Transparency as a Marketing Tool

Posted on 29. May, 2009 by Andrew Dumont in Marketing

So, how much of my personal life should be exposed in business? It’s a question that’s been thrown around more and more lately. My answer… all of it.

With the advancement of social networks like Facebook and Twitter to mainstream use and the power of search engines like Google and well… Google, it’s safe to say that much of what you wish to hide of your personal life has become nearly impossible. So, why try to hide it? Your personal life is a huge asset to the core of your personal brand. If you’re passionate about gardening, cooking, sports, juggling, beer or anything else, it’s likely that there’s someone out there that shares the same interests.

With personal attributes or hobbies displayed to the public, a brand becomes more than just an image but an actual living object. By exposing these personalities, you’re opening your brand to a new demographic that may not have been connected prior.

Think about it like a television show, you fall in love with a show because of the characters in it. For me, I’m addicted to the show Entourage because I’ve connected with the character Ari Gold. His outrageous antics and lavish lifestyle has made me envious of him, his character traits have been so well developed to the point where I feel like I actually know him, as if he was a buddy of mine. Because of this connection, when I’m asked about my favorite TV show, Entourage comes to mind without hesitation, the same concept applies to a personal or business brand. By using these pre-established characters (yourself and your employees), you’re expanding your relevance beyond just the functionality of your product, you’re creating an atmosphere that fosters diversity and connections on both a personal and professional level. With these types of connections established, your brand will come to mind as the “favorite” and nothing is more powerful in the world of marketing than word of mouth.

Here’s 5 key components to help successfully create a transparent brand.

1) Link it up. Put a face behind the notes you send, every single one of your emails should include links to your various social networks, you can view an example here.

2) Don’t filter. Whether it’s an update about how your meeting went or pictures of you grabbing a cocktail after work, post it. Tony, The CEO of Zappos does an amazing job at avoiding a filtered persona.

3) Delete it. If you have two separate Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin accounts for your business contacts and personal contacts, delete it, seriously. All this says to your business contacts is that you’ve got something to hide.

4) Press the record button. Don’t be afraid to film yourself, whether it be talking about your weekend or explaining a change within your company, set up a flip camera and start recording. KFC did a great job of this with their recent debacle.

5) Get Started. Go out and buy yourname.com and start writing about whatever the hell you want.

15 Responses to “Transparency as a Marketing Tool”

ZorkFox

29. May, 2009

This is a nice sentiment to hear from someone in a management position. I’ve never made any big secrets out of my on-line life, and as far as I can tell it hasn’t done me any harm. Of course, I’m careful not to openly badmouth my employers or divulge privileged information because that kind of stuff tends to get you fired, but I haven’t bothered to censor myself or pull too many punches.

I’m in the middle of trying to move, or I’d totally buy my own domain name.

Reply to this comment
Ak

29. May, 2009

Very well articulated and interesting stance on integrating personal life with professional.. I agree for the most part of it, but I’m not so sure that everyone needs to know every aspect of your life, some information could possibly hurt the image while others will perhaps be more beneficial than imagined. Great post cuhz!

Reply to this comment
Charles

29. May, 2009

Great article Andrew! I’m excited to read more of your posts. Transparency in a company can go both ways, but with proper utilization it can be a great way to get your name out.

Reply to this comment
Jeremy

29. May, 2009

Andrew. It has been very hard to instill confidence in poeple on why they need to be transparent. Your analogy of a TV show is absolutly perfect. In our line of work there are many options out there, so a customer or potential customer is more likely to choose our product over the other guys if they feel like they “know” us versus the other guys. Thanks for the good read.

Reply to this comment
Alex

29. May, 2009

As a Community Manager myself, I strongly support everything you are preaching here. It is all about connecting with your clients/users/supporters on the ever-changing communication platform we call the internet. Facebook and Twitter have allowed me to not just put a face to the company, but establish relationships that exist through both personal and business interaction.

If only I could be as unconventional as Ari Gold. His character needs to be on Twitter. I look forward to more posts!

Reply to this comment
Briddick

29. May, 2009

you’re my hero!

Reply to this comment
Zach

01. Jun, 2009

Great post Andrew! Totally agree. In this day and age perception is reality more than ever. One thing I’ve been thinking about…and Tatango would be a perfect example…when using social media in business, as professionals, being an extension of the brand itself, what are the implications of building a company or personifying it with a CEO or founder.

For example, much of what you guys (Tatango) have done to build the brand and increase awareness has been done in sync with building your personal brands. Derek for example is very visible and I’m positive many people associate the Tatango brand with Derek. On some level, Derek Johnson personifies Tatango.

In the end, I think it’s an important consideration to examine how much of a company’s equity is sale able? If Derek or you (Andrew) left Tatango for example, it would without question hurt the Tatango brand. In the past this hasn’t been as true with small companies, but through effective utilization of social media, anyone can become a micro-celebrity in these times.

The more prevalent examples of this problem can be found in large companies: Steve Jobs-Apple, Richard Branson-Virgin, Martha Stewart- Martha Stewart Co, Bill Gates-Microsoft, Jeff Bezos-Amazon. Warren Buffett-Berkshire Hathaway.

Think about Martha Stewart’s inside trading instance. Or what would happen if Warren Buffett didn’t wake up tomorrow morning? Or even the more recent example in the speculation of Steve Jobs health and how that affected Apple’s stock. All of these incidents have/would hurt the brands of the businesses deeply.

In the end, it seems to be on a case by case basis from brand to brand. There’s no right of wrong answer, no best practices, but only considerations. Just something to think about, thought I’d throw it out there. Please chime in if you wish to opine…

Reply to this comment
KrisBelucci

02. Jun, 2009

Hi, good post. I have been wondering about this issue,so thanks for posting. I’ll definitely be coming back to your site.

Reply to this comment
admin

05. Jun, 2009

Thanks to everyone for the comments, I’m glad you checked out the post! If you have any suggestions on article topics that you’d like me to cover, let me know.

@zach To address your comment, I think you’ve got a great point. In the case of Derek and I, we live and breath Tatango, so for us to hide our experiences at the company would be nearly impossible. In our mind, if the company fails, so do we (and vice-versa).

Reply to this comment
The “Customer Love” Effect « andrewjdumont.com

23. Jun, 2009

[...] be effective. People want to talk to a person, not an automated machine. It all relates back to transparency, connect with everyone you chat with on Facebook, Twitter or anywhere else you can think of. [...]

Reply to this comment
CrisBetewsky

06. Jul, 2009

It’s a pity that people don’t realize the importance of this information. Thanks for posing it.

Reply to this comment
PR 101: Getting Started | thederekjohnson.com

08. Dec, 2009

[...] do to stand out? It’s easy, just be real. As I mentioned in my previous post, it’s all about transparency. Connect with the people you’re pitching on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin, you need to put a [...]

Reply to this comment
The “Customer Love” Effect | thederekjohnson.com

08. Dec, 2009

[...] be effective. People want to talk to a person, not an automated machine. It all relates back to transparency, connect with everyone you chat with on Facebook, Twitter or anywhere else you can think of. [...]

Reply to this comment
PR 101 | Getting Started In Public Relations | Social Media Marketing | andrewjdumont.com

12. Dec, 2009

[...] stand out? It’s easy, just be real. As I mentioned in my previous post, it’s all about transparency. Connect with the people you’re pitching on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin, you need to put a [...]

Reply to this comment
Bill Boyd

04. Mar, 2010

Well said. One caveat as it relates to public officials (which I am). We walk a fine line. Expose to much personal information, including personal opinion, and we risk public disclosure issues, potential conflict with overall government messaging and internal scrutiny from fellow employees. I try to be extremely careful in how and what I post via social media web sites, and try to separate out business from personal as much as possible (with the exception of high visibility events). Just my two cents.

Reply to this comment