As a marketer and brand strategist, I was most impressed with the attention to their brand. Both hotels have storied histories that include visits by dignitaries of all stripes, including Presidents of the United States, who came to this opulent playground in early 1900s. Recently restored to their original splendor, they spared not a detail in underscoring the historic elements of the brand while catering to the needs of modern travelers. For instance, the wireless delivery throughout West Baden Springs Hotel was spotless. I didn?t have to give a pint of blood or offer up $10 a day to sign on. I just had to agree to terms of usage once and my little happy MacBook Pro was recognized time and again through the building.

Best of all, my brand strategist?s heart was warmed by the ongoing brand adoption I experienced at each turn. Every single employee we came into contact with was a walking talking ambassador of the brand. Each offered some tidbit of history and was more than happy to show us around as well as tastefully make additional suggestions so that we wouldn?t miss the seemingly endless array of things to do.

I could go on and on about the many details that tied together this well done brand. My point is that they are doing a fantastic job with their brand, looking in every tangible and intangible nook and cranny to reinforce who they are and what they stand for. They didn’t just do it before the sale or at point-of-sale. They lavished us with the brand after the sale…setting themselves up for viral marketing, return purchases and a greater lifetime customer value. Seems there’s a lesson in there for all of us.

I left relaxed, enchanted and ready to return at the earliest possible chance. Beautiful branding, West Baden Springs Hotel and French Lick Springs Resort. Bravo!

What does this have to do with marketing? Everything.

Everything you do is marketing. Not just your ads and your blog posts and your websites and your sales pitches. Everything. And when you make promises explicitly or implicitly, you?re asking for someone to trust you. If you?re lucky, they?ll grant you their trust. If you don?t uphold your promises, you?ll lose their trust. It?s that simple.

If you imply that your product is the fastest, it better be the fastest. If you say you answer calls in 24 hours, you?d better answer calls in 24 hours. No ifs, ands, or buts. People can be forgiving. You can make a mistake. You?ll have to earn back that bit of trust that you lost.

But, you cannot intentionally deceive. Not allowed. Say what you?re going to do and then do it. Mom always said, ?if you make a promise, keep it.? Who knew she was talking about business, too?

This whole topic got me musing with a friend (victim of my “waiting period”) about how the use or purpose (or both) of email is shifting. I have no scientific study to reference here. This is all based solely on my own observations as a business communicator and as someone who has, through the years, adopted relatively quickly to new technologies. (I’m not at the leading edge of the curve, but I’m in the early part of the gentle slope.)

Think about the shift in the way we communicate via writing. I’m talking about the masses, not the tech savvy, by the way. Back in the day we sent postal letters or the occasional telegram. We figured out how to move those faster with couriers and overnight services. And there was fax. When email came along, we wrote what looked like letters ? long, correctly punctuated, capitalized, spelled and otherwise structured communications. Over time many of those emails have become swift one liners. Now, things like SMS, Twitter and Facebook give us the brevity and immediacy that allow us to hop from one thing to another.

What is to become of email? For now, I still look to email for longer form, meaningful, one-to-one content ? something that is meant for me or the receiver personally, but can’t be expressed in a mere 140 characters. I also still use it to look for news that I’ve requested. And, of course, I still use it to talk to people who haven’t made it to other messaging or social media.

If I’m anywhere near right with my observations, our communications evolution has a big impact on email marketing. So, what do you think? Where is email headed? Please comment below. Or, hey, send me an email.

This isn’t so much shocking news as it is confirmation of what we marketers already logically believe. If you’re online, you probably want to interact with the brands you’re buying in some way.

Mike Hollywood, Cone`s director of new media, is quoted in the release, “There is still an opportunity for forward-thinking companies to establish a presence and earn a competitive advantage. Based on the growth of user interactions with companies, countless purchase decisions are being influenced by new media. It`s imperative to get on board now that the train has left the station.”

Other figures cited:

• 95% of new media users believe companies/brands should have a presence in new media
• 89% believe companies/brands should interact with consumers
• 58% seek out companies/brands on traditional web sites
• 45% seek out companies/brands via email
• 30% want to interact in social networks
• 24% want to interact via online games
• 61% feel companies/brands top priorities with new media should be to problem solve and provide information

I have to admit that sometimes I feel like an old dog. That’s why I giggle a bit when I remember I write for a marketing technology blog. But as a student of human behavior, I know that we all have two things in common: we crave connective communication and we love to innovate. And so, we’ll continue to look for new ways to talk, to tell stories, to share information. If, dear marketer, you aren’t taking advantage of these new communication channels as they arise simply because you think they’re just fads or useless frivolity, then don’t be surprised when you’re left behind, standing at the train station with all the other long-faced marketers who wished they’d just stepped one foot on board the high-speed train.

To read more about consumers feelings on corporate responsibility and new media as well as causes and new media, see the release at Reuters or go directly to the Cone study.

If you haven?t for a while, I highly recommend that you revisit your macro strategy at some level. Ask yourself some questions such as the following:

• Who are we?
• What do we stand for?
• What do we do?
• Who are the clients, where are they and what do they care about?
• Who is the competition and what are they saying these days?
• What?s our key relevant difference?
• What would we like to be different about our business in the next year?

This doesn?t need to take days or even hours and be all fancy schmancy. Just do it. And write down the answers, for goodness sake. It?s a darned good idea to do this on a regular basis. Think quarterly.

Then consider your micro strategy. What tactics will connect with your prospects and clients in a way that they will give a hoot about you? How will you know when you?re achieving some measure of success? Is there some easy channel that you?re taking for granted that needs a tune up? How can you integrate your message and visuals across all of your touch-points?

Now, go ahead and get all excited about that variable data campaign or that social media blitz. If it fits your strategy.

Just yesterday, my fellow Certified Brand Strategist, Brant Kelsey, showed me two productivity tools designed to allow a person to focus long term on just one thing. Imagine that. Productivity tools that encourage long-term attention on a single task instead of pushing the ever popular go-go-go agenda. Interested? Mac users, check out these applications:

WriteRoom – distraction free writing environment

This application turns turns your entire screen into a simple interface that hides all other visuals and blocks pop up reminders and chat windows. If you like to type your notes at events, WriteRoom would be a great way to keep you from maniacally clicking through your email, Twitter account, Facebook and all those other little distractions that might keep you from concentrating on the information being delivered.

Spirited Away – automatic hiding of inactive applications

Spirited Away does what its name says. Just adjust settings to your liking and the application works in the background to hide inactive application windows. I think of it like having a housekeeper picking up the crumbled papers and putting the books back on the shelf while you work on your reports.

When you’re taking Douglas’s advice to block out a few hours Monday to focus on a single project, maybe you can use one of these tools.

Update: WordPress now has a fullscreen mode that allows you to write without all the administrative clutter!

I didn?t follow him back the first time because I looked at his timeline and saw nothing of direct value to me. It’s not that he was saying anything bad or that he is pushing porn. I?m just not interested in the product he is hawking, he isn?t in my field, he doesn?t say anything I find remotely interesting, and he isn?t local ? all criteria I use to decide whether I?ll follow someone or not. (You don’t have to meet all the criteria; just one.)

I don?t have the coveted big follow numbers, but so what? I don?t want big numbers just because it?s cool. Anyway, so far I?ve just ignored the guy. In the whole scheme of things it?s really just a small annoyance like that one mosquito that showed up at the barbeque. But that?s the thing ? I?m starting to see this guy as nothing more than a mosquito.

In reality, he is damaging his brand with an individual that he seems so desperate to snare. While at first I saw him as a legitimate businessperson with a decent product that just didn?t interest me, now I see him as a predatory slime that I?ll never recommend to a soul.

Now that I?ve ranted, let me ask you a question, dear reader. If you?re committed to using Twitter as a brand-building tactic, what behaviors do you believe could be damaging to your brand?

Update: Before I had a chance to publish this post, the Twitter user in question must have seen my ranting Tweets about him. He blocked me. I’m merely amused.

Also keep in mind that only people in the branding and marketing industry spend much time picking apart the pros and cons of a name. Well, unless the name is truly bad, that is. Then you might find Joe Consumer having a little sarcasm party at your expense. But if your name fits your carefully considered brand strategy, the average prospect doesn’t spend a millisecond on logical critique.

The reality is people experience names on a subconscious, emotional level. Let’s say your elevator speech goes something like, “Hi, I’m Jan Smith, a search engine consultant with Gazillions. I help people navigate the web when they’re in search of the right kind of information.” The listener isn’t thinking “Do I like that name? Does it makes sense? Does everyone love that name? Does that name tell the whole story of this company.” No, the listener is processing all of what you’ve told him (and probably scanning you for clues that he can trust you all while running through a list of 20 things he needs to do later that day.) Your business or product name is just one tiny bit of information. When the brain catches it, it goes to work scanning internal files for what the name might be like or different from and associated emotions. The brain might register quick hits like, “Gazillions. That’s a lot. Sounds kind of fun. Not ordinary. Maybe risky. Must listen more.”

I’m by no means saying the name isn’t important. In fact, it is a critical part of your brand signaling system. The name sets a tone or provides information or both. Like a logo or any number of other touch points, a name is an entry point to the images and feelings people will form around you, your company, your products and services.

My point is really about the artificial environment of the creative review. Whether you are doing it yourself, working with a consultancy or are a consultant, you must frame your feedback from the perspective of the message receiver. Now please, go out and make a great name for yourself.

1. Understand how the person on the other side of the conversation is using that digital technology. At what level is she open to engaging with you at this touchpoint? If she?s busy checking her email during the course of the business day before she rushes into three back-to-back meetings, does she really want you breathing down her neck with some obnoxious offer? Would useful information, something you know she wants, be more appropriate? Maybe. Maybe not. Seek to understand. And then use your understanding to craft the message and more effectively use the media.
2. Always behave in a way that is consistent with your brand’s promise and personality. Brand management isn?t just about making sure your logo shows up in the right place and using the right colors all the time. Those things can help. More importantly, every touchpoint is an opportunity to demonstrate your brand and establish or reinforce trust. Is that obnoxious offer discussed above actually consistent with your brand? If obnoxious and disruptive is part of your brand (good luck with that), then offer away. But, if your audience knows you as something different, rework your communication. Whatever you do, know who you are and what you stand for and then deliver on that brand to build trust.
3. Understand how the audience is interacting with the media and messages you deliver. The work is certainly not done just because you pushed go. Use the data, the dialog, or any other feedback you get to understand your audience?s behavior and then adjust your strategies, plans and execution.