Is the quest for search engine optimization making your brand “generic?”

By Steve Fodor

Is it more important for your brand to be found by search engines, or to portray your brand in a way that makes it stand out? The answer, of course, is both. But the quest for writing SEO-friendly headlines and content may be diminishing your brand’s unique position and point of view.

The foundation of successful marketing communications is telling a compelling story about your brand based on information about the consumer. It’s about understanding the emotional experience the consumer or end-user is seeking, and then crafting a story about how your brand delivers an experience that no other competing brand can match.

In today’s data-driven, online media environment, storytelling and consumer information is often interpreted as meaning “cookie data” rather than understanding and responding to the emotional experience a consumer is seeking. Copywriters and content creators are challenged with creating headlines and content comprised of SEO-powered words, often at the expense of creative storytelling.

No one knew how to tell a brand story based on emotional appeal better than advertising legend David Ogilvy, in my humble opinion. Consider some of his more exceptional brand storytelling efforts. “At 60 miles an hour, the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.” With that headline, Rolls-Royce owned the experience of “uncompromising luxury and quality” without having to pound a list of SEO-powered benefit words into the readers’ heads. The readers reach the conclusion about the brand themselves. For SEO purposes, that ad for Rolls-Royce might need to say, “Luxury cars, exceptional quality from Rolls-Royce.” That might make the message more SEO-friendly, but the story loses a lot of its appeal. Or take Dove Soap. “Darling, I’m having the most extraordinary experience” was the headline of a Dove soap ad from Ogilvy. That tells an emotionally-driven, experiential brand story in a much more interesting way than, “Germ-free, moisturizing soap for sensitive skin,” which is probably how someone would do an online search.

Some in the business of marketing content creation believe the “art” of crafting a brand message has been lost because of today’s online, data-driven media environment. The quest for search engine optimization has forced developers of marketing messages to focus on keywords and cookie data rather than creative storytelling, often portraying brands in more “generic” ways. Perhaps. But the true art of branding and storytelling is balancing creativity and consumer-based content creation with the rules of being found online. A task that’s much easier said than done. After all, if it doesn’t sell, it ain’t creative.

Advertising Creative Credit:David Ogilvy

The New Four “Ps” of Marketing

By Brad Smith

Remember from Marketing 101 the basics of the marketing craft – the Four Ps?

Product, Price, Promotion and Place (distribution)? I hope they still teach this. They’re as relevant today as they ever were.

But time marches on. Enter the age of technology and its impact on the third P. (That’s Promotion for those of you keeping score at home). With the almighty website as the hub of all things promotional, a whole new set of four Ps is taking shape.

Platforms – PC, Phone and Pad

What technologies will prospects and customers use to access your website in the future? While no one knows when, it’s pretty clear that there are two new emerging platforms that are likely to outpace the Personal Computer in the not too distant future – the Phone and the Pad.

Some reports say that over half of the Internet access will be from smart phones by 2015. Some say 2013. Some people say next year. Then there are the new pads, or tablet computers, a new space all of the major computer manufacturers are jumping into fast.

So what’s the savvy company to do? Invest now in the reconstruction of the crown jewel of their marketing ─ their website ─ to maximize visitor experience in all three major platforms. Why wait? Every visitor to your website who can’t read it on their Droid or iPhone is a lost prospect. They’ve branded you as “old” and they probably won’t be back.

For starters, make sure your site can resize for smaller screens by using “Cascading Style Sheets” (CSS) programming. Depending on the platform, the CSS will resize elements within your site and display your page accordingly. Things you want easily seen, like your navigation buttons, are automatically resized to maximize navigation legibility and functionality on all three platforms.

If your platform of choice has an “i” in front of it, as in iPad or IPhone, forget about picking up Flash technology. Reason enough not to use it on your website. Programming and code can replace much of the wow-factor of Flash (as well as some other alternatives).

There’s much more to consider (isn’t there always?). But the whole point is to prepare your marketing efforts now to work well for you for the longest time period possible.

Don’t Procrastinate. Be a Player in your industry. Envision the Possiblities that new technologies can give your company. All by all means, Profit from the new 4Ps.

Flickr Photo Credit: issyeyre

Integrated Communications Still Vital for B2B Marketers.

By Steve Fodor

Business-to-business companies are dedicating more and more marketing funds to online marketing, SEO strategies and social mediums like Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. Some in the industrial marketing sector have even coined the term “SMO” (social media optimization) which refers to the integration of social media and search engine optimization.

But even though the media landscape has changed dramatically in just a few short years, should B2B industrial companies put all or even most of their marketing efforts into just SEO or SMO strategies? There’s no doubt that investments in SEO, SMO and content development strategies will help more customers and prospects find your Web site, but consider these media usage statistics before you put all of your eggs in the online basket.

More than 50 percent of companies today are blocking access to social media in the workplace. Why? It has to do with productivity. A recent study showed that up to two hours per day per employee are lost due to social media, and 87 percent of employees said they had “no clear business reason” for using social media in the workplace.

A 2010 study from Palo Alto Networks, a network security firm, revealed that at least 88 percent of traffic on social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn comes from users simply reading their own personal pages. That’s a lot of checking to see if anyone has “liked” my latest status update.

Please don’t get me wrong here. I am all for B2B industrial marketers utilizing online video and social media marketing to develop thought leadership positioning and for raising search engine rankings. But, I also believe that the usage habits and true role of social media marketing is still being defined for B2B marketers. I still have yet to see a bona fide case study with a measureable ROI for social media marketing in the B2B space.

Social media, online marketing and content development strategies most definitely have their place in the marketing mix for B2B industrial companies. But it’s estimated that 75 to 80 percent of people find Web sites through “other” marketing mediums like print, direct mail, and personal contact (i.e. – trade shows). No matter how much things change, an integrated marketing communications strategy is still vital.

Flickr Photo Credit: ivanpw

Boosting Online Presence for B2B Marketers on a Budget.

By Steve Fodor.

I don’t pretend to know everything, but I know one thing to be true: B2B marketers today need to boost their online presence with less funds, fewer people and in an ever-increasingly cluttered online environment.

What’s the point of having invested in a Web site if it does not get found? Or if it doesn’t sell? Content development strategies continue to grow as a way for increasing SEO and telling a brand story. And it’s a great strategy, if you have the time, people and resources to do it. A recent study points out that 60% of B2B companies have no marketing staff dedicated to content development, and 24% of companies have only one person dedicated to the task.

So what to do? A colleague of mine and I were discussing this dilemma the other day. The problem we’re trying to solve is: how can we create greater online presence for a client with minimal funds and not enough resources to really implement a content development strategy? Here’s some food for thought.

Give your Web site a “call to action.” - So many Web sites are basically, well, online brochures. If I come to the site once, I’ve seen about everything there is to see. Your Web site…regardless of industry… must first and foremost sell your products or services. Call-to-action specials, sweepstakes, promotions and “new” items that are available should be seen in a big and bold way. It’s easy and relatively inexpensive to frequently feature new items and promotions with calls to action on your home page.

Better yet, create micro sites for specific promotions. – Adding micro sites to support specific product or service specials and/or new promotions puts new content out there to be found, and can be created at a fraction of the cost of a new Web site.

Expand your presence through promotion on third-party e-newsletters. – Third party e-newsletters are often overlooked when developing online media strategies. But, just about every industry has online newsletters authored by credible industry experts. They usually are opt-in (meaning people actually request the content) and present promotional opportunities at a fraction of the cost of other more “mainstream” venues. In our experience, we’ve actually seen some online newsletters perform better than established publication Web sites.

These are a few ideas a B2B marketer can do today and on a relatively small budget to boost online presence. We call making the most of available marketing funds our Industrial-Strength Marketing® approach. Having been in business since 1985 and working exclusively with B2B marketers, we know that just throwing money at a marketing problem is not always possible (or advisable). We have a few more Industrial-Strength ideas to share. If you’ve got a few, let us know.

Flickr Photo Credit:28 misguided souls

The need for content is driving marketing.

By Steve Fodor.

“The biggest challenge is the mentality shift within marketing organizations. Marketing execs are always in the mind set of selling product. But we need to think and act like magazine editors. This type of thinking and approach is new.”

That’s not a quote from me, although I agree with it 100 percent. It’s a quote from an article titled, “Content needs drive organizational changes.”

Developing content that customers and prospects are seeking has become the new lifeblood of marketing. The need for content development is the result of the changing paradigm of sales. It used to be that the media controlled information and sales took the form of “going out and hunting.” Now, marketers can control information, bypass the media and invite prospects in through SEO strategies.

Sounds, easy, right? Well, apparently not.

Over the last few months, I’ve seen, heard and read about two very BIG NEEDS in the marketing world. First is the need for tighter alignment between sales and marketing. One source cited that only eight percent of companies feel that marketing departments are in touch with customers. Second is the need for developing relevant content that meets the unmet information needs of customers and prospects. Personally, I think these two needs are really one in the same.

Developing content in the form of Web site copy, blogs, videos and white papers takes time, talent and, most of all, people dedicated to the task. Companies typically look for content development insights by monitoring key words and search phrases and through Web analytics. But, here’s another suggested method for determining the direction of your content development strategy: know thy customer. Whatever happened to good, old-fashioned field research where marketing people actually went out into the field, talked to end-users and the distribution channel and asked questions? Or (and don’t make a gasping sound here) actually interviewed field sales and customer service for content development topics? After all, sales and customer service are on the front lines. And, judging by the two biggest marketing needs I keep hearing over and over again, I would suggest it’s a sensible place to start.

We call our roll-up-your-sleeves process of getting out into the field to identify unmet information needs and then creating and delivering desired content “Sales Diagnostics.”

What’s your strategy for developing content?

Flickr Photo Credit: MatthewRad

Politics and Media.

By Steve Fodor

I’m writing this at 9:45 a.m. on April 7, 2011. Other than getting up for coffee, I haven’t left my desk.

As usual per my morning routine, I checked on some news sources via the internet. I also reviewed my professional groups on LinkedIn and a few trade publications.

This morning, I’ve come to the conclusion that politics and the changing media environment are alike. Why’s that? Because both so-called “new” and “old” marketing mediums are desperately vying for attention and legitimacy the way politicians do.

As I’m writing this, we are one day away from the federal government shutting down because of budget disagreements. I’ve seen and heard all the politicians shift blame and proclaim there is no viable solution or point of view other than “their own.”

I’ve also read the following this morning regarding marketing and media:

Traditional, interruption-based marketing is dead (pro “new” media)

Print advertising is still relevant (pro “old” media)

Spending on inbound marketing should be three times as much as outbound marketing (pro “new” media)

Nine out of 10 adults average 43 minutes reading the publication of their choice (pro “old” media)

The average budget spent on social media and company blogs has doubled from 2008 to 2011 (pro “new” media)

Can anyone provide a real case history with a real ROI on marketing via social media (pro “old” media)

It seems like the back and forth battle of “I’m right, you’re wrong” among politicians is similar to the back and forth battle for relevancy among marketing mediums. Both politicians and marketing mediums are working very hard these days to confirm their relevancy and imply that they provide the “best” solution.

Politics and media are alike. What you hear from any one of them is usually slanted and based on furthering their particular agenda. We have a two-party system in this county because there is no one “best” solution. Integrated points of view benefit society as a whole. And just as we have a two-party system to create integration, a sound marketing and media strategy is most often based on an integrated approach, as well.

Do you agree?

Flickr Photo Credit: DWallis

You’re still right, David Ogilvy.

By Steve Fodor.

I decided to go into advertising when I was introduced to David Ogilvy. Not literally introduced. I read his book, Ogilvy On Advertising, during my younger, more impressionable years.

Now, though I say David Ogilvy created quite an impression on me, I don’t really have much in common with the man. He was suave and referred to as a “gentleman with brains.” I’m, well, not referred to in that way. I don’t smoke a pipe or drive a Rolls Royce or own a chateau in France, either.

How would David Ogilvy, a man who arguably knew more about crafting and creating brand appeal than any other adman to don a grey flannel suit, fair in today’s world? Would his principles and techniques for creating “advertising that sells” persuade today’s information-intensive buyers?

Consider these two thoughts from Mr. Ogilvy…

“I run the risk of being denounced by the idiots who hold that any advertising technique which has been in use for more than two years is ipso facto obsolete.” David Ogilvy uttered this quote in 1953 when TV was changing how society lives and interacts with media. I interpret David Ogilvy as implying that it’s the message, not the medium or the communication tactics, that sell. Without a well-crafted message that connects with the audience you’re trying to persuade, the medium is, well, irrelevant.

“Body copy is seldom read by more than 10 percent of the people. But that 10 percent consists of prospects – people interested enough in what you’re selling to take the trouble to read about it. Don’t be afraid to write long copy. It actually attracts more readers than short copy.” I recently had a discussion with someone who insisted that today’s viewers of Web sites, blogs and social media don’t take the time to read long copy. This person insisted that today’s consumer will only read “short, bullet-point” text. I would contend that today’s viewers of Web sites, blogs and social media are actually seeking even more information, and long copy (provided it is of relevance to the reader) will be appreciated and read more than “bullet points” that don’t really tell a story.

Media will keep changing. How we communicate with one another will keep evolving. But we’re still in the business of trying to persuade human beings through well-crafted messages. I think you’re still right, Mr. Ogilvy.

Photo Credit: www.advertisinghalloffame.org