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Thursday, August 27, 2009

New Mediums - Same Sound Business Practices...

I was recently consulting with a new client about digital marketing and the subject of "Twitter" came up. Now, like many clients this one really didn't understand Twitter and how it could benefit his firm until I said the following:

..."Ron, you may remember the days when you had a notebook filled with plastic sleeves that contained all your client [letters] testimonials. This notebook was probably sitting in your lobby... [he nodded in the affirmative]. Well, think of Twitter as an opportunity for your clients to write you an online/digital recommendation and have it not only work today but due to the nature of online media and search engines, have that testimonial archived for others to find who may be searching for a firm and/or service just like yours. Think of it...your recommendations are no longer limited to the scope of people that are waiting in your lobby...people can see them from around the world. Your testimonials are categorized and archived - and in many cases will become displayed as results when associated terms are searched on sites like Google and Yahoo."

All of a sudden we had a "light bulb" moment! He understood that he could, just like before, ask his satisfied clients for a testimonial, but instead of simply writing an e-mail, he could ask them to tweet about him. Same sound business practice, just a brand new medium. And please keep in mind that this is but one example...chances are if you think about it for just a few minutes you'll be able to come up with half-a-dozen or so traditional, sound, and effective business practices that will translate over to Twitter or Facebook, or LinkedIn. Give it a try and see what you come up with...you'll be surprised.
Best!
D-

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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Original iAdvertizing Launch Story Link

I don't know why this hadn't been up but today I was finally able to find our original Launch Story from the end of May. Was a nice interview by WRAL, and might be a fun look for those (both inside and outside) of the company. Ahhhhhh memories....

IAdvertizing Launch

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Monday, August 24, 2009

It's All About Being "Real"

In today's fast-paced world we're all searching for the next turn of the crank when it comes to marketing/advertising. Social Media is certainly up there in terms of a buzzworthy candidate, however, whether we're using social media, e-meetings, e-mail, telephony, etc. we need to be ultimately REAL in portraying ourselves to others! Let people see who you are...give them the electronic firm handshake, look them in the eye, convey real likes, dislikes, ambitions, motivations, etc. - really let them see who you are. If they do business for any period of time with you, your real self is going to come out anyhow. (better to let them see who you are right from the start) So, don't look at today's bevvy of indirect communication formats as a means by which to avoid or hide putting yourself out there (some people do). It's actually the perfect way to let your "real" self shine through. And ultimately that will attract the types of customers who think like you and will provide the best "fit" for your business!

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Thursday, August 20, 2009

The "Joke" Theory of Marketing

You know how you'll go to a party...you're standing around a group of people making small talk...really kind of boring, right? Suddenly someone says "I've got a joke," and everyone begins listening. They're intent on hearing something to break up the ho-hum conversations they've been having with the others. The person starts the joke, and you realize, "I've already heard this." And almost immediately, without thought you'll resume the conversation you were having before the person announced that they had a joke. If the joke had been something you hadn't heard before, you'd have been paying attention for the duration.

This is the same thing that happens with marketing messages. If you have something that people have already heard and/or is predictable they'll keep their attention elsewhere. In other words, there can be no interest without mystery. A couple of examples:

People will make time (even those that hate football) to watch the Superbowl just to see something new, funny, and creative. (Budweiser almost always gets my vote for funny creative...kudos to their creative shops)

Another would be the rise (and fall) of Reality TV. Audiences were drawn to it by the millions just by the thought of seeing something "unscripted." Then, when they came to realize that much of it was indeed scripted they began to turn away...essentially, the punchline of the joke was already a "known."

We humans need to be approached in such a way where there is a captivating story line, where there is anticipation, where there is a unique feature of the campaign that mesmerizes us.

So, as you develop your value proposition and delivery methodology don't go telling the same, predictable joke...keep the approach fresh, and keep us wanting more of your message, and subsequently whatever it is you're selling!

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Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Letters to my son...

It may sound old fashioned but I keep a journal...not just any 'ol journal, however, this one is special. It's made up of letters to my son. I began it when he was born and have kept writing until this very day. Sometimes weeks or even a month or two may go by in between letters, but when something noteworthy in my life (or his) comes along I make sure to document it and ensure that it's there for him to learn from and reflect on in later years. I mention this because I do the same thing for our company. When items come up that are of an important nature I have a specific place where I log them for future reference. None of us can be expected to remember everything and if there's one thing that's certain, specific situations and circumstances will arise time after time...why not create a reference source from which you can seek advice and wisdom for such events down the road? Simply put, it doesn't take much time and it cannot ever hurt to have additional sources from which to garner knowledge going forward!

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Thursday, August 13, 2009

The One Thing!!!

In advertising there is only ONE THING that matters and will get someone to buy your product or service. Now, before I go into what it is (and it's really simple) you need to realize that apart from this one thing, all other items that we blog about on this site are simply tools or delivery methods. Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, The Internet, Magazines, Television, Radio, etc. all delivery methods and/or tools that bow down in homage to this one thing. The one and only thing that matters in any form of advertising or marketing is ... getting the target audience to envision themselves using your product and/or service and feeling that in some way it will enhance their life. That's it...sounds really simple...and it is, in theory. That's what all these neat tools are for...to provide a means by which someone can hear about, realize, and in some way verify that what you are selling will assist in making their lives better. If you hold onto this "one thing" your advertising will be much more effective. (The term we use for this very important issue is Synaptic Marketing)

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Monday, August 10, 2009

Social Media Considering Pay 4 Play

I just ran across an article on Advertising Age that made all the sense in the world. I then copied part of it to our team in an e-mail. I do believe that what I wrote and what was written by the author in Advertising Age will come to pass...it makes all the sense in the world!

---- E-mail and article excerpt to follow ----

Hello All -
Just ran across the article below on AdAge and it looks like the business-heads are finally getting tired of the losses from YouTube. Even though owned by Google, which as we all know has a Gazillion dollars, they’re going to have to show a profit (or at least that they can reach break-even someday) sooner or later. Mark my words…Twitter will have to do the same thing…even if it’s charging .03 per Tweet. Just set up an account with them, put in $10.00 a month and have 333 tweets. With an estimated 12+ million users (and let’s say you lose ½ of them because of the Tweet Fee … $60 Million / month is far better than making nothing! It will happen!!!!!!
D-

HOW TO SAVE YOUTUBE

In May I wrote a column titled, "The Coming End of YouTube, Twitter and Facebook Socialism," about how, basically, a certain group of high-profile Web 2.0 companies obviously can't survive forever with their current strategies (of spending way more money than they take in). The column was inspired, in part, by a Silicon Alley Insider piece titled "YouTube is Doomed," by Fliqz CEO Benjamin Wayne, who riffed provocatively on a spring Credit Suisse report that put YouTube's estimated 2009 losses at nearly half a billion dollars. Jeff Bach of Stoughton, Wis., offered this comment:

"It could be that I am missing something simple, or maybe I'm a true doofus hillbilly, but at the moment I cannot see why implementing an upload fee for UGC [user-generated content] ... is such [a] bad idea for YouTube.

"a. An upload fee would give immediate revenue.

"b. An upload fee would cut down on the frivolous uploaders of cat videos and so reduce bandwidth costs.

"c. An upload fee would decrease the amount of content against which no one advertises.

"So what if their usage drops off?! If I were YouTube, I would be happy to make some amount of money off a smaller user base rather than my current half-billion loss off a huge user base. The users that go elsewhere become someone else's zero-revenue problem."
Jeff, not only are you no doofus hillbilly, you're a reasonable, logical heartlander -- from my home state of Wisconsin, no less -- who's good at math, and I love you for it. By the way, it's worth pointing out to naysayers who question the efficacy of an upload fee: A certain company called eBay had no problem at all getting huge while imposing all manner of what are, basically, upload fees.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Avoiding the Tripwires of Social Media...



While on vacation I have had the opportunity to have my Twitter account (personal) hacked by some marketing guy in Austria. Now, this in and of itself is not a rare thing. People are hacked every day on social networking and social media websites. It just goes to show that simple precautions must be taken so as to minimize any potential damage that could be done to you by such a hacker. Follow the tips below and you'll be far better off in this brave new online world:


1. Keep personal and business accounts separate.

2. Develop passwords that are very difficult for someone to figure out (the longer the better.

3. Check your accounts at least every other day and look at the posts...if you see that you have things on there that you didn't post be sure to eliminate them ASAP and change your password.

4. Don't be afraid to "delete" your account in the case of repeat hacks.

5. You might not want to put an image of yourself as the avatar on your account (esp. Twitter) for if you get hacket they not only have your username to send messages from but it's immediately then linked to you if they have control of your image.

6. Don't "follow" or "friend" just anybody on Twitter or Facebook...be selective of who you let in your "network."

7. Give out as little personal information as possible. Don't put birthdays, addresses, phone numbers, children's names, spouse's names, etc. on there. Keep the posts general, informative, and interesting, but NOT PERSONAL!

8. Watch out for your friends on these networks and have them watch out for you. (I was alerted to my hack by my business partner calling me and asking if I was at my computer because someone was sending out information under my name)

9. Use a password manager for your login information whenever possible so that people cannot log your keystrokes. (not ultimately effective, but better than nothing)

Ok, hopefully these ideas will give you a bit more of a sense of peace when Tweeting, Linking-in, or Facebooking....

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Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Don't Replace the Live Drummer with a Drum "Machine"

As I was sitting here on vacation it dawned on me that as we move headlong into the age of "digital marketing," that "creativity" is taking a back seat to technology and metrics. Whether a banner ad is blinking, partially or fully animated, swirling, etc. it's still a banner ad and it seems as thought the technology to make it dance and sing (along with the immediate tracking and desire of/for the all-important click-through) has taken the place of delivering a significantly "creative" message. When speaking to Todd (our CEO) about this yesterday AM he said, "sure, it's like all those bands out there who found that they could get by with a drum machine instead of a live drummer." The machine did a great and "predictable" job. But, with the live drummer you had a creative mind that could improvise and potentially make the song better and/or more interesting." This is what I would caution small businesses against these days...whether it's an in-house person you rely on for marketing, or an outside group, don't give up the compelling and otherwise relatable message in exchange for a simple/predictable "click through" vehicle. Now, don't get me wrong...we're ALL FOR DIGITAL MEDIA...we just believe that any banner or online ad you put together (or is put together for you) must still have a "Creative" component that the viewer will relate to and will therefore get them to view your product in relation to his or her own life. The Drum Kit is good, The Drummer is Better!

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