?? Brand Loyalty Starts with Leadership

It took seven episodes of the Brand to Fan Show to make a substantial change in how I showed up as the host.

Truthfully, it felt like something of me was missing in those earliest interviews and episodes. While I could cover that up in the interview portion, there was a ton of room for improvement in the very first minute and the very last.

This process of developing my content is not unlike creating and refining a speaking presentation, in which speakers will ask for input from fellow speakers. I turned to my colleagues at an NSA Oregon Speakers Lab in January to ask for their help! The coaching I received from Jake French and Jan Carothers in 15 minutes helped me make an immediate shift in how I set the stage for each guest. (You might not hear this without paying attention, since I went back and recorded new opens in this style for episodes one through six.)

The biggest impact comes in adding a TL;DL (too long, didn't listen) minute at the close of the conversation. That's when I pull out the key points we made throughout the interview and highlight the takeaways and a-ha moments that happened for me (and hopefully you, too) that we can implement immediately.

It's a superpower I developed in my consulting practice and now I can activate it for you, the listeners, in the Brand to Fan Show, starting with my conversation with Mary.

What You'll Hear In Episode 07

Business leaders are struggling with the increased expectations for emotional intelligence, which is an especially important trait in multi-generational workplaces.

My friend Mary Nice is a leadership consultant who doubles as "@VeryMaryNice" on TikTok and Instagram sharing insights for female leaders. She knows a great deal about how leadership influences internal and external connections that cultivate brand loyalty. Her methodology and expertise have helped both individual contributors and managers thrive by overcoming unspoken assumptions within the workplace to boost the bottom line.

Our conversation delves into how different generations view brand loyalty and its meaning. Mary shared her experience working with younger generations and how now post-pandemic, leaders must adapt and build new solutions to the changes in the workplace. She also tells her personal story of falling out of fandom with an entity that she previously held high esteem for and a personal connection with. It's a stunning example of how fandom can work for, and also against, your business.

WHAT ARE YOU A FAN OF?

The one that comes to mind first because it's present in our daily life is the Toniebox [from tonies? USA]. Toniebox is a soft speaker, and you get these little figurines, and they sit on top of the speaker. It's like 90 minutes of children's programming of reading stories to kids.

They have Mickey Mouse, PJ Mask, and Curious George. [My son] Smith loves it. It's one of those ideas you're like, "why didn't I think of that," because it's so brilliant.

I think it reached a market of parents who knew that they didn't want a lot of screen time for their kids but also are flipping exhausted and don't have the capacity to read story after story after story at night to their kids.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PIECE OF FANWEAR YOU OWN?

I have two. I have an old WVU hoodie that was my husband's, which is soft, big, and comfy. I have a lot of affinity for West Virginia, where my husband's from, and went to school, and it has been such a welcoming place for me. I think it's so beautiful up there.

My other one is an Auburn football jersey. It is an old Cadillac jersey, number 24; I just love having that; it reminds me of the good old days.

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Catch up with past episodes featuring Jay Baer, Brian Fanzo, Farren Benjamin, Tim Hayden, Jake McKee and Dana Snyder on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Google and YouTube.

Huge thanks to my team!

Audio production by Bryan Griggs of Griggs Production

Producers: Kimberly Voorhis, Ashley Ruiz, and Carrie Hellbusch

Video Editing by Garrett Teague