Shannon's thoughts on marketing, public relations, social technology, entrepreneurship and other things

Shannon Mouton
Shannon Mouton

the principal at Topaz Consulting, is a relationship marketing professional, with a passion for utilizing social technology for building B2B/B2C relationships, sharing information, networking and advancing the greater good. She has over 20 years of public relations, marketing and community building experience. Her combination of political, nonprofit, higher ed and corporate experience has afforded her opportunities to build communities where none existed, develop and launch innovative programming and bridge generational, economic and racial divides.

Shannon serves on the board of directors for the In Series, a Washington, DC performing arts organization. She is a regular contributor to Women Grow Business and Discover Exceptionalism, and her blog, Shannon Sez So, examines life's joys, pains and idiosyncrasies. Shannon is the founder of Topaz Consulting, a DC based marketing consultancy with a nationwide portfolio of clients. She graduated from Mount Vernon College (now part of The George Washington University) and is a proud native Washingtonian.

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2011 (31)
2010 (74)
 

Shhh…I’m Trying to Sleep During this Presentation

Yes, you have been there…the presentation from hell.

You discreetly tweeted #killmenow.
You yawned and hoped no one caught you.
You took copious notes, which looked a lot like a grocery list.
You made faces, rolled your eyes and exchanged smirks with equally bored co-workers.
And the same things will happen next week when YOU are giving the presentation.

Think back to the last great presentation you attended. What captivated your attention? What was memorable about it? Why could you have sat there for another hour listening to the speaker?

It’s probably because the presenter was -- repeat after me -- ENGAGING. Audiences don’t want to be spoken to or lectured at, they want be in conversation with you. This may seem like a play on words, it isn’t.

Consider how you have a good conversation: you look the person in the eye, you tell jokes or share stories, you gesture or talk with hands, your voice fluctuates and you enjoy it. The same principles hold true for good presentations.

1. Connect with your audience. Look up from your notes and at your audience. Find a few people to connect with, eye-to-eye. They won’t bite you.
Don’t cheat and stare at the back wall. It won’t positively reinforce you.

Bonus tip: have a couple of friends in the audience to give you smiles and occasional winks of encouragement

2. Invite your audience into your world. Share a funny story. Your life consists of hundreds of funny, interesting and amazing experiences…tell them. Your audience will relate.
Don’t share anything that is overly personal; religious and political stories aren’t a good idea either.

Bonus tip: go with cute stories about your children, in-laws or pets

3. Move it, move it, move it. Let your natural rhythm flow. You naturally move when you talk, holding back makes you look stiff and nervous.
Don’t fidget. Remember your movements should flow like a river, not babble like a brook.

Bonus tip: request a lavaliere (clip-on) microphone to keep your hands free and to allow for movement around the stage

4. Modulate your voice. Speak, just open your mouth and speak as you normally do. The only way for the audience to receive the message is for you to deliver it.
Don’t use your “outside voice.” The AV techs will adjust the microphone to you.

Bonus tip: do a sound check before you get on stage

5. Have fun. Breathe…inhale…exhale. The audience is on your side; they want to hear from you.
Try not to be nervous. If you’re uncomfortable, then your audience will be uncomfortable.

Bonus tip: practice, practice, practice…it makes perfect

Speaking in front of people shouldn't be painful for you or your audience.

Additional Resources:
Toastmasters International
Speech and Public Speaking, Kennesaw State University
Public Speaking Tips (video series)

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Marketing silver bullets are as real as unicorns and fairies

Necessity
Work?
I don't have to work.
I don't have to do nothing
but eat, drink, stay black, and die.
This little old furnished room's
so small I can't whip a cat
without getting fur in my mouth
and my landlady's so old
her features is all run together
and God knows she sure can overcharge-
Which is why I reckon I *does*
have to work after all.
--Langston Hughes
Montage of a Dream Deferred, 1951


As Langston wrote 60 years ago, there are very few "have to's" in life; however, in business there are a great number of "need to's."

You need to market your business.
You don't have to have a Facebook page (Gasp!).

You need to find your customers.
You don't have to have a Twitter account (Get out!).

You need to generate revenue.
You don't even have to have a website (Blasphemy!).

There are a number of "old school" marketing tactics you can employ for your business. None of them are better or worse than any other, all of them require different levels of commitment and resources and all have been successful in one form or another. It is a question of which one(s) will work for you, not which one(s) you have to do. 

Some "Old School" Marketing Tactics

  • transportation advertising (signs on buses and at bus stops)
  • posters, flyers and postcards
  • radio, television and print advertising
  • movie advertising
  • newsletter and program advertising
  • referral and word-of-mouth
  • incentive programs
  • sponsorships
  • networking
  • billboards
  • promotional items
  • tradeshow exhibitions

These are a few methods for getting your message out; however, the best marketing campaign is the one that works for you in meeting your business objective. Before you begin expending valuable marketing resources, consider the following:

What is the goal of my marketing campaign?
Do I want to generate revenue, increase brand awareness or intimidate my competitors?
What marketing tactics are my competitors using?
What are the direct (capital) and indirect (time) costs?
Who is going to manage the campaign?
How long will the campaign last or run?
How will I know if the campaign is working?
What do success and failure look like?
Is the campaign going to reach my target audience?

However you decide to market yourself, remember, the only silver bullets are time and consistency.

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Friday Flick: Banned Lane Bryant Ad

via youtube.com

As this is my professional blog, I prefer to leave personal commentary to Shannon Sez So. I could not do it this time. As a professional marketer, I'm disappointed at the double, triple and quadrupal standards in the industry.

Lane Bryant took heat for the marketing campaign showing their underwear line being worn by curvy women. Victoria's Secret has hour long fashion shows with skinny women in underwear and Old Spice has a campaign featuring a bare chested man in a towel. What is the difference in these promotions?

I applaud Lane Bryant for going after their full-figured customers with the same use of sex, skin and innuendo as others to sell their products.

Nugget of knowledge: Don't be afraid of your target audience. Learn who they are, not who you want them to be. Meet them where they are, not where you want them to be.

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The Influencer Project: 60 Speakers in 60 Minutes

I attended The Influencer Project: 60 Speakers in 60 Minutes on Tuesday afternoon. It was billed as “the shortest marketing project ever.” The speakers shared valuable information in bite-sized nuggets with the audience.

The format – each presenter had only 60 seconds to share their best tip on becoming influential in the social media space – forced the speakers to organize their thinking and focus their remarks to the most salient points. I live-tweeted the event and these are some of the takeaways…in tweet form of course.

  • figure out value / expertise you have & connect w/ folks already in the space, building community around your thought-leadership
  • online influence is a slow-burn, organically grown...giving more than you get, influence comes from a passive place    
  • give as much as you can give & help others achieve their goals   
  • building a community of readers by engaging w/ thought-provoking content
  • consistency, strength in connecting practical w/ profound, listening for silence for wisdom of your own heart     
  • connect the who with the what...think about authenticity & consistency of your voice & messaging
  • provide great value     
  • building digital dimensionality, showing as many sides of yourself and your business as you can
  • get active in other people's communities  
  • what expertise do you have that you can leverage to help others     
  • find a niche & become master of it, promote good content, do webinars to give back
  • understand your audience  
  • learn to talk more about other people     
  • its about "passion conversations, not product conversations"...let your passion shine...share who you are w/ the world    
  • share good content & do it consistently     
  • good content, be passionate about it, reach out, make comments on other's blogs, get over your fear     
  • online video is quick way to get messaging out there, create content re: your subject matter     
  • get OFFLINE and meet folks IRL; introduce folks to each other
  • people buy into the story, are you telling a story people can see themselves in, a platform for relationship     
  • wanna get started --> just start talking to people, "SM is really just talking to people"     
  • create content that stands for something     
  • make connections online and then meet them IRL, effective & powerful way to build trustful & genuine relationships     
  • "consistency demonstrates commitment" way to earn trust

A full transcript and mp3 is available here.

 
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Look BEFORE you leap into Social Media

Have you listened to your customers lately?

A lot of businesses are looking for the silver bullet, the next thing to take their products to the top, and A LOT of them are looking to social media for the answer.

Social media is no different than any other marketing channel, you get out of it what you put into it. It requires businesses and organizations to use their most valuable resources: time, people and money (free, isn't ever really free). They are all required to make your marketing efforts successful.

Nugget of knowledge: part time, ad hoc, one-off effort in social media will net your enterprise part time, ad hoc, one-off results

As with any new initiative, research and planning are pivotal for resource allocation and implementation. Before you jump head-first into the deep-end of the social media pool, consider a few things:

Is your target audience in the social media space? They may be there in droves, they may be an emerging demographic or there may be a few of them testing the social media waters to learn what all of the hype is about.

Nugget of knowledge: go to where your audience is

 Have you listened to your customers lately? Before you send one tweet, put up one wall message or write one blog post, find out what your target audience is saying about you, your products/services and your competitors.
Nugget of knowledge: take a listening tour of the social media space
What do your customers want to know? Give your customers what they are asking for, not what you want them to have. How many times have you received *that* gift and the giver says, "I wanted you to have it"? That is sweet, but you don't want it.

Nugget of knowledge: provide your customers a solution to THEIR problems
Is everyone enjoying the experience? Social media should be fun, it's a way to meet new people, learn new things, expand your horizons and share in the collective wisdom of the community.
Nugget of knowledge: it's not brain surgery, be creative, try some new things....GO FOR IT!
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