I have been reading a fair amount of Seth Godin's writings lately*, so naturally I have been thinking a lot about how things have changed with in the age of the Internet. One of the things that has changed, or evolved, is the common criticism that marketers used to face is that they were lousy about marketing themselves.
I think that there are many reasons for this. Primarily though, most of us are by nature shy about tooting our own horn. As marketers, we are used to putting the brand, the company, the client, and/or the CEO out front, as we stand behind them and whisper in their ear. Stepping out into the spotlight seemed inappropriate somehow.
Things have changed a bit now in this wired world of the internet with its many variations and iterations. Now it is easier than ever for us to "market ourselves" by showcasing our work. No longer does self-promotion need to be about passnig out variations of your resume. Now, via blogs or websites you can showcase the work you have done and make sure those who are interested know it was you who created it. Now, via networking sites such as LinkedIn, you can update your contacts on your achievements without having to worry about shoving a vitae in their faces. You can even have your contacts pubicly recommend you.
Make no mistake, self promotion is still extremely important. Good self promotion also still takes effort and attention. Its just that the focus can now be more on the work you do, which is something I think many of us feel more comfortable with!
* If you consider yourself a marketer and are not reading Seth Godin these days, you should probably reconsider!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
It's all about relationships
It really all comes down to relationships. Everything. I am fond of saying that everything is marketing (hence the name of this blog) and since marketing is really about developing relationships, everything really is about relationships. If you have a solid relationship with your customers, they will
- more readily believe what you say
- trust your products or services
- more easily forgive customer service gaffes or the occassional faulty product
- provide you with the holy grail of marketing - positive word-of-mouth messages
- have to spend a lot more in time and resources to get your message accross
- will be at a competitive disadvantage, even compared to unknown products and brands
- find out just how ineffective marketing can be in the absence of a connection to the customer
- risk experiencing the definition of marketing hell -- negative word-of-mouth messages
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Palin: Marketing Genius or Public Spectacle
One of the questions that arise from the barrage of media attention Sarah Palin is getting for her book, Going Rogue, is whether she is a media clown or a PR genius. Most of the political ilk would love to command the media attention that she is getting (although many from both sides of the political spectrum will tell you how they would make better use of that attention.) Meanwhile many in the general public don't know quite to make of the former governor. Nevertheless, they eagerly watch every video clip and read every news story that has her name in the headline.
I have to confess that I am of two minds on the subject of Governor Palin's publicity. Few in the public eye can generate the meda attention that Gov. Palin has, especially with virtually no specific objective other than to sell her book (and the persisitant question of whether she is auditioning for Obama's job or Oprah's?) She seems to have mastered the ability to generate the viral soundbite or videoclip. Both get passed around with fervor and passion by supporters and detracotors alike. Nevertheless, it seems to me that her media attenition has a definate half-life. Since so much of her book and the subsequent press is about past events and her response to those past events, there is little substance left for a second or third act.
Like Governor Palin, if your company or organization wants a sustainable media presence, you need a couple of things. First, like Gov. Palin, it is helpful to have some element (a reputation, a product, an event, a leader) that captures the attention of the public and (perhaps more importantly) the meida. Second, you need to have a message or a story that you share. If your story, like Gov. Palin's, is focused primarily on the past, (here's what we've done, these are the awards we've won, etc.) the attention you generate will be short-lived. However, if you focus on the future (this is what we are going to do for you, Mr. Customer) then the media "buzz" you generate will have some life to it. That is the marketing difference between Going Rogue and The Audacity of Hope. The first looks backward and the second looks forward.
I have to confess that I am of two minds on the subject of Governor Palin's publicity. Few in the public eye can generate the meda attention that Gov. Palin has, especially with virtually no specific objective other than to sell her book (and the persisitant question of whether she is auditioning for Obama's job or Oprah's?) She seems to have mastered the ability to generate the viral soundbite or videoclip. Both get passed around with fervor and passion by supporters and detracotors alike. Nevertheless, it seems to me that her media attenition has a definate half-life. Since so much of her book and the subsequent press is about past events and her response to those past events, there is little substance left for a second or third act.
Like Governor Palin, if your company or organization wants a sustainable media presence, you need a couple of things. First, like Gov. Palin, it is helpful to have some element (a reputation, a product, an event, a leader) that captures the attention of the public and (perhaps more importantly) the meida. Second, you need to have a message or a story that you share. If your story, like Gov. Palin's, is focused primarily on the past, (here's what we've done, these are the awards we've won, etc.) the attention you generate will be short-lived. However, if you focus on the future (this is what we are going to do for you, Mr. Customer) then the media "buzz" you generate will have some life to it. That is the marketing difference between Going Rogue and The Audacity of Hope. The first looks backward and the second looks forward.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
The Power of a Smile
There are few customer service tools as powerful as a smile. Smile when you are dealing with a customer and it will make a difference. I don't care if you are talking with them face-to-face, talking on the phone, or drafting an e-mail. If you are smiling, you are providing better service. It is virtually impossible to write an angry letter or e-mail if you are genuinely smiling. And if you can't genuinely smile, smile anyway. It will infect your mood too!
Have a nice day! :)
Have a nice day! :)
Friday, November 27, 2009
When 8-year-olds grow up
My wife and I recently attended one of my daughter's choral concerts at her high school. It was the first such concert of the year. The music was fantastic. But my wife and I were floored by the number of younger siblings of our children's friends were in the choir and had grown-up and no longer the 8-year olds that we remembered them as. Now they were tall, mature young adults. In our minds, they were still 8-years old because they were the last we had seen them.
The same is true for your customers and former customers. Most customers remember your company as it was when they last saw you. If you have grown, improved or changed, they won't know that know that if they last worked with you before that growth or those improvements and changes. The challenge is to stay in front of your most valuable customers and stakeholders so they know who you are today.
The same is true for your customers and former customers. Most customers remember your company as it was when they last saw you. If you have grown, improved or changed, they won't know that know that if they last worked with you before that growth or those improvements and changes. The challenge is to stay in front of your most valuable customers and stakeholders so they know who you are today.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thoughts from a weekend conference...
I participated in a panel this weekend on the value of communications professionals to a school district. Some thoughts and reflections from that experience:
- If your organization is facing a crisis and your communications team is also in crisis, they haven't done their job. A good communications professional anticipates and plans for crises. You may not be able to predict what type of crisis you will face, but you should know that eventually you will face one.
- Double or triple redundancy on technolgy all too often isn't redundant but event-saving.
- In conferences with concurrent sessions, you should remember that each member of your audience has made a choice to attend your session. Treat them with the respect they deserve by choosing to spend time with you. Give them content that is worthwhile, actionable, and practical.
- Audiences will almost always surprise you with how carefully they are listening. I have almost never faced a Q&A session where someone will ask you about some detail you mentioned 35 PowerPoint slides ago!
- Communications is something everyone can and should do. Managing communications is something few can do well.
- The best way to connect with an audience is to know your material and believe in what you are saying. The second best way is to tell jokes or show cartoons!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Ripple Effects
The woman on the call started her pitch, and I interrupted her and explained in reasonably general terms, why we wouldn't be donating.Then something happened that made this call blog worthy. She listened. She responded to what I said with kindness, interest and empathy. (What I said to her was not dramatic or tragic in any way.) While she tried gently to offer another donation option, she did it in a way that made me feel that she understood what I had just told her. She made me believe, if only for a few seconds, that I wasn't just talking to a script on the other side of the phone. She acted like, and treated me like, a human being. Isn't it interesting that that makes the call worthy of comment?
I know that because of the way she responded, I am more likely to give to that organization sooner than I would otherwise. I know that because of the way she responded, I have a more favorable impression of that organization.
Even the little things we do have ripple effects. Mind your ripples!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Reading list
I have always been frustrated when colleagues, whom I had admired previously, state importantly that "don't have time to read novels!" These people are often voracious readers of business books, business biographies, and self-help books of the 7-Habits variety.
If we consider marketing to be the art of making connections with other people, sharing information and persuading them to act as you'd like, it seems to me that you would need to know a bit about human nature.
For my two cents, there is no better way to get a handle on human nature than to pour through a well-written novel! Virtually every novel ever written has something, directly or indirectly, to do with human nature. Dickens, Walker and Irving are the cheapest (and most enjoyable) marketing consultants you can find!
Make sure a classic novel is on your reading list!
If we consider marketing to be the art of making connections with other people, sharing information and persuading them to act as you'd like, it seems to me that you would need to know a bit about human nature.
For my two cents, there is no better way to get a handle on human nature than to pour through a well-written novel! Virtually every novel ever written has something, directly or indirectly, to do with human nature. Dickens, Walker and Irving are the cheapest (and most enjoyable) marketing consultants you can find!
Make sure a classic novel is on your reading list!
Monday, August 24, 2009
A Brave New World
One of the greatest challenges of any marketing effort is to cut through the clutter of every day life and get the right message to the right prospects so that they have a chance to consider whether they care about a product or service.
In the "good ol' days" marketers could cut through the clutter by making larger media buys than anyone else. These days, with "mass market" outlets reaching less of the masses than they used to, more and more marketers are turning toward "the new media" to promote their products and services. The problem is that most of these marketers, and many of the "new media," haven't quite figured out how to turn the various Web 2.0 (or 3.0 or 4.0) venues into effective and efficient marketing options. At least if you think of them in terms of the traditional mass media.
No website is going to consistently deliver the share of national eyeballs that the major networks were able to serve up in previous decades. BUT...what the new media (and I am now officially dropping the quotes from that phrase) is excellent at, if used properly, is creating word of mouth, excitement (positive and negative) and buzz.
This requires a different kind of message. A different kind of strategy. A different kind of marketing. We are entering a brave new world of marketing. Some companies will understand that and adapt. Some will understand that and rebel. Some will not notice and will go on doing what they have been successful doing in the past. The first two types of companies will survive and have a good chance of thriving. The third type of company, in 20-30 years will be nothing more than a good story.
In the "good ol' days" marketers could cut through the clutter by making larger media buys than anyone else. These days, with "mass market" outlets reaching less of the masses than they used to, more and more marketers are turning toward "the new media" to promote their products and services. The problem is that most of these marketers, and many of the "new media," haven't quite figured out how to turn the various Web 2.0 (or 3.0 or 4.0) venues into effective and efficient marketing options. At least if you think of them in terms of the traditional mass media.
No website is going to consistently deliver the share of national eyeballs that the major networks were able to serve up in previous decades. BUT...what the new media (and I am now officially dropping the quotes from that phrase) is excellent at, if used properly, is creating word of mouth, excitement (positive and negative) and buzz.
This requires a different kind of message. A different kind of strategy. A different kind of marketing. We are entering a brave new world of marketing. Some companies will understand that and adapt. Some will understand that and rebel. Some will not notice and will go on doing what they have been successful doing in the past. The first two types of companies will survive and have a good chance of thriving. The third type of company, in 20-30 years will be nothing more than a good story.
Friday, August 21, 2009
As simple as a smile
It always surprises me the powerful impact that a genuine smile has on me. Smile! It is VERY cost effective marketing!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
no calls is not no problems
A friend of mine described a recent product launch. They geared up for a flood of customer complaints and help calls. The calls did not come and for a short while, my friend equated this with a problem-free product launch. Just because a customer is not calling you, does not mean there are no problems. It could also mean that the customer has another venue for complaints and (hopefully) problem resolution. It could mean that they are just not talking about their problems...with YOU. I can almost guarantee that if there are problems they are talking to someone.
My friend found out that customers were calling distributors, talking to front line people, or just plain not talking about the problems they were having. No calls did not mean no problems, it just meant no coordinated problem resolution!
That is why you have to do everything you can to ask and beg customers to call with problems and complaints. Actually, those customers who do that, are providing you with a great service and competitive advantage, assuming you address the complaints! I know of some companies who actually reward customers who call in with a complaint. At a hospital that I worked for, I implemented a program where we paid patients if they called us with problems while they were still in the hospital. That allowed us to address, and usually resolve the problem. The result was we were out a few bucks but had a happy patient.
In the case of customer service, silence isn't usually golden!
My friend found out that customers were calling distributors, talking to front line people, or just plain not talking about the problems they were having. No calls did not mean no problems, it just meant no coordinated problem resolution!
That is why you have to do everything you can to ask and beg customers to call with problems and complaints. Actually, those customers who do that, are providing you with a great service and competitive advantage, assuming you address the complaints! I know of some companies who actually reward customers who call in with a complaint. At a hospital that I worked for, I implemented a program where we paid patients if they called us with problems while they were still in the hospital. That allowed us to address, and usually resolve the problem. The result was we were out a few bucks but had a happy patient.
In the case of customer service, silence isn't usually golden!
Friday, August 7, 2009
The Power Cord of Marketing
Marketing with out a focus on long-term relationship building is like buying a laptop computer without a power cord. It is all wonderful and great for a little bit, but soon you end up with nothing but a very expensive paperweight!
Market for the long term!
Market for the long term!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Newspaper survey
I participated in a phone survey last night about local newspapers. It was conducted by a college student, which is one of the reasons I agreed to take the time. They survey was obviously conducted for the local daily paper in my community. While I was pleased they were gathering customer feedback and looking for ways to improve, I was struck by how the survey revealed the shortcomings of the thinking that went into designing it.
I see two mistakes that the designers of this survey made. First, while they were obviously focusing on their online presence, they seemed to be treating their website mostly as a newspaper that they don't need to print. The survey only focused on newspaper features and content that is currently in the printed version and how those features and content would translate to an electronic version. There were no questions about the value of archives, interactive stories, links to other news sources, or other features that would be unique to an Internet-based newspaper.
The second, and in my mind greater, mistake is that I was not given any opportunity to provide additional thoughts and input. What a shame to have me thinking about and focusing on their newspaper for 20 minutes (candidly more time than it takes me to read the paper in the morning) and not gather my thoughts and comments. What a shame to not to gather the unique insights I have as a reader or non-reader. What a shame to spend all that time (and money) to only go 80% of the way. All it takes is a simple question: "Do you have any other comments or thoughts?" Better yet, ask open-ended questions within the survey. The information you get is not quantifiable and can't be converted to a pretty graph, but can shed amazing insights.
Anything else?
I see two mistakes that the designers of this survey made. First, while they were obviously focusing on their online presence, they seemed to be treating their website mostly as a newspaper that they don't need to print. The survey only focused on newspaper features and content that is currently in the printed version and how those features and content would translate to an electronic version. There were no questions about the value of archives, interactive stories, links to other news sources, or other features that would be unique to an Internet-based newspaper.
The second, and in my mind greater, mistake is that I was not given any opportunity to provide additional thoughts and input. What a shame to have me thinking about and focusing on their newspaper for 20 minutes (candidly more time than it takes me to read the paper in the morning) and not gather my thoughts and comments. What a shame to not to gather the unique insights I have as a reader or non-reader. What a shame to spend all that time (and money) to only go 80% of the way. All it takes is a simple question: "Do you have any other comments or thoughts?" Better yet, ask open-ended questions within the survey. The information you get is not quantifiable and can't be converted to a pretty graph, but can shed amazing insights.
Anything else?
What is this thing called marketing?
I guess, since I have titled this blog "Everything is Marketing," I should make an attempt to define Marketing.
I prefer a very broad definition of marketing. That should be obvious from the title of this blog. In my mind, "marketing" is anything and everything that contributes to the acquisition of a product or service. This includes sales. This includes promotional messages, both overt and accidental. This includes actions and product features and company practices and market conditions that contribute to the impressions that customers and prospective customers have of the product or service. So the receptionist, the delivery guy, and the accounts payable clerk are marketers. Marketing is not just the realm of the people who write the ads and close the sales.
Marketing has a lot to do with making connections. The best marketing is long term in its focus and develops lasting relationships more than quick sales. Marketing, in the mind of this humble blogger, is a very interconnected and intertwined with virtually everything an organization does. In other words, Everything is Marketing!
I prefer a very broad definition of marketing. That should be obvious from the title of this blog. In my mind, "marketing" is anything and everything that contributes to the acquisition of a product or service. This includes sales. This includes promotional messages, both overt and accidental. This includes actions and product features and company practices and market conditions that contribute to the impressions that customers and prospective customers have of the product or service. So the receptionist, the delivery guy, and the accounts payable clerk are marketers. Marketing is not just the realm of the people who write the ads and close the sales.
Marketing has a lot to do with making connections. The best marketing is long term in its focus and develops lasting relationships more than quick sales. Marketing, in the mind of this humble blogger, is a very interconnected and intertwined with virtually everything an organization does. In other words, Everything is Marketing!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
...And away we go!
I have been reading and viewing a lot about the value of blogging lately. As far as I can divine, the value is in the discipline of forcing yourself to focus on and write something coherent about a specific subject on a regular (daily!?!) basis vs. the chance that they turn your blog into a book or a major motion picture.
So...I am going to test that theory by starting this blog on marketing. It will be bits of my thoughts and observations about marketing which really rules out nothing because, as I am fond of saying, everything IS marketing!
If I happen to gather a reader or two along the way...great. But my primary purpose is to use this tool to force myself to write for a public audience every day and to think professionally about my chosen profession.
...and away we go!
So...I am going to test that theory by starting this blog on marketing. It will be bits of my thoughts and observations about marketing which really rules out nothing because, as I am fond of saying, everything IS marketing!
If I happen to gather a reader or two along the way...great. But my primary purpose is to use this tool to force myself to write for a public audience every day and to think professionally about my chosen profession.
...and away we go!
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