Inside-out Blog

There's no excuse for "nobody told me."

orange cross sick brandI recently heard someone in the c-suite of a company say that a key business development strategy hadn’t been launched because nobody told him to do it. I was shocked.

Why is he waiting—and by whom—to be told? Is this laziness or a symptom of something else?

Read more ...

Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth: an 11 point audit for your internal brand

Zipped lips hurt brandsKeeping your brand aligned means paying attention to the messaging and stories you tell inside your organization, not just what you say in public.

Why? Because without an intentional internal brand, your public-facing messages will never be truly authentic.

Read more ...

10 things that are often overlooked during a brand audit

Brand Audit Checklist MB PilandKeeping your brand aligned means regularly auditing everything that tells your story. When you evaluate advertising and PR messages, you should never overlook the many other things that speak loud and clear.

Here’s a starting checklist of additional things to monitor for your public-facing brand:

 

Read more ...

Foosball tables are no substitute for culture

Foosball table is not cultureWatch any company’s recruitment video these days and you’re likely to see a foosball table, an espresso bar and a workout room. You may be wondering if you need those to attract great employees, too.

While games and fancy coffee are nice “extras,” they’re not the foundation of your culture. There are better ways to cultivate a winning internal brand.

Read more ...

Don't let dirty laundry soil your brand

Dirty laundry dirty brandYou may think that because your website is updated and your new video takes your customers’ breath away that your brand refresh is spotless.

Employee behavior contrary to your brand promise will soil your brand overnight.

Read more ...

What won't you do for your brand?

What will you NOT do for your brandMany organizations have spent a significant amount of time thinking—and talking—about what they will do.

“We will deliver excellent service every time,” or “we will always be at the forefront of innovation.”

But what won’t you do?

Read more ...

Stop talking about a sales funnel and think of it as a chain instead

old school sales process bad for businessOld school sales guys will tell you sales is just a numbers game. Get enough prospects into the funnel and they’ll dump out X% of customers at the bottom. Easy.

News flash, Herb Tarlek: your lack of a system is as outdated as your plaid polyester coat.

Read more ...

"Not a problem" for lazy brands—and what to do about it

NOT A PROBLEM is a problem for your brand“Not a problem,” the customer service person said to me on the phone as we were wrapping up my transaction. What!? Not a problem? For who—you!? Wait a minute. Who is the customer here?

Read more ...

The delivery man and dark tales: a beastly lesson for your brand

monster dooms your brandLast week, a hot, tired delivery man came into our office with some much-needed supplies. He delivered more than just packages. He delivered angry, ugly opinions about someone else’s brand.

Read more ...

The customer journey starts with your employee journey

Customer and employee journey Marketers are spending a lot of time talking about the customer journey. We’re not hearing the same talk about the employee journey, and that’s a shame. Because the customer journey with your brand will be bumpy at best if the employee journey isn’t thoughtfully mapped out and put into action first.

Read more ...

brand-o-matic
MB Piland Advertising + Marketing: Culture Quiz
MB Piland Advertising + Marketing: Health Check