All posts by Jay

Speak With Passion: How To Establish Your Guru-ness

Creative Business Ideas, Speak With Passion

How to Become a Speaking Guru

(Photo by John Haslam)

Whether you’re starting out or have been giving speeches for a while, you’re likely want to have people in your audience take note of what you say. And people pay extra-attention to people who are experts in their field. So how can you establish your own guru-ness in your talk?

There are 3 basic ways to show you’re the expert:

1. Say “I’m the expert and here’s why…” This borders on boasting and requires the most confidence in you as a speaker. The key is to pick one or two expert credentials that your audience cares about, and not bore your audience with a recitation of your professional resumé.

2. Have others say “You’re the expert and here’s why…” This is the most familiar way people are introduced onto stage, “So-and-so has won multiple awards, been to the White House many times, consults with heads of state, etc.”. Even if this introduction was written by the speaker (for the emcee) it comes across as more humble. By leaving the bragging for others to do, you save valuable time in your speech to convey your big idea.

3. Show you’re the expert at something else entirely. Let’s say you’re giving a speech on designing buildings. While you’ve been an architect for 20 years, won multiple awards, and are highly sought after, what many people don’t know is that you’re also a quilter, who has (quietly) made and donated quilts to homeless people for years. If your speech can connect quilting to architecture, you’ve pulled off a double-win: you’ve both humanized your speech (sharing something special) and made your speech more memorable (if everyone else is talking about architecture, and your speech begins with quilting, you’ve got an immediate edge). By talking about something that you’re also passionate about, you clearly articulate your multiple talents.

For your next speech, if you will be an unfamiliar face, carefully consider how you want to be introduced and remembered.

Make Marketing a Game

Creative Business Ideas

Marketing Gamification

(Photo by Ernie)

When we reach out to our prospective customers it usually feels like work: identifying core needs, creating an appropriate message, spreading the message, fielding inquiries, and refining the message for the future. It’s work for you and it’s work for your prospects (they’re generally contacting you because you’re helping them solve a problem). What if you could make marketing FUN for everyone?

We know games can be fun, immersive, and naturally viral (in 2011, spending on US games totaled $21.6 billion). Gamification is the process of applying elements of game play to real-world problems (including your marketing efforts) using such simple techniques as: achievement badges/levels, progress bars, and user challenges. If you have a Facebook page, you’re focused on the number of likes/friends. If you have a cell phone, you might be focused on your Foursquare badges. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you may have been subtly coerced to complete your profile (seeing how close you were to 100% completed). We seek to get confirmation that we’re liked or authorities in our social circles. You can leverage this same feeling in your own marketing.

The first step is to create goals that your prospective customers care about: fame, reputation, (financial) reward, competition, charitable giving, etc. Ideally these goals should be in alignment with your company’s mission and offerings. If you’re not sure, ask your customers for input.

Create tangible milestones to achieve these goals (points, badges, trophies, etc.). The milestones should initially be easily achieved, then gradually stretched out to increase the “special-ness” of achieving the goals. If it takes just a few minutes and anyone can achieve the goals, then the achievement is a big deal. This is the essence of great game levels – make it easy for people to learn the basics, then ramp up the challenge to reward the efforts.

Now you need to create the game itself – the fun part. It could be a smartphone app that you give away, an online game, a treasure hunt, quizzes, etc. But it’s got to be fun to both play and fun to watch from the sidelines. Your marketing effort should initially be focused on creating the experience, but ongoing, it needs to be encouraging the spectators/audience. Make what people who play do visible and make your (social) marketing about cheering on those that are “daring enough” to play. By highlighting them, you both win.

If the game you create is fun in its own way (not just for a narrow audience) then you’ll likely get a viral bump, as people will want to share the fun with their friends. But make sure that the game aligns with your business model (and has measurable analytics), otherwise you’ll quickly find yourself spending time in the game business, but not growing your company’s success.

Video Production Company Needs New Tagline

Names + Taglines

I own a video production company called Take 5 Productions. When I started the only service I provided was transfering old home movies (Film, Reel to Reel, VHS, slides etc) to DVD. My tag line was then “Keep Memories Alive Instead of in a Box.” Now I have expanded and I now provide video editing, DVD duplication, make corporate videos and video tape weddings etc. I need a new tagline.

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Jay’s Answer: As you’ve identified, different audiences would have different messages. A generic tagline wouldn’t clarify who you help or how. Consider a brief menu tagline such as:

Take 5 Productions
Professional Recordings. Video Editing & Transfers.

Electric Company Need A Catchy Slogan

Names + Taglines

My last name is Drake. I am starting my own electrical contracting business and need a slogan or phrase that will get attention. I am reliable, reasonable, and very professional. I’m not very tall, some have suggested something along that line. Drake is also associated with a duck, so maybe that could help.

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Jay’s Answer: You don’t watch “catchy” – you want professional. The phrase itself won’t bring you business – so you’ll want a marketing strategy to attract new clients..

As for a tagline, consider: Residential & Commercial. Guaranteed & Bonded.

If you’re convinced catchy is the way: Power To The People

A Tagline For My New Civil Engineering Company

Names + Taglines

i am a civil engineer i planning for my own company my sun name is Jashith i thik iplaned jashith enterprises pls you can suggest name of the company and tagline

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Jay’s Answer: Imagine someone who doesn’t know you sees a sign that says, “Jashith Enterprises”. What would they think? Would they know you’re a civil engineer or think you’re a product manufacturer? Would they (or should they) care about Jashith as a name? If the company you’re starting is just you, why not:

Ramakrishna Chirumamilla
Civil Engineer

If you’re planning to build a company, and have more civil engineers working with/for you, then my suggestion are names that are professional, such as:

  • Punjab Civil Engineering
  • Bridge Builders of Gujarat

Promoting A Racing Team

eMarketing, Publicity

i am entitled with a work its to promote a racing team on Facebook. My task is to put interesting stuff in the fan page something like have competitions for fans and award them. Currently i worked on too many pages and i am out of creative ideas. So can you suggest me some interesting competitions for fan out their on Facebook which spread the words to others too.

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Jay’s Answer: Why don’t you simply “share the win” with your fans? Every time your team wins, a random FB fan will get a prize (autographed team jacket, etc.).

Naming Stationery Shop

Names + Taglines

Hi, I am opening a small shop online am looking for a clever, creative, and catchy name. I am making my own stationery, am offering personalize stationery too. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

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Jay’s Answer:

  • Papercentric
  • Pulp Diction

 

I Need A Name And Tagline For My Jewelry Business!

Names + Taglines

I make hand-crafted jewelry out of Scrabble Tiles and other miscellaneous game pieces and would like to have an official name and tagline now that I’m on my feet. I would something short, fun and catchy that will capture the customers attention and be easy for them to remember.

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Jay’s Answer:

  • J-E-W-E-L-R-Y
  • J8 Jewelry (where J8 is the J tile from scrabble value)

 

Rebranding, Tagline Needed…

Names + Taglines

Hello, I have an event/wedding planning business (3 yrs old), and looking at re-branding to add floral and travel. I need a catchy tag line.. Can you help? My company name is It’s All About You Events, but with adding the other markets, I am going back to the name, It’s All About You. I was thinking of multiple taglines, but think one tag line for all companies are best. All 3 companies will be under one roof. Current tagline is ‘Celebrate the Moment!’, but feels this no longer works, especially since we are looking at branching into the floral and travel market.

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Jay’s Answer: You’re likely to have a problem trying to convey the right message in your tagline to 3 different audiences. Consider: “From Weddings, To Flowers and Travel”

New Website Online Neighborhood Rating Service

Names + Taglines

I am building a website that will allow people moving or renting to check on the social rating of a neighborhood. Need a cool name/tag line using words like neighborhood, community, block, street, turf. The site content will be generated by users with their rating, score (i.e Yelp for Neighborhoods). The site will provide users with a simple search bar (address, city, zip, etc) and a map that geo-tags the block with comments on the neighborhood from current and past residents. The site will be free and we plan to use local advertising services relevant to our site and users.

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Jay’s Answer:

  • How Hip Is Your Block?
  • What’s Going On?
  • Neighborhood Pulse