Are you planting seeds of conversation?

It's springtime and the gardeners are definitely out in our neighborhood. As you see them carefully tending to their gardens they are planting seeds which will soon blossom and add color and beauty to the neighborhood.

This is very analogous to how you should be helping the brands you work on right now. Are you planting any seeds of conversation for your brands?

In today's marketplace brands that have conversations with their "guests" are on the path to success. If your brand is stuck in the "old" world and basically just shouting out to the target audience that we have the best this or the best that then you are indeed proceeding along a path that is not very healthy for your brand.

So how do you plant seeds of conversation with your guests? Is your brand on Facebook or Twitter? These social platforms allow for plenty of seeds to be started with your guests. You can ask them for feedback on your product or service - what types of improvements that could be made to your brand. Just think about it - a 24 hour a day FREE focus group.

If you plant seeds of conversation with your guests that avoids excess self-promotion and instead create questions that stimulate reaction and deliver content that is useful and welcome. At this point you have the chance to see your brand blossom. And then you add the fertilizer with offers and incentives and your brand will flourish throughout the year.

So are you planting the seeds of conversation for your brand? Will you have a colorful and healthy brand garden this year?