March « 2008 « Shoestring Branding

March, 2008

Book Reviews — 2 Comments
24
Mar 08

Presentation Zen: Book Review

In this age of information overload and short attention spans, the ability to deliver clear and concise presentations is one of the most important skills.

Instead, business presentations today are mostly long, unfocused and boring. In a typical PowerPoint presentation, the audience is forced to sit through slide after slide of charts, bullet points and text while the presenter reads from the screen.

As a result, both presenter and audience feel stressed and disengaged, and everybody ends up wasting their time (this common situation is also referred to as Death by PowerPoint).

Garr Reynolds’ quest to end PowerPoint as we know it started years ago when, riding on the express train from Tokyo to Osaka, he had his epiphany: after watching a Japanese businessman nervously flip through a printout of poorly designed PowerPoint slides in an obvious state of confusion, he decided to launch his Presentation Zen blog, now the most popular presentation design site on the web.

Presentation Zen (the book) is organized in three main sections:

Preparation
Design
Delivery

In the way of the true classics, this book is more than a simple step by step tutorial. It outlines an approach, a strategy to solve the complex communication issues of today. It not only tells us how to do a presentation, but instead takes us on a journey to discover what is it that we need to communicate in the first place, and how to make it resonate with our audience.

Here are some of the things I learned:

How to discover your core message (the one thing, and only one, that you want your audience to remember).
The importance of having quiet time to think. Busyness kills creativity. We all need some quiet time alone to come up with our best ideas.
To use pencil and paper to brainstorm the content and outline of a presentation.
To use two often forgotten PowerPoint tools: notes (so you don’t have to read from the screen) and handouts (so you don’t have to cram all the data on your slides).
Less is more: remove from slides every single element that doesn’t add to our core message.
PowerPoint is not a document creation tool. It’s job is to provide a visual aid to our presentation. The slides themselves are not the presentation.
Images are more powerful than words.

Garr has packed this book with visual examples of great (and not so great) presentations, so we can see the difference. Also, he summarizes the most important ideas at the end of each chapter, and links to great presentation resources on the web (my favorite is TED, where you can see the great presenters of our time in action).

This book is not for everyone. Those readers who are looking for a few quick tips on how to do a PowerPoint presentation may get impatient with the author’s frequent and lengthy references to the Zen philosophy and concepts.

However, if you bear with him, you will learn more than just do a presentation. You will learn to analyze and solve complex communications problems, to see the big picture from your customers’ perspective, and how to effectively position products and services in the marketplace.

If you have to do presentations for a living (and who doesn’t these days?) read this book and keep it handy for future reference. And, while you’re at it, add Presentation Zen (the blog) to your blogroll or favorites.

Ten Essential Tools You’ll Need to Launch a Blog

Photo Credits: spcummings

As social media grow in popularity, more small business owners are getting interested in blogging. Once they decide to have a blog the next question is: what tools to use, and how much do they cost?

The cost of operating a blog is virtually negligible. Around $100/year will buy you access to a self publishing platform with all the tools to instantly reach people all over the world. From a cost-benefit perspective, blogging is really a no-brainer.

Here’s a breakdown of the tools I’m using and how much they cost:

Domain Name ($9/year):

I used Godaddy (aff) to register shoestringbranding.com and all my other domains. Godaddy has excellent prices and a user-friendly interface. Make sure you check these tips on how to chose the best domain name before you proceed.

Logo ($25):

With pencil and paper at hand, I quickly drafted a manual version of how I wanted my logo to look, and sent it to Gotlogos to clean up and convert into a small jpg file. Since I’m not a graphic artist my logo is very simple, but it gets the job done and it’s even been nominated for awards.

I’m not recommending that you skimp on your logo. In fact, a good logo is probably the best investment you can make. In any case, a professionally designed logo will rarely cost you more than a few hundred dollars (Guy Kawasaki reports that he spent just $399 for the logo of Truemors).

Hosting Package ($7.95/month):

I set up ShoestringBranding as an add on domain in a hosting account that I already had, so technically my incremental hosting costs were $0. My existing account is a basic hosting package with Midphase for which I pay $7.95/month.

A basic package will give you more space and bandwidth that you’re going to need in a long time (you can always upgrade later if your blog hits the big time).

Blogging Software (Free):

I use Wordpress for its features, its ease of customization, and because it has been endorsed by Google engineers as a search-engine-friendly blogging platform. It is also free, and usually comes included in most hosting packages.

Activating Wordpress is very easy (your hosting company can give you instructions), or you can read this tutorial.

Note: don’t confuse Wordpress.org (an open source free blogging software that you can customize and is available with most hosting packages) with Wordpress.com (a free hosted blogging platform with very limited customization options). Learn more about the differences between wordpress.org and wordpress.com .

Blog Theme (Free):

There are hundreds of themes that have been developed especially for Wordpress, and that you can freely use. I went to the Wordpress Theme Site and picked the two-column Cutline theme, by Chris Pearson .

I chose this theme because I wanted a mostly white, minimalist template that was easy to manipulate and customize (it is easier to customize a white, minimalist template than a theme that uses more colors and textures).

Also, I chose the two-column over the three-column layout. Some people prefer three columns (two sidebars) because it gives them more space to put ads and widgets. I, however, prefer the two column layout (one sidebar) because it offers less distractions and helps readers focus on the content (sometimes more is not necessarily better).

I then customized the theme’s style sheets to achieve the look and feel I wanted. All I really did was to change the font type, modify the header, and change the link colors.

Since I know some HTML, I was able to do the changes myself. However, if you are not that technically inclined, you can always get some affordable help in Craigslist to make the changes for you.

RSS Feed Service (Free):

I use Feedburner, an RSS tool that lets you distribute your content through many different feed readers. Feedburner also gives you the option to put a form on your blog to allow your visitors to subscribe by email.

With Feedburner you can also keep track of your subscriber numbers and learn some basic statistics about your visitors.

Bookmarking Buttons (Free):

It is recommended to put social bookmarking icons at the end of your entries so that your readers can easily bookmark your posts. I chose three bookmarking services: Del.icio.us, Digg and Stumbleupon and placed links to each of them at the end of my posts.

You can also use the comprehensive bookmarking icon offered by Addthis.com. It looks very good and lets you bookmark your post in almost every bookmarking site available.

Stats Package (Free):

I use Google Analytics, a great free tool from Google that tells you how many visitors are coming to your site, where are they coming from, what keywords are they using to find your pages in the search engines, etc.

Google Analytics is very easy to install and is a must if you want to understand your blog’s traffic patterns. (I installed the Google Analytics code in the footer.php page).

Search Engine (Free)

I use Google Custom Search to give my visitors the option to search my site (see search box at the top of the sidebar, to your right).

After you sign up, you’ll be given two snippets of HTML: one of them to place where you want your search box to be, and the other one to put in the page where you want the search results to appear (this excellent Google Custom Search tutorial will show you how to do it).

If you have a Google Adsense account you can tie it to your Google Custom Search account and Google will pay you every time somebody clicks on the sponsored links in your search results page.

Images (Free):

Photographs and images significantly increase the credibility of your blog, enhancing your posts and making them easier to read. I use Flickr images for all my posts. Here’s how to find Flickr pictures that you can use legally on your blog .

There is also a good royalty-free image site called istockphoto.com where you can buy the rights to use a picture on your blog for as low as $1.00.

That’s all there is to it. In summary, I have just spent $25 for a logo and $9/year for a domain name. In addition to this, you will need around $95.40/year for a basic package. Any way you look at it, publishing a blog is a bargain.

Aside from the cost of the tools you need to get your blog up and running, your biggest expense will be the time you invest in researching and writing posts . However, if you are like me, you will heavily discount the value of that time because you’ll be doing something you enjoy.

What other tools are you using? What advice can you give bloggers that are just starting out? We would love to hear your tips and suggestions.

Customer Service — 8 Comments
10
Mar 08

An Example of Good Customer Service

Photo Credits: garybembridge

The true character of organizations is often revealed by how well do they respond to customer feedback. Doing the right thing for the customer has always been good business sense, but never more important than today, when blogs and social media have given consumers the power to share their experiences with millions of people.

The blogosphere is full of stories about bad customer service, but today I will share with you an example of customer service done right:

Last month I traveled to Dubai and stayed at Le Meridien hotel. Overall, my stay was pleasant and uneventful, but somehow I couldn’t get over the high cost of the daily Internet connection charge (US$20). For somebody like me who can’t fathom spending a day without being connected to the web, having to pay for Internet access is like having to pay for air to breath.

Upon my return to the States, the hotel sent me an email survey, asking me to rate the different aspects of my visit. I gave the hotel a good review, however I expressed my discomfort with the Internet charge telling them that, in my opinion, a hotel that caters to business travelers should recognize that Internet access is not a luxury but a necessity, and therefore should be offered at no extra charge.

A couple of days later, I received this email from the hotel’s Quality Director:

Dear Mr. Sanchez,

We would like to thank you for filling out the Guest Questionnaire sent on behalf of our parent company, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide.

We were indeed delighted to note that you have enjoyed all the services and facilities, which you have experienced throughout your stay and are grateful for the positive comments you have expressed in your customer evaluation, especially concerning our reception staff.

Concerning your comments with regards to our internet charges, we have credited your American Express Card no. XXXXXXXXXXXXXX the amount of AED 140 for the two usage of internet on February 11 & 15.

We would certainly look forward to the pleasure of welcoming you back to Le Méridien Dubai in the not too distant future. In the meantime, if you require any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us either via my email address (email address here) or direct fax (fax no. here) and we would be more than happy to be at your service.

Yours sincerely,

Name Here
Quality Director

Now, THAT is a good response. And it is good, in my opinion, for several reasons:

The survey was taken seriously and not just as a routine task or, as many companies do, as easy and free marketing research.
It shows that the company values long term relationship with customers more than the short term profit that can be extracted by nickel and diming them.
The response is an actual email message from an actual human being, and not an automated, prefabricated response.
Instead of offering a token concession, like a free drink or a small discount on my next visit, they directly addressed my concern by eliminating the Internet access charges altogether.

Think about these four takeaways and how you can adapt them and apply them in your small business.

Attention and trust are the most valuable commodities of the new economy. Every time a customer gives you attention (by buying a product, filling a survey, etc.) you have the opportunity to respond to it in a way that generates loyalty and trust. And trust, more than product features or price, is what ultimately will separate the great companies from all the rest.

Online Branding — 8 Comments
8
Mar 08

Link Building Strategy Tips

Having many links pointing to your blog from reputable sites is the best way to get found by people interested in what you have to say. Since links are like votes, they also help lift the authority of your site. Furthermore, the amount and quality of inbound links are the most important criteria used by search engines to rank pages.

The folks at Prospect MX have created this excellent link building chart that explains all the different ways you can build links to your site. It is an excellent checklist to make sure that your link building campaign doesn’t miss anything.

Thanks to Aaron for the tip.

Productivity — 2 Comments
5
Mar 08

Meetings

Photo Credits: LeeBrimelow

Some time ago I talked about three common Internet marketing time wasters. Most office workers, however, seem to agree that the biggest time waster in business is found in the offline world: meetings.

After almost twenty years in the corporate world, I’ve been thinking long and hard about why most meetings don’t work. Here is my stab at the most common reasons:

1. A meeting is called just to present facts

People gather around a table to watch the presenter show slide after slide of tables, graphs and assorted data. If the only purpose of the meeting is to share data there is really no need to meet. It is enough to send the participants the document as an email attachment.

2. Meeting are too long and costly

I have yet to attend a meeting that is too short. More often than not, meetings run well beyond their alloted time. With better planning meetings can always be made shorter. If companies were required to calculate the cost of having a meeting beforehand, most meetings would not even be called.

3. Not everybody is cut out to do presentations

While speaking in public can certainly be learned , some people just hate to speak in front of others . They usually resort to mechanically reading the slides, while participants disengage and the quality of the meeting deteriorates.

While some people within an organization can be excused for not having the confidence level or the habit of speaking publicly, top executives (and especially marketing and sales professionals) should be able to give good, engaging presentations.

As they say, “there is no such thing as a boring subject, only boring speakers”.

4. Slides sometimes stand in the way of effective communication

The use of PowerPoint slides is so widespread that it has become the default presentation format.

Unless the presentation is truly engaging, the presenter and the audience end up spending more time staring at the screen than making eye contact, asking and answering questions, and reading non-verbal cues like body posture that may give a clear indication of how well the meeting is going.

Sometimes I believe that meetings would go better if the presenter would just turn off the projector, sit at the edge of a table, and have the courage to completely change the pace by saying something like: “OK guys, let’s do this a little differently: what are the three things you would like to get out of this meeting?”.

5. The quality of a meeting is inversely proportional to the number of attendees

There are usually too many people in any given meeting. Some people believe that the more people are invited, the more important the meeting. In other occasions, people are just invited out of courtesy, or out of laziness and lack of planning (let’s invite everybody, ‘just in case’).

6. Some participants tend to go out on a limb

Our country is obsessed with political correctness. When it comes to meetings, we’ve been conditioned to believe that everybody’s opinion is important, that all feedback is positive, and that there are no stupid questions.

Unfortunately, some people are not qualified to give an opinion, feedback can be irrelevant to the subject matter being discussed, and yes, there are stupid questions.

This article in 37signals puts it more eloquently: “[meetings] often contain at least one moron that inevitably get his turn to waste everyone’s time with nonsense”.

7. The subject of the meeting is irrelevant to the audience

This happens often in conference calls and sales meetings. Usually, an employee belonging to a certain sales region or function is required to present his part, while employees from a different region or function sit by waiting for their turn to speak.

This kind of meeting can be easily replaced by a series of one-on-one reviews between the presenters and their supervisors and/or other interested parties.

Most articles I’ve read about meetings focus on how to make a meeting more productive (have an agenda, keep track of time, draft and distribute minutes, etc.). While those things are important, the question that needs to be answered first is: Is this meeting really necessary?

In other words, before we worry about making a meeting efficient, we need to decide if having a meeting is the most effective way to achieve the desired outcome.

IMHO, there are only three valid reasons to have a meeting:

a) To brainstorm
b) To make a decision
c) To sell an idea to a group of people

If what we want to accomplish doesn’t fall into at least one of these three buckets, there is likely no reason to have a meeting.

To finish, I’ll let you watch this really funny video, that touches on some of the topics discussed in this post:

How To Avoid Meetings That Suck – Celebrity bloopers here