New Orleans has always been one of my favorite cities in the US. I haven’t been back post-Katrina, but I imagine most of what I’m about to share with you regarding the city is still very much the same. What I loved about New Orleans is the energy of it. Its spirit.

For anyone that’s ever walked those old cobblestone streets, felt the stifling humidity, smelled the combination of Creole food, jambalaya, and street trash mixed with a dash of “ode de Mississippi River”, it was surreal. Like walking into postcard.

Your eyes were saturated with the colors purple, gold, and green, flashes of Mardi Gras beads and feathered, sequined masks. Snippets of jazz, blues, and Zydeco music and cackles of laughter spilled out into the streets from Pat O’Brien’s, Bourbon Street Blues, or Café Benet.

Street performers danced among the tourists in Jackson Square throwing flaming sticks, juggling bowling pins, or riding unicycles, while children tap danced with bottle caps on their shoes for your entertainment and pocket change.

Colors popped here and there as artists set up shop and sold their wares outside of the St. Louis Cathedral. Street psychics would predict your fate and tell your fortune for $10-$15 dollars if you let them. Wrought iron balconies, warped by time and sun and humidity lined the cobblestone streets and almost buckled under the weight of lush green ferns and brightly colored flowers that peppered their shoulders.

What mesmerized me about New Orleans as much as all the physical attributes that I just shared with you? Along with dancing and singing in the streets, along with antique rows and thrift stores and the sounds of jazz and Zydeco music, along with food that’ll make your mouth water when you smell it, was the energy. A spirit that is only New Orleans.

It permeated the streets, the buildings, and the river. It was electric and palpable. The vibe was both haunting and unpredictable. It’s as if past, present and future were all happening along those streets in the same instant.

You could feel the history and the spirits of the early French and American settlers. You could feel it oozing from the buildings and spilling into the streets. It’s that energy that caused people to “go crazy” and party and drink hurricanes till they’d get sick. That same energy that caused “good girls” to flash for beads, and otherwise average people to get “swept away”.

True New Orleans natives might get angry with me because I didn’t mention everything. I didn’t mention the beautiful mansions along St. Charles Ave. I didn’t mention the poverty and low-income housing. I didn’t mention the welfare stats or the people that lived in the swap shanties.

ALL of that – the joy and the sorrow - is what makes the spirit of New Orleans unique. The blend of old and new, the smells of mouthwatering food and trash. The good and bad. The yin and yang. When you ask someone who has been there, they get it. They’ve experienced that same energetic force.

What does this all have to do with your business? How does this story relate to your brand? My question to you is, if you were to bottle and sell your business, what would the essence, the spirit of your brand be?

What does it look like? Can you describe it in Technicolor detail? What does it smell like? Crisp and clean? Musky and sweaty, like an old leather boot? What does it sound like? Garage punk, or smooth jazz? What’s at the heart of your brand?

Can you tell your brand story? Better yet, can your customers? Do they “get it” when they stumble upon it in a crowded marketplace? Can they describe it with passion to ten of their friends and get them to “buy” your brand the next time they visit that same crowded marketplace?

One stellar example of spirit in business is Southwest Airlines. They’ve even called their in-flight magazine Spirit Magazine. According to their website:

“The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit.”

What I’m interested in is the, “Company Spirit” part. (Notice they capitalized Customer Service & Company Spirit?). Southwest has been able to stake a claim and get more than their fair share of the pie in a market that is dismal to say the least.

Why have they been so successful when so many others have failed? Because they are NOT having an identity crisis! They KNOW who they are. They very clearly state their mission and then streamline and simplify their operations around that vision.

“More than 35 years ago, Rollin King and Herb Kelleher got together and decided to start a different kind of airline. They began with one simple notion: If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly your airline. And you know what? They were right.

What began as a small Texas airline has grown to become one of the largest airlines in America. Today, Southwest Airlines flies more than 80 million passengers a year to 62 great cities all across the country, and we do it more than 3,100 times a day.”

Southwest Airlines isn’t just a carrier to get you from A to B. It’s an experience. What kind of experience are you creating with your brand? Are you consistent with your message? Can customers clearly identify you? Or are you too busy trying to shape shift into the latest, newest version of your brand?

Get in touch with the spirit of your business. Get to the heart of your brand. Sit down and ask your brand to tell you a story. When you invite the spirit of your brand to come out and play, there’s no way customers won’t respond.

Not everyone needs to get it. But those that do will return time after time and will become walking evangelists for your brand. I can’t guarantee they’ll flash you for beads, but I do know they’ll be loyal to your brand for a lifetime.

The spirit of New Orleans keeps luring its residents and visitors back. Can the spirit of your brand do that?

Kammie

Funny thing about time. They say it waits for no man. It seems to expand and contract. Like it has a pulse and a life force of its own. Seems like when you’re doing things you love to do (vacations, time with friends & family) there’s never enough.

When you’re itchin’ to gain new business, build your network and blog on a regular basis, it seems to travel at warp speed. Yet, when you’re waiting in line at the grocery store, sitting in traffic or waiting for a raise…time can seem to stand still.

What triggered this random tangent? Seth Godin’s recent post, It seemed important at the time . Here’s what got me:

“Last week, I was running from one meeting to another in the city when I passed an old friend on the street.”No time to talk, sorry!” I said as I hustled off. When we connected by email a bit later, he said he hoped I had a good meeting, and that it was worth the hustle. I couldn’t remember where I had been headed. It seemed important at the time.”

Thanks to Seth’s honest and open sharing, I got to thinking about networking. And how sometimes we forget those folks we already have a solid relationship with. It’s as if we’ve already “hooked ‘em” so to speak. But if we’re in the business of “wooing” – be it future customers, prospective clients, potential business partners or fans – we need to take a moment and remember that both old and new, serve their purpose.

Those thoughts led me to Take Your Time, by Tara Kachaturoff over at 90daynetwork.com. Tara’s tangent refers to our instant gratification nation and general drive-thru neurosis. She’s a little hot under the collar (and rightly so) about this - “I have to have it NOW” mentality. Tara “gets” that networking takes time.

“Relationships are not built in one meeting or even several; they are not built by exchanging business cards, emails or telephone calls. Instead, they are nurtured over time, through careful cultivation and care. Don’t expect immediate results. Consider any friendship or meaningful relationship you currently have; it wasn’t built in a couple days, weeks or months. The same thing applies to building business relationships.”

Relationships are like gardening. You gotta plant seeds, LOTS of them. You gotta water the seeds. Make sure they get enough sunlight. Once they begin to blossom and grow, the work doesn’t stop there. Nope. You gotta keep those buds clean and clear of clutter. Just like relationships. Constant communication and clear channels are necessary. If funky stuff emerges you gotta take time to talk it OUT!

It takes TIME. In order to have a lush and full garden one must continuously nurture and support all that’s been planted there. Sure, there are some plants that are stronger and more solid, they might need a little less attention, but if you were to ignore them, they’d surely wither away. Building a solid foundation and maintaining regular communication is all a part of tending to the garden of our network.

As serendipity would have it, a happy-accident led me to discover Joyful Jubilant Learning, where I happened across Developing Powerful Partnerships. It shares several tips on relationship building and networking for the greater good. Here are a couple:

5. Partnerships are a process, not an event.
We are on a journey together and we may never reach a destination. I like that idea. Much like growth in any area, I believe we develop daily, not in a day. I think one of the best people that I’ve seen accomplish the “relationship geek” thing is Phil Gerbyshak. He has been able to transform his online connections into real life interactions. I think that’s cool. He is continually engaged in the process of nurturing relationships.
6. The partnerships that we build on here will be more challenging to maintain than to start.
…It will take much more concentration a few months down the road to keep our vision sharp, our focus clear, our communication open, and keep on meeting our objectives.

So what are our take aways today?

1.Stop and smell the roses, and take a moment to greet your friends, associates and compadres. You never know when you’re gonna need ‘em.
2.Contrary to popular belief, we don’t live in a completely McDrive thru world (yet). So you’re gonna have to chill and build your network one link at a time, one conversation at a time, one post at a time.
3.Serendipity can lead us to really cool people, who in turn can help support us, our businesses and our lives (if you have any doubt about that see Phil G’s blog).
4.Longevity of relationships and building successful networks take time and nurturing, just like a good garden.

Plant those seeds. Water them. Give them plenty of light. Support them and nurture them. One never knows which conversation you have today will take root and bloom tomorrow. (I’m partial to bamboo…it’s know for spreading like wildfire!). Now get to wooing your crew!

Brand passionately,
Kammie K.

There are tons of great articles out there about how to use a blog to gain cred as an “expert”, build a network and create exposure for your brand. The angle I’m fascinated with today is building relationships that support you, help grow your business, and stretch your thinking as an entrepreneur.

Take my new friend Phil Gerbyshak, over at Make it Great! I’ve seen Phil all over the blogosphere and recently came across him again when I landed upon the mother load of all blogrolls at Converstations.com. (Talk about hitting the jackpot! I could end this article with this list alone.) There are enough juicy links in here to feed your surfing fantasies for days. Go have a peek.

But back to me and Phil. I left him a comment on his Make it Great blog. The very next day I find a personal e-mail from him in my in-box. He thanked me for my comment and said he may use it in a future post of his. So just by leaving Phil a (genuine) comment on his blog, adding to a dialogue that was already flowing quite well before a little ol’ me came along, I opened up the lines of communication between me and Phil. Now if you don’t know anything about Phil, take it from me, this guy’s dialed in. He’s got his finger on the pulse of all things leadership, business, relationship marketing, networking and just plain loving life. Phil just gets it. Who knows what connections I’ll make because of “hanging out” with Phil online.

Liz at b5media’s Successful Blog is another blogger that rocks this relationship-networking thing and has it down to a science. She shares a story about her father who was a pub keeper. She relates her father’s desire to keep the conversation going - his desire to meet people and open up a dialogue about life - to her success as a blogger. It’s essentially the same thing. Her post 7 Great Ways to Connect with Other Bloggers While You’re Out Reading Blogs is food for thought. My favorite part of the list is:

“Relationships are about people. We write from one side of the computer. We feel alone talking to one other on the end of a long optic fiber, but we’re not. Our bodies are in the privacy of where we choose to be, but our words are in the openness of cyberspace.

People — some not even born yet — will read what we write. We can’t ever forget them. People who read us learn things, and get to know us. Sometimes they comment and a conversation starts. Next thing you know there’s a relationship happening. Some of those people become colleagues and friends for life. I know. I’ve already met some and plan to meet more.”

Christina Kerley, of CK Blog shares some insights in Give a Girl 5 Minutes and 2 Cents? She asks readers,

“What is the single greatest point of value you receive from blogging? New business? New friends? Newfound smarts?
Fortune, fame or creative freedom?”

Her post spurred a barrage of comments and responses including, more connection, broadening community, gaining knowledge and exposure. One visitor said,

“I think it has to be the collection of intellectual capital that I have accumulated over time and it almost happened without me noticing. This includes the posts, the incoming links, the comments, the ideas, and the evolution of my thinking. Everything else comes from that.”

Visitor Jordan shared, “I like the satisfaction of knowing that it’s all worth it. My readership continues to climb, and I learn just as much as I educate.”

Stuart Henshall of Unbound Spiral shares this on the topic:
“Nothing I’m doing today or have done for the last four years would have been possible without my blog.”

He was inspired by Robert Paterson’s discussion where he shares:

“Something weird and wonderful is going on in the background of the debate about the meaning of blogging. Yes it is an important feature of a new type of journalism. Yes it will change marketing and product development. As interesting to me as these major trends is how blogging is also creating new kinds of trusting relationships. It is enabling an entirely new way to make friends - from the inside out.

No longer are we reliant on face-to-face and local space to guide our relationships. This is surely a revolution. To all those that don’t know - the success rate of “knowing” whom you can trust as a product of blogging is far higher than the traditional. I am not alone in finding that I can work with people that I have never met…”

Why am I sharing ALL of this with you? Because there is SO much value in planting little seeds each week. Over time those seeds will germinate and many will bloom into beautiful friendships, business relationships, and potential partnerships.

Recently I met Jeff, who found me through my ezinearticles.com articles; where he then went to my blog and sent me an e-mail through the link there. He approached me about an opportunity for me to write a chapter in an anthology of personal development writing. Since then (just a week ago) he has also approached me about co-authoring another book that he’s working on. Without online networking, I never would have been “out there” for Jeff to stumble upon me.

About a month ago, I applied to write for a blogging community. Through reading my application letter and checking out my blog posts, the president of this company personally e-mailed me to say that along with wanting me to write for a blog with his company, he also would be happy to introduce me to some book agents.

Ummm, excuse me? Did I hear this guy correctly? Wait…it get’s better. He then followed up by sending me copy of one of his book proposals so that I could use it as a guide when putting mine together to prepare for said meeting that he could arrange!

Seriously, this is the kind of stuff that has been happening in the short 6-8 months since I’ve been blogging. And there are several other blogging-ships I’m nurturing that hold great potential opportunity for me in the future. People who know people, who know people that can lead me in any direction I choose. It’s that whole 6 degrees of separation thing.

It’s ALL about the relationship building. Woo your cyber friends just as you would work the room at a networking event (without the annoying “getting to know you” ice breakers and funky cheese and fruit platters). The blogosphere is a fairly safe and fun environment. The benefits you’ll reap by wooing, charming, dancing with and high fiving your blogging buddies are priceless.

I know, I’m well on my way to getting published and all I had to do was be more interested in other people than I am with myself. Ask questions. Be curious. Find out how YOU can help someone else. You never know what rewards you’ll reap!

Blog & brand boldly,
Kammie K.

Was going to tell you about the fact that I’ve only submitted four articles since June. The combination of all four have been viewed 401 times. The real crowd pleaser seems to be my first submission, “Build a Better Life by Learning to Love Language — The Ultimate Power Tool of Communication”. (Shameless self-promotion, thank you Suzanne Falter-Barnes at getknownnow.com).

I was going to share with you that only two days after submitting that first article I was contacted by JT Chandler letting me know that he had picked up my articles and was featuring me as an expert author on his website jtchandler.com (about all things personal development and Laws of Attraction). Was gonna wax poetic about how JT and I have developed an online friendship and he keeps me in the loop of any new possible blogging opportunities, new potential business contacts and anything else he thinks might be beneficial to my business. Dare I say he’s a Kam-bassador?

This article was also going to share how just this week I was contacted by another coaching/speaker/author type proposing that I collaborate with he and a few others on an anthology they are publishing about the keys to happiness and success. And how he found my articles on the site and then linked to my website from my bio box at the end of the article.

Thought about linking over to the ezinearticles.com website so you could see for yourself how advantageous it is to write about what you know, submit it to the database and let the universe work it’s magic. Meaning if you really are an expert in your field, people WILL find your articles and they WILL use them on their websites, on their blogs, in their e-zines and in their newsletters. You WILL begin getting sited across the blogosphere and beyond as a “go to” person for your business/product/service.

So I was gonna say, get busy writing. Get your fingers tapping on those keys and churn out a few simple, but sassy articles on what it is that YOU’RE an expert at. Knit mittens for kitties? Cool. Write about that. Sell the latest and greatest widget or wadget? Awesome! Are you the next big techno-savvy small business consultant that the rest of us just can’t live without?

Right on! Then sit your happy ass down, put your creative hat on, and start hunting and pecking. Because this method of WOM really works. The features and author tracking tools are awesome. The author spotlight on the homepage is an added bonus for you. Search by article, author or keyword. Chris Knight, (master of the ezinearticles.com domain) blogs about the many ways to utilize his site. He’s like your own personal instructor on how to maximize your articles, viral and WOM marketing.

But then I came across this post and it seemed relevant to our SBB blog, so I thought I’d share it as well. (Stick with me. We’re almost there.)

I stumbled upon Thomas Murrell, an international business speaker, consultant and award-winning broadcaster and publisher of Media Motivators. His article, “Why The World Loved The Steve Irwin Personal Brand”, is loaded with juicy back to basics branding tips. Who didn’t love the infectious Aussie and his charming, witty animal antics? Check this out –

3) Authenticity
Irwin was the real deal. While Australia’s highest grossing movie ‘Crocodile Dundee’ was pure drama, Irwin was real and provided dramatic reality.

4) Drive, Passion, Energy, Enthusiasm
In an interview published in the book Guinness World Records 2006 Irwin was asked, “How would somebody follow in your footsteps?” Here’s his answer:

“If you want to become a zoologist you’ve got to do all the tertiary education, but don’t lose your passion or enthusiasm despite the hard work or homework you have to do. Just follow through. Passion and enthusiasm will get you everywhere you want to go in the world.”

Irwin was living proof of this principle.

He could answer with laser-like precision the question: “Who are you and what do you do well that other people will respect you and reward you for?”

6) Memorable and Distinctive Point of Difference
There are hundreds of TV wildlife presenters. Irwin was different. He was very clever in selecting or inventing a distinct combination of factors that became a unique point of difference to competitors.

The three elements were:
Wardrobe: khaki shorts and shirt
Language: crikey, down to earth, simple
Danger & Drama he actually handled live animals

Consistency
Irwin understood the fact that it is more important to be clear and consistent than original. Symbolism is very powerful. So even when scuba diving he wore that khaki uniform. It was wacky but it worked.

So there you have it! A long winded way to share what I’ve found to work in the world of WOM. Think, “If you write it and post it, they will come”. You also need to know a little bit about what you’re talking about, have a flair for writing, and a professional photo for your bio isn’t a bad idea either.

Go ahead, put yourself out there! The world is waiting for your wisdom about widgets. Take a lesson from the zany Aussie, be YOU and the brand will evolve into the empire you’ve always imagined.

NOTE** I am in no way affiliated with ezinearticles.com, just sharing a resource that has worked for me. I can’t be held personally responsible if no one reads your stuff!!

Get busy branding,
Kammie K.

BF’s Little Black Dress is three “feminine favorites” (their words) - Pinot Grigio, Merlot and Chardonnay. According to Laura Webb, director of new products commercialization for Brown-Forman,

“Every woman has a little black dress, or three, or four. What could be better than to create a wine that women can relate to in that way?”

Miller’s response to that is pretty similar to my own…

“How about a wine that just tastes awesome for a ridiculously inexpensive price?”

She shares her thoughts on the desire for a bottle of inexpensive, great tasting wine, like Yellow Tail. A brand that until recently didn’t advertise at all. Much less create an entire campaign designed to lure in “Little Black Dress” wearing, wine enthusiasts. Michele ends her mini-rant curiously inquiring,

“What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear what you think about wine marketing and if Brown-Forman’s “feminine” ideas are worthy or just a bunch of sour grapes.”

My thoughts? Having worked in this industry on the event marketing side (I promoted Schieffelin & Somerset brands), I can tell you that targeted marketing like the LBD promo, can often come across as trite to consumers. The best S&S wine promotions I ran, targeted savvy, smart and cost-conscious consumers - period. While S&S brands focused on white tablecloth restaurants and their patrons, we still mentioned the competitive price point.

Promos like the LBD promo can seem gimmick-y and often reflect a lack of true understanding for the targeted consumers. Since the popularity of the HBO hit, Sex and the City , and the rise of “chic-lit” novels like Bridget Jones’s Diary, a number of brands have tried to jump on the “sassy, urban, witty, hip-chic” bandwagon. But S&C worked because it was authentic. Same goes for Ms. Jones. Those that try to model the trend often appear to be trying too hard.

Niche marketing can be tricky. There’s a fine line between reaching women that wear little black dresses and out and out screaming for their attention. Cable has only one Carrie Bradshaw, and she’s in syndication now. I’d encourage marketers to be unique and tap into the heart of the consumers they are trying to target.

How do women that wear LBD’s experience wine? What emotions strike a cord causing them to order/purchase/consume wine? Do they drink wine chilling on the couch, watching “chic” flicks? Or are they sharing a bottle with a girlfriend or two rapping about men, the kids, relationships or future dreams and aspirations?

My issue with campaigns like LBD is that they don’t give women enough credit. Yes, I might wear a LBD. I might even drink wine while I’m wearing it. But I choose to drink wine for many reasons. In many different scenarios. And choose my wine based on my many colored moods. Cab Sav, fits my mellow philosophical side. Pinot Grigio is yummy on a hot summer day while noshing at an outdoor café. Shiraz finds me feeling sassy.

Let’s not put women in a box - although some do drink wine from a box…now that’s really cost conscious! Because while I do own a little black dress, I don’t associate all of my wine drinking memories with it.

Are you putting your target market in a box or uncorking your brand creativity and allowing it to breathe?

Cheers to your brand success,

Kammie K.

WOMMA hosts conferences, sends out e-zines, blogs, podcasts and more. I’ve gained plenty of juicy nuggets just from subscribing to “Word of Mouth Basic Training” - Learn to Master Word of Mouth, Viral, Buzz, and Blog Marketing newsletter (plus it’s FREE).

This week WOMMA contributor Greg Clemson, shares these tips on “Joining the Conversation”…
5 Tips from Informative’s Greg Clemenson

“A brand is defined not by what we tell the customer but by what customers tell each other,” says Greg Clemenson, CTO of Informative. “But that doesn’t mean brands are helplessly adrift, unable to control or even influence the currents of consumer empowerment.”

Greg shares these tips on joining and staying involved in the consumer conversation:

Tip #1. Have a valid place in the conversation
Consumers talk about brands every day. While it may not be the first place they look, eventually consumers visit a brand or manufacturer’s web site to find information about a product. Be sure to offer information that answers questions.

Tip #2. Use your voice and have an opinion
Think about “voice.” How does your voice tie in with your conventional advertising? What are you doing and saying on the website? Are you reflecting your brand’s personality across your entire communications strategy? Listen to what people are saying about you, and have an opinion.

Tip #3. Be relevant
Understand what’s important to consumers as they talk about your product. Then be relevant when responding to their needs.
For example, one of Informative’s customers, Royal Mail, is rolling out an electronically available stamp aimed at small businesses. Initially, they thought that businesses would choose it as a faster, more convenient way of getting postage. But the most important aspect of the product to real people turned out to be the fact that it made them look professional. That changed Royal Mail’s whole marketing message.

Tip #4. Be responsible
You can have all kinds of modes of communication with people, but they’ll only appreciate it if you’re up front about who you are. Be responsible about your identity.

Tip #5. Remember that it’s a social phenomenon
Companies that feel they have to isolate participants in market research to keep them from talking with each other (”unaided awareness”) are forgetting that WOM is a social phenomenon. Always keep in mind that when people make a decision about something, it very seldom happens in isolation.

I’m a big fan of WOM. As my own business is starting to take off, I’ve noticed that viral, buzz, and WOM are the biggest contributors.

I also happened across “How Do People Find You” – at Get Known Now. Suzanne Falter Barnes is a top-notch creativity coach who uses WOM to increase her traffic flow as well. Numbers 2, 3, & 4 on the list of how people find you are WOM related.

Curious how to get WOM started for your business? Check out this handy little checklist at CMO magazine:
How To Build A Word-Of-Mouth Marketing Campaign
Michèle Bouquet, Jim Nail with Fiona McDonnell and Jaap Favier, share tips on how to create a WOM campaign. These folks get to the nuts and bolts of what the heck WOM is all about.

“The buzz itself is the objective of WOM marketing — to have as many consumers talk about a brand or a product to as many friends and acquaintances as possible. Marketers can create buzz by choosing the right:

Targets: evangelists or influencers
Channels: viral or traditional
Content: anything consumers want to share

“With WOM, consumers become an extension of the marketing department by helping spread the word and create buzz. While some of the tactics are different, marketers who wish to “recruit” consumers need to address the same four planning questions as in any marketing effort.”

Who do I target?
How do I get the word out?
What’s the message?
How do I measure the effect?

Are you ready to dig deep and ask yourself the tough questions? Are you ready for the WOM to take over and get the customers/clients/fans of your products or services to your door? When we focus on the foundation of our message, who we are targeting, how we are getting the word out, and how can we measure these results realistically – we begin to align ourselves with why the heck we’re in business in the first place.

Walking through these questions has pushed me to take a long hard look at whom I really do want to target. To ask what is my message? And to get crystal clear about my “voice” (see Tip #2) and what it is I’m really trying to say.

If you haven’t taken a focused look at your branding, or perhaps it’s been a while, DO! Ask your clients/customers/fans for feedback and see if the message you think you’re sending out is the same message everyone is hearing.

What kind of WOM is buzzing about your company/service/you? Is it inline with your true vision and mission or is it just petty water cooler gossip?

WOM Rules!
Kammie K.

First major observation - VALUE-ADDED. Let’s talk for a minute about how I got my tickets. The softball team at the University I work for had a fundraiser selling Cardinal tix at a discounted price. The tickets went for $13 (U.S.) and along with the ticket came a FREE hotdog and a soda. That’s a hell of a bargain! Did it really cost the Cardinal organization much more to offer the FREE stuff? Doubt it.

(Sidebar…the STL Cards just opened a beautiful new ballpark, with all the modern day amenities one can imagine. Along with the new bells and whistles comes plenty of new costs). What the Cards need this season is bodies in seats. With the inflated tickets prices starting at $20 and reaching as high as $100 a ticket – (up from $10 - $40 a ticket), discounting tickets is a great marketing ploy to get bodies in seats. And the FREE stuff -the “value-added” – equals maximum impact with minimum cost.

But the real magic begins as one enters the stadium. Because let’s face it, MLB isn’t just selling baseball, they are selling (major observation #2) an EXPERIENCE. Marketing 101 tells us that consumers don’t make rational purchases, they make emotional ones. What better way to evoke emotion than to create an EXPERIENCE?

Here’s what baseball Cardinal style looks like: We entered the stadium and were immediately handed a fluffy teddy bear (VALUE-ADDED) thanks to co-op marketing with Build-A-Bear, and noticed the smell of hot dogs, beer (all Anheuser-Busch products) and brats. The crack of the bat echoed off the walls as the announcers voice was pumped through speakers from every corner. T-shirt and hat vendors waved people over and credit card companies attempted to lure people into filling out credit applications with the enticement of a free T-shirt. Beer and brats not your bag? OK, how about gourmet nachos and shaved ice?

Perhaps you didn’t want to sit in the 100+ degree heat with the rest of us, so you upped the ante and purchased box tickets. Well you were served chocolate covered strawberries and cheese and veggie platters. Back on the big screens strategically placed around the stadium, you could send text messages to the Cards and your friends via cell phone. Coupled up? Well then, be sure to keep watching the video screen, as the camera man spotted cute couples to place a digital heart around as the crowd clapped and cheered for a kiss. Aww, sweet right?

The entire place was awash in a sea of red. Maybe only 10% of the people didn’t have on a hat, a T-shirt or shorts emblazoned with the Cardinals logo. Everywhere I turned, I observed someone having their own unique experience of the game - even as we shared the stadium as a collective group of consumers. Literally, there was stuff for the kids, the elderly and everyone in between.

Why share my Sunday at the ballpark with you? So that you may consider the EXPERIENCE you want to create for your clients/customers/fans. What emotion do you want to evoke? Which buttons are you trying to push? What emotional experience can you create that’ll send people reaching into their pocketbooks and whipping out their credit cards? Do you want to make them laugh? Or Cry? Do you want to entice them? Or have them nostalgic for days gone by? Stir their excitement for the future, because your product or service is the ONLY one that will get them where they want to be? Do you want to instill hope? Inspire creativity? Nourish their spirit?

I challenge you to really consider the experience you are creating for your “fans”. What can visitors of your virtual storefront expect to FEEL as they drop by your website? What feelings will emerge as they read your marketing materials? What emotional connection will they attach to your products or service? What will keep them coming back time and again, like we do for the Cards - despite the 100 degree temps? Does your EXPERIENCE make them sizzle or leave them in the cold?

In the words of Harry Caray – Sports Broadcasting legend, “My whole philosophy is to broadcast the way a fan would broadcast.” Are you broadcasting the way your fans would? Or whispering into a paper cup?

Brand boldly,
Kammie K.

I’ve enjoyed my experiences in the academic and corporate worlds and both afforded me the opportunity to travel and explore diverse cities, people and cultures. (For more scoop, check out my website).

Upon completion of a Master’s degree in Communications Training and Development, I began a second one in Professional Counseling, and explored the option of becoming a therapist. Through research and powerful questioning, I realized that Life Coaching was my ultimate calling (along with blogging and writing books about loving life) and I switched gears to begin training with Coach University. Aha! My passion met my purpose. Helping others “fall in love with life” – the one they’ve already got – underneath all the junk, is my mission.

And so it goes that I began passionmeetspurpose.com, a site dedicated to providing resources for people to help themselves fall in love with life. People can find themselves stuck in the “What is my true passion and/or purpose in life?” The first step on that journey is simply living with more joy and passion on a daily basis. The more we do what we love - be it knitting or blogging or designing widgets – truly tuning into our unique gifts and talents - the rest of the story magically unfolds. Leading MANY of us to start small businesses.

The brand identity of an organization is often referred to as the soul or spirit of the company. As I’m fascinated with spirituality and living life with more passion and purpose, I look forward to opening a dialogue around those topics in relation to building the soul or identity of a small business.

One soulful leader, who consistently stands for integrity and inspiration in business, is Lance Secretan. He recently shared his thoughts on authenticity in business on his blog …

“I asked an expert in the financial markets the other day to name an industry that was fully authentic, one that did not trick customers, or use misleading advertising, or pay lawyers to advance their aims at the expense of others - and he couldn’t name one.

Of course, he could name shining examples of authenticity in every field, and these we gratefully take as our beacons. But the Starbucks, Patagonia’s, Body Shops and Southwest Airlines are the exception rather than an industry norm. Yet these are the icons that inspire us.

We are authentic - and therefore inspiring - as leaders, when our minds, mouths, hearts and feet all practice the same thing. That’s when we become inspired and are inspiring to others. The inauthentic frightens and saddens us.

And the authentic inspires us and guides us all to greatness.”

I’ll do my best to write as authentically, soulfully and as inspired as I can in regard to our shared passion – our small businesses.

Peace & Prosperity,
Kammie K.