29 June 2008

Plurkshop #4: Fractured Conversations and How to Manage Them

The internet - and social media in particular - has opened up vast arenas for conversation and feedback that can easily take on lives of their own. For small businesses, this kind of organic conversation can be especially valuable.

For instance, a post on your blog or website might prompt someone else to blog about you and then others to comment or share that via FriendFeed or StumbleUpon or Twitter and make commentary of their own. How to keep track? Tonight, our Plurkshop on the social community Plurk discussed the challenges and benefits of that reality, and uncovered a few tools to help listen to what’s being said about you, your company, and your brand on the web.

Challenges we cited:
  • Conversations about you – your brand, your blog, your company – are happening everywhere, including in places you haven’t looked.
  • Fragmented conversations across the web and so many tools for sharing information can make it difficult to keep track of what people are saying about you and your brand.
  • Dispersed commentary makes us worry that we’re missing important feedback and opportunities to engage in conversation with people who are talking about us.
  • The more a conversation fragments, the more it can lose context and relevance to the original topic. Comments without context can be less valuable to those who read them.
  • As a business owner/brand manager/blogger, you need to go where the conversation is and respond to it there, which can be taxing if you have several brands and/or a lot of content that sparks discussion.
  • Participating in discussions online can be intimidating for some people. How can you make it easy and welcoming for them to do so?

Some of the main takeaways from tonight:
  • The spirit of community conversation is more important than trying to control it. And controlling it is futile, anyway, so it’s best to embrace it. Listen and engage as best you can.
  • Fractured and organic discussion encourages new points of view. Different perspectives add value to the conversation. Actively encourage others to take the conversation to their own communities and build upon it or take it in a new direction.
  • The community should be able to use whatever tools are helpful to them to engage the conversation and comment. Readers want and will embrace content portability so they can take the discussion wherever they want. It’s our job as those creating the content to do our best to follow it.
  • Commenting and engaging others on their “turf” feels more natural, and demonstrates listening flexibility. It also gives businesses and brands opportunities to engage people they might not have otherwise found.
  • Traveling conversation can expose new audiences to your content/brand/blog.
  • Search Engine Optimization: Fractured conversations are good for search engine optimization so long as they link back the original source. Links that other people create to your content are gold, especially to bloggers and brands.
  • The evolution of this kind of conversation is demonstrating the very essence – and power – of social media.
  • Not all internet users find their information in the same manner, so the more avenues and options for them to participate, the better.
Some recommended tools to check out for listening/monitoring:

Google Alerts - Get email updates about search results for the terms you choose, including blogs
Technorati - Comprehensive blog search
Co.mments - track conversations related to sites you specify
Friendfeed comments plugin for WordPress users
Serph - A search engine tracking what's being said online about your specific search terms
Addictomatic - a search engine that populates results from other sites and search engines.
Disqus - a comment system for your blog that claims to make comments more interactive and easier to manage
Radian6 - a more robust social media monitoring solution that requires some $$ investment
SiteMeter - free site counter and statistics tracker
ClickTracks - web analytics tools starting at about $50/month
Google Analytics - free web analytics tools
PageFlakes - you can create a customized page to aggregate your monitoring tools and sites
Statcounter - free hit counter and web stats tools
LiJit - a search widget for your blog that provides stats on your visitors and what they're looking for
NetNewsWire - a Mac OS RSS feed reader
NetVibes - a personal page aggregator, like PageFlakes

Here’s the link to the full Plurkshop conversation. Take this back to your community and discuss how you're listening to conversations, and what challenges and triumphs you're having. What’s your take on the nomadic nature of conversation in today's hyperconnected world?

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28 June 2008

Promotions That Make People Smile


I went to Summerfest in Milwaukee yesterday - a great summer music festival here in the Midwest. Checked into my hotel, and hit the corner to catch the $3 shuttle to the park, concert tickets in hand. Then the fun began!

First, I get on the bus and I'm greeted by a bubbly woman that says "Hi! I'm Jane from Jane and Kidd In The Morning on 99.1 FM, and we're buying your bus ride to Summerfest!" Nice surprise!

Then Kidd hands me a package of Twizzlers (seriously, has candy ever NOT made you smile?), and proceeds to ask where we're from, chit chat a bit. He was super friendly and engaged the whole bus full of people during the 10-15 minute ride through downtown.

Then, as we're getting closer to the park, Kidd speaks up and says "Hey folks, now's the time during the ride where we say hi, and hope you'll tune in to our broadcast on weekday mornings on 99.1. If you're not from the area, we've got streaming audio online! And as a special thanks for hanging out with us today, we're buying your admission to Summerfest!" Then he hands out free festival tickets ($15 a piece at the door) to everyone on the full bus.

So, I don't live in Milwaukee anymore, but the promotion certainly got my attention. Why? The folks doing it were fun and personable, they made it perfectly relevant to me (by being on the bus on my way to Summerfest and starting my day at the fest out on a happy note), and gave me something to talk about like I'm doing now.

The moral of this story is that you can successfully launch a great promotion for your company by making it fun and engaging for the people you're talking to, and giving something away that they're sure to talk about. Kudos to the 99.1 team for making their promo fun and memorable.

What promotions have turned you on instead of off? Which do you remember fondly and why? Do you remember the brands/companies they were associated with, or was it just gimmicky? Share with us in the comments!

27 June 2008

Small Business Marketing Unleashed: Columbus, OH


Today, I wanted to give all of you a heads up about a fantabulous event I'll be attending in Columbus, Ohio this September (the 22nd and 23rd to be exact) that's focused on small business owners and how they can make the most of their online marketing efforts.

It can be overwhelming to digest all the STUFF that's out there about online marketing, so Jennifer Laycock and the folks at Search Engine Guide have put together this tight knit forum with speakers breaking down the elements of search engine marketing, viral marketing, blogging and local search.

So what can you expect? The conference is limited to 100 attendees, and the workshops are limited to 25 people each to maximize opportunities to ask questions, interact, and learn. And it's not about just piling on the theory; these workshops are designed to give you real, usable ideas that you can take back to your company and put in play right away.

Some of the super duper speakers on the agenda:

Jennifer Laycock
, Editor-In-Chief of Search Engine Guide
Matt Bailey, Founder and President of Site Logic Marketing
Matt McGee, Owner of SmallBusinessSEM.com
Debra Mastaler, Owner of AllianceLink
Stoney deGeyter, President of Pole Position Marketing
Heather Lloyd Martin, President and CEO of SuccessWorks Search Marketing Solutions
Mack Collier, Owner of The Viral Garden
Christine Churchill, President of KeyRelevance
Sage Lewis, Founder of SageRock
Christina "CK" Kerley, Founder of ckEpiphany Marketing
Michael Stebbins, President of Market Motive

With such an intimate group, the networking opportunities are second to none. I know I'm looking forward to putting faces to so many of the names I've known from Twitter and Plurk and the slew of blogs I read. Why not come join us so we can meet in person, too?

The $750 admission is a steal for a great conference (register by 8/29 for the early birdy deal). Head to the SBMU website and complete your registration today so you don't miss out on the fun. Hope to see you there!!

Disclosure: Nope, I don't work for SBMU or SEG, I'm not a sponsor, I'm not a speaker. I just happen to think that Jennifer and her work is pretty darn brilliant and think you will, too.



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25 June 2008

Make Your Presentation Suck in 5 Easy Steps


Conferences abound this time of year. Here, a few ways to ensure that your audience will fall asleep and that you’ll somehow miss the invitation list next year.

Read the slides.
Actually, less text is better. Use images, prominent text when needed, and don’t read the slides. Your speaking should supplement the presentation, not repeat it.

Adhere mercilessly to a script.
Sure, you need an agenda and a great topic. But encourage discussion and questions from the audience. They’ll find more value in your presentation if you allow them to help steer the topic and extract information that they’re looking for, but that you might not have planned to include. And allowing time for Q&A is a must - it opens the floor for others to contribute to the conversation.

Focus too much on tech.
Nowadays, everyone is live streaming their presentations with comments from Twitter and questions from Facebook and video and recording podcasts and and… take it easy. Focusing too much on engaging the tech stuff in your presentation can take the focus away from your content, and can distract (and annoy) your audience. If you're moderating a panel, encourage your panelists to keep their tech use to a minimum. If you want to monitor a live forum for questions, get some help from someone who isn't speaking or participating so it doesn't distract from the discussion.

Think that the folks came there for you, not the content.
True, I’ve done my share of going to conferences and attending sessions that had a notable speaker. But it’s a chicken-egg thing. A well-known name isn’t enough to carry a lousy presentation. But a great name can be built - and most of them are - by engaging your audience and giving a killer presentation that’s chock full of great content. Give your audience what they came there to get: great ideas that they can take back to work and put into play, right now.

Forget the follow-through.
The very best presentations are those that are the start to a dialogue and a relationship. If you’re speaking, don’t let your presentation end with the PowerPoint (or Keynote, for my fellow Mac users). Give your audience something great to take home with them, and if you can, get a list of those that attended and thank them for coming with a personal email. Point them to your blog or other places where they can find more information from you, and open the door for more conversation.

All cheeky sarcasm aside, presenting well is a skill that takes time and practice to master. The key is to remember that the people attending your workshop are anxious to find the golden nuggets that they can run back to work with and apply to what they're doing, right now. Focus on the value you're bringing to the discussion, and you'll be a step ahead.

What presentations have left you super excited, or super disappointed, and why? Share in the comments!

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Plurkshop #2: Blending Traditional And Social Media

Last night’s plurkshop opened with a great question from Beth Harte, who asked “Would you use traditional marketing to promote your social media efforts and vice versa?”

A great discussion ensued (hooray for threaded conversations), and it seems participants agreed that social media and traditional marketing should work together, and using some traditional avenues to drive traffic to social media sites can still be an effective awareness builder.
The main takeaways from last night:

• Social media should be integrated into an overall marketing plan whenever possible.

• Traditional marketing tactics like e-mail (yes, we all laughed about e-mail being “old school”), direct mail, and print advertising can still have a place in the social mediascape when used to really engage an audience and drive them to great content and information online.

• Traditional media is in fact still going to be necessary and very relevant for audiences that haven’t yet embraced online and social media outlets – older audiences, rural and non-broadband users, or simply late adopters. We all agreed that although all of us are very active in this space, we’re still in the minority.

• The trend is toward more spending on new media, while spending on traditional media continues to decrease. A recent report by Forrester expects that interactive advertising spending will move from an 8% share in 2007 to an 18% share in 2008. Overall, they’re predicting that total interactive marketing spending will surpass $61 billion in five years. Whoa.


And some great examples of Plurkshop attendees and their experiences with the blending of traditional and social media:

Beth’s company is in a niche market, so she’s planning to leverage some traditional outreach like direct mail or e-mail marketing to drive adopters to a new social platform she’s considering. And, she's working social media planning into her overall planning efforts as a single marketer in the company (you go, Beth!).

Michael Jones’ newspaper publisher did multi-page spreads in all four of their papers to promote their new website. The result: The day the site launched, they got more visitors than the publisher did papers. And even the 60-year old owner is doing podcasts. Talk about embracing a new medium!

McDonald’s is running a TV ad campaign right now that by pointing viewers to a MySpace page that’s part of the campaign, encouraging them to submit a new Big Mac jingle. (Thanks to Mack Collier for the heads up.) They’ve also got podcasts on their main website about "The McDonald's You Don't Know", and investor relations issues. They still have that sorta-corporate ring to them, but a solid effort nonetheless.

Frank Martin’s local newspaper in Roanoke, VA (The Roanoke Times), and several news outlets in Connie Reece’s hometown of Austin, TX are using accounts on Twitter to send links to local news stories and editorial. All of us rather agreed that newspapers are still a little awkward with their participation, but we all heartily endorsed their effort to embrace this tidal wave of social media.

Andre Natta’s hyperlocal paper, The Terminal, in Birmingham, AL was the first in its market to use Twitter, and the result was markedly more readers for the paper. They use MySpace to update readers and point them to particular stories and news items. And, they’re about to use Facebook and MySpace to promote an event and drive viewers to their blog for more information. They’re still using email marketing too, with great success.

Deb Robison used Facebook and MySpace to promote a fashion show called Frock Out! Denver for the Denver Library. Some models and designers from the show were on the sites, too, and helped to spread the word. The success was in getting kids to invite their friends and pass the word – and interestingly, the audience spanned the generations. At the event, they actually had to turn people away! Here’s the link to the video they posted on YouTube to promote the event. The best part? Out of pocket costs were zero (just Deb’s invaluable time), and the exposure got them some great press (Denver Post stories were even picked up by news outlets) and large corporate sponsors for this year’s event. What a success story!

The resounding conclusion for our Plurkshop was that traditional media and new media need to work together in this environment to really have success, and social media can be a powerful asset, indeed. As the landscape continues to change, we all need to remember that the point of social media is in connecting people to other people and giving them ways to reach out into the community. It’s not the technology, it’s a very human desire to connect that will continue to drive folks online.

As Connie is fond of saying, “Technologies change, people don’t”.

Want to join us for a Plurkshop? Get your Plurk persona rolling and look for the thread counter that keeps ticking up! Stay tuned for updates from upcomig Plurkshops.


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24 June 2008

How Plurk Won Me Over

I admit, I wasn't a fan to start with. And I still feel a little hitchy with the user interface. But last evening, I figured out a few thing that Plurk has going for itself and that warrant hanging around and giving them a shot.

Threaded Conversation
At first, the only evidence I found of conversation threads were long strings of people telling each other "Good Night". Snore. But yesterday, I responded to a quick plurk by Mack Collier about what kind of advice us social media folks give to our clients about how much/often to blog. It spawned an impromptu Plurkshop (Connie Reece's witty term) on social media, which several people found helpful, and I think we all took a little something away from that conversation. It's a great demonstration of why Plurk's ability to thread a conversation can be a great group discussion forum. (Read it here)

Unexpected Community Support
There was a young woman on Plurk last night that lost a close friend in an accident. And I thought it was interesting that she chose to share her sad news in that forum. Of course, there was an outpouring of support and condolences, which I'm sure helped in some way, and it was touching to see some truly heartfelt notes of support. And I realized that Plurk's advantage over Twitter in this scenario wasn't a closer personal connection, per se. It was the opportunity to have an uninterrupted thread of support - one unfractured by "my new blog post is up" in the main Twitterstream - that kept it completely focused on the issue (and the person) at hand.

My takeaway for social media in small business was mostly from the Plurkshop and the overwhelming agreement by all of us about the importance of:
  • Having a plan
  • Starting before it's "perfect"
  • Listening before you start
  • Practice, tweak, and tweak again.
I continue to be amazed by the spontaneous ways that social media, piece by piece, transforms the landscape of both business and interpersonal relationships. It's going to be exciting to see what's next.

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23 June 2008

Measuring Social Media Effectiveness for Your Small Business

Measuring the impact of using social media to drive visibility and sales for business is still a bit elusive. The big companies have yet to solidly quantify what using social media has done for them, but the anecdotal evidence is overwhelmingly positive. For instance, we know that once Dell started getting its employees involved and participating in communities, there was significantly less negative feedback posted about them on their own site or others. Exactly how that translates into sales for their business is another issue, partially because they have so many avenues to track, and one I’m sure they’re all hard at work on by now. I, for one, cannot wait to hear the results.

For small business, the good news is that it can actually be easier for you to measure the impact of your social media adventures, because you have the ability to personally be out there and communicating with people to get their feedback and input in real time. The social media avenues themselves can be your ticket to quantifying just how much business they bring to your door.

Pick Your Spots and Participate.
For instance, let’s say you’re on Twitter and you spend time there every day chatting with folks. And you use LinkedIn Answers to provide input for colleagues looking for professional collaboration. Perhaps you even have a feedback forum on your website for your products, or allow users to post reviews.

If you’re new to social media, choosing sites that allow you to hold a dialogue can provide a better forum for networking and business development than an ad placement on Facebook, and can make it easier to identify people who move from online contact to prospective client.

And listening is as important as talking. Folks might be talking about you in places you don’t frequent. Chris Brogan sums it up better than I can in this post about how and where to listen online.

Ask Questions.
You should always be asking how your clients and customers find you, anyway. In this case, it’s a straightforward matter of tracking how many people cite these online communities as their conduit to your website (or blog) and therefore, to your company. Sound unreasonably simple? It can be, at least for starters.

If someone replies that so-and-so referred them to you, ask them how they know or found that person, too. It can give you a nice trail of breadcrumbs leading back to the original source. And if you have a new client that found you through other means, ask them anyway if they’ve seen you online, or read your blog. If so, see if that had any impact on their decision to buy from you.

Keep Track.
Small business has a major advantage in social media, especially owners and staffers that are savvy about keeping in great contact with their clients and customers. Pay attention to the people you meet via social media, and make sure to note that in your contact management system, even if it’s just your Outlook contacts. Note the visitors who comment on your blog, and those who sign up for your RSS feed. Flag those email addresses so you know who they are when they come knocking (and they will!).

As a small business owner, you have fewer degrees of separation between you and your customers, and that’s a great advantage when it comes to finding out just how effective your online exploits are. Asking, responding, talking all go a long way. It is called social media, after all!

Photo Credit: Darren Hester
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Thanks, George: Laughter As Inspiration


George Carlin was in-your-face, irreverent, vulgar at times. And damn funny. He took serious subjects like war and made them laughable, all while he made a point.

It reminds me that sometimes, you have to stop taking yourself so seriously. That means me, too. I catch myself doing it more often than I’d like.

I’m blessed to be in business for myself, and to be helping small businesses succeed. I work with amazing, smart, hilarious, fun people. I get a great deal of joy from what I do. And there have been so many adventures along the way, many of which deserved a chuckle or two, even when they sucked royally at the time.

So my personal affirmation for the day, and the one I’d like to share in George’s honor, is to inject a little humor into your business. It makes you real, it makes you human. The best relationships are based on trust and affection. And I don’t know about you, but I can’t always trust someone who can’t take their head out of the game for a minute and have a good laugh (especially at their own expense). Sure, there are moments in business to be serious and focused, but not all of them.

There is something exhilarating about peals of good, hearty laughter. Over a cup of coffee, or in a board meeting. Yes, even in marketing. I’ve had some of the most productive and inspirational sessions of my career filled with a little silliness and some great camaraderie over laughter.

So go ahead. Laugh. George would be proud.

St. Peter and the gang upstairs have no idea what they’re in for. We’ll miss you, friend.

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20 June 2008

You’re Marketing and You Didn’t Even Know It.


I'm fond of saying that marketing isn't just a task you do, it's a living, breathing part of your business. And it sneaks out in the darndest places.

Your Voicemail Greeting.
“Hi, you’ve reached Amber and your call is important to me but I’ll ignore it for several days.”

This is a prime opportunity to give people a 10 second screen shot of your personality. Your voicemail greeting should include, without fail, your name, a thank you to the caller, instructions to leave a name and number, and a timeframe in which you’ll return their call (I like within 24 hours). Infuse some personality. Be happy they called. Then call them back.

Your Business Card.

I know it seems silly, but your business card does not have to be boring. (And unboring doesn’t have to mean that it’s a handheld super video game thing or something). And when you leave one, leave several. It'll be easier for people to pass them along to others and spread the wealth. Cards should always have your name, phone number (direct, please, if you can) an email address, and a website. Don’t ever put generic info@XYZ.com on your card unless it’s supplemented by your real email address. After all, the point is for people to contact you, and if you don’t trust them with your information, why should they trust you?

Your Out Of Office Autoresponder.

This is similar to the voicemail greeting. Be friendly, human, and un-corporate as much as you can. Acknowledge that you’re sorry you missed someone, but that you’ll get back to them in a designated timeframe. If you have an alternative contact they can reach out to, give it to them. And thank them for reaching out. Then RESPOND when you say you will. It’s amazing how much good will a fast response can engender.

Your Email Etiquette

1. Spell check.
2. Double check name spelling.
3. Use proper grammar.
4. Please and Thank You.
5. If sending an email to several people, use the BCC field unless you’re ABSOLUTELY sure they’re all ok with sharing their emails with the other recipients.
6. DON’T USE CAPITAL LETTERS.
7. Skip the emoticons :) in professional correspondence.
7. Remember that email is indeed written correspondence, just without paper. Be open and friendly, but mind the rules of polite letter writing, please.
8. Include a signature that contains your name, phone number, email and website. Keep it concise, and dispense with graphics.

Email is the ubiquitous form of communication right now, and it’s often the only interaction a client or customer has with you for some time (or ever). Take care to make your correspondence professional, open, and conversational so it encourages dialogue. If you have a generic email for inquiries (a la info@XYZ.com), be sure you have a designated real person respond within 24 hours. This whole topic can consume an entire post. Maybe it will someday soon.

Marketing is a perpetual state of mind, really, when you're a small business. Every interaction you have with your customers and prospects is a mini marketing experience, and the small things can do a great deal to elevate your image in the eyes of these people. Be enthusiastic, be human, be polite, and be responsive.

What other small things have you noticed that make a big impact on how your clients and customers perceive you?


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18 June 2008

It's almost like they were listening.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chicago-sonic-restaurants-jun18,0,306295.story

I still say the preemptive advertising for the last year has done more to piss me off than motivate me to visit when they arrive, but those Tots with Cheese are rather tempting.

More Marketing Miscues for Small Biz

A few days ago I counted off a few of the top mistakes I see in small business marketing. I'm rounding out my list here, and as always, welcome your additions and comments!

#5. Not having a clear objective.
This one may seem obvious. But scatter-shot marketing rarely achieves the results that you need or want, and your customers may even be left totally confused.

To atone if you're aimless: Before you launch any marketing initiative, you need to spell out your goal in 10 words or less. If you can't do that, you're aiming too broadly and your risking dilution. Spend time using the 5 Whys method or something to force you to really get at the heart of what you're trying to accomplish and who you're trying to reach. You might even find that you change your approach or come up with a new, clever one when you're super focused.

#4. Censorship
The introduction of so many mechanisms of communication - both personal and professional - has shown us that sometimes the most amazing advocates for a brand are it's customers, or someone among its ranks that would never before have been given leave to speak about the company "officially". News flash: Your "official" position isn't the one anyone is paying attention to, anyway! It's what's being said about you in all the other conversations. And they ARE happening.

To atone if you're doling out gag orders: Stop and listen. There are people speaking among your own ranks that don't necessarily have titles in communications, PR, or marketing. (The origins of Moleskine's Moleskinerie blog have been well documented in lots of great books. Where would they be if they hadn't been listening?). Hear what they're saying and let their passion for their work help you fine tune your messages, and even be a new voice.

#3. Resting on your laurels.
One great campaign does not a brand make. Nor even one great product. You have to be constantly riding the tide and willing to bend, groove, and shake yourself into new and interesting places. Nothing lasts forever. Ever.

To atone if you're in the easy chair: Get up. Go now, get pen and paper and gather your people and get brainstorming about what's next for you. And for some help, get these nifty cool cards from IDEO. They're masters of breaking down barriers and I love these exercises for fostering new ideas. No, they don't pay me. They're just awesome.

#2. Marketing to yourself.
Don't make the mistake of always vetting things inside your own walls. You drink your own Kool-Aid and you've got your own ideas about how your product/service/idea "should" be talked about. But the people interested in your stuff might be speaking a different language altogether, so it's best to be sure that you're not stuck in a rut by getting some outside perspective. The brilliant Brian Clark talks about Narcissistic Marketing here.

How to atone if you're being narcissistic: Talk to your customers first. That doesn't have to mean fancy focus groups and surveys. It can be as simple as getting a bunch of them together for coffee and talking about your newest adventures to get their perspective. They might point out advantages, exciting benefits, and other cool stuff you never thought of.

#1. Forgetting what you're in business for.
I'm going to admit to already making this mistake. I got so wrapped around the axle trying to get my website perfect and my blog posts scheduled and and and...that I forgot to unleash some of the passion that brought me here to begin with to connect with the people that needed me most. It's easy to get mired in the day to day and forget to tap into the creativity, expertise, and even fun that put you in business in the first place.

To atone if you've lost your way: Go back and read your materials. Do they speak to why you ventured out into the world as a small business, and what keeps you working 70 hour weeks and weekends and putting your all into what you do? If they don't, change them. Passion is contagious.

Non-profit organizations aren't the only ones to have missions. We all have one. To help small businesses communicate better. To deliver an amazing vacation experience. To build the home where someone will raise a family. To achieve what no one thought we could.

Marketing isn't a task you do, it's a living, breathing thing. It's your business' reason for being, but wrapped up in lots of pieces. Remember what you're doing and why, and your marketing will follow.


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16 June 2008

Yeah, What He Said.

Many of you who read me know how much I admire Chris Brogan's work and contributions. And he's done it again, so I had to just do a ridiculously gratuitous plug for his post today, which is full of super duper helpful guidelines for branding, especially in the online and social media space, and I couldn't have said it better. So go here and read it.
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Five Small Business Marketing Miscues (and how to atone)


I work with several small businesses, and there are enough miscues out there in the marketing world that they warrant a quick rundown. I'm sure these aren't really just for the small guys, but always talk about what you know, right?

#10. Too Much Jargon
Five dollar words aren't usually worth the price. Even in business to business situations, the most elemental philosophy still holds. You're talking to people - humans - and they're the ones making the decisions about whom to work with. Speak to people professionally but humanly, and use words that feel more conversational than those that come out of your graduate school textbooks. Take a breeze through your collateral and see if the text would make sense to someone outside the industry. Necessary technical issues aside, you'll get much more mileage from your conversations with your people if they really believe you're talking to and with them, not over them.

To atone if your'e a Jargoneer: Pick a page (or a paragraph) on your website full of buzzwords and industry jargon. If you can't be an objective judge, have your husband/wife/teenager/friend read it for you. Cross out all the offensive words. See what you're left with, and start there for a rewrite. And go subscribe to Copyblogger and read Brian Clark and the gang's super awesome insights about writing, and writing well.

#9. Viewing Marketing as an Expense
Especially in today's economy (or recession or downturn or icky point, whichever term you prefer), small businesses have a tendency to panic and pull the plug on all things marketing - even brainstorming. I agree with MarketingSherpa today about using this time as an investment in your business and a great time to find those opportunities to really connect with your clients and customers or explore new avenues like online marketing and some of the cool social technologies out there. The market always, I repeat always, comes back around. And when it does, the time you've taken to have great dialogue with your customers will pay off when you're first on their mind.

To atone if you're a Marketing Scrooge: Spend some time with a few simple strategies that won't break the bank but are super valuable. Find the 25 customers that have been with you the longest and take them to lunch. Pick 50 of your best clients and write them a handwritten thank you note for their business.

#8. Mass Anything.
Gone are the days when you can throw 57,212 darts at a board and hopw that one sticks. Yes, ok, if you blast the world with a bunch of form letters, you might get a bite. But how personal is that? Mass email, mass advertising, mass mailings. They're all just a "toss and hope" kind of tool, and you risk alienating the people who are hopeful for personal and exclusive relationships with your company only to be handed a number and a Dear Friend letter. Small business is, and always will be, personal.

To atone if you're a mass blaster: You're much better off taking the money and time from the paper and envelopes and printing and postage and trade mag ads and doing some really great picking apart of your customer base and finding out who they are and what makes them tick. You may find a great deal of interesting information about clients and customers you never knew you had, how they found you, why they love you, what frustrates them. Understanding is the first step. Then you can talk to them, individually, with messages and ideas that are really relevant to them.

#7. Being Deaf
You're the business owner, which means you know exactly what your customers want, right? Are you sure? Are you sending out surveys or collecting comment cards and stuffing them in a drawer somewhere? Do you have a feedback form on your website? Do you insist on having your employees talk to customers about how they found you or what they like or what challenges they're having with your product or service? And then the million dollar question: What are you doing with the information once you have it?

To atone for being deaf: Start listening closely. If you get comment cards, read them, and don't dismiss the negative ones out of hand. Respond to the feedback emails you get - personally - and thank your site visitors for taking the time to share their feedback. And pay attention to the trends. One person lamenting that your return policy is too strict is one thing. A cadre of frustrated people might be pointing out something you need to fix.

#6. Bandwagon Jumping
There are so, so many techniques and technologies out there that it can be supremely overwhelming to decide which you need to use and which you can safely put aside. Some things will never go out of style - personal phone calls, one on one meetings, a personal letter or email to a valued customer. But launching a loyalty program or starting a blog or having an email newsletter can all be incredibly valuable if - and only if - they truly bring something of value to your customers. Small businesses especially need to look closely at what's out there before deciding where your time and money is best spent. Have a look here to see a few of Social Media Today's recommended starting points.

To atone if you're in a rush to hop the next train to techie town: Start by participating and exploring the technologies that you're hearing and reading about so you get a true sense of what they're really doing and who else is participating. Then, spend some time evaluating what your customers use (asking them is a good start) and how they use them. Are they just lurking on Twitter, or do they find it a valuable source of information about resources for their business? Do they have a Facebook page and look for connections from potential business partners? And most important of all, ask them what they love about your website and what they'd like to see on it to help them. It might be a few simple tools, and you're suddenly engaging your customers like never before.

I'll round out my top 10 in another post coming soon!
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12 June 2008

Free Stuff from Smart People Rules.

I have a Google Reader account that, for those who aren't familiar, aggregates all of my RSS feeds in one place so I can keep up with the many smart people whose blogs I read, people like Chris Brogan and Conversation Agent (Valeria Moltoni) and Brian Solis and Andy Sernovitz and and and... (the list goes on - check out the blog list to the right for more).

One thing that hounds me a little bit is that I'm thirsty to learn stuff. I've always said I'd go to school forever if I had the money to do it. But my need to absorb knowledge from the smart people around me is at times overwhelming. And with all of the tools available today and the many I'm actively using - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon, Flickr - it's easy to fall behind and miss stuff.

So to me, the incredible value I find in spending concentrated time reading through my feed updates is the amazing community of sharing. If I miss something on one blog, I might just get linked to it through another blog that I *do* manage to read. Today, I was so excited that Chris Brogan's blog directed me to Brian Solis' new free e-book on social media. Free Stuff From Smart People! More Free Stuff by Smart People that I've found lately:

It's got me thinking about the content and information of value that I can and should be creating for my readers, my clients, and just those generally interested. I'm a firm believer in sharing everything you know, and the concept of teaching someone to fish meaning that you, in turn, will never go hungry. Yay for those who feel the same way, and I'm committed to spending some quality time with my keyboard to continue bringing and delivering great information.

Something in particular you'd like to see? Got a great Free Thing from a Smart Person? Drop me a note and let me know. I've got my creative juices flowing.
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09 June 2008

When Advertising Goes Bad. Or Stupid.


Have you ever been to Sonic Drive In? They have lots of yummy treats on the menu - great burgers, shakes, malts, slushees, and cheesy tater tots. mmmm.

I've seen them in the south near where I have family - Atlanta, Hot Springs, Memphis. But I've never seen one in Chicago.

Nevertheless, they advertise like crazy in my market. TV, radio, the whole bit. And finally, after the requisite number of impressions or an overwhelming interest in chili fries, I went to their website to have a look and see just how far I'd have to go to find one. After all, if they're advertising in my area, they must have one nearby, right? It's "America's Drive In"

Nope. In fact, according to their Sonic Locator, the nearest one to me is in Peoria, which is over 185 miles away. Are they kidding? It might be America's Drive In, but it ain't Chicago's.

I'm not sure the point here. As a potential customer, the ads leave me feeling slighted and a bit taunted. Like ha ha, no Sonic for you. And I can't help but wondering how much money they're wasting. Sure, I know they buy blocks on networks that include their entire distribution area. But this smacks of pure advertising laziness. I honestly can live with the fact that their business model must not include Chicago. But to advertise here anyway?

So I'm actually motivated to go back to the website and comment to someone about their flirtation with us Sonic-hungry folks in Chicago. And I've looked all over the site. Their contact us page has a phone number, which no one answered save for some automated recordings about franchise ownership. No email. No contact form. These days, I can't possibly understand why someone wouldn't make it easy for the outside world to get in touch with them through their website. Yikes!

So, friends at Sonic. While I still feel like a chocolate malt or a raspberry slushie delivered to me by a carhop is a thing of beauty, I'm not driving to Peoria. And when and if you decide to be nearer to me, I'll be thinking twice about whether to bother then, either. I may just try my hand at cheesy tater tots from my own oven. So there.
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08 June 2008

You Don't Control the Conversation Anymore!


One of the major dynamic shifts in marketing in the past several years has been the migration of our role as conversation starters - an active role - to conversation facilitators, a more observational and influential role.

10-15 years ago, we were all charged with integrating our marketing efforts by crafting and streamlining our messaging, ensuring that all of our channels were using the same language, creating "key messages" in bullet point form for the media, and mastering "official positioning" for everything from our product's benefits to our company's role in the community.

Not anymore.

These kinds of manufactured conversations simply don't have staying power and credibility in today's transparent world. The remarkable nature of the internet and social media have broken the conversation wide open, and put the audience in the drivers' seat. Today's consumers, companies, and readers aren't buying the canned corporate statement anymore. And frankly, they could care less about your "official" position on something. They're not going to ignore the unofficial stuff that's out there about you, and they're going to make up their own minds about what's really being said. Brian Solis has a great podcast that discusses this very thing.

So what can you do? Listen to the conversation and participate in it. Hear what people are saying about you, and respond. Craft your "official" positioning by making it your policy to:

- Allow your best assets - your team members, at all levels - to speak about what they know. Quit stifling their insights in favor of "approved" media spokespeople. It's more genuine this way.
- Respond to the dialogue that's happening around you and about you. And that means the criticism, too.
- Pay attention to how your idea of your brand is matching up with how others are talking about you. If they're vastly different, it's time to reevaluate.

Today, we're all charged with letting go a little bit and realizing that we're not the ones dictating the conversation anymore. The social media reality means that conversation and dialogue is now:
  • Transparent
  • Open to everyone
  • Collective - the power of many
  • Brutally honest
  • Fast as lightning.
Our role as marketing people is to help create an oustanding, remarkable, and great product/service/idea. Then we participate in the conversation rather than merely trying to control it, and see what a difference it makes. Not convinced social media will affect the way you do business? Read this great post by Jeremiah Owyang of Forrester Research.

This kind of conversation can actually be great fun, super insightful, and inspirational. I can't tell you how many brilliant people I've met just by opening my brain and my business to these possibilities. Let go of the steering wheel a little bit, and reap the rewards.
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04 June 2008

How Not To Find a Great Marketing Person


Egads, have you ever read some of the job descriptions for marketing people? Some of them are downright cryptic. And for companies who are looking for "results oriented" people, I'm amazed at how jargon laden and crappy some of them are. Cases in point from just a little quality time with CareerBuilder:


From a big fat Fortune 500 company:
Collaborate with field and other cross-functional partners to identify potential revenue generating gaps or barriers in building infrastructure for any given alternate channel.
Is this jargon for "figure out what's working and what's not?"

From a big department store retailer:
Planning and execution of a multiple cutting edge business and strategic relationship marketing programs supporting the extension and development of online and direct-to-customer channels for XYZ company. Forming partnerships with internal business for expansion of value-added services and capabilities. Forming strategic partnerships with external partners to create new services, adding value to the XYZ customer experience.
Ready for buzzword bingo, anyone? Using the old trick of removing the buzzwords to reveal the essence of the sentence, we're left with little of substance. No wonder this company is struggling mightily.

From another retailer, this time in office supplies:
...this position is accountable for building, maintaining, and expanding the technical infrastructures and analytical skills pool required to consistently deliver timely insight to key decision makers as well as for building strategic relationships with merchandising, marketing, and sales to foster a fact based decision making culture.
As opposed to making decisions based on a bunch of BS? And I'm not exactly sure I'd like to go swimming in an analytical skills pool.

I could go on. (If you're a serious masochist, just head to career builder and type in "marketing". Start reading. Prepare the Advil.)

So how should people find great marketing talent?

You have to be willing to turn convention on it's head a little bit. The essence of great marketing is clear, compelling communication with the people that want to know you. You can't have this be an integral part of your strategy and then recruit people with this drivel.

Start paying attention to the aspects of your potential Marketeers that are the intangibles. I promise you'll find lots of people with adequate qualifications. But pay attention to a few other things:
  • Are they personable? Funny? Gregarious? If not, their projects aren't likely to be, either.
  • Can they hold an engaging conversation? This translates, trust me. Ever met a great marketing person with a wilting personality?
  • Do they have interests outside of work, and do they participate in other activities and communities, either online or off? Great marketing is a good dose of insight and instinct, and only those who are involved in communities will know what it's like to talk to one.
  • Is their resume or cover letter full of the same jargon that's in these job descriptions? Red flag.
It'll also help to take a hard look at the job description you're writing and whittle it down to the things you really want someone to do. You probably don't need much more than that. Skip the buzzwords. And when you're interviewing, toss aside the standard "Give me an example of a time you helped a customer with a difficult problem" and get to know the person sitting in front of you.

Smart marketing people are immune to these kinds of appeals, and will often skip right to the next company. Remember, you're selling them the appeal of working with you too, not just doing them a favor by giving them a job. Smart marketers are savvy and in demand, and unfortunately mediocre ones can be found in droves. Which are you searching for?


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03 June 2008

Are You A Marketing Wannabe?

There's an important point to be made about marketing that to me is plain as day, but apparently it bears repeating.

Not every marketing vehicle is appropriate for you just because it's cool, trendy, new, or because a company you admire is doing it.

Greg Anderson has an interesting article today on AdAge about just this topic. And he actually has a funny anectode about showing up on Facebook and having his teenage niece ask "what are you doing here?".

He says:

Ironically, bad marketing is also part of the reason that people like my niece are leaving one setting and moving on to the next new thing where we're not clumsily asking them if they want to be friends.
Bad marketing. We don't like that term, but the reality is that it's everywhere. And there are countless upon countless articles, blogs, websites and everything in between promising that they can teach you, too, how to be viral and social mediafied and make your business relevant to millions by just putting your stuff on Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn.

So Can I Use This Stuff Or Not?

The answer is yes. But you must proceed with caution and understand these networks or risk ticking off all the people you so desperately wish to reach. Remember these things:

1. Social media is a conversation. Good conversationalists listen, absorb, and participate, in that order.

2. People participating in these communities are there because, uh, it's a community. They welcome newcomers but most are quick to spot the fakes and the posers and promptly ignore them.

3. Consumers - and your audience - are not dumb. Unless you have something that's interesting, relevant, or useful to them, they just aren't going to care.

So How Do I Know What Tools to Use?

I'd actually turn the question around and ask whom you're looking to reach, what you're planning to say, and what makes you unique. Then - and ONLY then - can you start evaluating how to get the message across. And you may find that some "old school" tactics are just as viable as getting yourself in a kafuffle to try and figure out a Facebook page.

But if social media outlets are really something you want to explore, you need to get out there and experience it for a while to build some credibility in the community. Get a Twitter ID and start following people that interest you or are in your industry. Have conversations. Go set up a LinkedIn profile and spend some time answering questions that others are asking.

What you'll find is not only do you learn what people are talking about and how they're digesting new stuff, but you're earning trust and credibility which can be a hundred times more powerful than a cheesy, badly run banner ad campaign (IMHO of course).

So what lessons have you learned about blending your business and new marketing channels? Share your successes and challenges in the comments and we'll do a follow up.
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01 June 2008

Marketers: No One Believes You.

Christopher Penn, blogger and creator of the Financial Aid Podcast, has this to say on a recent post about why marketing sucks:

When companies, organizations, or individuals focus only on the short term, whether it’s quarterly results on the Street or whether you can get some action at the single’s bar tonight, the same desperation is created by short term thinking. That combined with a profit above all else mentality has turned marketing into the corporate equivalent of that guy in the bar who smells of equal parts aggression, fear, and desperation - and the target audience stays far, far away.

Yep. I can't tell you how much I cringe when someone says to me "we need to do some of that New Media" or "can you get us some marketing on the internet?" Yikes.

What's worse, Penn's point above makes me cringe even more because it echoes something more sinister.

If you're a marketer, no one believes you will use your superpowers for good rather than evil.

So how do you overcome?

Chris Brogan is a fun blogger to read, and he usually comes up with something that makes me think. His recent post talks about Personal Branding and how important and challenging it is. I think it's even more critical for those of us who purport to be in the business of helping others elevate, define, and create awarness for their brands.

I've blogged before about the fact that I believe that your brand is really created not by you, but by the people that use your product or service or seek you out in the vast online universe. Sure, we can contribute to the conversation about how we'd like to be perceived, but ultimately, someone else is going to make up their mind. If you haven't checked out the interesting Brand Tag site, it's interesting fodder for my point. If you look at the words that people choose, sure, some are super intuitive. But it's amazing how many of these "tags" are words that the companies might or might not have chosen for their brands in the first place, for better or for worse.

That didn't answer my question.

Ok, sorry. My point is that in order to really have people believe that there ARE marketing people out there (I'd like to think myself included) that are honestly, truly dedicated to the good side of this craft, we have to continue to bring people interesting, relevant, different, and compelling stuff and stories.

It's not enough to extoll the quality, value, and convenience of Bob's Buttered Biscuits, we have to dig deep, find the unique elements, and tell THOSE to people without shouting at them to pay attention. You can lead a horse to water, after all...

As a marketing person, I think it's my duty not to whore out any old product and polish turds, but rather to find the diamonds in the rough. The untold stories. The nifty, keen, funny, exciting, exhilirating ones. And to be honest, if someone or something doesn't have ANY of these qualities? Well, that's not a problem that any marketing person - no matter how much of a rockstar they are - can fix.

Are you in marketing? How do you avoid being cast as a deceitful, manipulating liar? Or do you?



29 June 2008

Plurkshop #4: Fractured Conversations and How to Manage Them

The internet - and social media in particular - has opened up vast arenas for conversation and feedback that can easily take on lives of their own. For small businesses, this kind of organic conversation can be especially valuable.

For instance, a post on your blog or website might prompt someone else to blog about you and then others to comment or share that via FriendFeed or StumbleUpon or Twitter and make commentary of their own. How to keep track? Tonight, our Plurkshop on the social community Plurk discussed the challenges and benefits of that reality, and uncovered a few tools to help listen to what’s being said about you, your company, and your brand on the web.

Challenges we cited:
  • Conversations about you – your brand, your blog, your company – are happening everywhere, including in places you haven’t looked.
  • Fragmented conversations across the web and so many tools for sharing information can make it difficult to keep track of what people are saying about you and your brand.
  • Dispersed commentary makes us worry that we’re missing important feedback and opportunities to engage in conversation with people who are talking about us.
  • The more a conversation fragments, the more it can lose context and relevance to the original topic. Comments without context can be less valuable to those who read them.
  • As a business owner/brand manager/blogger, you need to go where the conversation is and respond to it there, which can be taxing if you have several brands and/or a lot of content that sparks discussion.
  • Participating in discussions online can be intimidating for some people. How can you make it easy and welcoming for them to do so?

Some of the main takeaways from tonight:
  • The spirit of community conversation is more important than trying to control it. And controlling it is futile, anyway, so it’s best to embrace it. Listen and engage as best you can.
  • Fractured and organic discussion encourages new points of view. Different perspectives add value to the conversation. Actively encourage others to take the conversation to their own communities and build upon it or take it in a new direction.
  • The community should be able to use whatever tools are helpful to them to engage the conversation and comment. Readers want and will embrace content portability so they can take the discussion wherever they want. It’s our job as those creating the content to do our best to follow it.
  • Commenting and engaging others on their “turf” feels more natural, and demonstrates listening flexibility. It also gives businesses and brands opportunities to engage people they might not have otherwise found.
  • Traveling conversation can expose new audiences to your content/brand/blog.
  • Search Engine Optimization: Fractured conversations are good for search engine optimization so long as they link back the original source. Links that other people create to your content are gold, especially to bloggers and brands.
  • The evolution of this kind of conversation is demonstrating the very essence – and power – of social media.
  • Not all internet users find their information in the same manner, so the more avenues and options for them to participate, the better.
Some recommended tools to check out for listening/monitoring:

Google Alerts - Get email updates about search results for the terms you choose, including blogs
Technorati - Comprehensive blog search
Co.mments - track conversations related to sites you specify
Friendfeed comments plugin for WordPress users
Serph - A search engine tracking what's being said online about your specific search terms
Addictomatic - a search engine that populates results from other sites and search engines.
Disqus - a comment system for your blog that claims to make comments more interactive and easier to manage
Radian6 - a more robust social media monitoring solution that requires some $$ investment
SiteMeter - free site counter and statistics tracker
ClickTracks - web analytics tools starting at about $50/month
Google Analytics - free web analytics tools
PageFlakes - you can create a customized page to aggregate your monitoring tools and sites
Statcounter - free hit counter and web stats tools
LiJit - a search widget for your blog that provides stats on your visitors and what they're looking for
NetNewsWire - a Mac OS RSS feed reader
NetVibes - a personal page aggregator, like PageFlakes

Here’s the link to the full Plurkshop conversation. Take this back to your community and discuss how you're listening to conversations, and what challenges and triumphs you're having. What’s your take on the nomadic nature of conversation in today's hyperconnected world?

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28 June 2008

Promotions That Make People Smile


I went to Summerfest in Milwaukee yesterday - a great summer music festival here in the Midwest. Checked into my hotel, and hit the corner to catch the $3 shuttle to the park, concert tickets in hand. Then the fun began!

First, I get on the bus and I'm greeted by a bubbly woman that says "Hi! I'm Jane from Jane and Kidd In The Morning on 99.1 FM, and we're buying your bus ride to Summerfest!" Nice surprise!

Then Kidd hands me a package of Twizzlers (seriously, has candy ever NOT made you smile?), and proceeds to ask where we're from, chit chat a bit. He was super friendly and engaged the whole bus full of people during the 10-15 minute ride through downtown.

Then, as we're getting closer to the park, Kidd speaks up and says "Hey folks, now's the time during the ride where we say hi, and hope you'll tune in to our broadcast on weekday mornings on 99.1. If you're not from the area, we've got streaming audio online! And as a special thanks for hanging out with us today, we're buying your admission to Summerfest!" Then he hands out free festival tickets ($15 a piece at the door) to everyone on the full bus.

So, I don't live in Milwaukee anymore, but the promotion certainly got my attention. Why? The folks doing it were fun and personable, they made it perfectly relevant to me (by being on the bus on my way to Summerfest and starting my day at the fest out on a happy note), and gave me something to talk about like I'm doing now.

The moral of this story is that you can successfully launch a great promotion for your company by making it fun and engaging for the people you're talking to, and giving something away that they're sure to talk about. Kudos to the 99.1 team for making their promo fun and memorable.

What promotions have turned you on instead of off? Which do you remember fondly and why? Do you remember the brands/companies they were associated with, or was it just gimmicky? Share with us in the comments!

27 June 2008

Small Business Marketing Unleashed: Columbus, OH


Today, I wanted to give all of you a heads up about a fantabulous event I'll be attending in Columbus, Ohio this September (the 22nd and 23rd to be exact) that's focused on small business owners and how they can make the most of their online marketing efforts.

It can be overwhelming to digest all the STUFF that's out there about online marketing, so Jennifer Laycock and the folks at Search Engine Guide have put together this tight knit forum with speakers breaking down the elements of search engine marketing, viral marketing, blogging and local search.

So what can you expect? The conference is limited to 100 attendees, and the workshops are limited to 25 people each to maximize opportunities to ask questions, interact, and learn. And it's not about just piling on the theory; these workshops are designed to give you real, usable ideas that you can take back to your company and put in play right away.

Some of the super duper speakers on the agenda:

Jennifer Laycock
, Editor-In-Chief of Search Engine Guide
Matt Bailey, Founder and President of Site Logic Marketing
Matt McGee, Owner of SmallBusinessSEM.com
Debra Mastaler, Owner of AllianceLink
Stoney deGeyter, President of Pole Position Marketing
Heather Lloyd Martin, President and CEO of SuccessWorks Search Marketing Solutions
Mack Collier, Owner of The Viral Garden
Christine Churchill, President of KeyRelevance
Sage Lewis, Founder of SageRock
Christina "CK" Kerley, Founder of ckEpiphany Marketing
Michael Stebbins, President of Market Motive

With such an intimate group, the networking opportunities are second to none. I know I'm looking forward to putting faces to so many of the names I've known from Twitter and Plurk and the slew of blogs I read. Why not come join us so we can meet in person, too?

The $750 admission is a steal for a great conference (register by 8/29 for the early birdy deal). Head to the SBMU website and complete your registration today so you don't miss out on the fun. Hope to see you there!!

Disclosure: Nope, I don't work for SBMU or SEG, I'm not a sponsor, I'm not a speaker. I just happen to think that Jennifer and her work is pretty darn brilliant and think you will, too.



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25 June 2008

Make Your Presentation Suck in 5 Easy Steps


Conferences abound this time of year. Here, a few ways to ensure that your audience will fall asleep and that you’ll somehow miss the invitation list next year.

Read the slides.
Actually, less text is better. Use images, prominent text when needed, and don’t read the slides. Your speaking should supplement the presentation, not repeat it.

Adhere mercilessly to a script.
Sure, you need an agenda and a great topic. But encourage discussion and questions from the audience. They’ll find more value in your presentation if you allow them to help steer the topic and extract information that they’re looking for, but that you might not have planned to include. And allowing time for Q&A is a must - it opens the floor for others to contribute to the conversation.

Focus too much on tech.
Nowadays, everyone is live streaming their presentations with comments from Twitter and questions from Facebook and video and recording podcasts and and… take it easy. Focusing too much on engaging the tech stuff in your presentation can take the focus away from your content, and can distract (and annoy) your audience. If you're moderating a panel, encourage your panelists to keep their tech use to a minimum. If you want to monitor a live forum for questions, get some help from someone who isn't speaking or participating so it doesn't distract from the discussion.

Think that the folks came there for you, not the content.
True, I’ve done my share of going to conferences and attending sessions that had a notable speaker. But it’s a chicken-egg thing. A well-known name isn’t enough to carry a lousy presentation. But a great name can be built - and most of them are - by engaging your audience and giving a killer presentation that’s chock full of great content. Give your audience what they came there to get: great ideas that they can take back to work and put into play, right now.

Forget the follow-through.
The very best presentations are those that are the start to a dialogue and a relationship. If you’re speaking, don’t let your presentation end with the PowerPoint (or Keynote, for my fellow Mac users). Give your audience something great to take home with them, and if you can, get a list of those that attended and thank them for coming with a personal email. Point them to your blog or other places where they can find more information from you, and open the door for more conversation.

All cheeky sarcasm aside, presenting well is a skill that takes time and practice to master. The key is to remember that the people attending your workshop are anxious to find the golden nuggets that they can run back to work with and apply to what they're doing, right now. Focus on the value you're bringing to the discussion, and you'll be a step ahead.

What presentations have left you super excited, or super disappointed, and why? Share in the comments!

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Plurkshop #2: Blending Traditional And Social Media

Last night’s plurkshop opened with a great question from Beth Harte, who asked “Would you use traditional marketing to promote your social media efforts and vice versa?”

A great discussion ensued (hooray for threaded conversations), and it seems participants agreed that social media and traditional marketing should work together, and using some traditional avenues to drive traffic to social media sites can still be an effective awareness builder.
The main takeaways from last night:

• Social media should be integrated into an overall marketing plan whenever possible.

• Traditional marketing tactics like e-mail (yes, we all laughed about e-mail being “old school”), direct mail, and print advertising can still have a place in the social mediascape when used to really engage an audience and drive them to great content and information online.

• Traditional media is in fact still going to be necessary and very relevant for audiences that haven’t yet embraced online and social media outlets – older audiences, rural and non-broadband users, or simply late adopters. We all agreed that although all of us are very active in this space, we’re still in the minority.

• The trend is toward more spending on new media, while spending on traditional media continues to decrease. A recent report by Forrester expects that interactive advertising spending will move from an 8% share in 2007 to an 18% share in 2008. Overall, they’re predicting that total interactive marketing spending will surpass $61 billion in five years. Whoa.


And some great examples of Plurkshop attendees and their experiences with the blending of traditional and social media:

Beth’s company is in a niche market, so she’s planning to leverage some traditional outreach like direct mail or e-mail marketing to drive adopters to a new social platform she’s considering. And, she's working social media planning into her overall planning efforts as a single marketer in the company (you go, Beth!).

Michael Jones’ newspaper publisher did multi-page spreads in all four of their papers to promote their new website. The result: The day the site launched, they got more visitors than the publisher did papers. And even the 60-year old owner is doing podcasts. Talk about embracing a new medium!

McDonald’s is running a TV ad campaign right now that by pointing viewers to a MySpace page that’s part of the campaign, encouraging them to submit a new Big Mac jingle. (Thanks to Mack Collier for the heads up.) They’ve also got podcasts on their main website about "The McDonald's You Don't Know", and investor relations issues. They still have that sorta-corporate ring to them, but a solid effort nonetheless.

Frank Martin’s local newspaper in Roanoke, VA (The Roanoke Times), and several news outlets in Connie Reece’s hometown of Austin, TX are using accounts on Twitter to send links to local news stories and editorial. All of us rather agreed that newspapers are still a little awkward with their participation, but we all heartily endorsed their effort to embrace this tidal wave of social media.

Andre Natta’s hyperlocal paper, The Terminal, in Birmingham, AL was the first in its market to use Twitter, and the result was markedly more readers for the paper. They use MySpace to update readers and point them to particular stories and news items. And, they’re about to use Facebook and MySpace to promote an event and drive viewers to their blog for more information. They’re still using email marketing too, with great success.

Deb Robison used Facebook and MySpace to promote a fashion show called Frock Out! Denver for the Denver Library. Some models and designers from the show were on the sites, too, and helped to spread the word. The success was in getting kids to invite their friends and pass the word – and interestingly, the audience spanned the generations. At the event, they actually had to turn people away! Here’s the link to the video they posted on YouTube to promote the event. The best part? Out of pocket costs were zero (just Deb’s invaluable time), and the exposure got them some great press (Denver Post stories were even picked up by news outlets) and large corporate sponsors for this year’s event. What a success story!

The resounding conclusion for our Plurkshop was that traditional media and new media need to work together in this environment to really have success, and social media can be a powerful asset, indeed. As the landscape continues to change, we all need to remember that the point of social media is in connecting people to other people and giving them ways to reach out into the community. It’s not the technology, it’s a very human desire to connect that will continue to drive folks online.

As Connie is fond of saying, “Technologies change, people don’t”.

Want to join us for a Plurkshop? Get your Plurk persona rolling and look for the thread counter that keeps ticking up! Stay tuned for updates from upcomig Plurkshops.


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24 June 2008

How Plurk Won Me Over

I admit, I wasn't a fan to start with. And I still feel a little hitchy with the user interface. But last evening, I figured out a few thing that Plurk has going for itself and that warrant hanging around and giving them a shot.

Threaded Conversation
At first, the only evidence I found of conversation threads were long strings of people telling each other "Good Night". Snore. But yesterday, I responded to a quick plurk by Mack Collier about what kind of advice us social media folks give to our clients about how much/often to blog. It spawned an impromptu Plurkshop (Connie Reece's witty term) on social media, which several people found helpful, and I think we all took a little something away from that conversation. It's a great demonstration of why Plurk's ability to thread a conversation can be a great group discussion forum. (Read it here)

Unexpected Community Support
There was a young woman on Plurk last night that lost a close friend in an accident. And I thought it was interesting that she chose to share her sad news in that forum. Of course, there was an outpouring of support and condolences, which I'm sure helped in some way, and it was touching to see some truly heartfelt notes of support. And I realized that Plurk's advantage over Twitter in this scenario wasn't a closer personal connection, per se. It was the opportunity to have an uninterrupted thread of support - one unfractured by "my new blog post is up" in the main Twitterstream - that kept it completely focused on the issue (and the person) at hand.

My takeaway for social media in small business was mostly from the Plurkshop and the overwhelming agreement by all of us about the importance of:
  • Having a plan
  • Starting before it's "perfect"
  • Listening before you start
  • Practice, tweak, and tweak again.
I continue to be amazed by the spontaneous ways that social media, piece by piece, transforms the landscape of both business and interpersonal relationships. It's going to be exciting to see what's next.

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23 June 2008

Measuring Social Media Effectiveness for Your Small Business

Measuring the impact of using social media to drive visibility and sales for business is still a bit elusive. The big companies have yet to solidly quantify what using social media has done for them, but the anecdotal evidence is overwhelmingly positive. For instance, we know that once Dell started getting its employees involved and participating in communities, there was significantly less negative feedback posted about them on their own site or others. Exactly how that translates into sales for their business is another issue, partially because they have so many avenues to track, and one I’m sure they’re all hard at work on by now. I, for one, cannot wait to hear the results.

For small business, the good news is that it can actually be easier for you to measure the impact of your social media adventures, because you have the ability to personally be out there and communicating with people to get their feedback and input in real time. The social media avenues themselves can be your ticket to quantifying just how much business they bring to your door.

Pick Your Spots and Participate.
For instance, let’s say you’re on Twitter and you spend time there every day chatting with folks. And you use LinkedIn Answers to provide input for colleagues looking for professional collaboration. Perhaps you even have a feedback forum on your website for your products, or allow users to post reviews.

If you’re new to social media, choosing sites that allow you to hold a dialogue can provide a better forum for networking and business development than an ad placement on Facebook, and can make it easier to identify people who move from online contact to prospective client.

And listening is as important as talking. Folks might be talking about you in places you don’t frequent. Chris Brogan sums it up better than I can in this post about how and where to listen online.

Ask Questions.
You should always be asking how your clients and customers find you, anyway. In this case, it’s a straightforward matter of tracking how many people cite these online communities as their conduit to your website (or blog) and therefore, to your company. Sound unreasonably simple? It can be, at least for starters.

If someone replies that so-and-so referred them to you, ask them how they know or found that person, too. It can give you a nice trail of breadcrumbs leading back to the original source. And if you have a new client that found you through other means, ask them anyway if they’ve seen you online, or read your blog. If so, see if that had any impact on their decision to buy from you.

Keep Track.
Small business has a major advantage in social media, especially owners and staffers that are savvy about keeping in great contact with their clients and customers. Pay attention to the people you meet via social media, and make sure to note that in your contact management system, even if it’s just your Outlook contacts. Note the visitors who comment on your blog, and those who sign up for your RSS feed. Flag those email addresses so you know who they are when they come knocking (and they will!).

As a small business owner, you have fewer degrees of separation between you and your customers, and that’s a great advantage when it comes to finding out just how effective your online exploits are. Asking, responding, talking all go a long way. It is called social media, after all!

Photo Credit: Darren Hester
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Thanks, George: Laughter As Inspiration


George Carlin was in-your-face, irreverent, vulgar at times. And damn funny. He took serious subjects like war and made them laughable, all while he made a point.

It reminds me that sometimes, you have to stop taking yourself so seriously. That means me, too. I catch myself doing it more often than I’d like.

I’m blessed to be in business for myself, and to be helping small businesses succeed. I work with amazing, smart, hilarious, fun people. I get a great deal of joy from what I do. And there have been so many adventures along the way, many of which deserved a chuckle or two, even when they sucked royally at the time.

So my personal affirmation for the day, and the one I’d like to share in George’s honor, is to inject a little humor into your business. It makes you real, it makes you human. The best relationships are based on trust and affection. And I don’t know about you, but I can’t always trust someone who can’t take their head out of the game for a minute and have a good laugh (especially at their own expense). Sure, there are moments in business to be serious and focused, but not all of them.

There is something exhilarating about peals of good, hearty laughter. Over a cup of coffee, or in a board meeting. Yes, even in marketing. I’ve had some of the most productive and inspirational sessions of my career filled with a little silliness and some great camaraderie over laughter.

So go ahead. Laugh. George would be proud.

St. Peter and the gang upstairs have no idea what they’re in for. We’ll miss you, friend.

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20 June 2008

You’re Marketing and You Didn’t Even Know It.


I'm fond of saying that marketing isn't just a task you do, it's a living, breathing part of your business. And it sneaks out in the darndest places.

Your Voicemail Greeting.
“Hi, you’ve reached Amber and your call is important to me but I’ll ignore it for several days.”

This is a prime opportunity to give people a 10 second screen shot of your personality. Your voicemail greeting should include, without fail, your name, a thank you to the caller, instructions to leave a name and number, and a timeframe in which you’ll return their call (I like within 24 hours). Infuse some personality. Be happy they called. Then call them back.

Your Business Card.

I know it seems silly, but your business card does not have to be boring. (And unboring doesn’t have to mean that it’s a handheld super video game thing or something). And when you leave one, leave several. It'll be easier for people to pass them along to others and spread the wealth. Cards should always have your name, phone number (direct, please, if you can) an email address, and a website. Don’t ever put generic info@XYZ.com on your card unless it’s supplemented by your real email address. After all, the point is for people to contact you, and if you don’t trust them with your information, why should they trust you?

Your Out Of Office Autoresponder.

This is similar to the voicemail greeting. Be friendly, human, and un-corporate as much as you can. Acknowledge that you’re sorry you missed someone, but that you’ll get back to them in a designated timeframe. If you have an alternative contact they can reach out to, give it to them. And thank them for reaching out. Then RESPOND when you say you will. It’s amazing how much good will a fast response can engender.

Your Email Etiquette

1. Spell check.
2. Double check name spelling.
3. Use proper grammar.
4. Please and Thank You.
5. If sending an email to several people, use the BCC field unless you’re ABSOLUTELY sure they’re all ok with sharing their emails with the other recipients.
6. DON’T USE CAPITAL LETTERS.
7. Skip the emoticons :) in professional correspondence.
7. Remember that email is indeed written correspondence, just without paper. Be open and friendly, but mind the rules of polite letter writing, please.
8. Include a signature that contains your name, phone number, email and website. Keep it concise, and dispense with graphics.

Email is the ubiquitous form of communication right now, and it’s often the only interaction a client or customer has with you for some time (or ever). Take care to make your correspondence professional, open, and conversational so it encourages dialogue. If you have a generic email for inquiries (a la info@XYZ.com), be sure you have a designated real person respond within 24 hours. This whole topic can consume an entire post. Maybe it will someday soon.

Marketing is a perpetual state of mind, really, when you're a small business. Every interaction you have with your customers and prospects is a mini marketing experience, and the small things can do a great deal to elevate your image in the eyes of these people. Be enthusiastic, be human, be polite, and be responsive.

What other small things have you noticed that make a big impact on how your clients and customers perceive you?


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18 June 2008

It's almost like they were listening.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chicago-sonic-restaurants-jun18,0,306295.story

I still say the preemptive advertising for the last year has done more to piss me off than motivate me to visit when they arrive, but those Tots with Cheese are rather tempting.

More Marketing Miscues for Small Biz

A few days ago I counted off a few of the top mistakes I see in small business marketing. I'm rounding out my list here, and as always, welcome your additions and comments!

#5. Not having a clear objective.
This one may seem obvious. But scatter-shot marketing rarely achieves the results that you need or want, and your customers may even be left totally confused.

To atone if you're aimless: Before you launch any marketing initiative, you need to spell out your goal in 10 words or less. If you can't do that, you're aiming too broadly and your risking dilution. Spend time using the 5 Whys method or something to force you to really get at the heart of what you're trying to accomplish and who you're trying to reach. You might even find that you change your approach or come up with a new, clever one when you're super focused.

#4. Censorship
The introduction of so many mechanisms of communication - both personal and professional - has shown us that sometimes the most amazing advocates for a brand are it's customers, or someone among its ranks that would never before have been given leave to speak about the company "officially". News flash: Your "official" position isn't the one anyone is paying attention to, anyway! It's what's being said about you in all the other conversations. And they ARE happening.

To atone if you're doling out gag orders: Stop and listen. There are people speaking among your own ranks that don't necessarily have titles in communications, PR, or marketing. (The origins of Moleskine's Moleskinerie blog have been well documented in lots of great books. Where would they be if they hadn't been listening?). Hear what they're saying and let their passion for their work help you fine tune your messages, and even be a new voice.

#3. Resting on your laurels.
One great campaign does not a brand make. Nor even one great product. You have to be constantly riding the tide and willing to bend, groove, and shake yourself into new and interesting places. Nothing lasts forever. Ever.

To atone if you're in the easy chair: Get up. Go now, get pen and paper and gather your people and get brainstorming about what's next for you. And for some help, get these nifty cool cards from IDEO. They're masters of breaking down barriers and I love these exercises for fostering new ideas. No, they don't pay me. They're just awesome.

#2. Marketing to yourself.
Don't make the mistake of always vetting things inside your own walls. You drink your own Kool-Aid and you've got your own ideas about how your product/service/idea "should" be talked about. But the people interested in your stuff might be speaking a different language altogether, so it's best to be sure that you're not stuck in a rut by getting some outside perspective. The brilliant Brian Clark talks about Narcissistic Marketing here.

How to atone if you're being narcissistic: Talk to your customers first. That doesn't have to mean fancy focus groups and surveys. It can be as simple as getting a bunch of them together for coffee and talking about your newest adventures to get their perspective. They might point out advantages, exciting benefits, and other cool stuff you never thought of.

#1. Forgetting what you're in business for.
I'm going to admit to already making this mistake. I got so wrapped around the axle trying to get my website perfect and my blog posts scheduled and and and...that I forgot to unleash some of the passion that brought me here to begin with to connect with the people that needed me most. It's easy to get mired in the day to day and forget to tap into the creativity, expertise, and even fun that put you in business in the first place.

To atone if you've lost your way: Go back and read your materials. Do they speak to why you ventured out into the world as a small business, and what keeps you working 70 hour weeks and weekends and putting your all into what you do? If they don't, change them. Passion is contagious.

Non-profit organizations aren't the only ones to have missions. We all have one. To help small businesses communicate better. To deliver an amazing vacation experience. To build the home where someone will raise a family. To achieve what no one thought we could.

Marketing isn't a task you do, it's a living, breathing thing. It's your business' reason for being, but wrapped up in lots of pieces. Remember what you're doing and why, and your marketing will follow.


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16 June 2008

Yeah, What He Said.

Many of you who read me know how much I admire Chris Brogan's work and contributions. And he's done it again, so I had to just do a ridiculously gratuitous plug for his post today, which is full of super duper helpful guidelines for branding, especially in the online and social media space, and I couldn't have said it better. So go here and read it.
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Five Small Business Marketing Miscues (and how to atone)


I work with several small businesses, and there are enough miscues out there in the marketing world that they warrant a quick rundown. I'm sure these aren't really just for the small guys, but always talk about what you know, right?

#10. Too Much Jargon
Five dollar words aren't usually worth the price. Even in business to business situations, the most elemental philosophy still holds. You're talking to people - humans - and they're the ones making the decisions about whom to work with. Speak to people professionally but humanly, and use words that feel more conversational than those that come out of your graduate school textbooks. Take a breeze through your collateral and see if the text would make sense to someone outside the industry. Necessary technical issues aside, you'll get much more mileage from your conversations with your people if they really believe you're talking to and with them, not over them.

To atone if your'e a Jargoneer: Pick a page (or a paragraph) on your website full of buzzwords and industry jargon. If you can't be an objective judge, have your husband/wife/teenager/friend read it for you. Cross out all the offensive words. See what you're left with, and start there for a rewrite. And go subscribe to Copyblogger and read Brian Clark and the gang's super awesome insights about writing, and writing well.

#9. Viewing Marketing as an Expense
Especially in today's economy (or recession or downturn or icky point, whichever term you prefer), small businesses have a tendency to panic and pull the plug on all things marketing - even brainstorming. I agree with MarketingSherpa today about using this time as an investment in your business and a great time to find those opportunities to really connect with your clients and customers or explore new avenues like online marketing and some of the cool social technologies out there. The market always, I repeat always, comes back around. And when it does, the time you've taken to have great dialogue with your customers will pay off when you're first on their mind.

To atone if you're a Marketing Scrooge: Spend some time with a few simple strategies that won't break the bank but are super valuable. Find the 25 customers that have been with you the longest and take them to lunch. Pick 50 of your best clients and write them a handwritten thank you note for their business.

#8. Mass Anything.
Gone are the days when you can throw 57,212 darts at a board and hopw that one sticks. Yes, ok, if you blast the world with a bunch of form letters, you might get a bite. But how personal is that? Mass email, mass advertising, mass mailings. They're all just a "toss and hope" kind of tool, and you risk alienating the people who are hopeful for personal and exclusive relationships with your company only to be handed a number and a Dear Friend letter. Small business is, and always will be, personal.

To atone if you're a mass blaster: You're much better off taking the money and time from the paper and envelopes and printing and postage and trade mag ads and doing some really great picking apart of your customer base and finding out who they are and what makes them tick. You may find a great deal of interesting information about clients and customers you never knew you had, how they found you, why they love you, what frustrates them. Understanding is the first step. Then you can talk to them, individually, with messages and ideas that are really relevant to them.

#7. Being Deaf
You're the business owner, which means you know exactly what your customers want, right? Are you sure? Are you sending out surveys or collecting comment cards and stuffing them in a drawer somewhere? Do you have a feedback form on your website? Do you insist on having your employees talk to customers about how they found you or what they like or what challenges they're having with your product or service? And then the million dollar question: What are you doing with the information once you have it?

To atone for being deaf: Start listening closely. If you get comment cards, read them, and don't dismiss the negative ones out of hand. Respond to the feedback emails you get - personally - and thank your site visitors for taking the time to share their feedback. And pay attention to the trends. One person lamenting that your return policy is too strict is one thing. A cadre of frustrated people might be pointing out something you need to fix.

#6. Bandwagon Jumping
There are so, so many techniques and technologies out there that it can be supremely overwhelming to decide which you need to use and which you can safely put aside. Some things will never go out of style - personal phone calls, one on one meetings, a personal letter or email to a valued customer. But launching a loyalty program or starting a blog or having an email newsletter can all be incredibly valuable if - and only if - they truly bring something of value to your customers. Small businesses especially need to look closely at what's out there before deciding where your time and money is best spent. Have a look here to see a few of Social Media Today's recommended starting points.

To atone if you're in a rush to hop the next train to techie town: Start by participating and exploring the technologies that you're hearing and reading about so you get a true sense of what they're really doing and who else is participating. Then, spend some time evaluating what your customers use (asking them is a good start) and how they use them. Are they just lurking on Twitter, or do they find it a valuable source of information about resources for their business? Do they have a Facebook page and look for connections from potential business partners? And most important of all, ask them what they love about your website and what they'd like to see on it to help them. It might be a few simple tools, and you're suddenly engaging your customers like never before.

I'll round out my top 10 in another post coming soon!
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12 June 2008

Free Stuff from Smart People Rules.

I have a Google Reader account that, for those who aren't familiar, aggregates all of my RSS feeds in one place so I can keep up with the many smart people whose blogs I read, people like Chris Brogan and Conversation Agent (Valeria Moltoni) and Brian Solis and Andy Sernovitz and and and... (the list goes on - check out the blog list to the right for more).

One thing that hounds me a little bit is that I'm thirsty to learn stuff. I've always said I'd go to school forever if I had the money to do it. But my need to absorb knowledge from the smart people around me is at times overwhelming. And with all of the tools available today and the many I'm actively using - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon, Flickr - it's easy to fall behind and miss stuff.

So to me, the incredible value I find in spending concentrated time reading through my feed updates is the amazing community of sharing. If I miss something on one blog, I might just get linked to it through another blog that I *do* manage to read. Today, I was so excited that Chris Brogan's blog directed me to Brian Solis' new free e-book on social media. Free Stuff From Smart People! More Free Stuff by Smart People that I've found lately:

It's got me thinking about the content and information of value that I can and should be creating for my readers, my clients, and just those generally interested. I'm a firm believer in sharing everything you know, and the concept of teaching someone to fish meaning that you, in turn, will never go hungry. Yay for those who feel the same way, and I'm committed to spending some quality time with my keyboard to continue bringing and delivering great information.

Something in particular you'd like to see? Got a great Free Thing from a Smart Person? Drop me a note and let me know. I've got my creative juices flowing.
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09 June 2008

When Advertising Goes Bad. Or Stupid.


Have you ever been to Sonic Drive In? They have lots of yummy treats on the menu - great burgers, shakes, malts, slushees, and cheesy tater tots. mmmm.

I've seen them in the south near where I have family - Atlanta, Hot Springs, Memphis. But I've never seen one in Chicago.

Nevertheless, they advertise like crazy in my market. TV, radio, the whole bit. And finally, after the requisite number of impressions or an overwhelming interest in chili fries, I went to their website to have a look and see just how far I'd have to go to find one. After all, if they're advertising in my area, they must have one nearby, right? It's "America's Drive In"

Nope. In fact, according to their Sonic Locator, the nearest one to me is in Peoria, which is over 185 miles away. Are they kidding? It might be America's Drive In, but it ain't Chicago's.

I'm not sure the point here. As a potential customer, the ads leave me feeling slighted and a bit taunted. Like ha ha, no Sonic for you. And I can't help but wondering how much money they're wasting. Sure, I know they buy blocks on networks that include their entire distribution area. But this smacks of pure advertising laziness. I honestly can live with the fact that their business model must not include Chicago. But to advertise here anyway?

So I'm actually motivated to go back to the website and comment to someone about their flirtation with us Sonic-hungry folks in Chicago. And I've looked all over the site. Their contact us page has a phone number, which no one answered save for some automated recordings about franchise ownership. No email. No contact form. These days, I can't possibly understand why someone wouldn't make it easy for the outside world to get in touch with them through their website. Yikes!

So, friends at Sonic. While I still feel like a chocolate malt or a raspberry slushie delivered to me by a carhop is a thing of beauty, I'm not driving to Peoria. And when and if you decide to be nearer to me, I'll be thinking twice about whether to bother then, either. I may just try my hand at cheesy tater tots from my own oven. So there.
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08 June 2008

You Don't Control the Conversation Anymore!


One of the major dynamic shifts in marketing in the past several years has been the migration of our role as conversation starters - an active role - to conversation facilitators, a more observational and influential role.

10-15 years ago, we were all charged with integrating our marketing efforts by crafting and streamlining our messaging, ensuring that all of our channels were using the same language, creating "key messages" in bullet point form for the media, and mastering "official positioning" for everything from our product's benefits to our company's role in the community.

Not anymore.

These kinds of manufactured conversations simply don't have staying power and credibility in today's transparent world. The remarkable nature of the internet and social media have broken the conversation wide open, and put the audience in the drivers' seat. Today's consumers, companies, and readers aren't buying the canned corporate statement anymore. And frankly, they could care less about your "official" position on something. They're not going to ignore the unofficial stuff that's out there about you, and they're going to make up their own minds about what's really being said. Brian Solis has a great podcast that discusses this very thing.

So what can you do? Listen to the conversation and participate in it. Hear what people are saying about you, and respond. Craft your "official" positioning by making it your policy to:

- Allow your best assets - your team members, at all levels - to speak about what they know. Quit stifling their insights in favor of "approved" media spokespeople. It's more genuine this way.
- Respond to the dialogue that's happening around you and about you. And that means the criticism, too.
- Pay attention to how your idea of your brand is matching up with how others are talking about you. If they're vastly different, it's time to reevaluate.

Today, we're all charged with letting go a little bit and realizing that we're not the ones dictating the conversation anymore. The social media reality means that conversation and dialogue is now:
  • Transparent
  • Open to everyone
  • Collective - the power of many
  • Brutally honest
  • Fast as lightning.
Our role as marketing people is to help create an oustanding, remarkable, and great product/service/idea. Then we participate in the conversation rather than merely trying to control it, and see what a difference it makes. Not convinced social media will affect the way you do business? Read this great post by Jeremiah Owyang of Forrester Research.

This kind of conversation can actually be great fun, super insightful, and inspirational. I can't tell you how many brilliant people I've met just by opening my brain and my business to these possibilities. Let go of the steering wheel a little bit, and reap the rewards.
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04 June 2008

How Not To Find a Great Marketing Person


Egads, have you ever read some of the job descriptions for marketing people? Some of them are downright cryptic. And for companies who are looking for "results oriented" people, I'm amazed at how jargon laden and crappy some of them are. Cases in point from just a little quality time with CareerBuilder:


From a big fat Fortune 500 company:
Collaborate with field and other cross-functional partners to identify potential revenue generating gaps or barriers in building infrastructure for any given alternate channel.
Is this jargon for "figure out what's working and what's not?"

From a big department store retailer:
Planning and execution of a multiple cutting edge business and strategic relationship marketing programs supporting the extension and development of online and direct-to-customer channels for XYZ company. Forming partnerships with internal business for expansion of value-added services and capabilities. Forming strategic partnerships with external partners to create new services, adding value to the XYZ customer experience.
Ready for buzzword bingo, anyone? Using the old trick of removing the buzzwords to reveal the essence of the sentence, we're left with little of substance. No wonder this company is struggling mightily.

From another retailer, this time in office supplies:
...this position is accountable for building, maintaining, and expanding the technical infrastructures and analytical skills pool required to consistently deliver timely insight to key decision makers as well as for building strategic relationships with merchandising, marketing, and sales to foster a fact based decision making culture.
As opposed to making decisions based on a bunch of BS? And I'm not exactly sure I'd like to go swimming in an analytical skills pool.

I could go on. (If you're a serious masochist, just head to career builder and type in "marketing". Start reading. Prepare the Advil.)

So how should people find great marketing talent?

You have to be willing to turn convention on it's head a little bit. The essence of great marketing is clear, compelling communication with the people that want to know you. You can't have this be an integral part of your strategy and then recruit people with this drivel.

Start paying attention to the aspects of your potential Marketeers that are the intangibles. I promise you'll find lots of people with adequate qualifications. But pay attention to a few other things:
  • Are they personable? Funny? Gregarious? If not, their projects aren't likely to be, either.
  • Can they hold an engaging conversation? This translates, trust me. Ever met a great marketing person with a wilting personality?
  • Do they have interests outside of work, and do they participate in other activities and communities, either online or off? Great marketing is a good dose of insight and instinct, and only those who are involved in communities will know what it's like to talk to one.
  • Is their resume or cover letter full of the same jargon that's in these job descriptions? Red flag.
It'll also help to take a hard look at the job description you're writing and whittle it down to the things you really want someone to do. You probably don't need much more than that. Skip the buzzwords. And when you're interviewing, toss aside the standard "Give me an example of a time you helped a customer with a difficult problem" and get to know the person sitting in front of you.

Smart marketing people are immune to these kinds of appeals, and will often skip right to the next company. Remember, you're selling them the appeal of working with you too, not just doing them a favor by giving them a job. Smart marketers are savvy and in demand, and unfortunately mediocre ones can be found in droves. Which are you searching for?


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03 June 2008

Are You A Marketing Wannabe?

There's an important point to be made about marketing that to me is plain as day, but apparently it bears repeating.

Not every marketing vehicle is appropriate for you just because it's cool, trendy, new, or because a company you admire is doing it.

Greg Anderson has an interesting article today on AdAge about just this topic. And he actually has a funny anectode about showing up on Facebook and having his teenage niece ask "what are you doing here?".

He says:

Ironically, bad marketing is also part of the reason that people like my niece are leaving one setting and moving on to the next new thing where we're not clumsily asking them if they want to be friends.
Bad marketing. We don't like that term, but the reality is that it's everywhere. And there are countless upon countless articles, blogs, websites and everything in between promising that they can teach you, too, how to be viral and social mediafied and make your business relevant to millions by just putting your stuff on Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn.

So Can I Use This Stuff Or Not?

The answer is yes. But you must proceed with caution and understand these networks or risk ticking off all the people you so desperately wish to reach. Remember these things:

1. Social media is a conversation. Good conversationalists listen, absorb, and participate, in that order.

2. People participating in these communities are there because, uh, it's a community. They welcome newcomers but most are quick to spot the fakes and the posers and promptly ignore them.

3. Consumers - and your audience - are not dumb. Unless you have something that's interesting, relevant, or useful to them, they just aren't going to care.

So How Do I Know What Tools to Use?

I'd actually turn the question around and ask whom you're looking to reach, what you're planning to say, and what makes you unique. Then - and ONLY then - can you start evaluating how to get the message across. And you may find that some "old school" tactics are just as viable as getting yourself in a kafuffle to try and figure out a Facebook page.

But if social media outlets are really something you want to explore, you need to get out there and experience it for a while to build some credibility in the community. Get a Twitter ID and start following people that interest you or are in your industry. Have conversations. Go set up a LinkedIn profile and spend some time answering questions that others are asking.

What you'll find is not only do you learn what people are talking about and how they're digesting new stuff, but you're earning trust and credibility which can be a hundred times more powerful than a cheesy, badly run banner ad campaign (IMHO of course).

So what lessons have you learned about blending your business and new marketing channels? Share your successes and challenges in the comments and we'll do a follow up.
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01 June 2008

Marketers: No One Believes You.

Christopher Penn, blogger and creator of the Financial Aid Podcast, has this to say on a recent post about why marketing sucks:

When companies, organizations, or individuals focus only on the short term, whether it’s quarterly results on the Street or whether you can get some action at the single’s bar tonight, the same desperation is created by short term thinking. That combined with a profit above all else mentality has turned marketing into the corporate equivalent of that guy in the bar who smells of equal parts aggression, fear, and desperation - and the target audience stays far, far away.

Yep. I can't tell you how much I cringe when someone says to me "we need to do some of that New Media" or "can you get us some marketing on the internet?" Yikes.

What's worse, Penn's point above makes me cringe even more because it echoes something more sinister.

If you're a marketer, no one believes you will use your superpowers for good rather than evil.

So how do you overcome?

Chris Brogan is a fun blogger to read, and he usually comes up with something that makes me think. His recent post talks about Personal Branding and how important and challenging it is. I think it's even more critical for those of us who purport to be in the business of helping others elevate, define, and create awarness for their brands.

I've blogged before about the fact that I believe that your brand is really created not by you, but by the people that use your product or service or seek you out in the vast online universe. Sure, we can contribute to the conversation about how we'd like to be perceived, but ultimately, someone else is going to make up their mind. If you haven't checked out the interesting Brand Tag site, it's interesting fodder for my point. If you look at the words that people choose, sure, some are super intuitive. But it's amazing how many of these "tags" are words that the companies might or might not have chosen for their brands in the first place, for better or for worse.

That didn't answer my question.

Ok, sorry. My point is that in order to really have people believe that there ARE marketing people out there (I'd like to think myself included) that are honestly, truly dedicated to the good side of this craft, we have to continue to bring people interesting, relevant, different, and compelling stuff and stories.

It's not enough to extoll the quality, value, and convenience of Bob's Buttered Biscuits, we have to dig deep, find the unique elements, and tell THOSE to people without shouting at them to pay attention. You can lead a horse to water, after all...

As a marketing person, I think it's my duty not to whore out any old product and polish turds, but rather to find the diamonds in the rough. The untold stories. The nifty, keen, funny, exciting, exhilirating ones. And to be honest, if someone or something doesn't have ANY of these qualities? Well, that's not a problem that any marketing person - no matter how much of a rockstar they are - can fix.

Are you in marketing? How do you avoid being cast as a deceitful, manipulating liar? Or do you?



29 June 2008

Plurkshop #4: Fractured Conversations and How to Manage Them

The internet - and social media in particular - has opened up vast arenas for conversation and feedback that can easily take on lives of their own. For small businesses, this kind of organic conversation can be especially valuable.

For instance, a post on your blog or website might prompt someone else to blog about you and then others to comment or share that via FriendFeed or StumbleUpon or Twitter and make commentary of their own. How to keep track? Tonight, our Plurkshop on the social community Plurk discussed the challenges and benefits of that reality, and uncovered a few tools to help listen to what’s being said about you, your company, and your brand on the web.

Challenges we cited:
  • Conversations about you – your brand, your blog, your company – are happening everywhere, including in places you haven’t looked.
  • Fragmented conversations across the web and so many tools for sharing information can make it difficult to keep track of what people are saying about you and your brand.
  • Dispersed commentary makes us worry that we’re missing important feedback and opportunities to engage in conversation with people who are talking about us.
  • The more a conversation fragments, the more it can lose context and relevance to the original topic. Comments without context can be less valuable to those who read them.
  • As a business owner/brand manager/blogger, you need to go where the conversation is and respond to it there, which can be taxing if you have several brands and/or a lot of content that sparks discussion.
  • Participating in discussions online can be intimidating for some people. How can you make it easy and welcoming for them to do so?

Some of the main takeaways from tonight:
  • The spirit of community conversation is more important than trying to control it. And controlling it is futile, anyway, so it’s best to embrace it. Listen and engage as best you can.
  • Fractured and organic discussion encourages new points of view. Different perspectives add value to the conversation. Actively encourage others to take the conversation to their own communities and build upon it or take it in a new direction.
  • The community should be able to use whatever tools are helpful to them to engage the conversation and comment. Readers want and will embrace content portability so they can take the discussion wherever they want. It’s our job as those creating the content to do our best to follow it.
  • Commenting and engaging others on their “turf” feels more natural, and demonstrates listening flexibility. It also gives businesses and brands opportunities to engage people they might not have otherwise found.
  • Traveling conversation can expose new audiences to your content/brand/blog.
  • Search Engine Optimization: Fractured conversations are good for search engine optimization so long as they link back the original source. Links that other people create to your content are gold, especially to bloggers and brands.
  • The evolution of this kind of conversation is demonstrating the very essence – and power – of social media.
  • Not all internet users find their information in the same manner, so the more avenues and options for them to participate, the better.
Some recommended tools to check out for listening/monitoring:

Google Alerts - Get email updates about search results for the terms you choose, including blogs
Technorati - Comprehensive blog search
Co.mments - track conversations related to sites you specify
Friendfeed comments plugin for WordPress users
Serph - A search engine tracking what's being said online about your specific search terms
Addictomatic - a search engine that populates results from other sites and search engines.
Disqus - a comment system for your blog that claims to make comments more interactive and easier to manage
Radian6 - a more robust social media monitoring solution that requires some $$ investment
SiteMeter - free site counter and statistics tracker
ClickTracks - web analytics tools starting at about $50/month
Google Analytics - free web analytics tools
PageFlakes - you can create a customized page to aggregate your monitoring tools and sites
Statcounter - free hit counter and web stats tools
LiJit - a search widget for your blog that provides stats on your visitors and what they're looking for
NetNewsWire - a Mac OS RSS feed reader
NetVibes - a personal page aggregator, like PageFlakes

Here’s the link to the full Plurkshop conversation. Take this back to your community and discuss how you're listening to conversations, and what challenges and triumphs you're having. What’s your take on the nomadic nature of conversation in today's hyperconnected world?

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28 June 2008

Promotions That Make People Smile


I went to Summerfest in Milwaukee yesterday - a great summer music festival here in the Midwest. Checked into my hotel, and hit the corner to catch the $3 shuttle to the park, concert tickets in hand. Then the fun began!

First, I get on the bus and I'm greeted by a bubbly woman that says "Hi! I'm Jane from Jane and Kidd In The Morning on 99.1 FM, and we're buying your bus ride to Summerfest!" Nice surprise!

Then Kidd hands me a package of Twizzlers (seriously, has candy ever NOT made you smile?), and proceeds to ask where we're from, chit chat a bit. He was super friendly and engaged the whole bus full of people during the 10-15 minute ride through downtown.

Then, as we're getting closer to the park, Kidd speaks up and says "Hey folks, now's the time during the ride where we say hi, and hope you'll tune in to our broadcast on weekday mornings on 99.1. If you're not from the area, we've got streaming audio online! And as a special thanks for hanging out with us today, we're buying your admission to Summerfest!" Then he hands out free festival tickets ($15 a piece at the door) to everyone on the full bus.

So, I don't live in Milwaukee anymore, but the promotion certainly got my attention. Why? The folks doing it were fun and personable, they made it perfectly relevant to me (by being on the bus on my way to Summerfest and starting my day at the fest out on a happy note), and gave me something to talk about like I'm doing now.

The moral of this story is that you can successfully launch a great promotion for your company by making it fun and engaging for the people you're talking to, and giving something away that they're sure to talk about. Kudos to the 99.1 team for making their promo fun and memorable.

What promotions have turned you on instead of off? Which do you remember fondly and why? Do you remember the brands/companies they were associated with, or was it just gimmicky? Share with us in the comments!

27 June 2008

Small Business Marketing Unleashed: Columbus, OH


Today, I wanted to give all of you a heads up about a fantabulous event I'll be attending in Columbus, Ohio this September (the 22nd and 23rd to be exact) that's focused on small business owners and how they can make the most of their online marketing efforts.

It can be overwhelming to digest all the STUFF that's out there about online marketing, so Jennifer Laycock and the folks at Search Engine Guide have put together this tight knit forum with speakers breaking down the elements of search engine marketing, viral marketing, blogging and local search.

So what can you expect? The conference is limited to 100 attendees, and the workshops are limited to 25 people each to maximize opportunities to ask questions, interact, and learn. And it's not about just piling on the theory; these workshops are designed to give you real, usable ideas that you can take back to your company and put in play right away.

Some of the super duper speakers on the agenda:

Jennifer Laycock
, Editor-In-Chief of Search Engine Guide
Matt Bailey, Founder and President of Site Logic Marketing
Matt McGee, Owner of SmallBusinessSEM.com
Debra Mastaler, Owner of AllianceLink
Stoney deGeyter, President of Pole Position Marketing
Heather Lloyd Martin, President and CEO of SuccessWorks Search Marketing Solutions
Mack Collier, Owner of The Viral Garden
Christine Churchill, President of KeyRelevance
Sage Lewis, Founder of SageRock
Christina "CK" Kerley, Founder of ckEpiphany Marketing
Michael Stebbins, President of Market Motive

With such an intimate group, the networking opportunities are second to none. I know I'm looking forward to putting faces to so many of the names I've known from Twitter and Plurk and the slew of blogs I read. Why not come join us so we can meet in person, too?

The $750 admission is a steal for a great conference (register by 8/29 for the early birdy deal). Head to the SBMU website and complete your registration today so you don't miss out on the fun. Hope to see you there!!

Disclosure: Nope, I don't work for SBMU or SEG, I'm not a sponsor, I'm not a speaker. I just happen to think that Jennifer and her work is pretty darn brilliant and think you will, too.



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25 June 2008

Make Your Presentation Suck in 5 Easy Steps


Conferences abound this time of year. Here, a few ways to ensure that your audience will fall asleep and that you’ll somehow miss the invitation list next year.

Read the slides.
Actually, less text is better. Use images, prominent text when needed, and don’t read the slides. Your speaking should supplement the presentation, not repeat it.

Adhere mercilessly to a script.
Sure, you need an agenda and a great topic. But encourage discussion and questions from the audience. They’ll find more value in your presentation if you allow them to help steer the topic and extract information that they’re looking for, but that you might not have planned to include. And allowing time for Q&A is a must - it opens the floor for others to contribute to the conversation.

Focus too much on tech.
Nowadays, everyone is live streaming their presentations with comments from Twitter and questions from Facebook and video and recording podcasts and and… take it easy. Focusing too much on engaging the tech stuff in your presentation can take the focus away from your content, and can distract (and annoy) your audience. If you're moderating a panel, encourage your panelists to keep their tech use to a minimum. If you want to monitor a live forum for questions, get some help from someone who isn't speaking or participating so it doesn't distract from the discussion.

Think that the folks came there for you, not the content.
True, I’ve done my share of going to conferences and attending sessions that had a notable speaker. But it’s a chicken-egg thing. A well-known name isn’t enough to carry a lousy presentation. But a great name can be built - and most of them are - by engaging your audience and giving a killer presentation that’s chock full of great content. Give your audience what they came there to get: great ideas that they can take back to work and put into play, right now.

Forget the follow-through.
The very best presentations are those that are the start to a dialogue and a relationship. If you’re speaking, don’t let your presentation end with the PowerPoint (or Keynote, for my fellow Mac users). Give your audience something great to take home with them, and if you can, get a list of those that attended and thank them for coming with a personal email. Point them to your blog or other places where they can find more information from you, and open the door for more conversation.

All cheeky sarcasm aside, presenting well is a skill that takes time and practice to master. The key is to remember that the people attending your workshop are anxious to find the golden nuggets that they can run back to work with and apply to what they're doing, right now. Focus on the value you're bringing to the discussion, and you'll be a step ahead.

What presentations have left you super excited, or super disappointed, and why? Share in the comments!

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Plurkshop #2: Blending Traditional And Social Media

Last night’s plurkshop opened with a great question from Beth Harte, who asked “Would you use traditional marketing to promote your social media efforts and vice versa?”

A great discussion ensued (hooray for threaded conversations), and it seems participants agreed that social media and traditional marketing should work together, and using some traditional avenues to drive traffic to social media sites can still be an effective awareness builder.
The main takeaways from last night:

• Social media should be integrated into an overall marketing plan whenever possible.

• Traditional marketing tactics like e-mail (yes, we all laughed about e-mail being “old school”), direct mail, and print advertising can still have a place in the social mediascape when used to really engage an audience and drive them to great content and information online.

• Traditional media is in fact still going to be necessary and very relevant for audiences that haven’t yet embraced online and social media outlets – older audiences, rural and non-broadband users, or simply late adopters. We all agreed that although all of us are very active in this space, we’re still in the minority.

• The trend is toward more spending on new media, while spending on traditional media continues to decrease. A recent report by Forrester expects that interactive advertising spending will move from an 8% share in 2007 to an 18% share in 2008. Overall, they’re predicting that total interactive marketing spending will surpass $61 billion in five years. Whoa.


And some great examples of Plurkshop attendees and their experiences with the blending of traditional and social media:

Beth’s company is in a niche market, so she’s planning to leverage some traditional outreach like direct mail or e-mail marketing to drive adopters to a new social platform she’s considering. And, she's working social media planning into her overall planning efforts as a single marketer in the company (you go, Beth!).

Michael Jones’ newspaper publisher did multi-page spreads in all four of their papers to promote their new website. The result: The day the site launched, they got more visitors than the publisher did papers. And even the 60-year old owner is doing podcasts. Talk about embracing a new medium!

McDonald’s is running a TV ad campaign right now that by pointing viewers to a MySpace page that’s part of the campaign, encouraging them to submit a new Big Mac jingle. (Thanks to Mack Collier for the heads up.) They’ve also got podcasts on their main website about "The McDonald's You Don't Know", and investor relations issues. They still have that sorta-corporate ring to them, but a solid effort nonetheless.

Frank Martin’s local newspaper in Roanoke, VA (The Roanoke Times), and several news outlets in Connie Reece’s hometown of Austin, TX are using accounts on Twitter to send links to local news stories and editorial. All of us rather agreed that newspapers are still a little awkward with their participation, but we all heartily endorsed their effort to embrace this tidal wave of social media.

Andre Natta’s hyperlocal paper, The Terminal, in Birmingham, AL was the first in its market to use Twitter, and the result was markedly more readers for the paper. They use MySpace to update readers and point them to particular stories and news items. And, they’re about to use Facebook and MySpace to promote an event and drive viewers to their blog for more information. They’re still using email marketing too, with great success.

Deb Robison used Facebook and MySpace to promote a fashion show called Frock Out! Denver for the Denver Library. Some models and designers from the show were on the sites, too, and helped to spread the word. The success was in getting kids to invite their friends and pass the word – and interestingly, the audience spanned the generations. At the event, they actually had to turn people away! Here’s the link to the video they posted on YouTube to promote the event. The best part? Out of pocket costs were zero (just Deb’s invaluable time), and the exposure got them some great press (Denver Post stories were even picked up by news outlets) and large corporate sponsors for this year’s event. What a success story!

The resounding conclusion for our Plurkshop was that traditional media and new media need to work together in this environment to really have success, and social media can be a powerful asset, indeed. As the landscape continues to change, we all need to remember that the point of social media is in connecting people to other people and giving them ways to reach out into the community. It’s not the technology, it’s a very human desire to connect that will continue to drive folks online.

As Connie is fond of saying, “Technologies change, people don’t”.

Want to join us for a Plurkshop? Get your Plurk persona rolling and look for the thread counter that keeps ticking up! Stay tuned for updates from upcomig Plurkshops.


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24 June 2008

How Plurk Won Me Over

I admit, I wasn't a fan to start with. And I still feel a little hitchy with the user interface. But last evening, I figured out a few thing that Plurk has going for itself and that warrant hanging around and giving them a shot.

Threaded Conversation
At first, the only evidence I found of conversation threads were long strings of people telling each other "Good Night". Snore. But yesterday, I responded to a quick plurk by Mack Collier about what kind of advice us social media folks give to our clients about how much/often to blog. It spawned an impromptu Plurkshop (Connie Reece's witty term) on social media, which several people found helpful, and I think we all took a little something away from that conversation. It's a great demonstration of why Plurk's ability to thread a conversation can be a great group discussion forum. (Read it here)

Unexpected Community Support
There was a young woman on Plurk last night that lost a close friend in an accident. And I thought it was interesting that she chose to share her sad news in that forum. Of course, there was an outpouring of support and condolences, which I'm sure helped in some way, and it was touching to see some truly heartfelt notes of support. And I realized that Plurk's advantage over Twitter in this scenario wasn't a closer personal connection, per se. It was the opportunity to have an uninterrupted thread of support - one unfractured by "my new blog post is up" in the main Twitterstream - that kept it completely focused on the issue (and the person) at hand.

My takeaway for social media in small business was mostly from the Plurkshop and the overwhelming agreement by all of us about the importance of:
  • Having a plan
  • Starting before it's "perfect"
  • Listening before you start
  • Practice, tweak, and tweak again.
I continue to be amazed by the spontaneous ways that social media, piece by piece, transforms the landscape of both business and interpersonal relationships. It's going to be exciting to see what's next.

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23 June 2008

Measuring Social Media Effectiveness for Your Small Business

Measuring the impact of using social media to drive visibility and sales for business is still a bit elusive. The big companies have yet to solidly quantify what using social media has done for them, but the anecdotal evidence is overwhelmingly positive. For instance, we know that once Dell started getting its employees involved and participating in communities, there was significantly less negative feedback posted about them on their own site or others. Exactly how that translates into sales for their business is another issue, partially because they have so many avenues to track, and one I’m sure they’re all hard at work on by now. I, for one, cannot wait to hear the results.

For small business, the good news is that it can actually be easier for you to measure the impact of your social media adventures, because you have the ability to personally be out there and communicating with people to get their feedback and input in real time. The social media avenues themselves can be your ticket to quantifying just how much business they bring to your door.

Pick Your Spots and Participate.
For instance, let’s say you’re on Twitter and you spend time there every day chatting with folks. And you use LinkedIn Answers to provide input for colleagues looking for professional collaboration. Perhaps you even have a feedback forum on your website for your products, or allow users to post reviews.

If you’re new to social media, choosing sites that allow you to hold a dialogue can provide a better forum for networking and business development than an ad placement on Facebook, and can make it easier to identify people who move from online contact to prospective client.

And listening is as important as talking. Folks might be talking about you in places you don’t frequent. Chris Brogan sums it up better than I can in this post about how and where to listen online.

Ask Questions.
You should always be asking how your clients and customers find you, anyway. In this case, it’s a straightforward matter of tracking how many people cite these online communities as their conduit to your website (or blog) and therefore, to your company. Sound unreasonably simple? It can be, at least for starters.

If someone replies that so-and-so referred them to you, ask them how they know or found that person, too. It can give you a nice trail of breadcrumbs leading back to the original source. And if you have a new client that found you through other means, ask them anyway if they’ve seen you online, or read your blog. If so, see if that had any impact on their decision to buy from you.

Keep Track.
Small business has a major advantage in social media, especially owners and staffers that are savvy about keeping in great contact with their clients and customers. Pay attention to the people you meet via social media, and make sure to note that in your contact management system, even if it’s just your Outlook contacts. Note the visitors who comment on your blog, and those who sign up for your RSS feed. Flag those email addresses so you know who they are when they come knocking (and they will!).

As a small business owner, you have fewer degrees of separation between you and your customers, and that’s a great advantage when it comes to finding out just how effective your online exploits are. Asking, responding, talking all go a long way. It is called social media, after all!

Photo Credit: Darren Hester
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Thanks, George: Laughter As Inspiration


George Carlin was in-your-face, irreverent, vulgar at times. And damn funny. He took serious subjects like war and made them laughable, all while he made a point.

It reminds me that sometimes, you have to stop taking yourself so seriously. That means me, too. I catch myself doing it more often than I’d like.

I’m blessed to be in business for myself, and to be helping small businesses succeed. I work with amazing, smart, hilarious, fun people. I get a great deal of joy from what I do. And there have been so many adventures along the way, many of which deserved a chuckle or two, even when they sucked royally at the time.

So my personal affirmation for the day, and the one I’d like to share in George’s honor, is to inject a little humor into your business. It makes you real, it makes you human. The best relationships are based on trust and affection. And I don’t know about you, but I can’t always trust someone who can’t take their head out of the game for a minute and have a good laugh (especially at their own expense). Sure, there are moments in business to be serious and focused, but not all of them.

There is something exhilarating about peals of good, hearty laughter. Over a cup of coffee, or in a board meeting. Yes, even in marketing. I’ve had some of the most productive and inspirational sessions of my career filled with a little silliness and some great camaraderie over laughter.

So go ahead. Laugh. George would be proud.

St. Peter and the gang upstairs have no idea what they’re in for. We’ll miss you, friend.

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20 June 2008

You’re Marketing and You Didn’t Even Know It.


I'm fond of saying that marketing isn't just a task you do, it's a living, breathing part of your business. And it sneaks out in the darndest places.

Your Voicemail Greeting.
“Hi, you’ve reached Amber and your call is important to me but I’ll ignore it for several days.”

This is a prime opportunity to give people a 10 second screen shot of your personality. Your voicemail greeting should include, without fail, your name, a thank you to the caller, instructions to leave a name and number, and a timeframe in which you’ll return their call (I like within 24 hours). Infuse some personality. Be happy they called. Then call them back.

Your Business Card.

I know it seems silly, but your business card does not have to be boring. (And unboring doesn’t have to mean that it’s a handheld super video game thing or something). And when you leave one, leave several. It'll be easier for people to pass them along to others and spread the wealth. Cards should always have your name, phone number (direct, please, if you can) an email address, and a website. Don’t ever put generic info@XYZ.com on your card unless it’s supplemented by your real email address. After all, the point is for people to contact you, and if you don’t trust them with your information, why should they trust you?

Your Out Of Office Autoresponder.

This is similar to the voicemail greeting. Be friendly, human, and un-corporate as much as you can. Acknowledge that you’re sorry you missed someone, but that you’ll get back to them in a designated timeframe. If you have an alternative contact they can reach out to, give it to them. And thank them for reaching out. Then RESPOND when you say you will. It’s amazing how much good will a fast response can engender.

Your Email Etiquette

1. Spell check.
2. Double check name spelling.
3. Use proper grammar.
4. Please and Thank You.
5. If sending an email to several people, use the BCC field unless you’re ABSOLUTELY sure they’re all ok with sharing their emails with the other recipients.
6. DON’T USE CAPITAL LETTERS.
7. Skip the emoticons :) in professional correspondence.
7. Remember that email is indeed written correspondence, just without paper. Be open and friendly, but mind the rules of polite letter writing, please.
8. Include a signature that contains your name, phone number, email and website. Keep it concise, and dispense with graphics.

Email is the ubiquitous form of communication right now, and it’s often the only interaction a client or customer has with you for some time (or ever). Take care to make your correspondence professional, open, and conversational so it encourages dialogue. If you have a generic email for inquiries (a la info@XYZ.com), be sure you have a designated real person respond within 24 hours. This whole topic can consume an entire post. Maybe it will someday soon.

Marketing is a perpetual state of mind, really, when you're a small business. Every interaction you have with your customers and prospects is a mini marketing experience, and the small things can do a great deal to elevate your image in the eyes of these people. Be enthusiastic, be human, be polite, and be responsive.

What other small things have you noticed that make a big impact on how your clients and customers perceive you?


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18 June 2008

It's almost like they were listening.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chicago-sonic-restaurants-jun18,0,306295.story

I still say the preemptive advertising for the last year has done more to piss me off than motivate me to visit when they arrive, but those Tots with Cheese are rather tempting.

More Marketing Miscues for Small Biz

A few days ago I counted off a few of the top mistakes I see in small business marketing. I'm rounding out my list here, and as always, welcome your additions and comments!

#5. Not having a clear objective.
This one may seem obvious. But scatter-shot marketing rarely achieves the results that you need or want, and your customers may even be left totally confused.

To atone if you're aimless: Before you launch any marketing initiative, you need to spell out your goal in 10 words or less. If you can't do that, you're aiming too broadly and your risking dilution. Spend time using the 5 Whys method or something to force you to really get at the heart of what you're trying to accomplish and who you're trying to reach. You might even find that you change your approach or come up with a new, clever one when you're super focused.

#4. Censorship
The introduction of so many mechanisms of communication - both personal and professional - has shown us that sometimes the most amazing advocates for a brand are it's customers, or someone among its ranks that would never before have been given leave to speak about the company "officially". News flash: Your "official" position isn't the one anyone is paying attention to, anyway! It's what's being said about you in all the other conversations. And they ARE happening.

To atone if you're doling out gag orders: Stop and listen. There are people speaking among your own ranks that don't necessarily have titles in communications, PR, or marketing. (The origins of Moleskine's Moleskinerie blog have been well documented in lots of great books. Where would they be if they hadn't been listening?). Hear what they're saying and let their passion for their work help you fine tune your messages, and even be a new voice.

#3. Resting on your laurels.
One great campaign does not a brand make. Nor even one great product. You have to be constantly riding the tide and willing to bend, groove, and shake yourself into new and interesting places. Nothing lasts forever. Ever.

To atone if you're in the easy chair: Get up. Go now, get pen and paper and gather your people and get brainstorming about what's next for you. And for some help, get these nifty cool cards from IDEO. They're masters of breaking down barriers and I love these exercises for fostering new ideas. No, they don't pay me. They're just awesome.

#2. Marketing to yourself.
Don't make the mistake of always vetting things inside your own walls. You drink your own Kool-Aid and you've got your own ideas about how your product/service/idea "should" be talked about. But the people interested in your stuff might be speaking a different language altogether, so it's best to be sure that you're not stuck in a rut by getting some outside perspective. The brilliant Brian Clark talks about Narcissistic Marketing here.

How to atone if you're being narcissistic: Talk to your customers first. That doesn't have to mean fancy focus groups and surveys. It can be as simple as getting a bunch of them together for coffee and talking about your newest adventures to get their perspective. They might point out advantages, exciting benefits, and other cool stuff you never thought of.

#1. Forgetting what you're in business for.
I'm going to admit to already making this mistake. I got so wrapped around the axle trying to get my website perfect and my blog posts scheduled and and and...that I forgot to unleash some of the passion that brought me here to begin with to connect with the people that needed me most. It's easy to get mired in the day to day and forget to tap into the creativity, expertise, and even fun that put you in business in the first place.

To atone if you've lost your way: Go back and read your materials. Do they speak to why you ventured out into the world as a small business, and what keeps you working 70 hour weeks and weekends and putting your all into what you do? If they don't, change them. Passion is contagious.

Non-profit organizations aren't the only ones to have missions. We all have one. To help small businesses communicate better. To deliver an amazing vacation experience. To build the home where someone will raise a family. To achieve what no one thought we could.

Marketing isn't a task you do, it's a living, breathing thing. It's your business' reason for being, but wrapped up in lots of pieces. Remember what you're doing and why, and your marketing will follow.


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16 June 2008

Yeah, What He Said.

Many of you who read me know how much I admire Chris Brogan's work and contributions. And he's done it again, so I had to just do a ridiculously gratuitous plug for his post today, which is full of super duper helpful guidelines for branding, especially in the online and social media space, and I couldn't have said it better. So go here and read it.
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Five Small Business Marketing Miscues (and how to atone)


I work with several small businesses, and there are enough miscues out there in the marketing world that they warrant a quick rundown. I'm sure these aren't really just for the small guys, but always talk about what you know, right?

#10. Too Much Jargon
Five dollar words aren't usually worth the price. Even in business to business situations, the most elemental philosophy still holds. You're talking to people - humans - and they're the ones making the decisions about whom to work with. Speak to people professionally but humanly, and use words that feel more conversational than those that come out of your graduate school textbooks. Take a breeze through your collateral and see if the text would make sense to someone outside the industry. Necessary technical issues aside, you'll get much more mileage from your conversations with your people if they really believe you're talking to and with them, not over them.

To atone if your'e a Jargoneer: Pick a page (or a paragraph) on your website full of buzzwords and industry jargon. If you can't be an objective judge, have your husband/wife/teenager/friend read it for you. Cross out all the offensive words. See what you're left with, and start there for a rewrite. And go subscribe to Copyblogger and read Brian Clark and the gang's super awesome insights about writing, and writing well.

#9. Viewing Marketing as an Expense
Especially in today's economy (or recession or downturn or icky point, whichever term you prefer), small businesses have a tendency to panic and pull the plug on all things marketing - even brainstorming. I agree with MarketingSherpa today about using this time as an investment in your business and a great time to find those opportunities to really connect with your clients and customers or explore new avenues like online marketing and some of the cool social technologies out there. The market always, I repeat always, comes back around. And when it does, the time you've taken to have great dialogue with your customers will pay off when you're first on their mind.

To atone if you're a Marketing Scrooge: Spend some time with a few simple strategies that won't break the bank but are super valuable. Find the 25 customers that have been with you the longest and take them to lunch. Pick 50 of your best clients and write them a handwritten thank you note for their business.

#8. Mass Anything.
Gone are the days when you can throw 57,212 darts at a board and hopw that one sticks. Yes, ok, if you blast the world with a bunch of form letters, you might get a bite. But how personal is that? Mass email, mass advertising, mass mailings. They're all just a "toss and hope" kind of tool, and you risk alienating the people who are hopeful for personal and exclusive relationships with your company only to be handed a number and a Dear Friend letter. Small business is, and always will be, personal.

To atone if you're a mass blaster: You're much better off taking the money and time from the paper and envelopes and printing and postage and trade mag ads and doing some really great picking apart of your customer base and finding out who they are and what makes them tick. You may find a great deal of interesting information about clients and customers you never knew you had, how they found you, why they love you, what frustrates them. Understanding is the first step. Then you can talk to them, individually, with messages and ideas that are really relevant to them.

#7. Being Deaf
You're the business owner, which means you know exactly what your customers want, right? Are you sure? Are you sending out surveys or collecting comment cards and stuffing them in a drawer somewhere? Do you have a feedback form on your website? Do you insist on having your employees talk to customers about how they found you or what they like or what challenges they're having with your product or service? And then the million dollar question: What are you doing with the information once you have it?

To atone for being deaf: Start listening closely. If you get comment cards, read them, and don't dismiss the negative ones out of hand. Respond to the feedback emails you get - personally - and thank your site visitors for taking the time to share their feedback. And pay attention to the trends. One person lamenting that your return policy is too strict is one thing. A cadre of frustrated people might be pointing out something you need to fix.

#6. Bandwagon Jumping
There are so, so many techniques and technologies out there that it can be supremely overwhelming to decide which you need to use and which you can safely put aside. Some things will never go out of style - personal phone calls, one on one meetings, a personal letter or email to a valued customer. But launching a loyalty program or starting a blog or having an email newsletter can all be incredibly valuable if - and only if - they truly bring something of value to your customers. Small businesses especially need to look closely at what's out there before deciding where your time and money is best spent. Have a look here to see a few of Social Media Today's recommended starting points.

To atone if you're in a rush to hop the next train to techie town: Start by participating and exploring the technologies that you're hearing and reading about so you get a true sense of what they're really doing and who else is participating. Then, spend some time evaluating what your customers use (asking them is a good start) and how they use them. Are they just lurking on Twitter, or do they find it a valuable source of information about resources for their business? Do they have a Facebook page and look for connections from potential business partners? And most important of all, ask them what they love about your website and what they'd like to see on it to help them. It might be a few simple tools, and you're suddenly engaging your customers like never before.

I'll round out my top 10 in another post coming soon!
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12 June 2008

Free Stuff from Smart People Rules.

I have a Google Reader account that, for those who aren't familiar, aggregates all of my RSS feeds in one place so I can keep up with the many smart people whose blogs I read, people like Chris Brogan and Conversation Agent (Valeria Moltoni) and Brian Solis and Andy Sernovitz and and and... (the list goes on - check out the blog list to the right for more).

One thing that hounds me a little bit is that I'm thirsty to learn stuff. I've always said I'd go to school forever if I had the money to do it. But my need to absorb knowledge from the smart people around me is at times overwhelming. And with all of the tools available today and the many I'm actively using - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon, Flickr - it's easy to fall behind and miss stuff.

So to me, the incredible value I find in spending concentrated time reading through my feed updates is the amazing community of sharing. If I miss something on one blog, I might just get linked to it through another blog that I *do* manage to read. Today, I was so excited that Chris Brogan's blog directed me to Brian Solis' new free e-book on social media. Free Stuff From Smart People! More Free Stuff by Smart People that I've found lately:

It's got me thinking about the content and information of value that I can and should be creating for my readers, my clients, and just those generally interested. I'm a firm believer in sharing everything you know, and the concept of teaching someone to fish meaning that you, in turn, will never go hungry. Yay for those who feel the same way, and I'm committed to spending some quality time with my keyboard to continue bringing and delivering great information.

Something in particular you'd like to see? Got a great Free Thing from a Smart Person? Drop me a note and let me know. I've got my creative juices flowing.
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09 June 2008

When Advertising Goes Bad. Or Stupid.


Have you ever been to Sonic Drive In? They have lots of yummy treats on the menu - great burgers, shakes, malts, slushees, and cheesy tater tots. mmmm.

I've seen them in the south near where I have family - Atlanta, Hot Springs, Memphis. But I've never seen one in Chicago.

Nevertheless, they advertise like crazy in my market. TV, radio, the whole bit. And finally, after the requisite number of impressions or an overwhelming interest in chili fries, I went to their website to have a look and see just how far I'd have to go to find one. After all, if they're advertising in my area, they must have one nearby, right? It's "America's Drive In"

Nope. In fact, according to their Sonic Locator, the nearest one to me is in Peoria, which is over 185 miles away. Are they kidding? It might be America's Drive In, but it ain't Chicago's.

I'm not sure the point here. As a potential customer, the ads leave me feeling slighted and a bit taunted. Like ha ha, no Sonic for you. And I can't help but wondering how much money they're wasting. Sure, I know they buy blocks on networks that include their entire distribution area. But this smacks of pure advertising laziness. I honestly can live with the fact that their business model must not include Chicago. But to advertise here anyway?

So I'm actually motivated to go back to the website and comment to someone about their flirtation with us Sonic-hungry folks in Chicago. And I've looked all over the site. Their contact us page has a phone number, which no one answered save for some automated recordings about franchise ownership. No email. No contact form. These days, I can't possibly understand why someone wouldn't make it easy for the outside world to get in touch with them through their website. Yikes!

So, friends at Sonic. While I still feel like a chocolate malt or a raspberry slushie delivered to me by a carhop is a thing of beauty, I'm not driving to Peoria. And when and if you decide to be nearer to me, I'll be thinking twice about whether to bother then, either. I may just try my hand at cheesy tater tots from my own oven. So there.
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08 June 2008

You Don't Control the Conversation Anymore!


One of the major dynamic shifts in marketing in the past several years has been the migration of our role as conversation starters - an active role - to conversation facilitators, a more observational and influential role.

10-15 years ago, we were all charged with integrating our marketing efforts by crafting and streamlining our messaging, ensuring that all of our channels were using the same language, creating "key messages" in bullet point form for the media, and mastering "official positioning" for everything from our product's benefits to our company's role in the community.

Not anymore.

These kinds of manufactured conversations simply don't have staying power and credibility in today's transparent world. The remarkable nature of the internet and social media have broken the conversation wide open, and put the audience in the drivers' seat. Today's consumers, companies, and readers aren't buying the canned corporate statement anymore. And frankly, they could care less about your "official" position on something. They're not going to ignore the unofficial stuff that's out there about you, and they're going to make up their own minds about what's really being said. Brian Solis has a great podcast that discusses this very thing.

So what can you do? Listen to the conversation and participate in it. Hear what people are saying about you, and respond. Craft your "official" positioning by making it your policy to:

- Allow your best assets - your team members, at all levels - to speak about what they know. Quit stifling their insights in favor of "approved" media spokespeople. It's more genuine this way.
- Respond to the dialogue that's happening around you and about you. And that means the criticism, too.
- Pay attention to how your idea of your brand is matching up with how others are talking about you. If they're vastly different, it's time to reevaluate.

Today, we're all charged with letting go a little bit and realizing that we're not the ones dictating the conversation anymore. The social media reality means that conversation and dialogue is now:
  • Transparent
  • Open to everyone
  • Collective - the power of many
  • Brutally honest
  • Fast as lightning.
Our role as marketing people is to help create an oustanding, remarkable, and great product/service/idea. Then we participate in the conversation rather than merely trying to control it, and see what a difference it makes. Not convinced social media will affect the way you do business? Read this great post by Jeremiah Owyang of Forrester Research.

This kind of conversation can actually be great fun, super insightful, and inspirational. I can't tell you how many brilliant people I've met just by opening my brain and my business to these possibilities. Let go of the steering wheel a little bit, and reap the rewards.
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04 June 2008

How Not To Find a Great Marketing Person


Egads, have you ever read some of the job descriptions for marketing people? Some of them are downright cryptic. And for companies who are looking for "results oriented" people, I'm amazed at how jargon laden and crappy some of them are. Cases in point from just a little quality time with CareerBuilder:


From a big fat Fortune 500 company:
Collaborate with field and other cross-functional partners to identify potential revenue generating gaps or barriers in building infrastructure for any given alternate channel.
Is this jargon for "figure out what's working and what's not?"

From a big department store retailer:
Planning and execution of a multiple cutting edge business and strategic relationship marketing programs supporting the extension and development of online and direct-to-customer channels for XYZ company. Forming partnerships with internal business for expansion of value-added services and capabilities. Forming strategic partnerships with external partners to create new services, adding value to the XYZ customer experience.
Ready for buzzword bingo, anyone? Using the old trick of removing the buzzwords to reveal the essence of the sentence, we're left with little of substance. No wonder this company is struggling mightily.

From another retailer, this time in office supplies:
...this position is accountable for building, maintaining, and expanding the technical infrastructures and analytical skills pool required to consistently deliver timely insight to key decision makers as well as for building strategic relationships with merchandising, marketing, and sales to foster a fact based decision making culture.
As opposed to making decisions based on a bunch of BS? And I'm not exactly sure I'd like to go swimming in an analytical skills pool.

I could go on. (If you're a serious masochist, just head to career builder and type in "marketing". Start reading. Prepare the Advil.)

So how should people find great marketing talent?

You have to be willing to turn convention on it's head a little bit. The essence of great marketing is clear, compelling communication with the people that want to know you. You can't have this be an integral part of your strategy and then recruit people with this drivel.

Start paying attention to the aspects of your potential Marketeers that are the intangibles. I promise you'll find lots of people with adequate qualifications. But pay attention to a few other things:
  • Are they personable? Funny? Gregarious? If not, their projects aren't likely to be, either.
  • Can they hold an engaging conversation? This translates, trust me. Ever met a great marketing person with a wilting personality?
  • Do they have interests outside of work, and do they participate in other activities and communities, either online or off? Great marketing is a good dose of insight and instinct, and only those who are involved in communities will know what it's like to talk to one.
  • Is their resume or cover letter full of the same jargon that's in these job descriptions? Red flag.
It'll also help to take a hard look at the job description you're writing and whittle it down to the things you really want someone to do. You probably don't need much more than that. Skip the buzzwords. And when you're interviewing, toss aside the standard "Give me an example of a time you helped a customer with a difficult problem" and get to know the person sitting in front of you.

Smart marketing people are immune to these kinds of appeals, and will often skip right to the next company. Remember, you're selling them the appeal of working with you too, not just doing them a favor by giving them a job. Smart marketers are savvy and in demand, and unfortunately mediocre ones can be found in droves. Which are you searching for?


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03 June 2008

Are You A Marketing Wannabe?

There's an important point to be made about marketing that to me is plain as day, but apparently it bears repeating.

Not every marketing vehicle is appropriate for you just because it's cool, trendy, new, or because a company you admire is doing it.

Greg Anderson has an interesting article today on AdAge about just this topic. And he actually has a funny anectode about showing up on Facebook and having his teenage niece ask "what are you doing here?".

He says:

Ironically, bad marketing is also part of the reason that people like my niece are leaving one setting and moving on to the next new thing where we're not clumsily asking them if they want to be friends.
Bad marketing. We don't like that term, but the reality is that it's everywhere. And there are countless upon countless articles, blogs, websites and everything in between promising that they can teach you, too, how to be viral and social mediafied and make your business relevant to millions by just putting your stuff on Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn.

So Can I Use This Stuff Or Not?

The answer is yes. But you must proceed with caution and understand these networks or risk ticking off all the people you so desperately wish to reach. Remember these things:

1. Social media is a conversation. Good conversationalists listen, absorb, and participate, in that order.

2. People participating in these communities are there because, uh, it's a community. They welcome newcomers but most are quick to spot the fakes and the posers and promptly ignore them.

3. Consumers - and your audience - are not dumb. Unless you have something that's interesting, relevant, or useful to them, they just aren't going to care.

So How Do I Know What Tools to Use?

I'd actually turn the question around and ask whom you're looking to reach, what you're planning to say, and what makes you unique. Then - and ONLY then - can you start evaluating how to get the message across. And you may find that some "old school" tactics are just as viable as getting yourself in a kafuffle to try and figure out a Facebook page.

But if social media outlets are really something you want to explore, you need to get out there and experience it for a while to build some credibility in the community. Get a Twitter ID and start following people that interest you or are in your industry. Have conversations. Go set up a LinkedIn profile and spend some time answering questions that others are asking.

What you'll find is not only do you learn what people are talking about and how they're digesting new stuff, but you're earning trust and credibility which can be a hundred times more powerful than a cheesy, badly run banner ad campaign (IMHO of course).

So what lessons have you learned about blending your business and new marketing channels? Share your successes and challenges in the comments and we'll do a follow up.
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01 June 2008

Marketers: No One Believes You.

Christopher Penn, blogger and creator of the Financial Aid Podcast, has this to say on a recent post about why marketing sucks:

When companies, organizations, or individuals focus only on the short term, whether it’s quarterly results on the Street or whether you can get some action at the single’s bar tonight, the same desperation is created by short term thinking. That combined with a profit above all else mentality has turned marketing into the corporate equivalent of that guy in the bar who smells of equal parts aggression, fear, and desperation - and the target audience stays far, far away.

Yep. I can't tell you how much I cringe when someone says to me "we need to do some of that New Media" or "can you get us some marketing on the internet?" Yikes.

What's worse, Penn's point above makes me cringe even more because it echoes something more sinister.

If you're a marketer, no one believes you will use your superpowers for good rather than evil.

So how do you overcome?

Chris Brogan is a fun blogger to read, and he usually comes up with something that makes me think. His recent post talks about Personal Branding and how important and challenging it is. I think it's even more critical for those of us who purport to be in the business of helping others elevate, define, and create awarness for their brands.

I've blogged before about the fact that I believe that your brand is really created not by you, but by the people that use your product or service or seek you out in the vast online universe. Sure, we can contribute to the conversation about how we'd like to be perceived, but ultimately, someone else is going to make up their mind. If you haven't checked out the interesting Brand Tag site, it's interesting fodder for my point. If you look at the words that people choose, sure, some are super intuitive. But it's amazing how many of these "tags" are words that the companies might or might not have chosen for their brands in the first place, for better or for worse.

That didn't answer my question.

Ok, sorry. My point is that in order to really have people believe that there ARE marketing people out there (I'd like to think myself included) that are honestly, truly dedicated to the good side of this craft, we have to continue to bring people interesting, relevant, different, and compelling stuff and stories.

It's not enough to extoll the quality, value, and convenience of Bob's Buttered Biscuits, we have to dig deep, find the unique elements, and tell THOSE to people without shouting at them to pay attention. You can lead a horse to water, after all...

As a marketing person, I think it's my duty not to whore out any old product and polish turds, but rather to find the diamonds in the rough. The untold stories. The nifty, keen, funny, exciting, exhilirating ones. And to be honest, if someone or something doesn't have ANY of these qualities? Well, that's not a problem that any marketing person - no matter how much of a rockstar they are - can fix.

Are you in marketing? How do you avoid being cast as a deceitful, manipulating liar? Or do you?