Art Director Heidi Broberg captures Go East-ers quirky approach to planning — and not planning.

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Working at Go East, I have access to the brand platforms for many different corporations. Big companies and small companies. We’ve either helped develop the brand platform for our clients, or we reference it as we work on marketing communications projects. In either case,  it’s always interesting to me to see what companies list as their values. And then it’s even more interesting to observe how companies behave and try to determine if they are in line with their values or not.

It’s refreshing to see companies walking the talk, so to speak. A value like “innovation” is easy to demonstrate. Which is great. On the other hand, how can companies demonstrate an intangible value such as “integrity”?

Recently, I heard that a potential client had commented on Go East’s integrity. As one of our core values, it’s good we’ve found a way to demonstrate something intangible. But what is it? What did we do in that meeting that demonstrated integrity?  What does integrity really mean?

The word “integrity” is a noun that means “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.” I think the most obvious way to demonstrate integrity is to do what you say you’ll do and if you don’t do what you said you would do, then take ownership of the mistake. It’s an important value, especially in a service business such as Go East’s.

But in the case of a potential client — where you haven’t even had a chance to make a recommendation, much less fullfill the promise — how can you exude integrity?  Thinking back on the meeting we had with the potential client, I can think of six key things that indicated we could be relied on to be an agency of integrity:

1. Make eye contact. You’d be surprised how many people cannot (or do not) do this. Right or wrong, when I meet new people, I make some initial judgments on a person’s quality of character based on their handshake and their ability to make/keep eye contact.
2. Answer questions directly.  Avoid dancing around the question. Avoid buzzwords. Just answer the question. Embedded in this point is to always be truthful in your answers. People innately know when you’re jive-talking.
3. Ask questions. The point here is to clarify and demonstrate interest in the other person. But you must be relevant and your questions must be authentic. You have to truly want or need to know the answers.
4. You can probably guess what this is based on #2 and #3 above. Listen. Listening skills aren’t natural — a person really needs to practice. A good listener uses all their senses to really absorb the full impact of what others are saying. (Ok, maybe they don’t smell the speaker.)
5. Don’t kowtow. This goes back to being authentic. There’s nothing less authentic than ass-kissing.
6. Be gracious. Thank your contact for spending the time with you. (Don’t overdo it though, then you’re back to kowtowing).

I believe that integrity can be demonstrated and the items above are ways to do so when you’re in a situation with a new person. But I also believe that integrity can’t be faked. So much of integrity is authenticity, which to me is something you just “feel.” (That’s a whole different philosophical topic…)

Integrity is important to many people and I know it made a difference with this particular person because she is now an actual client rather than a potential client.

What are your thoughts on this? I informally polled my friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter about this topic and received a lot of passionate results ranging from “integrity is everything to me” to “integrity is doing the right thing even if it feels wrong and yet, doing the perceived “wrong” thing because you know it’s right!”

How do you think this can be carried over into relationships with others, personal and business? How do you demonstrate integrity as a professional? Do you think anyone can demonstrate integrity? How important is integrity to you?

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Thanks to everyone who took a few moments to answer Go East’s informal poll about planning.

This is the time of year that strategic planning happens in all types of organizations and, while marketing communications plans typically measure out 3-5 years and are important to the big picture, the reality is that day-to-day planning is just as important. That’s probably why many of you responded “a week” or “a month” in answer to the question, “how far in advance do you plan?”

See for yourself how others in the marketing and marketing communications field are planning.

What are the implications of these results? Well, frankly, this is good news for our Post-it® Brand clients! Lists are still the primary way many people figure out what they have to do! There’s a note for that! (Even the “Magic 8-Ball” answer likely indicates something on paper!)

Whether you’re planning strategically or day-to-day, it’s important to have a process that works for you. The lesson in this poll is that everyone’s process is different and that’s OK as long as it works. But let’s not dismiss day-to-day planning as something that can’t be foreseen or planned for. A well-written marketing communications plan will align with the strategic plan and give you the opportunity to be efficient with your time and budget.

After polling our clients, we decided to look at how Go East-ers approach planning — watch the video here.

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St. Paul Minnesota (June 29, 2010) — Go East announces the addition of Alberto González to its creative department. In his role as Interactive Director, Alberto will provide expertise and insightful creative direction to lead the development of interactive services.

Working with New York-based CBS Television, Alberto has designed and launched websites, graphics and multimedia presentations for “CBS Evening News,” “Sunday Morning,” “The Late Show with David Letterman” and “60 Minutes.” He has created award-winning, innovative websites and social media initiatives for a wide range of clients, from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies, including OfficeMax, Thomson Reuters and Travelers. Executing well over 100 websites in 13 years, he is dedicated to bringing the freshest ideas to the table, all the while keeping the importance of brand and consumer relationships top of mind.

Go East is a design and interactive media firm that turns business ideas into successful marketplace results. Its clients include GE, Target, Smead, United Hospital, Travelers and 3M brands including Post-it®, Thinsulate™ and Scotch-Brite®. For more information about Go East, visit goeastdesign.com.

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From a marketing standpoint, social media is about engaging with customers in a meaningful way. “Engaging” and “meaningful” being the two key words!

Engaging: To cause someone to become involved in

Meaningful: Having a serious, important or useful quality or purpose

We can plan for meaningful content, but when we engage with our customers, we don’t know what will happen. Planning for social media almost seems like an oxymoron, right? How can you plan for something that is dynamic and kinetic? Well, think of how kinetic it would feel without a plan!

A good social media plan is created with a strategic, proven methodology. It’s about setting clear and measurable objectives. It’s about ongoing engagement. It’s about listening. It’s about reporting. It’s about being relevant. It’s about a lot of things, but it is not about creating a Facebook page and it’s not about you.

One other important thing about social media strategy is that it’s integrated with your brand strategy. All of your consumer touch points should be aligned with the same objectives. After all, social media — although a beast with its own set of rules — is just another consumer touch point.

How challenging is it for you to integrate your social media strategy with your brand strategy? How have you overcome those challenges?

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You’ve probably heard the story about Charles Schwab and how productivity increased when executives at Bethlehem Steel Corporation wrote down their six most important things to do each day.

I’ve learned through my Go East and Mary Kay training that planning your six most important things to do each day helps you accomplish, little by little, all the things you need to accomplish. It’s best to write your to-do list the night before you need to do the tasks. That way you won’t end up in the thick of chaos the next day and think, “I wish I’d made that list.”

Write your list just after dinner or before bed. Choose a time when you can think and your head is clear. The next day, you’ll wake up refreshed, rested and ready to tackle your list. Not only does preparing your list ahead of time give you a sense of being in control of your day, it also provides a great sense of accomplishment when you cross something off of it. You are organized, productive and accomplished!

What are your six most important things to do tomorrow? I challenge you to try this.

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A quick look at how Go East-ers plan, from the super organized to the whimsical.

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My life is based around a schedule. I’ve given up being spontaneous because it doesn’t work for me. Whether I’m on vacation or at the office, I consult my calendar and follow a plan.

Growing up, the new school year began after the Labor Day holiday. As an adult, my “new” year starts in September and involves a new wardrobe, new calendar, fall cleaning, organizing my home and creating new goals. While the business world continues to plan — and often recognizes a January-December fiscal year — fall is a great time to re-engage your personal brand and re-charge your efforts to be organized in your personal and business lives.

Start anew and revitalize your life by meeting your personal goals, while also being proactive with your schedule by:

• Actively responding to meeting invitations in a timely manner
• Being on time to events (this includes lunch with your best friend and internal business meetings!)
• Weighing the outcome of taking on too much responsibility. Whether it’s volunteering or signing up for too many activities, don’t over commit and get yourself in a bind!

A few strategies that I have found helpful are:

• Use a single planning tool (e.g., FranklinCovey®Planner, Google Calendar, iCal, etc.). Choose a tool that reflects how you manage your time: Are you on the go? Usually at your desk? Are you a visual person who needs to reference a physical calendar?
• Make sure you account for all reoccurring meetings so you don’t miss a beat.
• Be planful … plan ahead as best you can.
• Refer to previous goal-setting documents and see where your areas of growth have been. You can also initiate new goals in areas where you fell short in the previous year.

Enjoy your summer but consider embracing the new New Year. Fall is the season for a fresh start.

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