertising network Burst Media about web users’ preferences and habits found many reasons why US internet users really followed brands on social media. Keeping up with the latest content was the most popular reason, cited by 43.5% of moms, 44.4% of other women and 30.7% of males.
As consumers continue to interact with brands on social media, and as social media’s influence grows, a “like” or follow can influence the purchase decisions of fellow networkers, even if the reason a brand garnered that “like” wasn’t necessarily to provide an outright endorsement.
See the full coverage here.
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post by Jordan benShea
Established by Jordan benShea, SkyView Projects is a boutique marketing firm based in Santa Barbara, Ca and aims to help brands maximize their potential through strategic direction and utilization of innovative marketing initiatives. SkyView Projects specializes in social media and brand development and has clients near and far. Learn more at SkyViewProjects.com.
Social Media Cheat Sheets
We love social media, but it can sometimes be tricky to find your way around so check out these 12 helpful check sheets from Mashable:
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post by Jordan benShea
Established by Jordan benShea, SkyView Projects is a boutique marketing firm based in Santa Barbara, Ca and aims to help brands maximize their potential through strategic direction and utilization of innovative marketing initiatives. SkyView Projects specializes in social media and brand development and has clients near and far. Learn more at SkyViewProjects.com.
What do your teeth & Facebook have in common?
I have found that many clients who are in structured professional industries (real estate, chiropractic, dentistry etc.) have packaged products that they use for their marketing efforts. The benefit to these packages is the instant content and a relatively professional appearance, but the downside is so much greater. Utilizing a packaged product may provide you with an overall professional experience but it will look just that, packaged. Your readers will not feel the personal touch with your brand, the human touch. Your search engine optimization will decrease because many times the websites have the same content for multiple business and Google outsmarts these techniques.
One of the main selling points I hear from these companies selling packaged products are how easy it is for the client, and that is true, but there are also so many other options out there. With the platforms and integration available today clients are able to have as much or as little control as they like while keeping and at the same time encouraging the human touch with their brand.
The below article is one that recently came out on PRWeb about a new packaged service to help dentists with social media. Now here is where I get even more adamant about the human touch with your brand. Relationships, and especially relationships built through social media are human relationships, these are people talking to people, not packages talking to people. It seems to me if there was one areas you would your brand to have the human touch it would be in building your relationships, don’t you think?
See the article below and let me know what you think:
A recent survey of practicing dentists by TheWelathyDentist.com gives the breakdown of how many dentists use Facebook for dental marketing, and the ways they use that site to promote their practices.
Curious about how dentists are using Facebook in their dental practice marketing campaigns? In a recent survey conducted by dental marketing resource TheWealthyDentist.com (TWD), two thirds (67%) of the dentists who responded said they have a Facebook page for their practice, while only one third reported that they do not. Most of the dentists using Facebook pages practice in suburban locations.
The high percentage of dental practices on Facebook is not necessarily surprising, since the site has become a household word —- it has close to 160 million monthly visitors and is second only to Google in total web traffic. Also, since the survey was conducted on the TWD website, it included only dentists who already spend time online.
What’s more interesting for dentists to note is how their colleagues are using their Facebook pages. According to the survey, close to 90 percent of the practices that have a Facebook page use it for basic “business card” information – address, phone number, doctor names and services provided, etc.
When it comes to using the pages for dental advertising, the numbers are much lower. Only 50 percent of the dentists reported using their practice’s Facebook page to offer discounts or specials. And only 35 percent use their pages to network with their dentistry peers.
“This means half of the dentists on Facebook are not maximizing their pages when it comes to marketing their practice,” says Jim Du Molin, editor of TheWealthyDentist.com and founder of dental marketing innovator Internet Dental Alliance, Inc. (IDA). “And about half of the dentists who aren’t yet on Facebook aren’t sure how to use it to promote their practice. That leaves a lot of room for improvement!”
In summary, the majority of dentists surveyed have either taken the first steps of setting up their Facebook business page, or are willing to do so if they could easily ascertain what to do and how to do it. But most have not yet actively and strategically incorporated Facebook into their marketing plans.
“Most dentists know that social media is here to stay,” adds Du Molin. “Most of the dentists who are already on Facebook still need better ways to convert leads. Dentists who aren’t there yet need easier ways to get their pages built. And none of them have any extra time! They all just need a simple way to integrate Facebook with their current marketing plans.”
About TheWealthyDentist.com
Jim Du Molin, Editor in Chief of TheWealthyDentist.com, has been helping dentists improve their dental practice management, marketing and profits since 1985. He helps dentists improve their business skills and manage their practices more effectively. As founder of sister company Internet Dental Alliance, Inc. (IDA), Jim helps dentists attract more new patients that fit with their clinical skills to maximize cash flow.
IDA is North America’s largest provider of websites for dentists and online dental marketing plans. Its New Patient Marketing Machine™ packages include dental directory listings, and customizable dental websites with automatic Facebook page integration and interactive mobile applications.
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post by Jordan benShea
Established by Jordan benShea, SkyView Projects is a boutique marketing firm based in Santa Barbara, Ca and aims to help brands maximize their potential through strategic direction and utilization of innovative marketing initiatives. SkyView Projects specializes in social media and brand development and has clients near and far. Learn more at SkyViewProjects.com.
Brand mistakes to learn from the big guys
Mistake can be great learning, or they can be extremely harmful for your business. Here are some great lessons on the power of your brand and doing it right.
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post by Jordan benShea
Established by Jordan benShea, SkyView Projects is a boutique marketing firm based in Santa Barbara, Ca and aims to help brands maximize their potential through strategic direction and utilization of innovative marketing initiatives. SkyView Projects specializes in social media and brand development and has clients near and far. Learn more at SkyViewProjects.com.
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