And connect more dots.

One of the most important attributes of a being a successful entrepreneur is having the ability to generate fresh and meaningful ideas, often. Then, connect the dots to move your business forward.

Many times circumstances for entrepreneurs make this pretty darn challenging. You have a microscopic budget, no staff, juggle two full-time jobs to pay your bills and your cat has the chicken pox; all while you’re building your dream.

No problem. Some of the biggest and best ideas are birthed because of the above. Why? Because you are forced to be a truly creative problem solver.

My best creative thinking happens when I stimulate my brain by exposing myself to other cool ideas that empower me to recognize patterns, think in a metaphoric way, and absorb a lot of information quickly.

Here are 4 easy ways to increase your idea flow.
1) Visit online and offline, high-volume idea venues.
Trend reporting websites like Springwise and Iconoculture are two of my favorites. Springwise showcases entrepreneurial ideas from around the globe, and Iconoculture recaps top consumer and business trends with a good mix of recent market facts and statistics in a free newsletter.

Schedule a trip to a shopping mall. Don’t go to shop. Go to discover with a conscious eye. Watch how people behave and respond to marketing initiatives; evaluate displays, and listen to conversations.

Annually attend industry tradeshows in innovative sectors. Journal what you see; the good and bad, pick up marketing collateral and take pictures of exhibits and people.

2) Pay attention to smart, successful companies and people.
My list includes competitors and random organizations, both large and small. I keep an admiration notebook and folder on my computer. I include words, images, and processes that I find intriguing.

3) Develop a habit of producing idea quotas.
This means, need a solution or big idea? Set a daily volume quota for your ideas. For instance, need a new product name? Jot down five possibilities a day for two weeks. Invite a friend or colleague to do the same. In 14 days you’ll have at least 70 seeds for finding your big idea. Remember, don’t set any limits for your ideas, the wilder the better. Ignore budget restrictions and don’t strive for the perfect idea; aim for quantity.

4) Master the art of scan and skim, and read more.
Early in my career I attended a workshop on how to read the Wall Street Journal in less than 15 minutes. This 60-minute class dramatically increased the amount of information I can absorb which, in today’s world of massive data deluge, is a necessary skill to have.

Here’s the fast track on how to be a better scanner and skimmer of publications.

Turn off distractions like music and the TV. Go straight to a publication content summary, sometimes this is the table of contents, sometimes it is a special section that features top stories. Find subjects that interest you, jump to those articles. Then read the subheads, the intro and the last paragraph. This filtering method is a quick and efficient way to cover a lot of ground. I also scan all visuals, images, and charts and graphs and set a reading time limit on a publication. I also use an index card to underline what I’m reading and I highlight information I want to retain.

New, different, and sometimes even recycled ideas are the vital ingredients for problem solving and connecting the dots. The better and bigger the idea flow, the higher propensity you’ll achieve success.

About the author: Karen Post, a.k.a. The Branding Diva® is an international authority on branding, marketing, and entrepreneurial matters. She has been featured as a business expert in print publications; on TV, radio, and on Web channels. Karen authored the best-selling book Brain Tattoos, Creating Unique Brands That Stick in your Customers’ Minds and she is co-founder and CEO of Oddpodz.com.

No matter what your budget is you can launch this priceless campaign and start reaping the rewards right away.

Say thank you to your customers, your employees, your prospects and your vendors. And not just when you like what they dished out.

When they do business with you
When they compliment your company
When they offer suggestions
When they try something new
When they recommend a friend
When they are patient
When they help you serve them better
When they complain
When they make you smile

If you have a budget, say it with a note, a gift, a card, a phone call, a meal or with a personal visit. Emails count but, not as much.

Thank you for reading this blog.

In the past few years, we’ve heard our share of news stories on dishonest, scum bag, greedy souls. From the Enron gang, to Allen Stanford, to the biggest scammer of all, Bernie Madoff who misled investors and lost over $65 billion. These people are a disgrace to business and mankind.

While these criminal profiles are plastered on every media venue from out there, and they should be, what about companies and brands that behave less than truthfully everyday in their advertising and communications? I think they are just as guilty, and consumers should be aware of their shady moves and then make their choices on what company they should do business with.

I’ve talked about some of these less than forthright brands in my speaking programs and I’ve written about them in the past. We just posted a story I wrote for Fast Company called Integrity, an invaluable brand asset

These companies really get under my skin. In fact, this morning I was reading a half page ad for “The Perfect Pitch” giveaway in Tampa. It is sponsored by Teasdale, marketing of distinction and some other seemingly reputable media companies. The ad says: throw us your perfect pitch and two companies could win $250,000 in media to promote your company and the at applicants get a gift bag valued at $3,000. What it did not tell you was that it costs $500.00 to apply. That information was only found inside the site on the PDF form. To me that’s creepy, and falls under the category of not being honest. Why not put that information on the ad? Wasting my time because of a lack of full disclosure or not clearly marking fees puts no integrity points in their basket. In fact I’ve shared this example at 10 times today with my business buddies.

Contests are notorious for these sneaky ploys. Big brands have dirt on their collars too.

I just received a mailer from Verizon. The offering was $99.00 flat fee for Internet, TV and phone service and they give you $150.00 back. Sounds great, right? So, I call my friendly sales rep to investigate. I wait on hold for 17 minutes, just to find out the boxes you also need for the TVs were not included and neither were the taxes. The drive out price was the same as what I already have. Wasting my time because of a lack of full disclosure or not clearly marking the real price is no better than a friend telling me a big lie. It hurts the relationship.

This list of slimy-talking, deceptive messaging happens every day. And brands wonder why consumer trust is at an all time low. If you know of a company that is resorting to dishonest marketing messages or campaigns, please share, so we can inform our community that the brand in question may too deserve the Bernie Badge of Deception.

By Karen Post, The Branding Diva®, co-founder of Oddpodz

Brand like a champ, 5 ways to score from Super Bowl lessons.

What a game. So much emotion. Adrenaline everywhere. And many valuable lessons for even a small business to gain from. As you go through this next week and you are starring at a big opponent, whether it be, the economy and credit crunch, or a key competitor, reflect and take action from this international broadcast, pop culture and sporting event of champions.

1) One high profile ad will not build your business or brand.
Investing in a handful of high profile large audiences opportunities certainly has its upside. But in most cases, brand and business success come from integrated efforts that go way beyond even a killer promotional campaign.

While the Super Bowl audience was mammoth, how many eyeballs were truly the target for the brands behind the ads? And if they were, how many were too medicated with alcohol to take buyer action the next day? Or even remember the who was behind that funny ad?

2) The playing field is new.
Web 2.0 and the explosion of all media channels, means every dollar spent needs to leverage this entire gamut of new and old touch points.

The real winners in the Super Bowl advertisers had multi-point connections and dialogue with the viewers before and after the game spots ran.

3) Life lives through changing times. Marketing must be relevant.
Even events and brands around fun, sports and entertainment, need to go with the flow of real-time reality. Hyundai’s ads connected with their Assurance Contract
(lose your job, we’ll take back the car campaign) as well as the empathetic (Yes, you may be jobless soon with humor from Monster and Careerbuilder.com.)

4) Customer engagement, if done right, can convert in to sales.
Kellogg’s invites viewers to suggest a needy school (baseball field) with projects that require funding that Kellogg’s can help, Pedigree funds an adoption program and encourages getting a dog instead of a crazy pet, and Denny’s make us laugh and invites us over for a free Grand Slam breakfast. Experience first. Transactions will follow.

5) There is huge value in established, branded entities like an annual event, The Super Bowl.
This event started in 1967, the awareness and brand equity have been growing every year. Should an event be the part of your brand strategy, make sure to stay consistent to your story, and give it time. Event branding is a long-term project.

6) No matter how grim it looks, don’t give up.
In sports and in business, it’s about staying power, until the end. Just ask the Steelers. Stay focused on your game. Without the confidence and composure team showing up, you’ll be a player short.

About the author: Karen Post, a.k.a. The Branding Diva® is an international authority on branding, marketing, and entrepreneurial matters. She is has been featured as a business expert in print publications; on TV, radio, and on Web channels. Karen authored the best-selling book Brain Tattoos, Creating Unique Brands That Stick in your Customers’ Minds and she is co-founder and CEO of Oddpodz.com, an idea engine for creative professionals and business. Her work has benefited large and small organizations in the United States and around the world.

By Karen Post, a.k.a. The Branding Diva®

Verizon spends gazillions on marketing. They are in your face everywhere. TV, print online, direct mail you name it. I’ve been a customer of Verizon’s for nearly 20 years. They used to be GTE. Over all, I’ve been pleased with my relationship until this week. I’m moving back to Tampa and needed to set up my land line phone service. With all their outbound messaging and seductive sales initiatives, why in the world would they not be able to take my call for two busy days to place an order? This is a cardinal sin for any brand. Tell me you’re hot and the best thing since sliced bread, then you can’t manage your call center flow for two solid days!?!?!? And, to make things worse, not only was I on hold for 3-4 hours each day, if I decided to hang up and try again, I would have had to experience this annoying computer, voice activated 5-minute torture just to get started again. Verizon is a technology leader; so, I thought surely their Web site would have some option to get me some help. Wrong. It’s a maze of no help what so ever. Madness! And the assistance email kept locking up. Wednesday, three days later, I got through. Screaming at the operator is not the answer. They likely had no contribution to this disastrous customer service system. Verizon leadership where ever you are, you should be ashamed. And if you know this is a problem and you are working on it, why not a little communication? This would go along way. If you can’t dance, don’t invite me to the party.

About the author: Karen Post, a.k.a. The Branding Diva® is an international authority on branding, marketing, and entrepreneurial matters. She is has been featured as a business expert in print publications; on TV, radio, and on Web channels. Karen authored the best-selling book Brain Tattoos, Creating Unique Brands That Stick in your Customers’ Minds and she is co-founder and CEO of Oddpodz.com, an idea engine for creative professionals and business. Her work has benefited large and small organizations in the United States and around the world.

By Karen Post, Branding Diva®

It’s no understatement to say women rule. They make up over 85% of the driving force behind the largest consumer purchases. Yep, they are a $5 trillion dollar buying machine. So what’s the best way to connect these powerful femmes?

Like I reported earlier, I’m in Memphis addressing a group of healthcare executives and here’s what I told them. Women process information significantly differently than men. Make sure you are speaking their language and that you are relevant to their worlds.

9 ways to connect your brand to women buyers.

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