August 25, 2010
Helen Keller was right when she said, “The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.”
Everyone, it seems, talks about the importance of having a vision, but very few people have a vivid picture of what they hope their future will look like.
With a commitment to being visionary and strategic, I invite you to join me in believing that:
- The effectiveness of a vision statement can be measured by its ability to inspire us to rally around a shared picture of what can be—and must be—our new reality.
- A compelling vision is future-focused and usually threatens those deeply vested in the status quo.
- Progress always requires change, but not all change is progress.
- Where there is no vision, people perish.
- In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
- Tactics not tied to strategy are nothing more than busywork.
- When you and I are not pursuing the same goal, then we are not on the same team.
- When you and I focus on the same goal from different vantage points, we have stereoscopic vision that gives us better depth perception.
- Every project can be improved by periodically asking, “Why are we doing this?”
- We must, as Stephen Covey says, begin with the end in mind.
Leave a Comment » | 
Marketing & Strategy | Tagged: marketing, strategy, vision | 
Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
August 18, 2010
Marketing is not as complicated as some want you to think. Good marketing is based upon common sense, though such sense is uncommon.
With a commitment to successful marketing, I invite you to join me in believing that:
- Marketing will flounder when not in pursuit of a measurable goal.
- If a product, service or even a person cannot be differentiated, it cannot be marketed.
- Marketing will fail unless strategy drives tactics, not vice versa.
- Marketing must be based upon the concept of exchanges. Without a quid-pro-quo exchange, we will never have a solid marketing program.
- Value can be defined only by the customer, not by the company producing the product or service. (Nonprofit organizations especially have trouble with this.)
- The social media revolution is the best thing to happen to marketing in a long, long time, even though the tools for achieving marketing success have forever changed.
- Old-school marketers who try to control the message will become increasingly frustrated, disoriented and ultimately obsolete.
- You are still functioning in a 1.0 world—even if you’re using 2.0 tools—when you are not creating community and engaging people in conversations.
- If we aim our message at no one in particular, we shouldn’t be surprised if no one in particular responds.
- Communications comes at the end of the marketing process, not at the beginning.
Leave a Comment » | Life in General, Marketing & Strategy | Tagged: 2.0, communication, differentiation, marketing, nonprofit, social media, strategy | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
May 4, 2010
Three years ago tonight an exceptionally violent tornado destroyed 95 percent of Greensburg, Kansas. With winds more than 200 miles an hour, the rare EF-5 twister claimed 10 fatalities in this town of 1,400. The tornado was 1.7 miles wide and it flattened nearly 1,000 homes and destroyed almost all businesses. Additionally, thousands of picture albums, family heirlooms and other irreplaceable possessions were lost forever.
For seven nights and eight days I represented the American Red Cross in its disaster relief efforts. My role as a Public Affairs Supervisor provided me with unusual access to the restricted areas. When I first parked my Red Cross vehicle, I walked through what was left of the town and saw firsthand the widespread devastation. Block after block after block, houses and businesses were gone. Thick steels bars were wrapped around the stumps of huge oak trees. Cars were upside down under layers of brick, wood and concrete. The drug store, the local café and the post office had been blown away.
I took nearly 500 pictures, though they inadequately captured the magnitude of the devastation. Without using clichés I found it difficult to describe the destruction. Yes, it looked like a war zone. From its appearance, the town could have been leveled by a huge bomb.
Community Connectedness
The people of Greensburg lost everything, or so it seemed to me as an observer. Yet they were grateful for what they had – their lives, their families, and each other. What impressed me most about this rural Kansas community was the incredible human spirit. These hardy individuals rose to the occasion. Despite their loss, the townspeople stood strong. From across the nation, they were surrounded by strangers who were united in one common cause – helping the storm victims to heal and to rebuild their lives. Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Life in General, Marketing & Strategy | Tagged: disaster, Greensburg, marketing, public affairs, Red Cross, tornado | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
April 21, 2010
After all these years, I continue to be disappointed when I hear someone suggest that a communications objective is “to raise awareness.” I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve been in a meeting and someone profoundly states, “We just need to get the word out. We need to let the public know about us.”
Let me emphatically state: Raising awareness is NOT a marketing goal. It is a means to an end and should always be regarded as a tactic in support of some higher-level strategy.
Earlier this month I listened as a nonprofit communicator talked about media relations. She used examples from her organization to talk about writing press releases, pitching stories to the news media and developing relationships with reporters and assignment editors. I was tempted to quibble with her implied assumption that the traditional media are not waning in significance. When someone asked about social media, she brushed off the “new media” as not being serious forms of communication. I couldn’t disagree more, but I’ll save that rant for another occasion.
What I found troubling was that this PR practitioner was operating efficiently at a tactical level, yet I was unable to tie her tactics to any strategy. We spent 90 minutes bumping into trees without once having seen the forest. I wanted to see the big picture. I wanted to know the impact of her communications tactics. When asked what she hoped to accomplish by raising awareness of her organization, she talked about warm, fuzzy feelings that would be evoked in the general public. Still unclear, I asked what she wanted the audience to do with those “warm, fuzzy feelings.” She was at a loss for a solid answer.
Creating warm, fuzzy feelings is not a marketing goal. That’s a means to an end. Warm emotions can only have an impact when accompanied by a call to action resulting in someone actually taking the desired action.
Communicators are naive if they hope their CEOs will be impressed with only soft, warm and immeasurable results. Those communicators will be vulnerable targets when downsizing occurs. Only those who create results and can demonstrate their impact will be of ongoing value to an organization. Everyone else is just a drain on the organization’s precious resources.
So, I will close with this simple question: What impact do you hope your communications will have?
If your answer is “to raise awareness” I would challenge you to dig deeper by asking, “What do I want someone to do with his or her increased awareness?”
2 Comments | Marketing & Strategy | Tagged: goals, marketing, strategy | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
February 24, 2010
Perhaps I was wrong. In this new 2.0 era, I thought communications was all about having conversations.
Conversations require interaction where people talk and listen. Maybe I’m missing something, but I observe a lot more talking than listening. It seems everyone has something to say and everyone is clamoring to be heard. To me, it looks like the talkers far outnumber the listeners.
Was I mistaken to assume that things would be different with the arrival of the social media revolution? Am I naive in thinking that people would connect with each other because 1) they were genuinely interested in what others had to say and 2) they actually had something of value to share?
As we interact, as we share information, we connect with each other. Social media give us the tools to connect and converse. Sometimes during our conversations we’ll encounter negative or inaccurate information. Does that mean we should immediately end the conversation? Should we refuse to talk because the conversation may be a little awkward or uncomfortable? Absolutely not! Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Marketing & Strategy | Tagged: 2.0, communications, conversations, donors, listening, marketing, nonptofits, social media, volunteers | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
February 3, 2010
A friend of mine, Mark Whitaker, is an experienced market research professional. His official title is Strategic Research Consultant at The Kansas City Star.
That’s an impressive title, but what does it mean? What does he really do? What impact does he actually make?
In seven words on LinkedIn, Mark summarizes his job as “helping you find the information you need.”
I really like that “job description” for three reasons:
- It’s simple. I can understand it without having to translate industry jargon.
- It’s differentiating. It really describes what he does, not what his company or co-workers do.
- It’s outwardly focused. He describes what he does for others. He focuses on the benefits he provides, not the process involved. Read the rest of this entry »
6 Comments | Marketing Oneself | Tagged: communications, differentiation, fundraising, LinkedIn, marketing, nonprofit, personal branding | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
January 27, 2010
Here at the American Red Cross, our role changes through different phases of disaster relief. We’re already seeing those changes unfold in Haiti.
All relief efforts—regardless of the disaster size—transition through four distinct phases. Anticipating how a relief effort will unfold helps us better serve those affected by the disaster.
Each stage of recovery demands a specific type of public affairs response. (In case you’re unfamiliar with that term, “public affairs” is used by the military, government agencies and the American Red Cross to describe public relations, communications and media relations.)
The American Red Cross recognizes that our disaster relief unfolds in the following stages:
- Heroic Phase.
- Honeymoon Phase.
- Disillusionment Phase.
- Reconstruction Phase.
What happens in each phase? What should we anticipate as each unfolds? How do public expectations change? How should our communications strategy shift in each phase? Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Marketing & Strategy | Tagged: communications, disaster public affairs, marketing, planning, Red Cross, social media | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
January 6, 2010
I just finished re-reading the classic little book Who Moved My Cheese? It gave me a better understanding of what is happening in the nonprofit community—not just here in Kansas City, but across the nation.
For many years, the national United Way system has been struggling to redefine itself. Its leaders have created new methods for allocating money, and somehow they believe that “moving the cheese around” will make their cause more attractive to donors who have, over the years, found United Way to be waning in relevance.
That logic escapes me. In my opinion, United Way will become less relevant as it leaves gaping holes in human services programs. I guess you could call it their “Swiss cheese model” for meeting human needs. I assume United Way realizes that its decision to cut much-needed funding will actually force established, well-respected organizations such as the American Red Cross to compete more directly with them for contributions from within the same donor pool.
Personal Disclosure
To be transparent, I must disclose two important facts about myself before I continue sharing my opinions.
First, I am responsible for marketing at the American Red Cross of Greater Kansas City, the single largest recipient of United Way allocations in this region. Though I am employed by the Red Cross, this blog post has been written on my personal time and entirely reflects only my own opinions, not those of my employer.
Second, before coming to the Red Cross I served as the vice president of marketing for the United Way of Greater Kansas City. Because I have always had great respect for the organization and its mission, I am both a Diamond Donor (meaning I’ve given for 25+ years) and I’m also a member of the Leadership Giving Circle. However, in the weeks ahead I intend to reevaluate whether United Way is the wise investment I once thought it was.
By the way, I have many friends who work at United Way. They are exceptionally professional individuals and nothing I say here is a personal indictment of them or anyone else. Read the rest of this entry »
7 Comments | Life's Transitions, Marketing & Strategy | Tagged: abundance, change, donors, fundraising, imagination, marketing, Red Cross, scarcity, transitions, United Way | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
December 15, 2009
Good sales people know the difference between features and benefits. Often that makes the difference between making a sale or conceding defeat to a competitor.
Likewise, effective job seekers must also know the difference. That knowledge often determines who gets an interview and ultimately who snags the job offer.
Sadly, most job seekers focus only on features when they should be talking about benefits. So what’s the crucial difference?
Features Tell. Features are facts, the list of items on your resume that describe you. They provide basic information — Who you are. Where you’ve worked. Dates you were there. Job titles. Accomplishments. Education. Community involvement.
Benefits Sell. Benefits convert features into relevant information. Benefits describe the value that a potential employer might find in one of your features. A hiring manager is always asking questions such as — So what? How is this relevant? Why should I care? What can you do for me?
Features and benefits are both important. To be effective, though, you must lead with benefits and then follow up with features. Read the rest of this entry »
4 Comments | Marketing Oneself | Tagged: benefits, career transition, cover letter, features, Job Search, LinkedIn, marketing, personal branding, resume, sales | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
Duane Hallock is a marketing guy who focuses on strategy before tactics, loves the social media revolution and believes our best days are yet to come.
