QUIET LEADERS
The people you need to look to for igniting your movement may not be the people you originally thought of. They might even be the quiet leaders. And as this whole word – of – mouth marketing thing keeps growing and evolving — especially with the rise of social media — we often overlook the quiet leader. Quiet leaders let their actions speak louder than anyone’s words ever could. People watch them intently, and they don’t really know why. There is strength in their silence, and they choose their actions deliberately. Quiet leaders leave ego by the wayside. They understand that ego is a powerful, ugly beast that can easily take over a typical influencer’s life, and when it does, they’re no longer leaders. Just noise. Quiet leaders elevate those around them instead of always trying to elevate themselves. And when you elevate others, they never forget it. They are loyal. They are always happy to return the gesture. When we were searching for leaders for Rage against the Haze, one of our most active and effective teens actually found us. Zack was a quintessential quiet leader. Both of his parents smoked, and his goal was to get his mother to quit. But in getting involved, he found that he had a voice. This guy was six – foot three and 15years old, and he wore button – down shirts with pocket protectors every day — certainly not the type of guy to stand on top of a van and lead chants. Instead, he was having quiet conversations with kids who were struggling with the same issues he was. He was warm and approachable, and he is the perfect example of the assertion that it takes a lot of different kinds of people to move something forward. Zack was always there. He always showed up and was always the last one to leave. On his last day with the movement, before he aged out of it and went off to college, Zack was having lunch at a Rage event in downtown Greenville. All the teens were going around the table reminiscing about the summer and about Rage events all over the state. When it came to Zack’s turn, he couldn’t say a word, because he was overcome with emotion. All these other teens, from all walks of life and all social groups, gathered around him and hugged him. That’s the kind of emotion that you can’t get from a campaign, and that’s the kind of passion that brings us together. So don’t forget the silent leaders. They just might be the ones you’ve been overlooking, and they could very well be the key to your success. There could be one answering the phones at the front desk. Maybe there’s one in the accounting department, or down in shipping. You never know until you start to listen to what others are saying and start to dig in and see where people are getting their input and information. Because in this case — even though it may be counterintuitive — silence is indeed golden. BUT I WANT ONLY THE COOL, SEXY PEOPLE TO BE THE LEADERS OF MY MOVEMENT Then you ’ re going to have to move your company to dreamland, because that’s where your head is right now. Listen very closely: You cannot choose the people who will love your company. It’s not up to you to do the choosing; it’s up to them. People come in every shape, size, and color. They come from different backgrounds and espouse different belief systems. If you pick your leaders for their appearance, you’re doomed. Because unless you’re in the high – fashion model industry, that’s not reality. It takes all kinds, and passion comes in a lot of different packages. So learn to deal with it now.
Don’t miss Geno Church’s #optsum workshop Lessons Learned in Igniting Word of Mouth Movements Part One and Two
Authentic, sustainable word of mouth marketing is one of the truest forms of brand communication, and it can’t be manufactured or bought. And yet, as more institutions dedicate marketing dollars to assemble word of mouth and buzz marketing programs, how can you build an effective, meaningful movement for your brand that will directly impact your bottom line? How can you identify those brand advocates already speaking out on your behalf, and work with them to develop a natural two-way word of mouth program?
Geno will explain how word of mouth marketing works and how it doesn’t, providing techniques on how you can start to identify movement-building opportunities for your brand, with authenticity and clear measurement results in mind. You’ll learn how to identify passion conversations versus product conversations, and how to “open the kimono” to your customers and fans. He will highlight successful WOM case studies, as well as talk about ways to define ROI.
In addition, Geno will draw from lessons discussed in the book Brains on Fire – revealing how to ignite powerful, meaningful, sustainable word-of-mouth movements that are a “win-win” for both customers and business. Believing the focus should be on people and not simply new tools and tactics is the key to building long-term momentum both online and offline for companies, products, services or organizations.
Workshop Details
* Date: September 13,2011
* Time:
* Room:
* Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Geno Church, Word of Mouth Inspiration Officer, Brains on Fire
Geno was born and raised in the South and proudly calls Greenville , SC his home. He spent two years at Furman University and went on to the University of South Carolina to receive a degree in Advertising. In his 13+ years with Brains On Fire, Geno has helped build word of mouth into the identities of brands that include Fiskars Brands, the American Booksellers Association, Rawlings Sporting Goods, National Family Partnership, Earshot Independent Music Stores, the US Office of National Drug Control Policy, Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities, and Rage Against the Haze (South Carolina’s youth led anti-tobacco movement). Geno is responsible for developing word of mouth, buzz, viral and evangelism strategies for Brains on Fire’s clients.
Geno has been repeatedly recognized as a thought leader in both the identity and word of mouth realms and has also received awards from numerous organizations, including the 2004 National ADDYs, where he received honors for his work with Rage Against the Haze. Rage also won a coveted gold Effie award in 2008 and a Wommie award in 2006 from the Word of Mouth Marketing Association. The Fiskars Brand Ambassador movement, of which was Geno’s brainchild, was also recognized by ad:tech and the Forrester Groundswell awards in 2007. In addition, the children’s book he helped illustrate and create, The Red Ribbon Works, was used as a backdrop for President Clinton’s War on Drugs.
Geno has given presentations at numerous events, including the National Conference on Tobacco and Health, the American Public Health Association Exposition, several Word of Mouth Marketing Association conferences, Social Media 2007 in Atlanta and Customer Management World 2007 in Johannesburg , South Africa . He is a frequent contributor to the Brains on Fire blog, which is one of the top marketing and word of mouth blogs in the world and referenced industry wide on a weekly basis.
Geno is a co-author of the book Brains on Fire published by Wiley Publishing in 2010. Books will be sold at the event.
Join in the conversation on the Brains on Fire blog at www.brainsonfire.com/blog, or follow Geno on Twitter @genochurch.
Geno Church: Word of Mouth Inspiration Officer at Brains On Fire
Arbitrary Facts:
• USC grad
• Furman football fanatic
• Scored 50 points in a basketball game
• Played in a glam-rock band
Old-Fashioned Contacts:
864.676.9663
geno (at) brainsonfire.com
Brains on Fire 148 River Street, Suite 100 Greenville, SC 29601
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. You launched a new blog or maybe you created a Facebook Fan Page, thinking that you’d tap into these amazing social media tools as a way to connect with your customers and create raving fans and passionate evangelists for your business. Now it’s 4 months later and you have 12 fans on your Facebook page, and virtual tumbleweeds taunt you as your blog struggles to reach 10 visitors a day.
Mack Collier is a 
At the Dallas 2010 Optimization Summits, you’ll experience learning by doing. You’ll build your own two-day curriculum out of flexible full-day, half-day, and two-hour component workshops on topics ranging from Social Media to Revenue Management, all of which are carefully planned to build upon each other progressively, and expand your understanding and skill set exponentially. The knowledge you receive will be continually reinforced by hands-on interaction to make certain you have not just the knowledge, but the know-how!
