The Brand Ambassadors

Justin returns to the Brand Ambassadors to talk veterans and branding and beyondtheuniform.org with Gary and Merritt. A Navy Veteran, Justin is the Founder & CEO of StoryBox, and started Beyond the Uniform as a side project to help active duty military personnel.

Growth is great, right? Sometimes, companies grow right past the products and services they started out with. And then it's hard to explain what exactly your company does. Award winning CEO Maria Proestou of DELTA Resources will share how DELTA grew its brand from financial management to program and project management and IT.

Merritt and Gary trolled the sea services for communication talent once again and found Darcy Roland, author of the TEDx Talk, Penny For Your Critical Thoughts? Darcy is a retired Coast Guard senior chief and is currently an adjunct professor at the Navy's Senior Enlisted Leadership Academy in Newport, RI. Darcy will tell listeners how she identified a gap in critical thinking skills among her military students, how she built a course around it, and how she turned it into a TEDx Talk. This is a must-listen episode for upwardly mobile professionals!

What does it take to successfully plan and execute a campaign or an event? When should you begin? Who needs to be involved and how do you divide responsibilities? How do you measure success? All questions faced by solopreneurs, large corporations, government agencies and nonprofit charities. This week on The Brand Ambassadors, Merritt and Gary welcome Gino Colombara, executive director of the Southeastern Virginia Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, to discuss campaign planning and stakeholder engagement. Gino has been organizing events to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer's care, support and research for more than 20 years and will outline the planning and campaign development that went into his chapter joining with 600 communities nationwide for the Walk to End Alzheimer's fundraising event September. Gino will discuss what it takes to make these events a success, both locally and nationally. He will also discuss changes he's seen in outreach and stakeholder engagement.

This will be our first remote podcast, airing live from the Rust Is Gold coffee and antique shop in Albuquerque. Not many of us are able to turn creativity into a successful commercial enterprise. Enter Steven Fenix Maes, musician, artist, filmmaker and motorcycle enthusiast. A veteran of the music and film industries, Steve has brought one of his passions to life: cafe racer motorcycles. His documentary on the cafe rocker, Caffeine and Gasoline, to be released later this year, is already receiving acclaim. The film has also engendered a new enthusiasm in Albuquerque for all things vintage, and Steve is meeting that demand with Rust Is Gold - a coffee shop, antique market and gathering place dedicated to all things vintage. Merritt and Gary will talk to Steve about how he transformed a hobby into a documentary, and the documentary into a new local business.

“Communication works for those who work at it.” ~ John Powell Most experts will tell you that there are no better cheerleaders for your brand than the people who help make and keep it a reality. But the question is how do you turn employees into “brand ambassadors”? The answer lies in solid internal communication and what Use Conflict author and this week's guest, Dave Gerber, calls “positive conflict.” Dave talks with Merritt and Gary about the issues of conflict and communication within an organization. The discussion explores Dave's concepts of positive and negative conflict, communication tactics for clarity and employee buy-in, and other approaches to building a healthy, harmonious workforce. Dave also explains the importance of key factors such as trust from and in the workforce. Join Merritt, Gary and Dave as they tell you how strong, focused communication and positive conflict management can turn the company workforce into one of the brand's loudest megaphones.

In many episodes of The Brand Ambassadors, the topic of social media has been discussed to varying degrees and the importance it plays with audience outreach and engagement. This week, Merritt and Gary welcome Kristelle Siarza, the founder and CEO of Siarza Social Digital, to break down the elements of a good social media campaign. Kristelle defines an effective social media campaign and explains how to use tools such as editorial and content calendars, measurable objectives, messaging strategy and distribution processes. Once the strategy and tools are in place, Kristelle shows Merritt and Gary that a coordinated and measured social media marketing effort can be planned and executed by any business -- small, medium or large -- to build brands or promote e-commerce. This is the episode you need to have the straight scoop on scaling, planning, developing and launching a social media campaign that achieves your business objectives.

Merritt and Gary trolled the sea services for communication talent once again and found Darcy Roland, author of the TEDx Talk, Penny For Your Critical Thoughts? Darcy is a retired Coast Guard senior chief and is currently an adjunct professor at the Navy's Senior Enlisted Leadership Academy in Newport, RI. Darcy will tell listeners how she identified a gap in critical thinking skills among her military students, how she built a course around it, and how she turned it into a TEDx Talk. This is a must-listen episode for upwardly mobile professionals!

The world today is getting noisier and louder every minute. The Internet adds content for public consumption every second and it all competes for the attention of all kinds of audiences. In other words, your message has to be engaging and interesting or it's going to be drowned out. You have to have a great story to tell. For businesses and PR professionals looking for media coverage, the best approach in today's crowded digital environment is great storytelling. You must do your research to find new angles on old stories or fresh new stories that show your ability as a trailblazing thought leader. You need to find where most have not gone and tell a more detailed and relevant story. In this week's episode, Merritt and Gary feature the insights of American University professor and journalist, Bill Gentile, and talk about storytelling, what goes into a great story, how you can use it for earning media coverage and building reporter relationships, and his other storytelling secrets.

In December 2017, Wyzowl, conducted its annual state of video marketing study for a snapshot of video's branding importance. Key findings include: · 97% of marketers say video increased understanding of products or service. · 81% of people decided to buy a product or service by watching brand's video. · 81% of businesses use video marketing – up from 63% in 2017. · 85% of people say they want more brand videos in 2018. · 76% of marketers say video increases sales. · 72% of consumers would rather use video to learn about a product or service. The numbers don't lie and your organization or business' audiences are going to respond better when your marketing and branding efforts include video and other visual information. This week's episode of The Brand Ambassadors concludes the two-part series on visual content for your business and brand. Video expert Scott Webb joins Merritt and Gary to discuss video marketing and how it improves your storytelling abilities.

The strength of one's brand lies in its ability to demonstrate its capabilities, communicate successfully with customers and stakeholders, and display personality and authenticity. And according to recent studies, there is certainly no better way to accomplish all of this than through imagery. For these reasons, traditional and digital marketers continue their trends toward visual content to gain consumer attention. In 2016 more than 51 percent of business-to-business marketers made visual content creation the priority for their campaigns. The trend continued as 74 percent of social media marketers consider visual content essential for their campaigns. To make sense of visual content importance, Merritt and Gary start a two-part series about the impact of visual information on brands on The Brand Ambassadors. They start with still imagery and call on photographic experts John F. Williams and Laura Lakeway to help explain the artistry and communication impact of visual imagery.

In the world of nonprofits, there are similarities to the marketing and branding efforts of their commercial counterparts. Similar, but not exact. In this week's episode of The Brand Ambassadors, Merritt and Gary welcome public relations and branding expert, Jack Chirrick, to investigate the methodologies of branding and marketing for nonprofit entities. Using his extensive background in public relations, community outreach, and media relations, Jack explains how the concepts of marketing and branding tend to get mixed up and misused … especially when it comes to nonprofits. The panel talks about how an organization's focus should be on how marketing serves as a tactical element of the larger branding strategy. Jack also covers how nonprofits must have a clear vision, a solid personality, know who their audiences are, have measurable objectives and goals, and have a well-defined understanding of the effective and consistent use of the brand.

Part of developing a strong brand involves knowing your audiences and having a reliable outlet for authentic communication. Well-branded organizations put a lot of work into audience outreach through several methods that can include traditional and digital newsletters, email marketing, events, webinars and the list goes on. However most marketers and PR pros will tell you that despite its current issues and challenges today, social media still reigns supreme for developing and building a community of individuals looking for what your organization has to offer. As the organization's PR director, Shannon explains how the core leadership started the very first workout back in 2010 and their PR efforts relied mostly on WOM and the occasional paid media campaigns. Later they created a social media presence that engaged members with photos, news and other content to grow their following to over 8,000 followers and supporting multiple chapters with social media profiles and strategies.

Lately, it seems no company or prominent figure can stay out of the harsh spotlight of public scrutiny. Growing trends of employee gaffes, outrage against public figures, and debates over governmental policies are giving businesses and organizations lots of unwanted attention. They also are leaving many CEOs, business owners and even seasoned political leaders, wondering how things went south and what actions will set things back on course. To provide those insights, The Brand Ambassadors, Merritt Hamilton Allen and Gary Potterfield look to the news headlines to examine trends in reputation management and crisis response. They will explore how companies and individuals found themselves in the boiling hot water of public opinion and debate a variety of potential options those organizations can use to rebuild their public standing. They will also take a look at the new challenges of addressing the highly diverse beliefs of a growing number of equally diverse audiences.

Any chance you have a newspaper subscription? Best guess – no, you don't. The changes in the business of journalism and the operations of newspapers has changed radically during the last couple of decades and certainly with the advent of the Internet and social media. In this week's episode, Merritt and Gary talk about the changes affecting the world of print journalism. They are joined by independent newspaper editor-owners, Leota Harriman of the Independent News and John-Henry Doucette of the Princess Anne Independent News. Leota and John explain how their publications operate, developing digital newspapers, and coping with the steep learning curve of business management and publication distribution. It's an excellent episode for journalists, PR pros and editors looking to tell compelling local and regional stories, to understand independent news outlet needs, and to micro-target your message.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, fear of public speaking is the most common phobia, surpassing even the fear of death. While writing a speech is not nearly as debilitating, it can still be a major pain in the neck. This week, Merritt and Gary welcome writer, historian and humorist Eugene Finerman to the show to discuss effective speechwriting. Eugene will discuss his experiences writing speeches for presidents of Fortune 100 companies, federal and state leaders and others. Regardless if you've written dozens of speeches or nary a one, Eugene, Merritt and Gary will share tips to make you a better speechwriter, whether you're writing for a CEO or just yourself.

There's more to media relations than a few snappy press releases and Twitter direct messages to reporters. Effective media relations pros know that reporters and editors want relevant stories and content formatted to their outlets' needs. In this episode of “The Brand Ambassadors,” award-winning journalist and Vox Optima media relations and training expert Jim Washington stops by to discuss the smart tactics for developing relationships with reporters. He offers helpful stories from his own professional experience along with insights from colleagues he interviewed for a recent media relations blog post. Jim explains that PR pros who understand the reporter's beat and the publication's content requirements and needs will have the greater success when planning and implementing their media strategies. He also talks with Merritt and Gary about his process for preparing spokespeople, CEOs and other individuals for media interviews.

Whether you love them or hate them, trade shows and special events are truly unique communication options for engaging, face-to-face marketing. Special events and trade shows are an integrated selling tool – sales, technical, live demonstrations, executive suite management and collateral material all come together in a forum where statistically 83 percent of attendees have some level of buying power. Exhibiting and events provide a platform to launch new products and generate immediate feedback. Industry trade shows allows communication with multiple audiences and provides an opportunity to strengthen relationships with existing customers. In this week's episode of “The Brand Ambassadors” Sarah Linder, assistant director of sales for Alliance Nationwide Exposition and Rachel O'Sullivan, event and trade show manager from Vox Optima will talk with Merritt and Gary about the best practices for exhibiting and how to capitalize on your exhibits and make them work for you.

In many episodes of The Brand Ambassadors, the topic of social media has been discussed to varying degrees and the importance it plays with audience outreach and engagement. This week, Merritt and Gary welcome Kristelle Siarza, the founder and CEO of Siarza Social Digital, to break down the elements of a good social media campaign. Kristelle defines an effective social media campaign and explains how to use tools such as editorial and content calendars, measurable objectives, messaging strategy and distribution processes. Once the strategy and tools are in place, Kristelle shows Merritt and Gary that a coordinated and measured social media marketing effort can be planned and executed by any business -- small, medium or large -- to build brands or promote e-commerce. This is the episode you need to have the straight scoop on scaling, planning, developing and launching a social media campaign that achieves your business objectives.

Successful people - whether they are in public relations, startups, government and so on - will always tell you their success depended on having a solid strategy. However, a lot of them won't say how realistic and practical their strategies were. Absolutely every endeavor needs a strategy, but how many of those endeavors built a detailed, overly comprehensive strategy that immediately went into a bookshelf somewhere, never to be seen again. Yeah, you need a strategy that actually works toward your goals and objectives. In this week's show, executive communication consultant, Denise Deon Wilson joins The Brand Ambassadors to discuss the practicality of strategic communication to create a realistic, scalable plan bringing integrated communications to branding. They will also talk on defining achievable core goals and objectives, scaling tactics, and developing the implementation and measurement tools to create appealing traditional and digital campaigns across communication outlets.

Every time technology brings us new ways to communicate, marketing and public relation pros have found ways to integrate that tech into their strategies for getting messaging in front of audiences. Today we turn printed books into audiobooks; lectures and TEDTalks become podcasts, videos, and blog posts; and the range of options is limited only by imagination and audience preferences. For this episode of The Brand Ambassadors, Merritt and Gary look at branding technology and center their focus on digital signage. They break down the advantages of a comprehensive communication strategy that integrates a digital signage component and weigh the pros and cons of DS options for small, medium and large organizations. They also welcome experts Mason Page of Reflect Systems and Alan Brawn of Brawn Consulting, interviewed at the Digital Signage Expo in Las Vegas where digital signage experts expound on trending tactics that can bring digital signage into your communication strategy.

Part of developing a strong brand involves knowing your audiences and having a reliable outlet for authentic communication. Well-branded organizations put a lot of work into audience outreach through several methods that can include traditional and digital newsletters, email marketing, events, webinars and the list goes on. However most marketers and PR pros will tell you that despite its current issues and challenges today, social media still reigns supreme for developing and building a community of individuals looking for what your organization has to offer. As the organization's PR director, Shannon explains how the core leadership started the very first workout back in 2010 and their PR efforts relied mostly on WOM and the occasional paid media campaigns. Later they created a social media presence that engaged members with photos, news and other content to grow their following to over 8,000 followers and supporting multiple chapters with social media profiles and strategies.

Partner marketing focuses on communicating value to, with and through resellers, distributors, alliance partners, agents and other third-type companies to help market and promote your organization. No matter what you offer, when it comes to partner marketing, there are two important questions that all parties need to answer: What's in it for them and why should they care? In this week's episode of The Brand Ambassadors, Merritt and Gary welcome Boulder Crest and EOD Warrior Foundation chairman and founder Kenneth Falke and Leon Tackitt, owner of Tackitt Family Vineyards. As retired Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians, Ken and Leon have a passion for helping fellow combat veterans and their families deal with the issues surrounding long-term care and emotional support of returning military personnel and their families from the last 16 years of war. They will discuss how partnering their very different companies has increased brand awareness of both organizations.