Wells Fargo — Good Communicator
April 23, 2009
The financial crisis has brought out the worst and, in a few cases, the good in companies. Corporate communications are typically lacking but in the global economic crisis, it has been woefully lacking.
An article from the Reputation Institute indicates–
…there is a huge under-performance in the communications profession in the US, the UK and continental Europe because of a lack of qualified personnel and a limited understanding of what communications practices actually make a difference.
However, one company Wells Fargo is doing an admirable job.
On the About Us there is a link to Financial Podcasts on quarterly earnings, as well as market recaps and perspectives. This is good but on this page you will see a link to the real storehouse of information in the Wealth Management Insights Center .
Here you will find –
- Market updates
- Retirement information
- Special reports, such as the Housing Market
- Strategies for business owners and more
Wells Fargo, along with most banks is not out of trouble. Due to financial risks, the bank’s stock price has fallen dramatically. So much that the share price is lower than book value (technically its liquidation value) per share. However, Wells Fargo is getting kudos for its communication efforts. It has won the following awards–
- Best communications with the retail market (IR Magazine)
- Covalence Ethical Ranking Q1 2009 for the Banking sector. 4th place
It may not be perfect, but at least trying to help customers through difficult times, it is doing a good job.
Image Source: BizAims (good article).
Exciting Sites: Want to Join the Circus?
April 23, 2009
“Your corporate website is increasingly the soul of your recruiting process. And as you know, it’s not a one-time effort but a continuous improvement process that demands a fair share of development and analyses.” That’s the opening of the descriptive blurb for a session at Kennedy Information’s upcoming Recruiting 2009 Conference and Expo.
Since I think those two points are absolutely correct—it was a surprise to find that this single session is the only mention of the corporate Careers website in the whole conferences agenda, which covers more than three days of sessions, keynotes, workshops, intensives, and summits.
That’s not to say the topic won’t come up in other discussions at the conference, but from the agenda standpoint, it certainly seems to be in an isolated position. The ERE Expo for Fall 2008 also had just one session focused on the corporate website, and the Kennedy Conference in Fall 2008 had none.
So I started to wonder why the “soul” of the recruiting process isn’t getting more attention in these venues—and I still think that’s a very good question. But before I could start looking for answers, I noticed that one of the speakers involved in the Kennedy session (which is a panel discussion) was the Employment Manager for Cirque du Soleil.
How fast do you think I got to their site?
Some of you have already been there and back between the last paragraph and this one, I’ll bet. Because we ALL want to run away and join the circus. Plus—one just has to be curious about how an over-the-top fantasy factory like Cirque would design their Careers website.
Well, I’m not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t exactly what I found. The site is a bit more boxy than I imagined, for one thing, and although the Home page is madly visual, the secondary pages are basically text on white. There’s an image slideshow running on each page, but it’s rather small.
On the other hand, the unusual color scheme definitely sets it apart—and the functionality is top-notch. All the right information, nicely accessible. And there is certainly enough of the unusual to convey a sense of Cirque.
So what about some other exotic employers? Of course Cirque has a huge operation, so they hire all kinds of people. Pilobolus, on the other hand, is a small organization, and it’s all about dancers. But, yes, they do have a sort of miniature Careers page (Menu, Contacts, Work with Us), tucked into their absolutely stunning website:
That’s actually something any employer can do, by developing a site that reflects what’s special about the company. Just look at one of my favorites, Umpqua Bank, for an example that’s not exactly exotic, but still very distinctive and inviting.
The Case of Personal Branding: What Will Google Think of Next?
April 23, 2009
Add one more venue of marketing to your business’ arsenal of resources. Google has created a new way to connect via social networking on the web and it’s nothing short of awesome. At least, I think so.
On first glance and first read, you would think that the new resource is only for individuals or freelancers. I thought so too until I read further. Often with things like this, you really have to read, click and dig to find the value that it can bring to your company, and moreso than you as an individual.
Google’s new profile page gives companies AND individuals the ability to market themselves through their powerful search engine. And, what is so great about it is the way that it can all be done Google-style with the many features that the tool has to offer anyway. When it comes to social networking and fully expanding all resources, you need to be able to tap into ALL available resources and reach your target market.
As a business and as a corporate entity, have you established yourself solidly online? If not, are you at least working on establishing yourself and your business? In this era of technological and forward-thinkining consumers, it is good, no necessary, to have a link to you from every aspect of the web. If you can’t be found, how will they find you?
Google has also made even more of a name for themselves with this new resource. When I first learned of it, I thought, “Great, like the web needs another social networking resource!” But, after I checked it out and saw how it could really be a benefit for corporate entities, I had to rethink my hasty opinion.
While I am a follower of Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn for business (and a little personal), this new Google tool is sure to capture an even greater segment of the population. Yes, I can certainly see value in it…but can you? Here are some ways that I thought of that a corporate entity can capitalize on this new Google toy:
- Use the resource to highlight company and corporate executives. Share information about their backgrounds and experience that will help customers decide to do business with you.
- Give details on the corporation’s locations/franchises/satellite offices. People often respond favorably when they can visualize or “see” something. Help them see it on your Google page.
- A picture is worth a thousand words. Upload a photo (or more than one) that customers can use also to feel connected. Or, place a relevant link to your page so they can go look for more on their own.
While I don’t think this new resource is going to replace the good old standby’s that are popular and working, I do think that it will find a place among them and stand out on its own. I set up my page today and will tweak it some more until it looks like I’d like it. Set up your Google page too and see if it’s going to be great for business. You just may be surprised!
How Important is It for Brands to be Green?
April 23, 2009
With Earth Day upon us, I’ve been thinking about green brands and companies that focus heavily on spreading an environmentally-conscious message. Unfortunately, not as many well-known, international brands come to mind as one would hope and expect.
I’m not saying there aren’t industry leading brands that hype their green initiatives. There are plenty of those, but how many of those messages do consumers truly believe? And how many of those messages actually motivate consumers to purchase one brand over another? Do you buy products from Walmart because Walmart participates in eco-friendly activities, or do you shop there because it’s cheap and convenient?
What’s my point? It’s simple. It’s easy enough for brands to jump on the green bandwagon. The big players sponsor environmental events, match donations to environmental nonprofit organizations, and hype their in-office recyclying programs, but how many of them actually “live” being green? How many of them have, “Lead the industry in quantifiably helping the environment,” on their list of strategic imperatives (notice the use of the word quantifiable, meaning measurable)? Read more
Best Leadership Development Surveys, But…
April 22, 2009
The ability of an organization’s leaders to make effective decisions and to inspire its members to superior performance is perhaps the most important for business success.
“Show me a good leader and I’ll show you a good business.”
Mr. David Novak, Chairman and CEO, Yum! Brands, Inc.
Therefore it is interesting to look at the new lists of the best practices that are published. One is from Leadership Excellence –
Many of the companies cited are no surprise. GE has a legendary Leadership Development program and Ritz-Carlton offers its program to other companies. I find listing GM University as #5 a bit puzzling since GM has major business problems. According to APQC –
Founded in 1997, General Motors University (GMU) is a global network of education and training resources designed to help GM’s executive, management, technical, and professional employees continuously improve their competitive performance to conduct and expand the business of GM.
Hmm!
The next list is more prominent and is conducted by Hay Group (requires free membership but well worth it) consultants and CEO Magazine.
Notable is the dramatic move of 3M from 15th to 1st place. One of the key reasons is that 3M uses one of the most effective tools for developing leaders — mentoring;
3M emphasizes relationships and involvement with the company’s senior executives and programs where leaders teach leaders
Source — Best companies for leaders: 3M shoots to the top of the current ranking.
[An excellent article from Entrepreneur magazine]
Another way to digest these two lists is to look for companies that appear on both lists and these are GE, Procter & Gamble, FedEx and McDonald’s. The results are not surprising, these are companies that have a strong commitment to Leadership Development.
While these surveys provide useful information, Leadership Development programs, in general, do not provide desired results. For example, the Corporate University exchange indicates –
There are other references that current business conditions, rapid change and increasing complexity are affecting Leadership Development programs. More on this and more resources in the next post.
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