In case you forgot what marketing is all about
David Armano from Logic+Emotion gives us something to chew on. I love that man's thinking.
The problem with the latest
Most marketers love the latest idea, strategy or tool. Yes, you too I suspect. There is a good reason for it, we are constantly looking for a competitive edge, either for our company or for our clients. Agencies and consultants are hired for their expertise, their ideas and their ability to execute after all.
The problem is the silver bullet syndrome. Something new comes along (CRM, email marketing, social media marketing; you fill in the rest) and suddenly this is the panacea to all marketing problems. So everyone is an instant expert and the currency of the latest idea quickly devalues to the latest fad.
Spike Jones from Brains On Fire laments the fact that Word of Mouth Marketing is going that way:
I’m over it (the term, not the practice). And I guess I knew it would happen sooner or later: every marketer in the free world is either trying to give advice on word of mouth marketing or says that they are practicing it. From big ad agencies to the guy working out of his garage.
I don’t buy it.
And a bit further down:
The words “word of mouth marketing” are becoming watered-down and sucked into the vast nothingness that is marketing-speak. And while it saddens me, I guess it was to be expected.
Word of Mouth is not new of course. Cavemen used it I'm sure. But talking about Word of Mouth marketing makes you sound as though you are in touch with the latest. Actually making it work for a client is a very different story of course. "Because big ideas are easy doing stuff is hard".
So in time, everyone moves on to the next silver bullet and the people who actually execute something like a word of mouth campaign do what they have always done; make sure their clients talk about the results they have achieved. Sounds like word of mouth.
If you wondered what excellence in lead generation is about…
The amount of stuff written on lead generation is mind boggling, but as with everything, sometimes people come up with something useful. Hat off to the guys at raintoday.com, for creating a really useful and readable e-book, called "The One Piece Of Advice You Can't Generate Leads Without ".
Ten people, ten different interpretations
The concept of having ten people write an individual piece on the same subject works well, and I particularly liked the opening piece by Jill Konrath who writes as if she was a prospective buyer. This is a short bit which paints the picture:
“In short, I have way to much to do, ever-increasing expectations, impossible deadlines and constant interruptions from people wanting my attention”
Another one that got my attention was Ardath Albee's article "Tales to keep them talking" which argues the importance of having a content strategy to drive the conversation, based on the "essence" of your company. (which is really the brand essence as I see it)
So what's the gist?
The observations may not be earth-shattering, but they are succinct and the achieve their objective to cover the most important issues, not all the issues.
- Understand who you want to talk to, agree this within the organisation
- Have an ongoing conversation, not a series of one-off communications
- "Nurture leads", or in people language keep a two way communication open; a considerable portion of sales actually comes from these leads
- Measure what you do, or don't do it at all
Download the e-book here - I think you'll enjoy it.
Co-authoring “The Age of Conversation”
One book - available in hardcover, softcover or e-book
One subject - The Age of Conversation
103 authors - from all over the world, contributing one chapter each on the subject.
Thousands of beneficiaries - all proceeds going to charity
One of the chapters is written by yours truly, on CEO and blogging but what makes this book particularly interesting is that we will get views from over 100 people who are intimately involved in this age of conversation. Experts if you like.
I have set up a page here listing the contributors and with more detail on the project.
Read more on the background here. I would like to thank Drew Mclellan and Gavin Heaton for pulling this together, all in their own time, all for the love of it.
Launch date: Monday, July 16th, 2007
“The new rules of Marketing & PR”…and book reviews
I must admit, when I was first linked to and offered a copy of "The new rules of Marketing and PR" for review, I was more impressed with David Meerman Scott's clever strategy to create buzz than anything else. I guess it is fair to say that he is "walking the walk" of "the new rules".
Having said that, "The new rules of Marketing and PR" proved to be a surprising read, as it offers both a compelling argument why the rules have changed, and then offers a comprehensive guide how to go to work with these rules.
The point about the "new rules"
The central argument is that now that you have the opportunity to market directly to people online (without having to buy media or influence journalists, under the "old" rules) you can tell your own story and you should.
The style is blog-like, without being light on, and the real-world examples of how various business have applied the rules are interesting and credible.
No shortcuts
When you read David's book you are reminded of the fact that are no shortcuts in good communication; if anything, he advises to invest more time and more effort in what you write, and who you write it for.
For example, David highlights that collectively, as marketers, we still too often fill pages with meaningless or internally focused, egocentric content. Sometimes because it is quicker, sometimes because that is what we believe the CEO wants to read. Instead, he advises, spend some time and find out from the people that matter; your audience of prospects/customers/members etc.
"When I see words like "flexible", "scalable", "ground-breaking" or cutting-edge" my eyes glaze over." he writes. I think we all know that feeling.
The challenges I can see
The biggest challenge is that with this explosion of self-generated media will do to the people we aim to reach. Will they suffer from overload and simply go back to reading a few, leading publications? Like a newspaper? I fear that unless we figure out a way to filter online information, people may simply turn off.
The rules at work
Finally, I think it is fair to say that the fact that I am writing a book review is illustrates that the "new rules" are here. A marketer in Australia, writing a blog with readers around the globe, about an American book I can only buy online.
Hard to argue his point, isn't it? Would I recommend this book to my friends? Yes. So that includes you, and if you have read the book, tell me what you think.
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