MarketUP: Marketing & PR Services

Some of the most interesting, observant and intelligent people I know are Bloggers (if I can use that term rather loosely). What I mean by that is they are individuals with thoughts, opinions and information to share - and they use an online platfom to publish on a fairly regular basis.

I won't go into a history of 'Blog' or blogging - only to add that it's come a long way both technically and stylistically from the early 'web log' format. Whatever publishing platform chosen: Blogger, WordPress, Typepad, Tumblr, or even Joomla or Drupal - we can now create sophisticated blogging websites, using design templates, widgets and plug-ins. There is little or nothing to distinguish blogs from corporate websites.

So anyone with time to write and something to say can publish day or night and compete with some of the 'big cheese' bloggers who've grown brands or businesses from their online writing: Xeni Jardin of Boing Boing fame, Jason Kottke, Perez Hilton, Jason Chen aka Gizmodo, Chris Brogan - to name a few.

And perhaps most famously, Arianna Huffington who turned her Huffington Post blog aggregator into a publishing empire, hired hundreds of other bloggers - famous and not so famous - and then sold it to AOL, all the while becoming a global communications guru in just six years!

These are the examples brought up at conferences, by online consultants, in self-published e-books on how to make money blogging. Blogging as a business. Getting paid to express yourself. Even my teenage daughter writes a respectable blog and dreams of a career as a writer. Nothing wrong with that!

But there is another kind of blog: one that is an extension of a business, that is about something other than blogging or social networks or how to get more from Twitter. Blogs published by folks who were already in business - marketing, PR, advertising, business development or entrepreneurs - who write about their expertise in a particular area: venture capitalist turned writer Guy Kawasaki, entrepreneur-author-permission marketing guru Seth Godin, Robert the 'Scobleizer' (via Microsoft), advertising and PR expert Danny Brown, lawyer cum business owner-writer-speaker Jonathan Fields, Amber Naslund, Shelly Kramer... the list goes on.

Where do you spend your energy? Are you trying to figure out 'How to Monetize Your Blog' - or do you use your blog to monetize your business?

--Donna

Blogging for business

Photo credit: Business Week

I'm going to stop apologizing. While I had every intention of being more self-disciplined about my own Blog contributions - life, and clients, just keep jumping in front of my intentions.

Now a couple months have again passed since the last post, and it seems impossible to me that May 26th turned into August 7th - but there's the reality. Family, friends and co-workers can attest to the more-than-usual hectic schedule plus a couple of unforeseen events that contributed to this time lapse. But in the end it is about me and my choices: where do I choose to focus my energy every day? The answer is clearly, "On client deliverables".

I'm lucky that client work is above normal for this time of year and I'm even luckier to be working with the calibre of clients we have! In fact, we are so swamped that I've finally been able to realize a long-hoped for collaboration with @KnealeMann; albeit a tiny one to start, but which I fully anticipate will grow and flourish. Having conversations with Kneale is like getting an injection of Red Bull intravenously. He's FULL of ideas and creative solutions to business challenges! I need to drink a full pot of coffee before picking up the phone to speak with him. (Peace, Kneale - you're great).

In the midst of all this controlled mayhem I did make the choice to escape for a much-needed vacation with my equally-driven husband to a beautiful Caribbean island. Great decision! Best recharging trip ever - I highly reommend this kind of action to everyone.

So here I sit on a Sunday (late) morning...still drinking part of that pot of coffee...and feel the writing bug hit me. Yes, I do in fact have some "client work" that needs to get finished, and I will be doing that a little later. But for the moment it's peaceful, I can think, I can share, and I'm moitivated enough to do so.

Not that I don't secretly wish I was still sitting on a beach terrace on an island...no apologies.

--Donna

I just read one of the many informational email newsletters I subscribe to (in the vain attempt to keep up with what’s new and useful) - and was struck by the “negative” title: “What customer strategy is not”.

While that statement is certainly poorly worded, what bothered me more was that it really did only give a list of “It’s not just...” That list happened to be a number of discreet tactics, like ‘personalized email’ or ‘new sales training’ or the big buzz phrase ‘(audience) segmentation’. And instead of identifying these list items as TACTICS, the writer asked for submissions of definitions of good customer strategy.

HINT: Good customer strategy would be something that applies to your business, your products/services and the PEOPLE (also referred to as CLIENTS or CUSTOMERS) who need them. It falls on everyone’s shoulders, far beyond marketing or tools like CRM. It might seem impossible, but companies have been able to develop customer strategies and build enormously successful businesses ages before there was any such thing as CRM databases or the social media.

Historical reference: the Dutch developed a strategy in 1602 to gain control of the lucrative spice trade, which involved forming the Dutch East India Company (the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, VOC), an association of merchants meant to reduce competition, share risk and realise economies of scale. This gave them control over a market that was highly desirable, and guaranteed a great relationship with their customers - since they could provide what was wanted and valued. Shocking - I know.

It’s not uncommon for organizations to mix up strategy and tactics. I recall painful sessions of business planning at one company where it was very difficult to get across the idea that what was needed was a better overall customer relationship strategy, which included communications and an efficient means to deliver them. That of course required an updated CRM database, a DB manager, email templates, editorial schedule of content and many other tactics that all had to be planned and executed. But they were only a means to an end: customer loyalty and retention = business (sales).

Seems a little obvious, doesn’t it?

--Donna

(Originally published in 2008 - and still relevant)

Image source: Illustration from the catalougue of P.Cos printed in 1637 in the Netherlands. Available online at library.wur.nl from Wageningen Digital Library. Use permitted with acknowledgement.

Around 4 am nearly every morning, I have the (dis)pleasure of being awakened by a hopelessly enthusiastic trilling bird. It’s not that the bird is not there every morning - or at least I assume it’s always there - but sometimes I sleep through it. But that’s not the real point of this blog. Communications and timing is the point. The bird has particularly bad timing, though he/she is definitely consistent. And since I was awake, it made me start thinking about communications methods and timing, and suddenly Goldilocks popped into my head.

Yes, it is a stretch, but not that big of one. If I had a little more time and creativity, I’d like to write my own modern day fable because they have such a tidy way of delivering the moral of the story. But for now, I’ll borrow a familiar one.

Goldilocks boils down to ‘too much, too little or just right’. Oh yes, and not intruding where you’re not invited. Marketing has the same issues. How do you go where you have not been asked in? And are you providing information too often, not often enough or just in time? Is it too hot - too cold - or just right? Too big - too small, too hard - too soft. You certainly remember the tale.

When we were frustrated as kids, we often shouted intended insults at each other to try to label someone 'not as good as us'. 'Liar!' - when we didn't want to believe something. 'Cheater!' - when we weren't winning, and clearly we couldn't be fairly losing. 'Stupid!' - when we felt inferior and needed a boost over an intellectual superior (or we were just plain mean).

I'm stuck. A long-standing client has tasked us with redesigning their website. Actually, as their marketing consultant of record, it's part of our overall strategy that ties to their business goals, brand stewardship, and a new product launch. Suffice it to say, we were all in agreement it was past time to re-think some messages.

As a result of reading a post by Kneale Mann on his Facebook page, I was already looking into the details of SOBCON2010 - to find a way to work it into my calendar. Then while checking the various details of location, agenda, timing, etc. - I discovered the challenge/offer from @LizStrauss and Terry @Starbucker to write a blog about someone who's made a difference in my life/business, and get a discount on the registration.

Survival Seed Bank - "$149 Until We Run Out"

Ok, it started out as curiosity after Stephen Colbert did another brilliant "Report" on something that sounded too crazy to be true. Turned out it's absolutely true! Sites are selling - and hyping - 'Non-hybrid survival seeds', with which to plant a 'Full Acre Crisis Garden'.

Several different articles - and conversations - converged in my brain this morning. It just took about 17 hours for me to get some thinking time for expression.

It started with the piece: Why Flattery is Effective - Research - Harvard Business Review. Definitely worth the read. The gist of it is - we all like compliments. They motivate us. Duh. Let me think, would I rather hear 'your hair style makes you look matronly... your suit is drab...you were too blunt and pushy in the meeting...your report had no conclusion... you bored the audience to death...OR, would I rather someone told me 'your hair is lovely/shiny today...your blouse is such a cheerful color...that was terrific diplomacy in a tough meeting...your report supplied important data...you really engaged the audience.' Hmmmm. Let me give that a NANO SECOND (or less) of thought.

I promised myself starting March 1st I'd be more self-disciplined and write something in my blog - EVERY DAY.

Well, today is March 11th and I missed days 1-10.