Growing Your Brand Through Your Book and Other Book Products

Here are just a few line extensions that could come from your book:

• A Tips Booklet: An example would be our Networlding 101 Ways to Better Networlding tips booklet which is offered free on this blog. This helps your prospects “try before they buy.”
• An E-Book: We are big fans of e-books because they can be the precursor to your book or follow-on books. An example here would be a product created by the organization Z-Mags. Take a look and see what you think. This organization enables your prospects and clients to really dive deep into the value your organization can bring to the table.
• A Guidebook: If you have a book that is a how-to book then a guidebook will really help with training from you and also, licensing your training to others. Here also consider a facilitator’s guide for train-the-trainer programs. We are just getting our guidebook published with a facilitator’s guide.
• Games: Everyone loves games. They engage. They create connection. They accelerate learning. Consider starting with something simple like card decks that help educate like The Creative Whack Pack by Roger Van Oech or Think Pak: A Brainstorming Card Deck by Michael Michalko.

Finally, I also mentioned Chris Brogan’s new book, Trust Agents, which is all about building trust effectively online. The emphasis here is not that you can build the kind of trust you might build with a best friend or even a group of good friends but a way to be more “trustworthy.” With the growth of networks online this becomes a challenge and Chris and his co-author, Julien Smith, help provide a path to make that challenge easier. The result is that those who understand this difference can become more trustworthy which then adds value and credibility to their brand which can also lead to better sales.

Part I: The Best of the Best

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that social networking (otherwise known as Web 2.0) has revolutionized the way every industry thinks about their marketing and advertising.  People who are buying are buying online—and from companies they have formed a connection with through their social networks. Thousands of networking sites have cropped up hoping to be the next MySpace or Facebook, luring people by the millions to build profiles and create virtual communities that are ripe for savvy marketers to infiltrate.

One of the most interesting things about these different communities is how each of them has its own unique environment that is almost tangible.  In the same way that real life locations have their own ambiance, so do these cyber hangouts.  Spending a few minutes on these sites, you’ll see huge differences in demographics, communication styles, professionalism, and usability.  The key then, is not simply putting in time building a network, but building a network on a site that is going to be most receptive to your marketing style and/or product.

In this four-part series, I’ll discuss some of the ways to identify the best social networks, and give you the readers the opportunity to vote on the overall BEST social networking sites from your perspective.  I’ve entitled it “Going for the Gold:  The Best of Social Marketing Online.”  Inspired by the Olympics, where only the best compete and the best of the best gets the gold, we will bestow our own “Gold Medal” on the overall best social networking site.  Naturally, since there are so many excellent sites out there to choose from, we’ll have a “Silver” and “Bronze” category, too.   Join me tomorrow for Part II:  “Choose Wisely.”

Jessica Kizorek is a founding partner of Two Parrot Productions. Two Parrot is an international video production company whose expertise lies in commercial HD video production and journalistic documentary coverage of charities around the world. Jessica has also just authored the industry-defining book, “Show Me: Marketing with Video on the Internet.”

Tell me a little bit about your work and your new book.

My background is in documentary filmmaking.  I’ve been doing that for almost ten years now.  I own a video production company where I produce video content for clients ranging from corporate clients like Bacardi to Moet Hennessy to Hyatt Hotels.  I also work for a lot of substantial, large non-profit corporations. 

About two years ago, I knew I was going to need to put my videos online for my clients. I started researching it purely from a business standpoint – how do I do this for my clients?  I was shocked at the lack of information out there on how to put something up on YouTube.  There was no good guide on how to compress it, how to shoot specifically for web, how to display videos effectively over the Internet and so on.  I started compiling all of my research, which then became the book. 

The book is called Show Me:  Marketing with Video on the Internet.  It covers a really wide range of topics, everything from planning to how to shoot a video and how it then incorporates with other more traditional media forms.  It answers questions about how to have your video sync up with your website, sync up with your business cards, sync up with your brand identity, sync up with your overall business objective.  We also address the issues of how you shoot the images that look best on the internet; how do you distribute have watch people watch it, interact and respond to the video.  It covers the whole breadth of the subject. 

The book was released in January.  You can find it on http://www.showmethebook.com.  You can find out more about the book, read what other people said about the book, and access the blog about the book. You can purchase copies there. 

Tell us about your non-profit work and how you got involved there.

My father and I are both involved in this organization called Landmark Education.  I lead the SELP (Self Expression in Leadership Program).  He did that program, and his project was to go over to Thailand and, while there, to videotape and do a short documentary for a non-profit organization.  He consequently was deeply moved by using his expertise with camera and video to communicate what these people were doing over there.  He was so moved by it, as was I, that we really saw an opportunity to create a business model that was primarily philanthropic in nature.  We donate a lot of our services to these on-going projects.  In Tanzania, for example, we’re working for an organization called Kids of Kilimanjaro.  The kids in this neck of the woods have to walk two hours to get to school.  Because it’s so poverty-ridden, they literally did not have the food it took to walk four hours a day.  This organization started a school lunch program. All the kids get fed at school, and the attendance rate is close to 100% now.  So we go over there and shoot these films and do it free of charge.  They pay for the editing on the post-production side.  We do about 8-12 jobs like that a year. 

How do you fund these projects?

We use the frequent flyer miles we’ve built up over the years.  We donate our time. 

We typically work with projects that are outside of the United States, but they have to be pretty significant sized.  They pay about $15,000 on the post-production side of things.  It requires that they have a marketing budget.  But a lot of these organizations would never be able to afford what we provide them.

Before, having a website used to be enough.  But now, people are so oriented around audio visual communications that when you can’t communicate that way with potential donors and potential givers, organizations are really missing out on an opportunity to pull people’s heartstrings. 

How does social networking and social networking technology tie in with both your business and your philanthropic contributions?

Social networking is really incredible, and I’ve explored it primarily through my own research and have just been amazed.  I was at a conference on Wednesday, and the analogy the speaker used was that in the past, people used to sign each other’s year books upon graduation in high school, “Good luck with the rest of your life! I loved knowing you!  Good luck!”  Now, people don’t sign one another’s year books any more – because they never lose touch with them!  They are all on Facebook or Myspace.  It’s a perpetual web.  There’s no longer very much distance between people.  The ability to stay in touch and remain connected to people over the course of time is what we’re really developing. 

The power of that in the business world is significant. Say I’m on Facebook, and I have a bunch of friends personally; I have business acquaintances; I have business leads.  I change my profile that says, “Jessica is delivering a presentation in New York City to the American Association of Advertising Agencies.”  It immediately goes on an update that goes to all the people on my contact list.  The ability to communicate rapidly with short-fire phrases has dramatically impacted how we do business.  It has provided access to information about what is going on with any one of your contacts at any given moment. 

You get that on LinkedIn.  I use LinkedIn, and it’s the same kind of thing.  I see my contacts and who they’re meeting every day.  On my home page on LinkedIn, I can see who’s active – some are more active than others.  Those are the people I want to be in contact with.  Last time I went to NY, I was hunting around for appointments.  I was going through all my contacts’ contact lists, asking who is it that would be a potential client or someone I want to talk to in New York.  There I was able to go through and look at the close connections.  Then I could immediately send an email and say, “I’d like you to introduce me to John, Rick and Jane in New York because I’d like to see them next week and see what I could provide them in the world of video.”  So I had access to meeting people.  I’m much less likely to do a cold call because social networking is facilitating people being connected and introducing one another in ways that I have never heard of before. 

What’s so intriguing to me is that people are more connected, meaning you keep in touch with more people, but the way that people relate to each other is on a more superficial level.  As people become more connected, they become less connected, paradoxically.  People are physically divided, not spending as much time previously as they did in person.  They don’t know the sound of one another’s voice any more.  They aren’t acutely aware of the facial expressions that people make. It used to be that kids would go to spend three hours at the park on the swing-set together.  Now they spend three hours on MySpace, instant messaging each other. 

In the business world, rather than having a business meeting, they send emails or instant message or communicate from afar. From a business standpoint, there’s a need to foster the depth of relatedness.  That’s why I think that video email and video communication are really going to change the nature of this game.  We’ve been emailing for years and years now, but when we’ve got video email, that becomes the methodology for communicating.  That’s going to be incredible.

You can find out more about Jessica, her book and her business by visiting her website at www.TwoParrot.com. 

When you want to make a difference in the world, it helps to have a collective group who can make change happen faster.  Now you have the chance to participate in the Networlding Socially Responsible Group on Linked In…and become the change you want to see in the world.

You are invited to join our first Tele-Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, May 28 (5:00 p.m. PST/8:00 p.m. EST, 7:00 p.m. Central) where you will have the opportunity to hear two of the world’s great givers, along with me, facilitate a Networlding Make a Difference initiative.

I, Charles Gay and Gary Goldstein are ready to inspire you to support your desire to make a difference  Their organization, HUB (Humanity Unites Brilliance – www.HubHub.org) was established to empower donors and teams who support the issues facing developing nations. Charles and Gary have been involved in global compassion work throughout their lives, concurrent with developing their vast professional credits in the music and film industries, respectively.  HUB is for-profit, and its vision is to use personal empowerment training as an economic engine, generating sustainable humanitarian funding.  It uses tools like micro-loans, education, food, water and environmental training to give developing nations the essentials to end the cycle of poverty. 

Their invitation to you is to consider what you or your organization can offer to make a difference in the world…and to make the commitment to becoming the change you want to see in the world.  You have the opportunity to make the commitment of your time, energy or economic contributions via the Networlding blog www.networldingblog.com and adding your comments after the blog entry containing this invitation.  Let Gary, Charlie and I know how you intend to make a difference – and then let them teach you how to fulfill that intention through personal empowerment and effective networking.

Charles (Visioning Founder of HUB) has been a powerhouse of US film production since his arrival in the US in 2002 from the UK, where he was already leading hugely successful concert promotions for musical artists like Pink Floyd and Pavarotti.  He went on to work with many of the biggest names in film and to co-found Promenade Pictures, a US film production and distribution company.  He has been involved as Executive Director with the Mineseeker Foundation and the Sole of Africa Campaign in Mozambique. 

Gary (a Founding ArcAngel of HUB) is currently President of The Goldstein Company and has produced or co-produced such critically acclaimed films as Pretty Woman, Under Seige and The Mothman Prophecies.  He continues to produce, speak and write extensively, both to make a contribution to on-going excellence in film and to make a difference in humanitarian issues.  He has served as a member of the steering committee for the Entertainment Industry Foundation and, through that foundation, has also contributed to the improvement of public education in Los Angeles. 

As the Founder and President of Networlding as well as an author, speaker and consultant I train people and organizations to use technology and social networking tools to increase their bottom lines and professional successes while keeping true to the values of sustainability and social responsibility.  I was moved to host this event as part of my own desire to impact global issues. This will also be a good chance to form a much stronger community for our LinkedIn Socially Responsible Professionals Group.

The Tele-Town Hall access is limited to the first 1000 callers, and we’re expecting capacity crowds, so make sure email us at teletownhall@networlding.com today to reserve your seat and we’ll also send you details to access the call. Thanks!

Remember, Wednesday, May 28th – 5:00 p.m. Pacific, 6:00 p.m. Central and 7:00 p.m. Eastern – Take an hour to make a difference!

Tell me about how Rand McNally defines “socially responsible” and how they are accomplishing that goal?

We are dedicated to responsible purchasing practices because we purchase 4000 tons of paper a year, given the number of road atlases, street maps, local street guides and other products we print.  We use paper from sustainably managed forests, and we have made other strides in our efforts in this area, too.

We also work with an outside partner called NAEIR to donate obsolete or excess educational products to schools who might not otherwise be able to afford them.  And like a lot of companies, we have a paper recycling program.

Does your own definition of “socially responsible” differ at all from Rand McNally, and if so, how?

I was a political science major in college, and my minor was in environmental studies.  I did a lot of work on public policy related issues and sustainable development.  I got interested in the intersection of doing good but also doing well.  I was taking environmental economics classes as part of my minor, and a lot of classes were about how to solve the world’s problems but how to do that in a business-friendly way so that it made sense.  You’re not just trying to fight the good fight, but you’re also taking into account the cost to corporate America.  So as I explored careers, I tried to marry the “do good” and “do well” messages I encountered in college.

I also had a couple of career changes after college – I was a commercial banker for about four years.  Before that, I also worked at an international development consulting firm in Washington, D.C. for a couple years.  I then decided to go back to business school.  I wanted to look at how to combine all the different interests I had in the business world with my desire to get closer to the social responsibility issues I had encountered during and right after college.

I got my MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern here in Evanston, IL.  As I was looking at my job search, I wanted to work for a company whose products I felt good about and whose products made an impact in the world.  I had several friends who went to consumer packaged goods companies, but it just wasn’t my thing.

The CEO of Rand McNally happened to speak in one of my marketing classes.  I went up to him after our class and introduced myself.  He had spoken about the education business in his presentation.  I thought, “Wow, what’s better than helping kids discover the world?”  So I just approached him afterwards and chatted for a few minutes, and we agreed on the spot that I should send him my resume.  It was a great example of networking and taking advantage of opportunities that arise.

So I sent him my resume, and it took several months as it got passed around the company.  But it just so turned out that the company at the time was going through a transition, and our CEO wanted to invest more in our education business.  It had been ignored for quite a while under previous management.  They were looking for a marketing manager, and it was a perfect fit for me, in terms of getting involved with products that had an end-mission. 

What are the challenges as well as advantages to being a socially responsible company?

Every company faces the reality at any given time of the budgets and resources they can dedicate to socially responsible programs and initiatives.  There are some companies who take a holistic approach, though, and incorporate it into everything they do – companies like Stonyfield Farms, Starbucks, Home Depot and Timberland are all good examples.  They infuse it across the entire chain – not just the operations, but also the marketing and how they talk about themselves.  The message that the consumers get is that they are purchasing products from a company who eats, sleeps and breathes social responsibility. The idea is that this makes good business and will give these companies a competitive edge. It’s hard to get to that point, I think, but that would be my idealistic view of what it means to be socially responsible. 

What is necessary to make that leap?

I think it is often senior managements’ priorities.  There are just some CEOs who see social responsibility differently than others do.  Some take a one-off project approach, while others, based on their personal beliefs or views on the intersection of business and society, take a more systematic approach. 

Do you see how social networking can assist with this process or how it helps you with some of your marketing choices?

We’re always looking at ways to promote our educational products. Given the nature of Rand McNally’s educational product line, which I consider socially responsible, corporate partnerships are a great way to extend the reach of our marketing efforts with companies who may have a similar “mission” to help kids discover the world.  And this is a great time for that because of how these social networking technologies support those kinds of conversations.  That’s actually how I reconnected with a friend at a company, one whose mission is to get technology into the hands of students in developing countries.  I knew him from Kellogg, and he was a part of my LinkedIn network.  Through the LinkedIn network, we reconnected and are talking about ways in which we might partner in a win-win scenario.

I don’t know the full extent to which sites like LinkedIn are taken advantage of in terms of partnerships between companies.  I see a lot of job postings or requests for expertise.  But personally I haven’t seen a lot of people exploring partnerships, at least not openly. There’s a tendency, which is understandable, to be really cautious about anything that may compromise trade secrets; so using social networking sites openly for this purpose may not necessarily make sense in all cases.

To the extent that you can get companies (versus just the individual consumer) participating in the dialogue, there is a higher potential that social responsibility and sustainability will take off.  When you get companies really behind those issues engaging in those conversations with consumers on a social networking platform, that’s when you’ll start to see larger scale change. 

Lora Freeman, Networlding Partner Blogger
for more information on our interviews on social networks, social responsibility or the science of networks for your organization, email us at info@networlding.com.