The brand that’s made me the happiest this year is Wolfgang’s Vault. I go there on a regular basis, often on Friday afternoons when I’m finishing up administrative tasks and need some ear candy. The more I listen, the more often I return. I’ve heard concerts by artists I wish I’d gone to and concerts from the same tours I saw “back in the day” by artists that hadn’t made it big yet. I started going to the site a couple of years ago to relive some great musical moments in my life—but now I’m getting much more.

I love that the Vault has branched out to newer artists and more recent concerts. Their A to Z list of performers is huge and inclusive, so I can experiment. There are artist interviews as well as concerts. There are lots of free downloads as well as ones you have to pay for. Plus concert listings in my area.

The website has improved steadily. It’s become increasingly easy to use and what Wolfgang’s Vault is adding, I’m enjoying. I must be in their target demographic—they’re hitting me in my soft spot and I love it!

What’s the brand lesson? Do one thing really well and build from there. Innovate around what you know and give your customers and fans an easy path to follow as you lead the way. If the substance is there and you demonstrate that you’re listening, you’ll keep your die-hards and win new ones.

Have a great 2010!

Beth Woolley

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Check out Briana Marrah and Joe LePla’s presentation from their recent workshop at the ALI’s Internal Branding Conference in Chicago.

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Branding experts Briana Marrah and Joe LePla will be leading a workshop at the Advanced Learning Institute’s Internal Branding Conference. They will be speaking on how to leverage social media tools to engage your employees and create effective brand champions.

Save 50% on your registration fees when you mention email code “SPK”!

Description:
Social media tools have added more visibility to your brand, providing a channel for anyone’s opinions and experiences to be distributed to the world almost instantaneously. If this isn’t enough to make you a little nervous, what about the fact that conversations in social media aren’t limited just to your customers? Your employees are online sharing their opinions about you, too. Your employees’ lives and jobs intersect online where the lines between public and private are blurred at best.

Don’t be deterred by this reality! Your employees, if given the right incentives and tools, can become the biggest champions of your brand. They are the most important audience in any brand effort because they both deliver the brand experience and influence public opinion. If you re-examine your internal social media policy through this lens, your employees look less like a ticking time-bomb and more like message mercenaries.

In this approach, we find a more authentic way to communicate with all audiences, an opportunity to personalize your brand and connect on a deeper level—a level synonymous with trust, honesty and transparency. And that’s what builds a brand. You must be deliberate, strategic and careful in this effort, however, to improve the likelihood that your employees’ powers are being used for good and not for evil.

Attend this workshop and learn ways to utilize social media tools to help, not hinder, your brand. Specifically, you’ll learn:
-Examples of how social media has enhanced and destroyed brand value
-How social media can be used to drive deeper engagement
-Ways to overcome hurdles to implementation and gain organizational buy-in
-How guidelines can ensure that social media touch points stay true to your brand
-Tactics and strategies to successfully leverage and measure social media effectiveness

For more informatiion: call 888-362-7400. Get discount by registering by June 19th or by bringing or Marketing, HR or Communications Team. www.aliconferences.com.

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********************
INTERNAL BRANDING:
How To Use Branding And Communications To Drive Employee
Engagement And Improve Your Organization’s Bottom Line
*********************

May 11-14, 2009 – Washington, DC
Details: http://www.aliconferences.com/conf/internal_branding0509/index.htm

• Early Bird Rates have been extended until May 1st!

• ALSO – mention “LYNN PARKER” and receive 50% off the current registration fees!

Benchmark best practices, learn how to create brand champions, and drive bottom-line results from:

1. NASA
2. ServiceMaster
3. Kaiser Permanente
4. Dean Foods Company
5. George Brown College

And many more…

To register or for more conference details:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
CALL: (773) 695-9400, x1 -or- Toll-Free within the U.S. (888) 362-7400, x1
ONLINE: http://www.aliconferences.com/conf/internal_branding0509/register.htm

— Mention “LYNN PARKER” and receive 50% off the registration fees!

http://www.aliconferences.com/

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