₦airaland Forum

#‎FunFriday‬

"Purpose is not tied to any religion. It is not unique to any sect, group or race." - Babatunde Oladele.
‪#‎ThriveThursday‬

On today's edition of ‪#‎WittyWednesday we have yet another tricky question that demands an answer:

"What can travel around the world while staying in a corner?"

Kindly tag your friends as we seek to provide the answer

“…to say I am impressed with your professionalism will be an understatement. Well done. ” Consultant & Publisher of a popular Pan-African Magazine. ‪
#TestimonialTuesday

To succeed you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you." - Tony Dorsett.
‪#‎MotivationalMonday‬

‪#‎FunFriday

The world is changing, and changing fast. Old things are replacing the new ones. New methods are replacing the old. Staying too long at a particular place can make you stale. Well as it is typical of everything else, we are in a new cycle – rather than just the quick-fix approach to branding.

In this article we take some steps back, way back and examine the long-range effects of branding as we now know them especially in public campaigns.

There are 8 things to know!

1. Get your professional photographers: You need a professional photographer to give you a nice consistent photographs that can serve as your brand style identifiable in any size, country or context. The supporters of ex-German dictator could identify the Nazi logo, pictures or flag anywhere they see it. Pictures create lasting impressions in the minds of your supporters and they never gets to forget them!

2. Play with colours: The colours create associations that are at times uniquely identifiable as belonging to certain brands. Let your colour combinations match. They may initially not make any sense but its continuous use and promotion makes it stick. If you choose say, red, as your colour, create an image around the colour that will make a lot of sense to your most loyal supporters and those causes you intend to promote.

3. “What is in a Name?” you may ask: Though many people don’t pay close attention to this, integrative naming strategies used in sub-brands make them uniquely identifiable as part of the whole. This is true for political campaigns too. If your name is, say, Kokose Oluwagagu, and you feel it has no appeal to build your brand around it, you are probably thinking too much. Why not see any sense behind Linda Ikeji who built a brand around her name. You may look for “acceptable” patterns like KOSpeaks to position you as a good communicator. You just must be known for something for people to give you their vote, their support and in some cases, their lives!

4. Mind Your Language: This is the name of an old popular programme on a national Television here in Nigeria. Try to consistently integrate branded language in every little piece of communication your campaign does.

If you observe Hillary Clinton’s campaigns in the US presidential elections you will notice a pattern. She chooses her words most carefully to “attack” her opponent when she wants that to be the effect, and “avoid” questions she doesn’t want to answer.

The same thing for her former Republican colleague who recently dropped out, Ted Cruz. So be ruthless in choosing your language in any campaign. If you are bringing in others to share a platform with you, ensure that you check their background to know if they will not “spoil” your brand with their controversial comments, except that is what you want to achieve!

5. Use appropriate Icons in your campaign: They should be able to cross channels and be equally understood whether on a billboard, an internet site or anywhere else especially those they are intended for. The H in the Hillary Clinton’s campaign is well understood to be promoted by the Hillary for America organization.

6. What about Sounds? Have you watched the movie, Sound of Music? Sounds play important roles in building your brand as a politician. If you want to brand yourself as an agitator, you may consider playing Fela’s music at your events. Signature tunes or background music that is an intrinsic part of the brand.

7. Your offering or Service: What you are offering in your campaign, is it something completely unique in the way you serve customers to establish goodwill and generate positive word of mouth? There is no use in having a package without content!

8. Make your campaigns rich in rituals and drama: Supporting people-oriented rituals to allow for bonding on a personal level. Be part of groups that support your objectives and ambitions. Dramatize your little achievements, but avoid blowing your own trumpet!

"If you don't put anything in place, do not expect miraculous results to appear." - Germany Kent.

‪#‎ThriveThursday‬

Happy New Month.

“... I also have to admit I admire your organization. I thank God for you guys...”
A YouWIN Award Grant Winner.

#TestimonialTuesday

What will you do today after work? Would you:
1. Hang out with the boys?
2. Go to an upscale bar?
3. Visit the night club?
4. Party all night?
5. Go for night vigil?
6 Visit the Cinema?
7. Go home early to stay with family?

#‎FunFriday‬

"Surviving is important. Thriving is elegant" - Maya Angelou.

‪#‎ThriveThursday‬

What 10-letter word in English language can be typed using only the 1st rows of the computer keyboard?

#‎WittyWednesday‬.

“...For the past 15 years that we have been organising this CBN CardExpo Conference, we have never had this huge number of pre-Conference registrations. Over 1,200 participants have registered! You guys did a great job in your direct marketing and online campaign.”
Convener, CBN Cashless CardExpo Conference
‪
#‎TestimonialTuesday‬.

"The way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing you fear and get a record of successful experiences behind you." - William Jennings Bryan.

#MotivationalMonday

"The way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing you fear and get a record of successful experiences behind you." - William Jennings Bryan.

#MotivationalMonday

Content today has become an important part of any marketing mix. It is important to know however that you need more than great content to create a massive awareness about your brand.

Although, one cannot underestimate the effect of having a stellar content, there is need for fine-tuning to give you that marketing edge you desire.

How do you create that massive awareness that you desire?

1. Make your content go viral: When content is created, it does not matter how great the content is, if it does not get to the target readers, then it is a waste of time.

So making your content go viral on the internet requires certain steps that you must follow. First, you must understand where your readers are and then you take the content to them. You can be sure that they will not come looking for your content excerpt they’ve already identify with your brand. Once you understand what it means to make a content go viral, then you have achieve 80% of creating massive awareness.

2. Check your conversion channels: You have to be sure that your conversion channels are well connected and your integration are right. It depends on what service or product you are into. You might choose to use a channels that is integrated from your banner adverts straight to your social media page and then to your website.

No matter how you choose to integrate based on your product or service, you should make sure you check it to fit your conversion, if not you will have a heavy bounce rate and that is a waste to your contents.

3. Appeal to your reader’s soft spot: Everyone in life has a soft spot they respond to. Based on your product or service, when you are crafting your content, you should learn to appeal to readers’ soft spot.

The emphasis here is that you need to understand your industry and then know how to develop content that will appeal to their soft spot.

4. Speak their language: There is a language everyone wants to hear. It is just like an employer looking out if the person being interviewed will say the words he expects him to say to get the right job.

For contents you develop, there is a language the reader is looking out for which will serve as a solution to his or her problem. It could be a sales challenge; it could be operations or whatever it is, just make sure you speak the language your prospective reader is expecting to hear.

This is the reason we are here at TRW Consult. We help individuals and corporate organisations to viral their content, check their conversion channels, appeal to reader’s soft spot and speak their language.

"Adversity and perseverance and all these things can shape you. They can give you a value and a self-esteem that is priceless". - Scott Hamilton.

‪#‎ThriveThursday‬

Wednesday is here, and it's yet another time to show how witty your brain is. Below is the trivia question for today

There is a certain crime, that if it is attempted, is punishable, but if it is committed, is not punishable. What is the crime?

#‎WittyWednesday‬

"You guys are doing a great job. I can face my job and know for sure that TRW Consult is in charge". - Sierra Leonean Diplomat.

‪#‎TestimonialTuesday‬

"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus"- Mark Twain

#MotivationalMonday

I was at a popular eatery in Lagos and the waiter said to me, “What will you like us to offer you?”, noticing I was there to at least take something rather than just wait there and pass time like many other people often do. The frankness of his question put me off at first, but the urgency in his voice prompted me to act. I placed the order for rice and chicken.

Was he rude or was it simply a sales tactic? Whatever it was, I have no means of knowing, but it worked. This got me thinking about my own approach to marketing my PR services. Could I get away with saying something similar to a prospect? I can imagine some of them getting turned off, while I can picture others saying “yes.” I wouldn’t dare try it, of course. The sales process is my least favorite part of online media campaign.

Now, let us look at the concept of Hard Selling. These are aggressive strategies that usually put a high amount of pressure on the client. The waiter who sold me the food is an excellent example. Other tactics include cold calls, forceful sales letters, and unsolicited pitches. You are there to sell, they know it, and you know it.

The main advantage of hard selling is that it gets straight to the point. It works in a no-holds-bared manner. This is especially important for clients who are ready to buy and aren’t looking around to do a few more meetings. The decision should be made now, and you want to step up and offer yourself as a part of their team.

As good as it sounds, hard selling comes with some disadvantages. When it’s done too aggressively, your attempt to help will be seen as an annoyance. This plays a big role, especially if you’re working with small businesses that are savvy of such sales techniques. No matter how genuine your offer is, it might come off sounding like a fraud or too-good-to-be-true!

On the other hand, Soft Selling is more creative, and innovative. It focuses on the relationships not just sales. You are not under pressure, so is your prospect. Instead, you find passive ways to show them that you have the solutions they need.

You may spend so much energy on updating your personal blog and forget to use it as a platform for selling your services. You can also spend so much time tweeting with your potential clients that you don’t make firm, actionable proposals that will bring one recurring revenue in exchange for your efforts. Being too gentle with your sales approach might also give clients the impression that you are not too confident about your services, or that you are just not interested in working with them.

This is the reason we are in business, at TRW Consult we offer you more options and time to do more…

"The brands that will THRIVE in the coming years are those that have a purpose beyond profit." - Richard Branson.

‪#ThriveThursday‬

The man who invented it doesn't want it. The man who bought it doesn't need it. The man who needs it doesn't know it. What is it?

#‎WittyWednesday‬

Do you know how to redeem a damaged image? Most people don’t.

In the bid to save the day, you could do more damage to the situation. The challenge here is that you may not know you are doing more harm to your reputation.

If you are a public figure, you need a reputation manager who can help you handle crises when they come, even when you least expected it. For instance, the problem that broke out between Teebillz and Tiwa Savage wouldn’t have been this serious if they both had a good reputation manager.

When Teebillz took to social media and posted what was seen as a complete damage to his marriage, a reputation manager would have waded in to control the process. In fact, some have suggested that he should have refuted that he wasn’t responsible for the post, that all he needed to do was to say his Instagram account was hacked. People have given so many opinions on what they would have done. But you must understand that talk is cheap, all those advice might not redeem you. There are individuals and organisations that are skilled in handling such situations.

In this article I will share three simple tips to help you redeem your image even after the damage is done. They include:

1. Get a Reputation Manager: In the world of reputation management, perception is key. What you make the people believe after what the damage has been done is what they may accept. For instance, in the Tiwa Savage and Teebillz story, you will notice that when Teebillz made the post that started the whole saga on social media, people immediately started insulting the wife. The reason for this is simple – many people believe that female celebrities don’t last long in their marriages. So they immediately concluded she was only acting the same script. But when Tiwa Savage came out to refute the accusations of the husband about being unfaithful and exposed some questionable character about the husband the views of the people changed. A reputation manager will tell you what to say per time. He will also tell you what to do to affect the sentiment of people in your favour.

2. Take his advice: Getting a reputation manager is one thing and sticking to his advice is another. Some of the things a reputation manager may tell you to do to affect the sentiment of your followers may not sound logical sometimes. This is the point when people get to argue and choose not to do what they are told to do. They forget the reputation manager already has a mapped out strategy that defines the whole process. He is looking at the end, which is to manage the crisis at hand in your favour, not just now but also in the future. So, follow their advice.

3. Let him handle your social media: Today, reputation managers are skilled with the social media. They know what and when to post content that will appeal to the emotions of your followers. The good news is that they don’t just post; they are also particular about the grammatical structure and the semantics of their post. They are also consistent, because to them it is a paid job.

Once you leave your reputation management in the hand of a reputation manager, you can be sure that, your reputation is safe and it will turn out to work in your favour.

This is the reason we are in business, TRW Consult Ltd helps individuals, corporate organisations – small and large – to manage their reputation, so that they can send the right message about their brand to their target audience and the public.

We have been doing this for years and can do it for you also. Let’s manage your reputation.

I hate it when the people who owe me money post about how much they are enjoying their Friday.

‪#‎FridayQuotes‬

Some months have 31 days, others have 30 days. How many have 28 days?

‪#‎WittyWednesday‬

"We would like to inform you that we are pleased with the quality of the last job you did for us. Based on that, we would like to ask that you send us a quote for (another and bigger) jobs." - Graphics Designer, Corporate Communications Department of a Highly Reputable Institution
‪#‎TestimonialTuesday‬

"I thrive on obstacles. If I'm told that it can't be told, then i push harder." - Issa Rae.

#ThriveThursday

"I have difficulty believing you guys are in Nigeria, kudos." - A Facebook follower.

#TestimonialTuesday

"When you do what you fear most, then you can do anything." - Stephen Richards
#MotivationalMonday

Whether you are running for the position of a school prefect or town union election, or the presidency of your nation, winning is essential and there is no trophy for losers. The winning strategies are usually the same.

An effective winning strategy will involve:

1. Branding

Branding is a powerful weapon and no one knows that better than a politician trying to win over an electorate. Successful candidates garner public support by creating strong, relatable and positive identities.

Even without having the best financial backings from moneybags or a multi-millionaire godfather on your side, you can still win, using the best strategies from today’s works. Whether you are starting a local advocacy, launching publicity for your idea, raise funds for your candidate or just trying to become a local warlord, there are a few tricks that will help you win your own personal battleground state situations, in this case, an election.

As bad as tea can sometimes be without sugar, so is a container without content. Before you put your brand in front of the public, make sure you know what you want to accomplish and even more importantly, why it is important to you. For example, if you want to brand yourself as a pro-poor candidate, have you ever been involved in a pro-poor advocacy or rally? The basic rule is: Know who you are, what you care about, and what you believe in.

A clear sense of purpose will give your brand more traction.

Another way you can go about it is not to miss out on one of the key elements of brand exposure which is to stand out from the crowd. Be catchy, unique, emotional, vivid, and unusual. As different as all the faces are in the world, so is our uniqueness. We all cannot speak passionately like Barack Obama, likewise, we all cannot create the Donald Trump brand, but you can strengthen your brand with a simple, authentic nickname like Professor Adeoye or Dr. Ben to create a memorable impression on the voters.

2. Know your targets

Whatever your campaign message is, are you trying to attract voters, donors or followers? In any case, you need to study the people, i.e. your potential or target voters closely. Find out about their customs, traditions, tastes and preferences and other non-tangible elements that matter. What are their values? Who are the opinion leaders? If you understand what your potential audience care about, you will have a clearer idea of how to make them care about you.

3. Make yourself visible – Get involved

Have you monitored a presidential campaign recently? You will notice that there is a reason presidential candidates still hit the campaign trail, even when they can reach millions of voters with a single status update. Having roots in your community is so important. People trust you because they know you, the first time you meet them isn’t when you are asking them for money. Donate your services to a local festival, sponsor a community event, or run a mile with your brand plastered on your shirt. Getting yourself on popular community events is much cheaper and easier than trying to host your own event.

As you immerse yourself in your community, you are bound to find some like-minded people, so do not be afraid to scratch someone else’s back. Maybe you can lend some extra office space to a tech geek in exchange for a free website design or write a guest post for a popular local blog. Whenever you find yourself in an event, see it immediately as publicity. You are your first promoter, so do not leave this to chance!

4. Get digital and social

Make sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn your favorites. They give you the ability to connect with millions of supporters at once and a great deal of self-promotion. Provide value to your followers, which can be in the form of resources, quotes, facts, humor or links. Give them things to think about. Let them talk about your posts or comments. The best way to self-promote is to give 80% value and promote you 20%. Lastly, ensure you work with good professional political strategists to help you through the campaigns!

Talk to us at TRW Consult, we have the expertise to help you win that election.

http://trwconsult.com/4-capsules-that-helps-you-win-elections/