Don’t believe me? Well then, simply check your smartphone, email and other IM devices and count how many messages you sent in a particular day. Now ask yourself: how many of those messages could have been enhanced with an old-fashioned phone call, or, dare I say, face-to-face conversation?

Truth is, we ALL need to become better verbal communicators, whether it be well-prepared group presentations, simple conference calls, or even everyday extemporaneous public speaking. Back in college (way back when) as a Comm major, part of my curriculum included public speaking classes. One particular assignment has stuck with me throughout my career: each student had to enter a crowded elevator, turn to the passengers, and make a speech of some sort, either political, seasonal, even proselytizing was encouraged. The whole idea was to engage with the “mobile audience” and simply become more comfortable speaking to strangers.

Fast forwarding to present day, as a professor of branding at the University of California, a solid portion of my curriculum deals with basic communication skills, both verbal and written. After all, as marketing professionals, we must have the ability to articulate our messages.

One of the exercises we practice in my classroom, whether it be a “101” introductory course, or of the graduate-level MBA variety, is the classic elevator speech. Students commonly ask: What is it? Should it be flexible? How long should it be? The answers are quite simple and I offer them here, today, “tuition free.”

Elevator speeches are so named because they should be designed to be delivered at any time, anyplace, and to just about anybody. How long? If you literally find yourself in an elevator, about one minute is a good rule of thumb. Keep in mind that other circumstances would require longer oratories. Think about when you’re standing in line at Starbucks, how about filling up at the gas station? Sitting next to someone at a baseball game? I’ve even encountered opportunities while traveling solo, sitting first class on a long flight. Since desperate times call for desperate measures, simply pop a breath mint and be prepared for a marathon mano a mano. If the conversation is fruitful, you never know when you might pick up a new lead, or better yet, your next big client.

All elevator speeches must be succinct and have proper sequence, (remember the inverted triangle method of writing you learned in journalism class?). You never know when your conversation might get cut-off, so get to the relevant who, what, and why right away. In addition, you must make your delivery with confidence, good tempo, and clarity, using analogy or citing examples if describing your vocation is complicated.

Finally, the number one reason why people are reluctant to speak in public is due to a lack of preparation. So, always be on the ready to deliver a solid elevator speech, after all, that’s exactly what Steven Tyler and the rest of his Idol judge panel does on live TV. It doesn’t get any more extemporaneous than that. I apologize if this blog is beginning to sound a little “pitchy” (pun intended) so at this point, I bid you all “good evening.”

Marc Villarreal
EVP of Branding
Integrity Media

Improved bandwidth has made video easier and faster to watch and load, plus Google places a certain value on video when incorporated in media.  With 86% of ALL U.S. Internet users watching an online video in any given month, it would be wise for any company – or advertising agency – to take full advantage of the power of online videos.

Recently, YouTube announced the building of a major film studio in Los Angeles because they realize that all created YouTube-style videos get viewed more often and get better results.  There’s a lot to be said about how your video is used in the branding process.  What amazes me more often than not is that multimillion-dollar companies have their employees tasked with creating videos to represent their brand and identity that, unfortunately, end up being subpar.  Why do these companies spend millions on perks for employees or prospects but have no budget to produce quality branded videos that represent the company brand? Moreover, what is a brand?

Branding is not just a cool logo or name that tells the story of the company.  A good brand is something you can see, smell, hold, and feel.  It elicits emotion and desire. It’s not what you say you are, rather, it’s how the public perceives your company.   When you see branding elements created by Microsoft or Apple they evoke a sense of quality, speed, or sexiness.  Others believe they speak of passion, greed, or even Bill Gates or the late Steve Jobs themselves.

It’s been said that a good brand is worth a thousand words…. Along the same thinking, video can therefore be worth an exponential amount of words.  Take for instance the story Scott Monty told about how video made a huge difference when Ford Motor Company launched their new hands-free parallel parking assist technology.  They launched the story through traditional media sources and also used social media, mostly Twitter, to get the message out.  According to Monty, it wasn’t until they launched the video that there was there that elusive “ahhhh” moment, because people could actually see and experience the technology in action.

I believe watching video on the Internet is a lot more fun and engaging than simply reading text.   We all use computers everyday but we should be looking at our monitors like we look at our TV.  We watch TV, we don’t read it. The same goes for your computer monitor.   If customers look at their screen as a television, it would make sense to incorporate online video as part of your overall integrated marketing strategy… especially when you look at the latest numbers from comScore. It states that in February 2012, 179 million U.S. Internet users watched nearly 38 billion videos of online video content.  WOW, is that proof in the pudding or what?  The average viewer watched 21.8 hours of online video content, with Google Sites (7 hours) and Hulu (3.8 hours) demonstrated the highest average engagement among the top ten properties.

Indeed, there is truth in numbers, and sometimes these statistics say it all….

So we invite you to contact Integrity Media today to arrange a comprehensive meeting to review what your brand is accomplishing online.

Apple Maniacs are much like San Diego Charger fans: they are convinced they are the best team of all time even though they have never won the Superbowl. At least Apple has some history to back it up (objective observation Charger fans!). Ironically, Steve Jobs was famous for this personality trait and his friends and family lovingly called it, “Steve’s reality distortion field.” I self admittedly, float in and out of this field (more often in than out). It is true that I end up purchasing almost every new Apple product after being wowed by a brilliant keynote presentation declaring the latest product to be “the most amazing, advanced, magical, revolutionary, powerful, beautiful and simple-to-use product they have ever built. Multi-Core, Multi-Touch, Multi-Bucks, there is nothing like it on the planet! Apple has brilliantly taught us all how to “Think Differently” and as someone in marketing, it is worthy of some admiration.

Today as a part of my lunch ritual, I checked out one of my favorite blogs, Cult for Mac and saw a review on the latest beta for Apple’s upcoming Mac OS known as “Mountain Lion.” I (of course) watched the video and sat in my chair a bit disappointed…something rare for most Apple Maniacs. I have to be honest (cue gasps), the last 3 versions of OSX have been disappointing to me as well and yet, much like I did with the other versions, I will download Mountain Lion the day it is released. Even though I didn’t find this product to be “revolutionary” it is priced so well ($30), I see value in keeping everything up-to-date.

As I sit here in my office writing this blog post (typing on my Macbook Pro, while my iPad 2 is sitting on my desk challenging me to figure out what it is actually good for), I am in awe at the sheer brilliance of Apple’s marketing. Many define Apple marketing their “iToys” as, “beautiful products, clean ads and a brilliant presentation with bold descriptions” but it goes well beyond that. I can use the word “toy” with a lower case “i” in front of it and you automatically associate it with Apple. It’s planned out with surgical focus and precision even down to the smallest detail. Think about the amount of research they complete! They know me! Male, late 20’s, lives in Orange County, works in marketing, web design background, an “8 out of 10” on the Apple freak scale. They know that I will pop for $30 bucks on an Apple product even though I don’t think it lives up to the hype.

Enough about the brilliance of Apple… Let’s talk about your business.

Do your services or products fit the descriptions of Apple’s bold nomenclature? Do Apple products really fit their own proclamations? Let me put this another way, do your products / services create DESIRE? If your answer is no, WHY NOT? The wrong answer is, I don’t have the money Apple has for marketing. News flash! You will never have the money if your products don’t create DESIRE. BMW doesn’t sell cars, they sell, “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” They sell the BMW lifestyle. That 328i is more about the statement it makes about the buyer and how they wish to be perceived. If it were just about some nice features in a rather anemic car, a Kia would do the trick! How you position your product can be more important than the product itself! “Can you hear me now?” GOOD! Now I understand for many of you, this is like opening up Pandora’s Box. The thought of where to start is far too overwhelming because of how many choices you have so you choose not to open it. Some of you are about to go straight to Twitter and Facebook to start accounts because your competitor is doing it. Bad idea…They might not know what they are doing either!

Before you do anything let me give you some advice. Take the first bite out of the Apple with a plan! Think about how well thought out Apple’s marketing is. Everything with Apple is extremely well planned and highly researched. Here are some questions to help you get started…Who you are as a company? How does your product / service fit into the marketplace? What you do better than your competitors? Where are your ideal customers are at? Who and where are the market influencers? What are your goals? What is your monthly budget for marketing? Who is going to execute the plan once it has been once it is created? I know, I know, sounds too simple right? Well…it isn’t. The foundations of marketing are simple. You have to start somewhere and if you put together a solid plan, with a budget and allocate time by making it a part of your routine, you are well on your way to a successful marketing campaign. If you want some additional materials to help begin the plan or need some help with the plan itself, I have some great resources that I would be more than happy to send you. It’s time for you to “Think Different” so get out there and “Just Do It!” (puns completely intended).

More to Come!

-Marty

Marty Vasquez, Creative Director at Integrity Media

Its time to get online and start growing using social media! Send us an email or give us a call! We want to make your 2012 louder than ever!

For more information visit their website:
http://feedingsomalia.org