Archive for the ‘branding’ Category

I’ve found as a blogger sometimes when I let something swim around in my head for a while, all the pieces I need to make a point or share my thoughts seem to come together like a puzzle. I’ve been pondering this post since early September, but yesterday and today it finally solidified (for me anyway).

I have said more than a few times that I am not a fan of the term “Social Media Marketing.” Maybe it’s just semantics. Maybe I am just being staunch in applying the marketing and communications definitions and principals that I learned long ago and have implemented for ages.

Here’s the reason why the term social media marketing is not working for me: social media is about sharing and discussing information. It’s communications, not marketing. And yes, of course, companies can indirectly market themselves through communications; we’ve been doing it for eons (at least one-way). But a good communicator does not always make a good marketer nor does a good marketer always make a good communicator. They are two different disciplines.

After all these months, what is cementing this notion for me? Well, for one it was the comment that Eric Brown (@eric_urbane) left yesterday. He, and rightly so, is very upset about ‘social media marketers’ not delivering. Eric commented:

“… Social Media 101 tells us, as business owners we need to be transparent, we need to participate in the conversation and allow what we do right and do wrong to hang out there on rating sites, blogs, and forums for the whole world to evaluate, yet very few Social Media consultants or agencies are willing or have done the same, at least I don’t think so. So, after running around in my underwear for the last three years while practicing Social Media for all to see, I would like to see the same from the Social Media firm or consultant I am contemplating to hire.” He goes on to comment “…our small business paid out a lot of money to folks who didn’t know what they were doing, but claimed to. I see this forthcoming as a huge issue in our industry, and think a lot of money will be spent on the carpetbagger side of the fence, giving this Social Media space a black eye.”

The issue at hand, as I see it, is that a lot of people are adding Social Media Marketing as part of their service offerings, but they haven’t spent a day doing the marketing part and because of that they struggle with implementing social media as part of an overall marketing strategy. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t consider a company being advised to set up a LinkedIn or Facebook group or to have a Twitter account marketing (and in some cases, it’s not social media either). There’s much more to marketing (like product, distribution, pricing).

The second thing was this video from Ogilvy PR Worldwide that I came across today (via Shel Holtz/Social Media Today):

Yes, I know. The video is about PR, not marketing (or is it?). But, last time I checked, PR fell under the ‘P’ in marketing that is ‘Promotion.’ Shel also included a link to John Bell’s (Ogilvy) post on The 13 Skills of the Public Relations Pro of the Future, which includes a link to a post discussing how PR folks need to understand Creating Integrated Marketing and Communications Strategy. (Integrated marketing communications [IMC] was introduced in the late 90s by Don Schultz, Clarke L. Caywood, et al–it’s not a new concept. It may be new to some or it could be, in some cases, that social media is finally forcing the implementation of it).

John writes:

“The walls between marketing and communications are dissolving. A new marcom organizational standard is already appearing where multiple disciplines, most notably public relations and advertising are rolling up to the same leader inside brands.”

Really. Huh. Really? I guess I am fortunate enough to have always had marketing (including product development/management/branding), communications and PR in one department (very small and very large companies). That said, I have heard from marketing friends who work for large companies and agencies that the brand managers don’t always report into marketing and that PR sometimes reports into the CEO, or horror…HR. No doubt these types of reporting structures always present communications challenges.

I am not beating up on Ogilvy or John Bell…not at all. It’s a great series that John has and given my recent rant about the PR industry, I think A LOT of PR folks need to listen to what John has to say.  But, what all of this says to me is that this mashup of social media, communications (advertising, PR, WOM) and marketing is going to cause a lot of issues and people like Eric Brown (and his budget) will experience the brunt of it.

Why? Because the mashup will allow for people to offer services like Social Media Marketing or PR Communications or Marketing Relations or… (really, you don’t want me to go on right?) without having a firm grasp on any of the disciplines that they are trying to deliver or implement.

Trust me, I agree with John, the walls need to come down and the need for two-way communications is forcing a sledge hammer through the walls.

But at what cost?

Here’s your chance!

• What: Solutions Stars Video Conference
• When: October 29, 2008
• Time: 1pm until approximately 3:30pm (EST)

If you have a few hours to spare, you should really consider giving this free (yep! FREE!) on-line conference some time. The line up of speakers can only guarantee that you’ll walk away with some great advice!

There will be nine content areas featuring vignettes of the Solutions Stars. Topics include:

• Building Web Presence
• The Social Opportunity
• Start with Listening
• Strategy Drives Outreach
• You Need Social Networks
• To Blog or Not to Blog
• Visibility Through Search
• Rising Above the Noise
• Time Demands

While the videos are streaming, you’ll be able to chat online with Network Solutions’ Social Media Swami Shashi Bellamkonda and my friend and the author of Now Is Gone, Geoff Livingston. Or, you can always participate in a live public chat.

Video participants include:

• Tim Ferriss, Best Selling Author of Four Hour Work Week
• Guy Kawasaki, Co-Founder, All-Top
• Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos
• Darren Rowse, Author, ProBlogger
• Chris Brogan, Vice President of Strategy, CrossTech Media
• Rohit Bhargava, Author of Personality Not Included
• Wendy Piersall, CEO of Sparkplugging.com
• Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger, Dell
• Brian Solis, Author of PR 2.0, CEO of FutureWorks (FutureWorks)
• Steve Hall, Publisher and Editor of Ad Rants
• Scott Monty, Global Digital and Multimedia Communications Manager, Ford Motor Company
• Liz Strauss, Social Web Strategist, Successful Blog
• Toby Bloomberg, CEO, Bloomberg Marketing
• Lee Odden, CEO of TopRankMarketing.com
• Jason Billingsly, Co-Founder ElasticPath
• Robyn Tippins, Community Manager, Yahoo! Developer Network
• Brett Tabke, CEO of WebMaster World
• David Alston, Vice President of Marketing, Radian6
• Jason Falls, Blogger, Social Media Explorer
• Mari Smith, Relationship Marketing Specialist
• Jennifer Openshaw, president of WeSeed.com
• Matt Dickman, Vice President, Digital Marketing, Fleishman-Hillard
• David Berkowitz, Director of Emerging Media and Client Strategy, 360i
• Ryan Anderson, Community Relations, Overlay.TV
• Becky McCray, Author, SmallBizSurvival.com
• Warren Whitlock, Book Marketing Strategist, BestSellerAuthors.com
• Chris Baggott, CEO of Compendium Software
• Lorelle VanFossen, Author, Blogging Tips: What Bloggers Won’t Tell You About Blogging
• Dave Taylor, Head Strategic Marketing Director, Intuitive Systems
• Paul Chaney, President of International Blogging and New Media Association
• Linda Bustos, Blogger, ElasticPath
• Jay Berkowitz, Author , Podcaster, and Keynote Speaker, Ten Golden Rules

I wouldn’t miss this line-up for the world, won’t you join me?

Just click on the Solutions Stars link to get more information and access the conference on October 29. Need a calendar or Facebook reminder, well you have those options too!

First, I want to thank everyone for such a great conversation with my post “Who are you? And why should I follow you?” Looks like I wasn’t the only that gets either amused or frustrated by what is experienced on social networks.

Not having any guidelines to follow when I first started on joining social networks, I learned the below etiquette from people experienced in social media who guided me and from continuing to follow just good, common sense off-line business etiquette.

If Emily Post and Miss Manners were involved in all these social networking sites with us, I wonder if they would agree with the below etiquette tips…and what we’d learn from them.

People use social networks for different reasons and this is my personal etiquette list. Feel to let me know if you think this is an appropriate list, what you’d add, what you’d question and what you’d change.

Be real
This seems simple, right? Be who you are, let your personality shine through. But, the funny thing about being on-line is that the first reaction is to hide behind monikers, avatars, etc. And with the stellar security of the Internet, who wouldn’t consider it? It takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there…findable, in public, permanently. As well, there have been more than enough posts on personal brand management to make those in the corporate world leery of being real on-line, which is also understandable. However, the more real you are, the more people will trust your presence. If you are engaging in social networks to personally or professionally network or engage with potentials customers or clients, the benefit of being real outweighs not doing so.

Be nice
This one is simple. Just be nice. Most people are inherently nice and if they aren’t being nice to you, well you can just unfollow/unfriend them. It’s not worth getting into snark wars…remember you are on-line and your comments are public (unless you choose for them not to be) and permanent. As well, comments found outside the context in which they were made can be misunderstood and misconstrued. So before engaging someone, even if they are attaching you, ask yourself, “is it worth it?” Most likely, it’s not.

Be respectful
We might not always agree with how people use social networks, what they say, how they handle themselves or what they share. But we should always be respectful of each other.

Listen then talk
When joining a social network, sometimes it helps to sit back, listen and learn. All networks have a culture and it makes sense to understand the culture before you dive in. The good thing is because you pick and choose who you follow/friend, you already have a sense of what the culture will be and how to join in-at the right time.

Give then take
Provide value to your community; let them know they can count on you for good information, genuine conversation, insights, sharing, fun, humor, etc.  Once you have earned their trust and respect, and then ask for what you need. Handle on-line relationships just like you would with new off-line friends, business acquaintances, etc.

Try to be consistent
When you join a social network, people get used to your presence. When you aren’t there it’s obvious. Everyone gets busy and social networks can be time consuming. Before you join a bunch of them, make sure you have the time to be involved.

Apologize when you make a mistake
We all make mistakes. If you state something publically that is wrong, admit to the mistake and move on to something else.

Say thank you
If someone spreads information you have shared, posts a comment on your blog, refers you, adds you to their blog roll, etc., say thank you. Let people know that you appreciate their time to do so.

Don’t broadcast
You can tell the broadcasters a mile away. They use social networks to broadcast about their companies, their posts, their daily activities. They never interact or respond back or interact. Conversation is key to social media and broadcasting, in my opinion, is just traditional one-way marketing using on-line tools.

Don’t stalk
Everyone gets excited about joining social networks. But, it’s a little bit aggressive to track down someone in every social network they belong to and follow/friend them. Take the time to get to know the person and then follow them where it makes sense.

It’s not a numbers game
The benefit of social media and social networking tools are the connections, conversations and engagements they provide. How can you really connect with 5,000 followers/friends? I would think it would be a challenge.

Don’t publicly or privately unfollow/unfriend
If there is someone in your social network that you no longer want to follow/friend, just quietly unfollow/unfriend them. It’s okay. And it happens all the time. It is natural that you may find there are people who just don’t work for you. What’s the point of embarrassing the person by publicly unfollowing/unfriending them?

Below are some insights from other social media folks. If you have any links to share, please do! We are all still learning.

• Considering Social Network Etiquette
• Etiquette in the Age of Social Media
• Etiquette For A Social Media World
• Miss Manners We Need You
• Rob’s Rules of Social Media Etiquette
• OMG! I’m adding followers faster on FF than I did on Twitter! Amazing!

[Photo: iStock]

Recently, Brian Solis kicked off his “The Socialization of Your Personal Brand” with this statement:

“…Practically everything we create and share online is open to public discovery, interpretation, and feedback—positive, neutral and negative.”

People can be very passionate about their politics and what they believe in is a major part of their personal lives. But when does a person’s politics start to affect their professional brand? 

Yesterday on Twitter there was a stream of outpouring against the nominated Vice President candidate Sarah Palin (“Little Known Fact”). Most of it was fictitious, but some verged on slander.

So as marketers (if you are marketing your company, business or non-profit include yourself) how does participating in politics on Twitter affect your personal brand, which in turn can affect your or your company’s professional brand?

As Brian Solis points out:

“…basically everything you contribute to the Social Web shapes and contributes to your personal brand and how people will most likely perceive it. Hopefully in most cases, it can promote and showcase your expertise, and sometimes, what’s representative online can and will be used against you.”

Regardless of your politics, keep in mind that months or years from now a potential hiring company, client or donator could find your political tweets—separated from the pack—only to be misunderstood or misinterpreted as a standalone, singular comment.

As marketers we know the rule of thumb: Perception is reality. We also know that we can’t control our brands—personal or professional—we can only manage them.

Are your political beliefs so strong that you would be willing to lose a potential marketing job offer, a large corporate client or donation that is desperately needed because of differing political views?

[Photo: iStock]

In the July/August issue of the AMA’s Marketing Management magazine there is an interesting article, “Wooing Luxury Customers,” by Suzanne Hader (Principal, 400twin). Suzanne covers a lot of great points such as what is luxury, what defines wealth, and what shapes luxury habits and how luxury brand customers look for a rich, emotional experience and great service rather than being ‘sold’ to.Not being a luxury brand marketer, I went on the hunt for other articles about luxury brand marketing and came across a few older items such as an article in Chief Marketer, a keynote on Luxury Branding Marketing and a scholarly article.

In reading all of these pieces, the one thing I consistently noticed is that the luxury brand marketing advice, for the most part, focuses on traditional marketing and branding—talking to the customer and creating an experience for the customer.

• The BMW Forum
  (Members: 183,864, Threads: 978,328, Posts: 13,296,986)
  
• The Fashion Spot
  (Members: 66,746, Threads: 45,987, Posts: 4,529,436)
  
• The Mercedes Forum
  (Members: 33,931 , Posts: 105,042, Topics: 31,073)
  
• The Purse Forum
  (Members: 128,573, Threads: 299,826, Posts: 7,153,120)
  
• The Rolex Forum
  (Members: 14,970, Threads: 44,550, Posts: 685,615)

• international
• influential and persuasive
• passionate and loyal
• purchasers that range from extremely wealthy to average income
• brand experts that help to educate non-experts
• developing on-line friendships that lead to off-line meetings
• vocal about price, features and quality
• discussing off-line sales/service experiences and are relaying them on-line

[Photo: iStock]