Specializing in social marketing and business communications training

12 insights from Seth Godin on the emotional marketing revolution

godinWant to learn from one of the best social media marketers and business leaders?

Today, best-selling author Seth Godin shared his thoughts on social media marketing, creativity, and business relationships. Godin was the guest on a webinar organized by Vocus, a provider of cloud marketing software.

Godin says the Energy, Industrial, and Mass Media revolutions have given way to the “revolution of our time, the revolution of connection.”

Here are 12 takeaways on the human connection in digital marketing:

  1. “The only asset you can build on the Internet is the connection to people. Connection, the idea that someone knows you, trusts you, and works with you, is not new. It’s 1,000 years old, but it’s new because the people marketing Burger King and Procter and Gamble in 1980 didn’t have this ability to hear back from customers.”
  2. “Highlight and cater to small groups of people who care desperately.”
  3. “Marketing and advertising are not the same things. Marketing is making a product or service that’s worth talking about it. Marketing is about telling a story that spreads and resonates with people. We need to think deeply about feelings.”
  4. “The essence of marketing today is to tell a story to people who want to hear it, in a way that resonates with them so they are likely to either respond or connect to you, or tell their friends.”
  5. “Don’t yell to the masses; whisper to a few. People will choose to talk about it. Give away your ideas. When your ideas are widespread and you are trusted, you don’t have trouble making a living.”
  6. “If you’re not ranked first, second, or third on search pages, you’re invisible.”
  7. “What products are you going to make that are worth talking about?”
  8. “Permission marketing is real permission—the privilege, not the right but the privilege—of delivering personal, anticipated, and  relevant stories to people who want to get them. Not to everyone, not by spam or exploiting your company’s privacy policies. But instead by earning one person at a time; it’s the privilege of showing up. Here’s the measure: If the recipient thinks it’s spam, then it’s spam…Here’s how you know if you have the privilege: ‘Would we miss you if you were gone?’”
  9. “The Internet takes word-of-mouth and leverages it by a factor of 1,000…every single day.”
  10. “Remarkable means worth making a remark about.  Not you making a remark because you work for the company. It’s about people making a remark because they choose to, they want to, because they can.”
  11. “We can’t sell everything to everyone. The market has fractured. Instead of radically shifting the way the media has, most companies and charities have only shifted a little. The fast-growing public or private companies who have made a huge impact in the last five years (e-Bay, Instagram, Facebook, and Amazon), are built around connecting tribes. Connecting people who share a passion and interest. All human beings want to feel like we are a part of something.”
  12. “If we expect to build connections, we have to expect to be generous. There are no secrets or shortcuts. No one wants to connect to the selfish person.”

Nos. 5 and 8 are among my favorites.

Which points can you relate to? Which ones do you need to improve?

 

(Image via)

 

10 communication things every entrepreneur must know

guitar in bar in CCIt’s been 4,745 days of being self-employed.  In April, 2001, I started my PR and communications company.   

A few years ago, my accountant, who is also self-employed, shared his definition of an entrepreneur:

“I am a self-employed individual working for a lunatic.”

As I mark this proud milestone, I have taken time to reflect on the entrepreneurial roller coaster I have ridden.

Here are 10 communication tactics every small business owner must know:

1. You must know how to sell. Too many people decide to hang their shingle out only to learn they don’t know bubkus about sales. Entrepreneurs must be diligent at developing the self-confidence, attitude,   discipline, and perseverance to ask people to hand over their hard-earned money.

 2. You must live the ‘publish or perish’ mentality. In my pre-blogging days, I wrote bylined articles for trade publications and membership newsletters. Early on, I landed a spot as a columnist for the Princeton (NJ) Business Journal. I generated content and built my credibility. My volunteer gig lasted more than two years, and ended when the paper merged with another publication.   

 3. You must be willing to speak in public. You were brave enough to launch a small business. There’s no time for being shy or nervous. Partner with a networking group to be the guest expert at a meeting, conference, or webinar. You’ll be front and center with dozens of potential prospects interested in your topic. Beats cold-calling.  

 4. You must be able to validate others.  Validation is an acknowledgement that the other person (your prospect or client) is being heard. Validation is proof that you are listening. For example:  “I can imagine that the loss of your vendor has been difficult.”  

 5. You must know how to ask for what you need.  No one expects you to know everything. That’s why there are contact lists, databases, and rolodexes filled with names of people who can provide products and services to you. Get rid of this self-induced pressure and be willing to speak up. Asking for help is a sign of a true leader.

 6. You must be able to identify your ideal customers. This is accomplished by self-communication. Ask yourself: Who do I enjoy working with? What niche am I passionate about? Who needs my expertise? Do these people have the budget or resources to pay me?

 7. You must have thick skin. People can be awfully mean. They say crap that’s not helpful or positive. Entrepreneurs are so fully vested in their own businesses that it’s hard not to take things personally. Don’t take the BS to heart.

8. You must communicate patience when educating people. Clients do business with you because you offer a valuable product or service that they want or need.  You, on the other hand, are entrenched in your niche or business and will have to slow down to educate those who don’t know all the ins and outs like you do.

 9. You must develop charisma. Charisma is that special charm or personality trait that draws people to you. Self-confidence, along with a friendly and easy demeanor, will take you a long way in business.

 10. You must be willing to reinvent yourself. Chances are you are planning to be self-employed for a long time. Businesses and people change. It’s a given. How can you effectively communicate changes in your messages and direction, without alienating people?

Cheers to the brave small business owners around the world! What have you learned along the journey?

5 (more) things every social content marketer must know how to do

In business, 2012 has been a banner year for social content and marketing. How have you fared, and where are you heading in 2013?

The Content Marketing Institute’s latest report, B2B Content Marketing: 2012 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends concludes that marketing on the major social channels grew approximately 15-20 percent as compared to 2011. 

As more of us jump on the social content bandwagon, I wanted to share some thoughts and resources that can help.

Here are five things social content marketers must know how to do:   

 1. Repurpose and reimagine your content. This means curation, updating older posts, and much, much more. 

How to build and operate a content marketing machine

Two funnels, two types of content marketing 

2. Embrace visuals.  Prospects like to see things. Remember show-and-tell in grade school? Effective online marketers know that the ‘show’ element rules.  Think beyond infographics.  Consider video testimonials and fun images. And yes, charts and graphs with hard data are part of the mix, too. 

12 ways to visualize data, without infographics

 64 Pinterest marketing tips and tactics

Photo sharing for your B2B online marketing

3.  Use keywords to create quality content for your target audience. If it’s B2B or B2C, you must have a constant handle on the trends and challenges affecting prospects and clients. If conversion rates are on your mind, the following links will come in handy.

31 easy ideas to create content your customers want

Tools and resources for keyword search  

4.  Cross promote your content. Cross channel marketing, which includes online and offline, mobile, display ads, and e-mail campaigns, ought to be the centerpiece of your strategy. Businesses and brands that use this approach on a regular basis will lead the content marketing pack in 2013. 

6 steps to a cross channel marketing plan

Report: Cross Channel Marketing in 2012

5 lessons in cross channel marketing

5. Be sticky. Malcolm Gladwell covered this in his best-selling book, The Tipping Point. What makes some websites, blogs, products, and brands explode and stay on top for the long-haul?  

Let’s get sticky!

Is your website deliciously sticky?

5 secrets of shareable content

Finally, here’s a gem from Gary Friedman of Restoration Hardware. ”Great brands don’t chase customers; customers chase great brands.” 

 

6 social tools for communicating in our new era

Have you noticed our collective world seems to be all about convenience, time, and social media? 

Based on this, I want to share a few social tech tools for efficiently communicating in our new digital era.

  1.  Headline Analyzer from the Advanced Marketing Institute -Need help writing psychologically powered headlines that compel people to read—and buy—from you?  Business communicators and sales professionals understand that buying a product, service, or idea, is based on emotions. That’s where this simple tool comes into play.

AMI explains the “emotional marketing value of a headline” on its website: “We have developed a software program which has access to our EMV impact words. The program uses special algorithms to quickly compare the words of your headline with the words from the EMV Impact list.”

What’s the importance of a high EMV rating?  “The key to communication is being able to reach the client at an emotional level. Involving them in your copy, and invoking their deeper thoughts,” states the AMI site.  “While many marketers ‘guess’ how people will react to various words and offers, we have determined a test which will give you an actual rating that you can use to judge how well-received your copy will be to others.”

2. Recitethis.com allows users to insert their own verbiage, quote, or phrase to create a personalized graphic in mere seconds. Users also have the option of pulling a quotation from the site’s library. “Turn a quote into a masterpiece” is the site’s mantra. Here’s an example: 

 

3.  Bottlenose.com  “We analyze and map the world’s attention in real-time. It’s live, visual, interactive and seriously smart.” That’s the homepage message from Bottlenose.com, a monitoring and analytics tool that’s been in beta for a while. Tech reporters say this newbie can give Google a run for its money. The $1 million in new seed funding should help. Christina Farr writes on Venturebeat.com: “Bottlenose infuses social elements into your search ‘stream’ — a term the company uses to refer to the sea of status updates and news. Search for a term on the website, and Bottlenose will surface what the world thinks, organized by relevance to you. Social search is Google’s greatest weakness…” This is a new, real-time dimension into who is paying attention to your company, brand, marketing campaigns, and competitors.

 4. Poll Everywhere- This has been around for a while, but not many communicators or speakers know about it, and use it. Poll Everywhere is an audience response tool that allows users to “gather live responses in any venue: conferences, presentations, classrooms, radio, TV, print — anywhere. And because it works internationally with texting, web, or Twitter, its simplicity and flexibility are earning reviews,” according to its website.

 5. Prezi.com seems to be the successor to PowerPoint.  With complaints about boring bullet points and excessive text, many communicators—myself included—are turning to Prezi. The tag line, “Make your presentations zoom,” helps us understand how this cloud-based software works. The analogy the company website uses is that the main point of your topic is in a graphic or image form, similar to the outside of a house. With each click and zoom, the topic is broken down into detail, or the rooms of the house.

6. Awesome Screenshot prides itself on capturing, annotating, and sharing screenshots. “Capture the whole page or any portion, annotate it with rectangles, circles, arrows, lines and text, one-click upload to share.” This can spice up your presentations, marketing materials, web pages, tutorials, and more.

Are you familiar with any or all of these? Is it time to start using them? Which nifty tech tools do you want to share with us?

 

 

5 signs that PR leaders are impacting business results

Public relations is coming into its own and the industry appears more than ready to embrace a new level of respect.

How do I know this?

Consider the following points:   

1. PR is more strategic than ever. There’s an increased understanding that a broader view of business is required in today’s marketplace. PR pros who fully grasp how their work directly impacts sales and marketing are sitting at the table with the C-suite. Messaging and money go hand-in-hand. 

2. PR pros are communicating like project managers. We are tracking the minutiae in our assignments. We are in constant communication with team members. Our work is completed on time and under budget. That’s because we can course correct in the midst of a project instead of running out of time and resources. We’re using online spreadsheets, graphics, and images to track progress, next steps, and metrics. Communicators are getting better at this thing called communication.

3. PR pros—the good ones, anyway—are buying into the vision. These are the passionate ones; the folks who are curious and courageous. Those who lack passion, including managers, are crap magnets that are blind to the company vision. Passionate PR pros understand the work that needs to get done every day to achieve more and compete in a fierce market. They surround themselves with like-minded people, leaving no room for the mediocre.   

4. PR pros are well-versed in more than just one language.  The smart ones are able to speak to their clients in their own industry language. Whether it’s Software-as-a-Service, designer jewelry, healthcare, or aerospace engineering, PR stars shine brightest when they can hold their own and engage with niche clients.  These PR leaders exude the confidence and knowledge to not only be invited to sit at the proverbial table, but to actually offer ideas and insights as a valued member of the team. Courtesy seats with the C-suite rarely exist.  

5. PR pros recognize what is required to service business-to-business clients. Delving into the needs of the customer’s customer helps solidify B2B relationships. Creativity and projects move to deeper levels and vertical markets, which has customers coming back, and offering referrals. It’s simple.  You get it.    

Business and motivational speaker Denis Waitley said: ”Your success depends on how well you think. You are not paid to collect, sort, store or retrieve information, although you do these things every day. You are paid to interpret that information and create and implement new ideas.”

As we head into the last quarter of 2012, it’s clear that PR means business. Would you agree?

 

5 secrets to relationship-based selling online

Communicating online isn’t about technology. It’s about tapping into technology to connect with human beings.

With all the typing and tablets — and the absence of seeing a human face — it’s easy to forget that your online credibility is directly linked to relationship-based selling.

Don’t think numbers, think people.

Relationship-based selling is about helping people and organizations solve their business problems without the hard sales push that all of us loathe. It’s about truly putting the needs of others before your own.

This is the secret to building credibility in your social media circles. The digital landscape is vast, yet there is no room for selfish.

Yes, you have a mortgage to pay. Yes, your car needs an unexpected repair. Yes, your kids need new sneakers.

But when you’re able to put these challenges aside and not be driven by your own drama, you will come from a place of service and gratitude.  Conversely, when you chase numbers, you almost always fall short.

Remember that desperation is very unappealing in business.

How do you let followers, friends, and connections know that you care deeply about their success?

Consider these five social media tips to build your credibility and relationships

1. Listen to the conversations. Don’t throw yourself into an online chat or dialogue until you have a sense of the players and personalities. The benefits of this are two-fold. First, you will determine if this particular forum is appropriate and hits your target audience. Second, you will gain insights about the players and their interests, areas of expertise, and work.  When you do your homework, your posts, tweets and content clearly show readers that you “get it.”

2. Stay up-to-date. Pay attention to industry twists, turns and trends. By keeping your finger on the pulse of the HR and recruiting industries, you will quickly discover the hot topics and issues your prospects are paying attention to. To save time, subscribe to e-newsletters, RSS feeds, and Google Alerts that filter important information from the Web.        

3. Focus on solutions. Write for the reader and forget the sales pitch. It’s easy to outline problems, but people are looking for answers. Be willing to offer your knowledge without the expectation of receiving anything back. Your day will come. That’s the way the universe works.

4. Share good information from other people.  Forget ulterior motives. The content you provide can — and should — come from other people and sources. Your generosity will be noticed — and appreciated. This also takes the pressure off of you to be the sole creator of content.  To ensure your credibility is being boosted, check the link and content for accuracy before sharing.   

5. Be a guest. Offer to be a guest blogger on a popular website. Offer to be the guest expert on a Twitter chat or webinar. Put yourself out there with the single goal of openly sharing your expertise and insights.

When you position yourself as a credible expert in your field, people will want to buy from you. You won’t have to sell anything.

 

New jobs as Chief Digital Officers emerging

What do Gannett, New York City and Columbia University have in common? 

Each has a Chief Digital Officer, or CDO, to bring together strategic business practices, technology, skilled leadership and internal and external communications. Most CDOs can be found inside of media companies, sitting just a seat or two away from the CEO.

Two years ago, there were lively conversations that CDOs were those who didn’t get the coveted title of President. Others maintained organizations that supported the CDO position were advocating for silos, the curse in marketing and communications. Today, demand for CDOs is outpacing supply.  

A complex blend of talent and leadership

Chief Digital Officers are not self-described social media gurus or community managers. CDOs have competencies in the convergence of technology, business, boards, and organizational development. 

“Business strategies now must be seamlessly interwoven with ever-expanding digital strategies that address not only the web but also mobile, social, local and whatever innovation there may be around the corner,” write Rhys Grossman and Jana Rich of Russell Reynolds Associates, a global executive search firm. In their article titled, The Rise of the Chief Digital Officer, Grossman and Rich state: ”To help meet these challenges, companies are increasingly looking for a Chief Digital Officer who can oversee the full range of digital strategies and drive change across the organization.”

To lead a business through a technological transformation is no easy task. CDOs are innovators despite internal skeptics who whisper and rant about the pitfalls of social media.  

CDOs must have the following five competencies: 

1. They must be comfortable as a possible successor to the CEO. CDOs must be able to lead a global culture and drive an online presence. He or she must be experienced in business operations, management and recruiting and retaining top talent. A CDO is a visionary, especially in our technology-based world.  

2. They must act as agents of change and grasp the underlying psychology of consensus-building and conflict resolution.   

3. They must have Board experience and solid communication skills. After all, they are the conduit between stakeholders and the C-suite.

4.  They must know how to set sound business strategies have seasoned project managers to implement them.

5. They must possess deep knowledge of technology, e-commerce, consumer behavior, and social media. This is especially important for media organizations, as CDOs are often charged with transforming analog to digital. 

Where is this person?

You may be wondering: Does such a person exist? Where do organizations find one individual who encompasses this blend of talent? 

And if you work in PR, marketing or communications, you may be curious if you have what it takes to be a Chief Digital Officer. 

Grossman and Rich maintain that people considering CDO positions “may be reluctant to join established organizations, viewing them as old fashioned.” The co-authors note that “many candidates come from cutting-edge, entrepreneurial organizations.”

Here’s another solid point that Grossman and Rich offer. ”Companies … have to move very quickly when they find and meet talent that has potential. The current state of supply and demand almost guarantees that other opportunities will be available to talented candidates.”

The bottom line about the evolving role of CDOs brings us to the real bottom line in business. Chief Digital Officers are leading new revenue streams through digital channels that can leave many people and employees feeling uneasy. 

If the CDO is unable to succeed in brand management, e-commerce, transactions, and customer engagement efforts, his or her organization can be faced with a financial disaster.

 

The Real Secret to Business Growth and Making More Money

writingYesterday in Part One of my interview with Nametag Scott, he shared insights on creating a “reservoir full of ideas that never run dry.”  Today in Part Two, Scott says when trying to drum up new ideas, products and services, the “build it and they’ll come” model doesn’t work.

“It’s easy to get caught up in this idea of ‘if you build it they will come’.”  That’s a lie. I would substitute, ‘if you write it they will come.” Everything I’ve done in my business is because I have written something. Every dollar I have made is because I wrote something and someone read it, and they found me. So my philosophy is if you write it they will come. Now obviously you have to write it well and it has to be written in a way that evokes a response. There are certain things that increase probability. The secret is you can’t make people come to you, can’t make customers buy, and you can’t make people talk about you. If you want to spread the word, build remarkability into your product from the beginning.”

Scott and I also talked about how to attract new business. He says this is not about selling.

“Ultimately selling isn’t selling; it’s solving. It’s positioning yourself as the answer and solving pervasive, expensive, urgent, and relevant problems for your customer. The secret is to position yourself as the problem-solver. You look the customer in the eye and ask,  ’Is it of value to solve this problem for you?’ and they say ‘well yes of course I’d love to solve my problem’ …and you respond ‘well great, I’m the answer…sign here.’’

Thank you Scott for reminding us that being a problem-solver and not a salesman will pay longterm dividends.


(Photo Credit: churl)

5 Ways to Move From Bland to Brand

spicesBland. Dull. Sleeping Pill.

Is that what your message, company, and website represent? Why do some business brands fall flat while others are over the edge exciting, compelling, and intriguing?  Don’t you want to be considered exciting, compelling, and intriguing? Don’t you want to create an identity that draws in consumers and prospects? What are you communicating?

The charisma contained in your marketing material directly impacts your bottom line. It’s time to move away from bland, and build your brand.

Think about what we do when eating a meal. Do you automatically add salt and pepper without tasting the food, expecting that it will need more flavor? Do you anticipate bland? Or do you taste the food first and then add something to spice it?

Here are 5 tips to help you create a “brand buzz” in the marketplace:

1. Look at the first few sentences of your website, blog (if you have one) and marketing material. Would you describe the initial message and visuals as relevant, creative, and forward-thinking? If you worked with a focus group five years ago, you’re long overdue for a branding and marketing facelift. If you’re too entrenched in this, hire a consultant. It’s that important.

2. Consider the colors, layout and design. Are the graphics and visuals effective, stimulating, and congruent with your written words? What would draw people to your site and content? Does your material reflect positive energy? In our “crazy busy” world, it’s a race against the clock for you to quickly grab someone’s attention and keep their interest. Bland pushes people away–in droves.

3. Identify the writing style and language. If it’s all about your company, your history, and your experience, then it’s bland. People visiting your site don’t give a rat’s ass about where you went to school or your stuffy mission statement. That’s bland and boring because they don’t care about you—they care about themselves. Position yourself as a business that focuses on being the solution to your customers. It’s all about them- their needs, challenges, issues, and success. If you don’t believe me, look at Zappos and Nordstrom.

4. Stay current. We’re moving at warp speed. A blog post that’s dated three weeks ago is bland. An article or press release that was printed in 2007 belongs in the Smithsonian. Build your brand by staying on the cutting edge of your industry and trends. Be sharp and bold.  Brand yourself as a leader in your field. Become the “go-to guy”. That’s not bland.

5. Create and know your brand personality. What mental images and perceptions are conjured up when someone sees your logo, tagline or company name? Does it inspire, bring a smile, a sense of comfort? Does your message generate excitement? Or is there confusion over acronyms, mixed messages and your own identity crisis? Clarity is critical.

You don’t have to be in the travel industry to build a buzz that’s attractive and engaging. Funeral homes also have to effectively brand themselves to welcome prospects into their pipeline. What kind of first impression and experience are you offering to the public?

Successful brands distinguish value and build loyalty. Have you built bland—or brand?


(Photo Credit: almostbunnies)

The 3 P’s For Publicity and PR Success

I’ll share the 3 P’s you need to get publicity for your organization. Here’s the video segment. 

By the way, I hope you’ve taken advantage of my free 21-day video series “Speaking of Communication.” For instant access, click here http://www.getinfrontcommunications.com/