Naked, Naked, Naked

Yes, I'm quoting Elaine Bennis from Seinfeld.

But I'm also letting you in on a (not so) super-secret marketing tool that I stumbled into by accident last week.

I was looking over my Google Analytics and noticing a nice uptick in blog/site traffic for 2011. Then all of I sudden I clicked on a graphic and thought, "What the heck!?"

The little line went along fairly steadily all month and then - wow! - it shot way up and plunged back down the next day. In that one high-traffic day, I got close to 5,000 visits.

What in the world? I wondered if someone try to hack my site or pull a bot attack. And then I looked up the blog post for that day and noticed the headline:

Working Naked Day

I shared my findings with my web guru, Paula Johnson. Being a marketing genius, she suggested I elaborate on the theme.

Add naked to all your headlines:

New trends in naked small business financing.

Developing a slogan for your naked company

Marketing secrets from the band Bare Naked Ladies

I don't know about that.

But at least now I know why they call it Naked Juice.

I'm Lovin' It

What makes someone love your small business - or hate it?

There's a rather mysterious pull about companies that inspire strong feelings from their customers, but most agree that the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference.

I interviewed brand marketing guru B.J. Bueno about encouraging brand fanatics and managing brand detractors (he pointed out that some people even become brand terrorists, which I've actually seen) in a recent Smart Answers column.

It's much easier for entertainment brands to spawn love/hate relationships, mostly because we are hardwired to respond to stories. Check out these examples of fan-atic love for ABC TV's Lost, which ends its six-season run of sci-fi mega-madness this weekend.

Think that only TV shows and rock bands can inspire such loyalty? Think again and check out this shopper-produced YouTube anthem to Trader Joe's.

Now the only question is, how can your small business connect so strongly with customers that it inspires spontaneous poems and videos?

Wonderful Weekend

I am still basking in my whirlwind weekend. First was an Algonquin Round Table-style dinner, hosted on Friday by my friend Sam Horn, who was in town for the Pop! personal branding seminar and the Innovation & Humanity Summit at Chapman College.

Friday's sparkling evening of smart information and fun, funny people - most of them are members of the National Speakers Association, so you can imagine the level of discourse! - was followed on Saturday by a truly amazing day focused on the intersection of entrepreneurship, ethics and social change.

Just to be in a room with hundreds of attendees who put a priority on the "double bottom line" (where companies are concerned with both profits and making the world a better place) was invigorating. I met tons of terrific people and resolved anew to pursue a book idea I have been researching on this very topic.

Finally, last but definitely not least, was Sunday's seminar. A group of writers, entrepreneurs and job-seekers got to watch Sam in action and participate in a series of interactive exercises:



Joining Sam in leadership was Lilli Cloud, a SoCal branding and marketing expert who has been helping people find their "blue feet" (what makes them stand out) for the past several years:



One of the attendees mentioned how seamlessly Sam and Lilli integrated their material. You'd never know that these two women first met just a few minutes before the workshop started!

There was vital energy in the room yesterday and we've gotten loads of great feedback from those who were there. I think everyone was inspired - I know I was!



Thanks to everyone who attended and all who helped make the day a success. My friends Susan and Paula worked hard to get the word out and they were terrific. It sure is nice to know a Connector and a Maven! (h/t Gladwell)

Don't Forget to Pop!

Personal branding is all the rage these days. But, to tell the truth, lots of people aren't really sure what it means - or why they need to do it.

The reality is that in tough times and in a crowded marketplace, no one can afford to blend in.

You’ve got to break out to land that book deal, contract or new job that you want. You’ve got to figure out how you are one-of-a-kind (vs. one of many), so you get noticed by decision-makers – for all the right reasons.

Start the new year right with a half-day seminar on Sunday, Jan. 24 in Pasadena, co-sponsored by the Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC) and Financially inKleined.

Take advantage of this opportunity to develop purposeful, original, pithy positioning of your priority project – be it a new job, consulting contract, book or business.

Our presenters, Sam Horn and Lilli Cloud, have priced this half-day program so it’s affordable for freelancers, self-employed individuals and startup entrepreneurs. Just $49 to jump-start your career success.

Buy your ticket now This event is open to the public; I am organizing this event as a way to help my readers, colleagues and friends. I am not profiting from the seminar, except in the most important way: Paying good will forward to the entrepreneurial community.

We're All in This ...

Togetherness is the hot marketing concept of 2009, according to a new survey.

My long-time source Eric Swartz, president of Tagline Guru, surveyed 150 corporate taglines that debuted in 2009.

He lists the top 10 words from those taglines.

Here's the takeaway:

Although the impact of “innovation” has been diminished from overuse, and words like “new” and “more” are typical of jaunty sales jargon, concepts such as “together,” “you,” “imagine,” and “future” paint a picture that is decidedly more intimate, inclusive, and optimistic.