THE CONNECTED BRAND: Own Your Connections

The Connected Brand with Maria Elena Duron

Your connections begin in your own database. When I’m asked about how to “own your game”, or dominate your niche, the first place I begin asking about is what do you know about your database?

Even those born within this last minute, already have a handful of people in their personal database. From the mother that carried them, to the physician that delivered them, to the nurses in the delivery room, the pediatrician and the nurses in the nursery – the newborn even know somebody!

How can you make the most of who you are already connected to?

First, clean your list. Start going through to see whose email, phone number, cell phone, address, and employment information is up-to-date and who is not. Your first focus is to make sure you have the most current, effective information for those people who already know you.

Second, grade your list. No, I’m not talking about judging people yet I am talking about categorizing them in a way that makes sense for you. Who really knows you well? I mean they have spoken positively on your behalf, they know your hopes, dreams and aspirations. They may even know the good, the bad and the ugly! They know you. They know what you do for a living. How many close contacts can actually say that? Often we’re connected with those who “kind of, sort of” know what we do so they could never repeat it to anyone or effectively explain it or even speak to a prospective employer or prospect about how you can help them.

Start first with those who really know you well. And, then work through your list seeing who you really know. Again, use the same criteria.- do you know their hopes, dreams and aspirations? Do you know their strengths? Do you know what they really do for a living (not just their title)?

Third, of those who really know you – what gaps do you see in the information you have on them? Maybe you don’t even know if they’re currently married, divorced or single. Maybe you don’t know where they graduated from? Or, you might have their work number yet you don’t have their email address or cell phone number. Focus on where you have gaps and make a plan on garnering some of that information. It might be that you’ll find out at the next ball game or happy hour get together. Whenever it is, make sure that you flow your information gathering into the conversation and not sound like you’re going through a checklist. To do so, would surely shut down conversation.

Lastly, who on that list really supports you? They have been “your brand advocate” all along. They cheer you on and sing your praises! Do any of them fall in the following categories?

• People who have mentored you?
• People you have mentored or taught?
• Former managers, supervisors or instructors?
• And, yes, even co-workers?

These are the foundation of your brand advocates and you must identify them first to own your connections.

Author:
Maria Elena Duron is chief buzz officer & identity coach of buzz2bucks | a personal branding + word of mouth firm. and blogs about connecting your personal brand and SMART Connections. She is also the creator and moderator of brandchat: a live streaming branding discussion on twitter. Follow her on Twitter for daily updates or connect with her on Facebook.

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THE CONNECTED BRAND: Own Your Connections

THE CONNECTED BRAND: Offline Rules Still Apply to Online Networking

The Connected Brand with Maria Elena Duron

On a recent call, someone recommended that you join every group possible to get your name out there in the online world. I respectfully disagree.

To join every group is like the social butterfly who walks into the networking event collecting every card imaginable with the intent to spam or stalk them to the point of a pressured sale or a pissed off person. Or, it’s like the person you see at the networking even wreaking of ‘commission breath’ hungry for the next sale and hoping that they’ll make it right there at that event.

The first rule of networking still applies, “be interested in order to be interesting”. It’s more important to be interested in the people you are making a connection with.

No, I don’t have “the most” Twitter followers but I know my Twitter followers. I read their bios, visit their websites and engage in conversation with them. I’m re-tweeted, recommended as a person to follow and re-tweet those who say something that would be helpful to my network. We are networking just not racking up Twitter follower points.

No, I’m not this mega LinkedIn link who has thousands of connections yet I do know my connections. I answer questions, help make connections, deliver knowledge and engage.

And, on Facebook and my blog, I comment back to people who make comments or post on my wall. I engage in conversation which is important for people to have the opportunity to sample who you are.

So, why do people think that online and offline networking require different rules. After all, online is just a “tool” to communication…nothing more.

I get frustrated when I hear people talk of their Twitter strategy, their LinkedIn or Facebook strategy. Why? Because how many of us knew of these sites, terms or used them five years ago? Twitter didn’t even exist five years ago and tweeting and our tweeple were not ever terms used in any of our conversations two years ago.

While the tools will change (who knows what 2010 will hold), the fact that we are engaging and connecting with people remains the same. How we do it and the time and place we do that will inevitably evolve. Yet, people are still people connecting, doing business with, working and communicating with people.

Really, would you ever create a “hammer strategy” or would you rather have a strategy as to how you would repair your fence and maybe a “hammer” is one of the tools you use (or maybe even a staple gun for that matter) – is it really the tool you are strategizing about?

Author:
Maria Elena Duron is chief buzz agent & identity coach of buzz2bucks | a personal branding + word of mouth firm. and blogs about connecting your personal brand and SMART Connections. She is also the creator and moderator of brandchat: a live streaming branding discussion on twitter. Follow her on Twitter for daily updates or connect with her on Facebook.

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THE CONNECTED BRAND: Creating Community, Build Your Tribe

The Connected Brand with Maria Elena Duron

I am the moderator of BRANDCHAT. A fast paced, streaming interactive conversation that happens every week via Twitter. We chat of everything about branding and drill down to the specifics that focus on the human factor of branding – be it for an individual, soloprenuer, professional, small business owner or corporation wanting to ensure that their employees deliver on the corporate brand promise with authenticity.

In the chat, we “high five”, challenge each other’s beliefs, share resources along with knowledge and change minds and have our mind’s changed. Another great chat I participate in is JOURNCHAT, a conversation between journalists, bloggers, editors and PR agencies and people. It’s a great place to find out from the sources themselves what the challenges, tips, discussions and focuses are of newsrooms everywhere.

I love that we are in a hyper-connected time where we can reach across borders, time zones, cultures and communities to interact with someone with common goals, the same frame of reference, values with common ground and common interests. And, while there are as many subgroups as there are stars in the heavens those splinters of groups gather together even in greater numbers using the tools that new technology bestows.

To “connect by doing” does not mean to confuse activity with accomplishment and one also must be cautious to think that connecting means having “great numbers” of followers, friends, or links. Great connections have to do with quality of the interaction, relationship and trust.

No longer can we measure ROI (return on investment) by mere numbers of page views, customer counts or eyeballs. We now look deeper into the quality of the relationship and the length of interaction. Thus, we see even the “big brands” creating communities of customers and contacts and listening to their conversation instead of only broadcasting theirs.

How can you create your community?

First, decide who your community consists of.

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Next, develop a strategy around where your community already is. Where do they spend time? Is there a place that they are at or reviewing in great numbers?

Decide on the tools to reach them. It could be:

• A newsletter
• A networking event
• Monthly meet-ups or tweet-ups
• A Ning.com or SocialGo.com community
• A tweetchat room with a weekly conversation
• A tweetgrid focus for conversation
• A Facebook group
• A Facebook fan page
• A Facebook business page
• A LinkedIn group
• An online of offline forum

Now, be the great facilitator for them by fostering conversations, listening intently, and providing resources. Now, is not the time for presenting – it is the time for being present.

Author:
Maria Elena Duron is chief buzz agent & identity coach of buzz2bucks | a personal branding + word of mouth firm. and blogs about connecting your personal brand and SMART Connections. She is also the creator and moderator of brandchat: a live streaming branding discussion on twitter. Follow her on Twitter for daily updates or connect with her on Facebook.

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Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER.



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THE CONNECTED BRAND: Creating Community, Build Your Tribe

THE CONNECTED BRAND: From Stereotypes To Strategies

The Connected Brand with Maria Elena Duron

From Stereotypes To Strategies

Bridging the Cultural and Generational Communication Gap

Wong Brothers Laundry Service – Two Wongs Can Make it White” This statement was actually printed on an Abercrombie & Fitch shirt which triggered a national boycott in 2002. “We personally thought Asians would love this T-shirt,” said Hampton Carney, A&F’s spokesman. However, students from Stanford University think, “WTH. That’s so racist!”

These two scenarios are examples of our challenges in terms of cross-cultural and cross-generational communication. In the first scenario, the American clothing brand thought that Asian or Asian-American consumers would love the product, yet it was a flop that resulted in a serious issue. The second example, on the other hand, a college student might react in a manner that cannot be easily understood by a listener who belongs to a different generation. What is WTH, anyway? WTH is actually an acronym for what the heck. So if you’re not the type of person who doesn’t really chat or stay in online forums, then this and other acronyms and emoticons might not make sense to you. In the past, we only had to deal with communication gaps across cultures. Now we have to deal with cross-generation communication gaps as well. So how do we exactly manage this and start seeing beyond stereotypes and turning them into effective communication strategies?

Strategies for Cross-Cultural Communication

Here are some useful tips on how to effectively communicate with people from diverse cultural backgrounds:

• Avoid asking, “Do you understand?” Instead, check for understanding by encouraging them to ask questions or raise clarifications. You may also ask them what they think about the issue.
• Raise your cultural awareness. First, you have to identify the cultural groups you are dealing with. Then ask questions about how they do things in their own country. For instance, in the US, people show respect by properly addressing the person they’re talking to (use of Mr., Ms., Dr., Prof., etc) and by maintaining eye contact. However, in some Asian countries, people show respect by using honorifics (ex., san), bowing and not directly looking at the person they’re speaking with.
• Learn how to cope with culture shock. Of course, culture shock is just a normal response when a person is immersed in an unfamiliar culture. But this is definitely something that we can control by taking a few positive steps. One of which is acknowledging the fact that it’s quite normal to experience culture shock. People have different symptoms of culture shock – some have difficulty in sleeping or eating while others become irritable. We just need to recognize these symptoms and accept that it’s normal.
• Try to learn a few phrases in the native dialect. Have you noticed how politicians and celebrities try to thank their supporters or fans in the native dialect of the place where they tour? You can also do the same. Learn a few phrases and try to use them when conversing with locals because it’s a good way of showing that you’re trying to reach out to them.
• Mimic the reactions of the natives. Another technique that one must try when dealing with people from other cultural backgrounds is by mimicking how the natives react to a certain situation. Observe them and see how they respond. For example, how do they say sorry? Do they bow excessively? Then the next step is to try the new behavior and evaluate if it works.
• Avoid ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s culture is superior to all others. Never assume! Just because an action does not look, sound, or feel right, it doesn’t mean it’s abnormal. For example, if you go to an establishment in the Philippines, expect to be called Ma’am or Sir at all times. They don’t think that you’re from the military; instead this is their way of showing respect to the customers and authorities.
• Take time into consideration. This usually applies to those who work with virtual teams located halfway around the globe or with people from different time zones. Time can also be a reason for miscommunication. Say for example, a boss based in New York sends out a meeting invite at 8AM (a conference call) with a staff member based in Taiwan. There’s a huge chance that the staff in Taiwan will report 8AM local time on that day only to find out that the meeting is scheduled at 8AM Eastern (which is 8PM, Taiwan). In this case, we should be more sensitive of the time and really clarify the time zone you are following to avoid miscommunication that could also result to unnecessary overtimes.

Strategies for Cross-Generational Communication

Meanwhile, let me provide you some tips on how you could flex and match your communication style when talking to Traditionalists, Boomers, Xers, and Millenials.

• Know their communication style. Each generation has its own unique communication style. Traditionalists prefer formal and face-to-face interactions. Baby Boomers tend to be open and direct and they expect to be pressed for details. Gen Xers, on the other hand, enjoy using emails as a primary communication tool. And finally, the Millenials love to send text and instant messages and they are not hesitant to network with other people no matter where they are as long as they’re online.
• Refrain from using generational jargon. If you are a Millenial and are talking to a Traditionalist boss, avoid using acronyms such as BRB (be right back) and LOL (laughing out loud) because one, they might not understand it and two, they might think that you’re being impolite or disrespectful. The same goes with the other generations, Boomers should not expect Millenials to find disco as “groovy.”
• Learn how to provide feedback. Each generation has its own way of perceiving feedback. For Traditionalists, no news is good news and feedback should be given formally. They don’t necessarily want to be applauded instead they prefer a subtle form of acknowledgment. Boomers don’t want much feedback, once a year is enough but make sure that you document it. They prefer giving feedback than receiving them. For Xers, they want to get feedback to know how they are doing and to check if they are on the right track. The Millenials are used to being praised by their Boomer parents and they think that silence is a sign of disapproval. They like receiving feedback and they want it with just a push of a button.

Overall, there’s no secret formula or magic pill that will automatically zap communication gaps. On top of the tips mentioned above, we also need to improve our active listening skills, be sensitive and pay attention to non-verbal communications like gestures and facial expressions, do not interrupt the person talking, show genuine interest, ask questions or paraphrase if you do not understand something, and most importantly let’s learn to respect and embrace these differences.

Author:

Maria Elena Duron is chief buzz agent and inspiring identity coach for buzz2bucks.com a personal branding firm. She is listed as one of the top 50 Personal Branding Consultants Worth Working With and one of the top 100 Twitter experts as well as author of thebuzz101.com

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Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER. To subscribe for your free newsletter, go to www.TheNationalNetworker.com. For the complete National Networker Relationship Capital Toolkit and a free, continuous RSS feed (available either by traditional RSS or by direct email), go to: http://thenationalnetworkerweblog.blogspot.com. You are also invited to click our buttons:


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THE CONNECTED BRAND: From Stereotypes To Strategies