Do you trust your own website?

Been thinking a lot about websites recently. Windows 10 was released yesterday (plan to get it for free) with a shiny new browser called Edge. Looking forward to seeing how it performs versus Chrome and Firefox (stopped using IE a while back, so this may bring me back into the fold).

Then I also pitched a brand on an AODA audit for a new website they have in the pipeline to check its accessibility level. Still a lot of sites out there that could be improved.

So that got me thinking about Herb Communications' website. Can I trust it not to scam people into nasty malware and other crap? Websites are usually the first impression that someone gets of your brand, so it's literally seconds to make it a positive one.

Luckily I heard about Is It Hacked? via the Solo PR Pro group I joined. Ran Herb Communications through it, held my breath ... and everything seems OK. Phew! (But it does come with a disclaimer, "Note: this site just checks for common problems, a pass from here doesn't guarantee your site isn't hacked." Well -- at least it's a start to get people thinking about this kind of thing.)

Many a time brands are content to create a great website, but then forget to keep it properly maintained and updated. Websites are organic and you should be able to change anything you want, on the fly, instantly.

Keep it fresh and clean, evolve it over time, run it through some FREE checks such as the one above and get an idea of where you stand. It isn't the be-all and end-all of website maintenance but it keeps you on your toes and brings your own personal digital communications front of mind.

There's only so many hours in the day to help clients, but you have to help yourself first if you're to succeed.

John.

Are brands human?

Massive Pink Floyd fan, not so much from the Syd Barrett era but shortly thereafter. Just got my tickets to see frontman David Gilmour's solo tour next March in Toronto. Very excited!

When I think of DG he sums up the Pink Floyd brand for me. Sadly, keyboardist Richard Wright passed away in 2008, and drummer Nick Mason and bassist Roger Waters have their own projects. So the band will never tour again. But they all played a massive part in shaping Pink Floyd's unique sound.

I thought about other people that represented brands. A few that sprang to mind were Colonel Harland Sanders (Kentucky Fried Chicken), Steve Jobs (Apple) and Richard Branson (Virgin).

Colonel Sanders' image is still used in KFC's branding; Steve Jobs had a hand in every aspect of Apple's products, and had films made about him; Richard Branson started his empire as a student from the humble telephone box. These three people still, to this day, symbolize the brand that they started.

There's been some blogs recently discussing whether brands are fake and just trying to be your "friend" on social media. Maybe some do. If so, we need to give more credit to the consumer that they can pick up on that manufactured sentiment.

Real people work at brands, not robots. There will always be that human touch behind campaigns and social media outreach. Social media is just a tool -- like the telephone, e-mail, letter, fax machine -- that real human beings use to communicate and promote their brand and, if we're being honest, trying to sell more products or services.

We all know that! It's our choice. If you don't like how a brand is treating you, then look elsewhere. There's tons of competition out there grateful for your business. In my humble opinion, the ones that survive and do well are those that -- by default or otherwise -- have a recognized person leading the way, ready to stand up and be counted and own it, during the good times and bad.

If your brand can find that "face" then you can stand out from the crowd. People are born to communicate with other people, it's just natural.

Have a good weekend!

John.

Do brands really hire underpaid social media people with fleshy, flawed faces?

[Disruption. That was going to be the topic of today's blog post based on what's currently happening between Uber and Toronto taxi cabs. But that can wait for another day; disruption is not going away.]

"Of course brands screw up a lot on social media. It’s because, despite their rictus grins, the plastic masks of friendship they wear are just hiding the fleshy, flawed faces of underpaid social media people, who are often trying to be the fun voice of several soulless logos at once."

Ouch!

That scathing paragraph comes from a blog post entitled, "Brands aren’t your friends, they’re the idiots at the social media party" on The Next Web site.

The gist of the article is that brands aren't our friends and many fake their social media presence to pretend they are. I have seen some brands do that, and some not. Horses for courses.

We can't forget that the consumer is in the driving seat now. I believe that people do enjoy following their favourite brands, and can just as easily leave them behind if they become, "the leeches of social networking, desperately trying to drain some blood from every bit of creativity they encounter," as the blog writer describes.

Brings to mind this meme:

Whether it's kitchen roll, cars, soft drinks, cookies .... whatever ... people do like to follow certain companies. It's up to those brands to judge the audience and engage accordingly.

John.

Hmmm, not sure, let me Yahoo that and find out

Some of my really fun childhood memories include hoovering to earn extra pocket money. What on earth is hoovering? Some strange English ritual?

Nope. It was just what we called vacuuming because one brand had totally dominated and owned the space at the time. (Not sure if people nowadays do the Dysoning but I haven't heard of it.)

And to find their website I immediately Googled it. I didn't Yahoo it, or Bing it.

Are there any downsides to your brand becoming a verb? Honestly can't think of any when people mention your name as they go about their daily digital communications tasks.

Here's a handy list of 41 brand names that are now used as generic terms. How many would you have guessed?

John.

Brand on the run

I've volunteered on my condo's Board of Directors for almost four years now, and although it's a lot of work, it's also very rewarding to serve the residents in the building I live.

Tonight it's our annual summer barbecue, now that it actually feels like summer in Toronto at last. Being the culinary arts fan that I am (hello? Herb Communications!) I headed out to buy the food and drinks. (Might not be as decadent as the photo above, but everyone loves grilling, right?)

I'm lucky to have a good choice of supermarkets in the locale but usually go to the same couple each week. As I was in the first one buying the basics such as pop and paper plates, I also decided to get some of the food there too, such as buns, chips and cheese slices.

I already knew in my head that this would not be my supermarket of choice for the hamburgers, veggie burgers and hot dogs. They sold them, sure, and it would have been very convenient to pick them up too ... but I was looking for a certain level of brand.

So, in the car, another 20-minute drive, more fuel and I arrived at the second supermarket. Saw the (more expensive) meat/veggie items I wanted and bought them. Better quality for the residents without breaking the bank, for just a little more effort.

Digital communications is a little like a barbecue. You might need the various "ingredients" from different suppliers, but it's worth shopping around and not cheaping out. Quality always comes through and makes a longer lasting impression.

You don't want to leave a bad taste in your customers' mouths.

John.