It’s the Message, Not the Media. (Don’t Let Social Media Take Undue Credit)

by Brad Smith

Recent headline: “Egyptian Revolution takes just 18 days thanks to social media.”

True, but not entirely. If you take this at face value, you’re missing the big picture. Communication, not the conduit, is what’s to thank. The message delivered, not the media channel, is what made it all possible.

By way of example, think about the message that galvanized the American Revolution. It took years to come to fruition at a time when messages were passed on by word of mouth or printed on pamphlets (on scarce printing presses) and delivered by riders on horseback up and down the east coast…over and over again, for years on end. Imagine what Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Thomas Paine could have accomplished in short order if they’d been able to take their message to the majority of the colonists almost instantaneously. Imagine if their words, thoughts and ideas had been pushed out to friends and passed along on Facebook and Twitter. We’d have booted King George in weeks, not years. Because of the message, not the media.

Point is, it’s not social media that’s solely changing the world as we know it. Behind this new stardom is the real power – the power of communication. The power of capturing with clarity a compelling idea(s) and delivering it to a mass audience with the intent of spurring them on to action. Social media may get the message out a whole lot faster, but if the message isn’t poignant, it’s as moving as what Lady Gaga had for breakfast this morning.

But wait just a minute. Isn’t that message thing the essence of branding? Isn’t that what I’ve been doing my entire career? Isn’t that what I’ve been calling “marketing communications” all of these years?

So the essence of marketing really hasn’t changed. When you’re thinking about your own marcomm efforts, think message first, and media second. Or to paraphrase using today’s parlance, it’s the content that counts.

I used to think of “mass communications” as TV, radio and newspaper. Now it’s time to add one more. The new shining star in mass communications is called “social media.”

Feel free to use it – it’s practically free. But don’t forget the message – it’s more important than the media, no matter what the price.

Flickr Photo Credit: colindunn

Don't Shoot the Messenger.

by Steve Fodor.

I’ve been participating in a lot of discussions lately on social media and its benefits to the marketing mix. I’ve seen and heard points of view ranging from “it’s a panacea to our marketing issues” to “it has no applications and it’s stupid” and just about everything else in between.

What also has intrigued me is how many people are saying that “traditional advertising simply does not work.” I’m not so sure about that.

Traditional advertising is just another tool in the marketing mix. Just like social media, direct mail, e-mail, outdoor, radio – whatever – it’s not necessarily the medium’s fault if you did not see positive results from your marketing effort. I would contend that it’s your message. Media in any form is simply the messenger that delivers your brand’s proposition to the intended target audience, regardless of their age, position or social class. How you craft that message within the medium will determine your success or failure.

I watched some of the Super Bowl last weekend. And like many of my colleagues in the communications business, I was rather disappointed with the quality of the advertising messages I saw. There were many that seemed trite, tried too hard to be funny and were just plain dumb. I see a lot more advertising messages in consumer and trade publications that try to “pound” a long list benefits into the reader's head without having any real or unique point of view.

Great advertising should make your audience feel about your brand the way you feel about your best friends in life. Advertising should connect with commonalities and shared interests. It should present useful information. It should talk “with” instead of “to” people. It should respect people’s intelligence. It shouldn’t be boastful or condescending. And, if done effectively, advertising should let the reader or viewer reach a positive conclusion about your brand without having to pound benefits alone into their heads.

If you’ve tried advertising before with disappointing results, I’d suggest that you may not have an advertising problem. Rather, I would suggest that you may have a brand problem.

Flickr Photo Credit: Sir Mildred Pierce

"We Don't Need to Hire a Marketing Firm."

by Steve Fodor

I had the opportunity to discuss a new Web site project with a client recently. During our conversation, I heard something that I hear quite often: “We tried to manage our site ourselves. We gave it to our IT person. But, building content for the site kind of lost focus over time.”

The truth is, you can manage your Web site and social media programs yourself without the help of a marketing firm. There’s no “secret magic” for creating a branded presence with today’s plethora of new media venues. In the end, though, media (meaning social media, Web sites, blogs, publicity and paid media) is just a collection of tools. It is up to people to make real impact with these tools. A carpenter may own a wonderful collection of tools and even know how to use them. But a skilled carpenter may not be the best resource for designing a building.

Creating a positive brand perception comes from generating valued content for your audience. If you’re not generating branded content that is of real value, your brand perception won’t be of much value either.

A marketing firm can (and should) add value to your branded content efforts by:

1. Developing a message strategy for your brand.

2. Interacting with and researching your audience and the media serving your audience to identify trending topics.

3. Creating and managing an editorial calendar.

4. Writing, posting and managing relevant, branded content.

5. Monitoring and responding to audience interaction with your branded content.

Most of all, credible marketing firms are expert communicators. They are staffed by people with journalistic and marketing backgrounds that know how to research and communicate relevant content that will serve as a catalyst for your brand. Credible marketing firms not only understand and own the right collection of tools. They have the people and the expertise to design and build brands with those tools.

It’s not enough to have “quantity” be your branded content strategy. There’s enough clutter out there. Quality and relevance of branded content wins over quantity. Ask yourself this question: If you don’t have the people on staff with the time, dedication and expertise to manage your branded content strategies, are you really conducting your marketing efforts with the utmost efficiency?

Branding, Bald Guys and Bluetooth

by Steve Badertscher

My colleague Brad Smith wrote a blog a little while back (Thursday, May 21 to be exact) describing an ad that made a lasting impression on him. It was about McGraw Hill Magazine's classic "Man in the Chair" ad created in the late 1950s. That particular ad has always been on my Top 10 list, as well.

That memorable "Man in the Chair" ad was brought to life -- literally -- with a live staging event at the June 2009 Conference of the Business Marketing Association (BMA). Be sure to watch the entire video as a little twist was added to demonstrate how the timeless message is still relevant in today's social media savvy world.

The Media is NOT the Message

by Steve Fodor

In reviewing a recent issue of Business-To-Business magazine, I was struck by the fact that just about every feature article covered how various marketers are utilizing social media in their marketing mix.

Wow, just think how much things have changed in just the last two or three years! There are so many new media venues for creating a dialogue about your brand with customers and prospects. What’s even more exciting is that these new marketing venues are still evolving.

But, then I was struck by one other article in this same issue. The title of the article, sandwiched between all the other articles explaining new uses of social media, was: “Emotional marketing triggers right response.” It was refreshing (to me, anyway) to read about how critical message tone is in marketing communications. Brands, after all, are like people. You like people because of how they act. How they treat you. Their personalities. Their shared empathy with you. And people associate themselves with brands the same way they associate with people they like and respect.

Tone in marketing communications is what expresses your brand’s personality. And though all the new and emerging social media venues can and do create more personal dialogues and relationships with customers, you must always manage the tone of your marketing communications.

All the new media options today present tremendous opportunities to reach out to more people, create new relationships and expand the reach and exposure for your brand. But regardless of how many new media options there are, or how cost-efficient they are, the media is not the message in creating brand loyalty. If your brand message lacks the right attitude or tone, more media just makes more noise.

Flickr Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nate/

Generating Sales Leads In A New World

by Steve Fodor

I’ve been in business-to-business sales for about 20 years. Recently, I’ve heard and read a lot of information about cold calling as an ineffective lead generation technique.

Given that I started my sales career before voice mail, the Internet, e-mail and social media, I’ve felt that anyone saying “cold calling does not work” was just lazy. It’s hard to pick up the phone and make a 30-second pitch to someone that doesn’t know you.

Lately, though, I’ve become a convert. But let me be clear. Picking up the phone still has its place. There are just so many NEW ways to generate leads.

Even if you live in the world of industrial products and business-to-business selling, here are a few thoughts on lead generation for today’s selling environment.

1. Don’t leave voice mail if you’ve not had a prior conversation – voice mail is mostly a screening tool today. If you can’t reach that person, send them a handwritten note saying you would like to get in touch. Put your Web site on the note. Then call. Now you have something specific to call about. And, a handwritten note gets noticed in today’s e-mail world.

2. Put your sales people on YouTube – If you have a national sales force, think about the presence you could make for your brand if you had all of them on YouTube with well-produced, two-minute videos of why they enjoy selling your product and working with customers. Google and other search engines are the way people find information today. And a strong YouTube presence with the right keywords will increase your brand’s search rate. And don’t forget LinkedIn, Facebook and other popular social media venues.

3. White papers instead of collateral – Sales used to be “here’s my brochure” or “I’ll drop a brochure off.” The world continues to evolve and industrial buyers and decision makers cite that white papers and case histories are far more valuable in making decisions than the good old brochure. Think about creating white papers for your products and services. Put them on your Web site. Announce their presence with push e-mails and search engine optimization strategies. Have your sales people use white papers as “send me something” pieces instead of brochures.

4. Blogging – Again, the Internet continues to replace the phone as a sales tool. Your sales force is an incredibly valuable information asset. Counsel them on how to use blogging as a marketing and sales tool. Set them up with individual blog destinations. Not only will this aid in prospects finding you through online searches, but your sales people will be seen as valued information providers rather than commodity product purveyors.

Yes, sales and sales lead generation techniques have evolved and continue to do so. Hey, I’m an old-school person, too. But there sure are a lot more new and effective ways for generating sales leads today…in addition to good old-fashioned cold-calling.

Flickr Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/markhillary/

Social Media -- Is It Time To Go "All In"?

by Brad Smith

Yep, I’m a poker player. My auto license plate reads PKRCHPS.

One of the most powerful plays in Texas Hold’em is the all-in move. It’s also one of the most dangerous. If you’re right, or lucky, you get to play on with more chips…more money. If you lose, you go home. Sometimes when you go for broke, that’s exactly what you achieve.

So is it a gamble to participate in the new social media?

FaceBook. LinkedIn. Twitter. Blogging. YouTube. Etc. Should you be there? Should your clients?

I view these as tools. Valuable tools that can connect you with prospects and drive increased traffic to your Web site.

But they are not the panacea or the answer to everyone’s marketing dreams. They should not receive 100% of your attention or your budget. Social media is not the silver bullet, but should be viewed as one of the many bullets in your marketing communications arsenal.

Like I said, I’m a poker player. That doesn’t mean I’m a gambler. I like poker because it’s a game where you assess and calculate the risks you take. If your chances of winning are too slim, or the rewards aren’t great enough (we call this “pot odds”), then you don’t gamble, you fold. If the potential rewards are in sight, you make an appropriate bet.

So place a bet on social media. But don’t go all in.

Flickr Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chaps/

The Power of the Handwritten Note

by Steve Badertscher

We’ve been immersing ourselves in all the social media that’s fit to print (and even some that isn’t) here at our firm recently. It is truly quite fascinating...especially the speed at which it is churned out. (Read: Twitter.)

It was while researching my three-hundred and thirty-sixth blog, sandwiched between reading several dozen fractured-sentence e-mails, that something quite remarkable occurred – the mail was delivered. No, it wasn’t just the fact that the postal service delivered my daily dose of snail mail...it was what they delivered – a note acknowledging my birthday.

And not just any note, a handwritten note...from my grandma.

It’s not that I didn’t appreciate the birthday “pings” I received via e-mail, the sentiments posted on the wall of my Facebook page, or the store-bought cards from well-wishers who “cared enough to send the very best.” I did. It’s just that there, juxtaposed amidst the cyber high-fives and envelopes with crisply printed mailing labels, was an actual honest-to-goodness handwritten note.

As soon as I saw the mailing address, I recognized the familiar penmanship. Even though it was shaky, it was still an unmistakably classic, nearly century-old cursive writing style that is an art unto itself. As I opened the envelope to read the card, I thought about how much care I knew she put into sealing it just so. And as I read the message, I imagined how painful it must have been, due to her arthritis, for her to write even a few words, much less several paragraphs expressing how much she wanted to wish me a happy birthday in person, but was unable to travel across the miles, and how much I was loved.

As I finished reading her heartfelt sentiments, I couldn’t help but think that they wouldn’t have had quite the emotional impact if she’d have sent me an e-mail. Or for that matter, a card from the 5 and Dime (as she still calls it).

It was seeing her personality in her pen strokes, and knowing that she made the special effort to put her thoughts in her own words, that set that correspondence apart from any other I received that day...or any day since.

It was the power of the handwritten note. A power that is underutilized in today’s business correspondence.

Flickr Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/caitlinator/