It looks like 39% think that if the email didn’t bounce and was sent just fine, it was also delivered. Nothing could be further from the truth. In the report, Return Path states:

[–] Email marketers generally know that hitting “send” is not enough to ensure messages actually reach the inbox and appear in subscriber’s inboxes as they intended (called “rendering”). The majority of survey respondents (61%) believe that some messages may be blocked by ISPs.
Marketers tend to be most concerned about the largest ISPs, like BT, Free.fr, Neuf, Orange and T-Online, but the truth is that nearly every ISP, from the largest to the smallest, employs filtering technology to protect their customers from spam messages.
However, more than one in three email marketing managers are woefully ignorant of this reality–26% say they do not believe messages get blocked at all and 12% just didn’t know.

If that email was coming to my inbox, we have firewall filters, spam filters we can set up at individual account level, and of course we also have the delete key. As Sonia Simone writes at Copyblogger, this happens because most bulk email marketing is just plain selfish.
Indeed I’ve seen it all, from titles in all caps screaming at me–no doubt the brilliant idea of someone who thought it would break through the clutter–to tricky html that freezes my Lotus Notes mail (note to all marketers that do that, test your email with different systems, don’t assume).
Email is such a personal thing, still. In many cases it’s still the place where most work gets done in organizations–sacred territory. Even when you obtain permission to send messages, if they’re not relevant and valuable over time, you’re out.
I send a monthly email newsletter and read each and every request to unsubscribe to get a better idea of the reasons why–in some cases people move on to other responsibilities and don’t need your information anymore, for example.
In other cases, your email is boring–it’s all about you and not about how the reader will be smarter, better, more effective from reading it. People are smarter these day, they use email services like Otherinbox, which will allow you to have disposable email addresses–a nice cure for spammers.
What’s the solution?
Writing a non-sucky email would be a good start. Take for example that of Colleen Wainwright–when you sign up, you’re directed to more resources immediately, I checked out the one for small business owners.
Having a nice offer helps–something unique, useful, that people cannot get elsewhere. To get noticed in the first place, you’d need to make it through the various spam filters–even the human ones–and get out of the bulk box.
When you get into the inbox, what makes people read your email? It depends.

• For many it could be brevity–a good example of that is the McKinsey Newsletter with one main article per email. Good design helps, but keep it clean.
• For others, especially really busy people, it could be your ability to edit and filter content for them. A good example of that is the SmartBrief newsletters, which are the work of solid editors.

MarketingProfs offers a range of email newsletters–from the more content-centric, to the more offer-centric. What else? What’s your experience?
My questions to you:

• Are you doing email marketing? If so, what has worked for you?
• And conversely, what email marketing tactics have worked on you?
• Can you share some examples of email newsletters you like and why?

As the components of his invention existed prior to him using them, he said, so did all of the words existed in the English language before Charles Dickens put them together in that combination – and effect. The secret sauce, what the inventor contributed, was the combination.
That is what content is to today’s content creators. The combination of words and phrases to a desired effect. One that exposes their skills and knowledge. One that engages and involves. One that is increasingly rare in this harried, results-oriented world of marketing and communications.
A compelling piece of content that informs and persuades is not something that everyone can cobble together who knows how to write. It takes time, experience, knowledge, and talent to create content like that. That’s why sometimes it’s tempting to just copy what someone else has written.
Content is the writer’s bread and butter. It’s their value-add, how they make their living and what they love doing. What would you do if an agency used your content for their marketing materials without crediting or paying you? Would you be upset? I bet you would.
Brent Leary was, and with good reason. I can hardly make his case. He already made it beautifully himself. But perhaps we can use his story to learn something.
Brent is an accomplished professional with many publications and contributions under his belt, as described by his colleague Paul Greenberg at ZDNet. One such contribution is a guest post spot at American Express OPEN Forum blog. A blog that I venture to guess has good traffic and exposure.
In mid-November, Brent published an interesting post where he discussed how to win friends and influence people in a Web 2.0 world by connecting Dale Carnegie and Barack Obama.
I saw the post while researching Obama’s social media campaign for a post I wrote as Brent also co-published a Barack 2.0 site during the campaign. The Dale Carnegie/Barack Obama post also caught my eye because I saw it referenced in Brent’s blog, twice.
Once as a letter coming from Marketing/PR firm, LaForce & Stevens, the other as the American Express OPEN Forum blog post I had read and enjoyed. You don’t believe me? You can see the whole copy here, where Brent kindly provided a comparison as well as the history of his thoughts.
I especially like the collected and reasonable tone Brent adopted in making his case – surely you, too can see the evidence. In Flash of Genius, the movie I watched this weekend, all the inventor wanted was respect in the form of credit for his invention. He wanted to make an honest contribution, and yes earn a living doing it.
Giving attribution is not only one of the tenets of social media, it is an unspoken code for any professional worth their salt. It baffles me that to this day – and I corresponded with Brent very recently – LaForce & Stevens would not even acknowledge their actions.
Plagiarism may be a strong term, but it’s quite accurate in this case, given the evidence. Everyone is under pressure to deliver. Why wouldn’t we work together instead of separately?
My questions to you:
* At this late stage, would you consider coming forward and apologizing? Why/why not?
* What steps would you take in Brent’s place? Do you have any advice for him?
* Do you have any other thoughts on this incident?

We discussed the do’s and don’ts of corporate pitching at the Daily Fix more than one year ago. Tim Adams had a very candid addition to the post then:

- Do research my site and know what they heck I do. I can’t tell you how many times sales people call and have no idea what my company does.
- Do be ready to offer some advice or information that might be helpful. No I am not talking about your glorious white paper. If you can’t bend what you know to my need by taking the time to understand my company then go away– Yesterday I spent almost 45 minutes on a cold call with someone who was giving me great advice on a topic I had little experience in. I plan on giving them my business.

Tim works in a complex business, Enterprise Lead Generation. You should listen to his advice. Which brings me to the issue of language. When did we decide that the term “reaching out” was a substitute for doing what it takes in order to connect? That was the title of an email I received out of the blue with a pitch.
I started typing a response and thought the marketing community might want to discuss with me why for all the sophistication and advice, we are still missing the mark in such fundamental ways.
Dear [person writing to pitch something],
Thank you for taking the initiative and contacting me. Perhaps we do both share a passion for forging connections as you wrote. Yes, I do a lot of connecting of people to each other over on Twitter where you found me. Helping people make connections is one of the things I enjoy most.
I find it interesting that the first time I hear from you is because you’d like a favor. Perhaps time to hit the pause button and reevaluate how you go to market? Your pitch would have been stronger if a mutual friend had made it for you, or if you had taken the time to meet me prior to sending the “about you” note. Networking works.
The ease with which we find others online should not be confused with the process of caring and listening and getting to know each other over time. That is the real base for relationships that work. Perhaps we’re in it together, but I have not had a chance to test that for myself. Here you are in my inbox with a request and we haven’t even met.
“I don’t have any reason to believe that you have expertise with [name of what is being pitched] (my apologies if you do), etc.” You may consider rewording this sentence.
I’d let my work speak for me vs. telling perfect strangers I’m an expert at anything – especially when it comes to marketing. Where to start? Perhaps you meant to say “experience” or “practice”, or something else. Language matters. A written piece is a written piece – people have the chance to read it and think about it.
As for networking, go ahead and help ten people learn something new today. You will find out how hard it is to try and help others. I never bought into the transaction-based culture much. It’s short-sighted and probably a reason why we’re where we are today with much noise and little signal.
Kind regards.
With all the connections we make online, many still cannot find a way to create warm hand-offs. Surely there is someone in you network who you know who also knows me. It’s called networking and it has always been part of marketing. Go to LinkedIn and take a look if Twitter doesn’t reveal anything solid.
Reaching out sometimes is just overreaching without a connection in place. Maybe trust has been eroded and needs time to be rebuilt, but manners have not gone out of style, have they?
Questions:
* What practices can businesses and professionals use to connect with customers and use good brand manners?
* Do cold pitches from businesses work? Under what circumstances?
* Have you tried the long route to making connections (actually having relationships)? Why do so many not take the time?

Start a conversation
This is probably one of tactics that has not been drastically reduced within your marketing mix, I venture to guess it’s also because it’s tied directly into sales – at least in intent. Lead generation is one of the mechanisms that was used to start a conversation with people who might be interested in your product or service. B2B, B2C same difference, they are all made of people.
Solve a problem
How we talk with one another and with customers needs to take into account what they are interested in and are receptive to. Solve a problem and you have the customer’s attention. I’m sure I’m not telling you anything new here. However, where people go to solve their problem has changed a lot.
See what people look for
That is why listening is so important. Where people go for answers today has changed. Communities of practice, online groups and discussions are the new peer conversations and recommendations. We trust more a peer stranger than a company – that’s because we perceive no agenda from the peer.
Be seen
How do distinguish yourself in this environment? By being distinguishable. If we are indeed to think about lead generation as a conversation starter, the first step is to share information that is educational and useful because it solves a problem. For example, if you are calling me, don’t push your product du jour before learning what I might need. How do you know?
Be in the conversation
Do you ever listen in on telemarketing calls? If you have a robust lead generation program, you should. More often than not, when there is a connection, it’s not based upon a script. The connection happens when the two parties get off the script and just talk. You listen and the customer or prospects tells you more than they planned to in the beginning.
Be human
That is what makes us all identify with each other. Those who call me could start by asking “would you be interested in X service/product?” Do it politely, after you determined I have a moment to be on the phone with you. Maybe I do not have time right now, but if I am interested, I will ask you for a link to your content. Make it count!
Gen-Next is a thread
Not a cycle. As an example, I received an inquiry from someone at a company that is involved in social media listening and analysis. When they reached out by email, I was juggling multiple projects and could not pay attention. The email however was well crafted so I responded briefly asking the rep to check me out at my blog, Conversation Agent, so he could know more about me quickly (aren’t we all in a hurry?).
Not a threat
To his credit he did so and came back with a fleshed out suggestion. I may not need his services right away, but I have made a note of him, his company and what they provide to share with colleagues and peers who might need the services. His initial willingness to be part of a conversation made him available to the thread within my network.
What can you do?
* Find opportunities to allow your prospects to tell you what they need/want. Build those into your process, no matter the media you are using. A note about telemarketing – people are getting tired of unsolicited calls. Are you building alternative ways to listen to what your customers want?
* Be where customers are. If you shed that “closing the sale” mindset in favor of building a trusted relationship, you will probably make more headway. Do you have user groups? Do you engage in discussions and learning sessions with them? How often do you do that? This is just an example of thinking participation even in the one-to-one or physical world.
* Empower your users so they can tell their friends. One on one is well and good, but you might be concerned with scale. Building a trusted network deals with scale. How do you build trust? Behave like a person who can be trusted – do not spam, do not scream/yell at customers, share knowledge freely.
These are just some ideas, I’m sure you have more. It amounts to putting skin in the game, being real, being interested, using the tools and processes to serve the people, not the other way around.
Let’s stop hiding behind excuses and best practices and start practicing what is best for our customers and companies. If we’re honest with ourselves, we know that the way things were is not working so well today – it probably never did beyond the novelty of it.
What are your thoughts? Is gen-next possible? Who is already doing this well by you?
Bonus link: Chris Brogan has a great discussion going on how your lead generation methods have to change.

1. Cash flow is a must
2. Customers Rule
3. Do more with less
We used to look to harness the world of opportunity (we think is) in the marketplace as a funnel, with our product and service as the point of view.
We still organize promotions using that concept – it’s a comfortable place where we feel in control. While it’s useful to still use the metaphor as the process, things have changed considerably in the middle of the funnel in recent times. Brand relationships and preference are now formed prevalently via exposure to interpersonal exchanges – people talking with people.
No, we are not in control by a long shot, but why should we dwell on that when there is still so much opportunity still? The opportunity is that to lead with ideas the market wants – and businesses built around connecting customers with each other.
I don’t think this necessarily means starting a news business as much as putting your ear to the ground and figuring out what about your business can be or is an idea that connects with your customers. Considerations of scale need to be part of that conversation.
Change is in the air
We put too much faith into what we *think* customers want. Even when we know what they want, we have a hard time delivering it. I call it procrastination through research. In my experience, we will never know enough about something that has not been done before until we do it ourselves.
Who decides when it’s time to do it? You’d need to do a small test on your own. In many companies it happens as long as it doesn’t cost much, as long as doing the right thing for the company does not take away time from your day job of following the rules.
Do it anyway. Find the time. When the critics raise their objections, work to find a way to help them tell you specifics. In some cases you may successfully ask them to work with you to make it happen. It helps if you build a personal network inside the organization. Seek out the doers, they exist.
Passion is infectious
But passion is dangerous as well. Customers love passion, they feel it – and sometimes will look to take advantage of it, why not? Internally, it’s not a matter of jealousy as much as facing your own insecurities – when you display passion the emotion that comes with it that may hold you back.
You may become vulnerable to setbacks, make it very personal. Work may be personal, but your goals are larger than self fulfillment. Focus on that. You see opportunity for the business in the new marketplace and want very much to help your company and team succeed.
And right here, as I’m thinking about leading change and helping your customers see your business in a new light – remembering that you need to have something they want in the first place – I wonder out loud: how many tribes can you possibly lead?
Internal/external dance
All of those who are leading the conversation on social media inside organizations experience it. The marketers who are looking to try new things that are a bit outside the status quo – or challenge it in some way – know about it.
Sometimes you need to be an advocate for your customer community, sometimes an ambassador on behalf of your company’s business – always a facilitator. This is my experience – conversation is a dance.
I’m intrigued by this concept of tribes that Seth Godin put forth in his latest book and wonder about applications and implications for the marketer who faces the three imperatives today.
How many tribes should you lead? How many tribes do you lead?

This is a reprise of a conversation we had at my blog, Conversation Agent, a while ago. With a twist. In tough economic times, free is much more difficult to do, or is it?
In other words, free might not be such a good idea for those who need to make a living off their intellectual property (IP) and efforts. Yes, businesses are also in that same boat. There’s an interesting discussion at Wired blogs where Chris Snyder asks: will the economy kill “free” on the Internet?
This discussion is relevant for marketers. Much of what we have produced in the past – sell sheets, brochures, ad inserts, Web copy, press releases, even lead generation materials – that used to be created and designed as company-centric, mostly, started losing the attention of our target demographics.
In the last couple of years, all of this free stuff generated by companies was severely challenged by a new generation of free – that of the third party-ish kind. Professionals who publish with the help of social media – eBooks, top ten advice lists, blog posts, community conversations – and share plenty of their intellectual capital. One need only look at all the great content you can access on MarketingProfs Daily Fix as an example.
Many consultants continue to utilize social media successfully to engage in content marketing. They share their IP in exchange for making connections, developing relationships, and being brought in to actually execute on their ideas. Web 2.0 tools have allowed everyone, including those gainfully employed, to gain personal brand equity, which some rented back to the organizations where they work.
I wonder if in the current economic situation, brands (and companies) will see an opportunity.
What if they started renting the time and intellectual capital of free lancers and professionals to engage their customers and prospects with content marketing. It’s a subtle difference. This is not just the writing skills – it’s also the content. It’s no secret that the internal staff in many companies are stretched to the max. Agencies are still grappling with the concept of the old media models having shifted from under them. There might also be the issue of only so many top or senior spots in organizations, that tips experienced professionals towards a solo career, especially after a layoff.
My take is that the economy will not kill free on the Internet. The human need for self-expression is too great to just wither. Plus social media is a great tool to grow a personal brand in this touch economy. But, here’s a thought. Will we see free (existing) content sponsored by brands? How is that going to be different than simply advertising? Are readers and followers of that personality for hire going to feel betrayed? For the model to work there will need to be clear delimitations of what is brought to you by.
TED conferences post their valuable content online for free thanks to the sponsorship of a couple of companies. Those brands believe in the alignment between what they stand for and the conference vision and mission. Would it work in the same way with individuals as brands? What do you think?

The reality is that we are often thinking about many things at once. It’s not even multitasking – they call it continuous partial attention. That is a state in which most of one’s attention is on a primary task, but where one is also monitoring several background tasks just in case something more important or interesting comes up.
We browse the Web that way, too. You set out to find something, hit the search button, and lo,lots of background information and links that take you to different destinations. How is a marketer to measure your attention, then?
WebMetricsGuru Marshall Sponder takes you to the streets of New York to explain.
Depending on your purpose – and the purpose of your customers – your attention will be broken down differently. Let’s take a look at how a Web analyst looks at the information. He writes:

If my purpose is to transverse – to get from one place to another quickly – then gazing for a micro second might be considered “engagement” and tracked as such. But this would generate any immediate action – nothing happened this day – though I may act on it at some future time, like next week.
If I saw something, like a store front and liked it and came back at a later time, I’d be much more likely to transact, or do something.
This means that engagement for the same individual/ same segment needs to be tracked over time – it’s much harder to make any sense of it from a single session – and that’s often what we’re trying to do in Web Analytics.
It’s actually an “interruption” of my “pace” or gait that really marks that I was engaged – my engagement here is the fact that my attention on the street went from 20% to 40% for a moment – and that marked some interest in my part of what I was looking at.
In other words, attention is marked by an alteration in pace of my gait, of my “click-stream”, movement, etc.

Online behavior is not typically measured that way. As Marshall says, web analysts currently take all of the paid (SEM) and organic (SEO) search data and compile it in a report that tries to make something useful out of it. Some days it probably feels like divining tea leaves – a marketer sees what they wish to see in it.
I was thinking of his story when I searched for the new 3 Series Sedan. Let’s say that your customer searches for “sedan”. This is a general key word and is just like the brisk walk he describes.

The normal behavior for someone putting in these terms is to quickly transverse search listings, the point may not be to stay at any particular site – just to find something relevant.

If I apply Marshall’s logic to that, the way to measure attention in Search Behavior would be to track those people who start at generalized search, like sedan or silver sedan, and end up on a much more detailed keyword phase, for example “reviews of new silver sedans”.
Now you can say, with some authority, if the same searcher came to Cars.com and put in the search “new sedans” then later, came back and put in the query “reviews of new silver sedans” that searcher is engaged, she is definitely paying attention with an action in mind.
If this happens in the same search session, that works. But, continues Marshall, we need to begin tracking those searches across sessions. That presents challenges. His conclusion:

So while thinking about “attention” and if it really is “engagement”, it’s more like breaking browsing behavior and search behavior into basic types of activity – and then, measuring the attention span based on that kind of activity, probably against an average.

The good news is that all of our behavior online is trackable and we are just skimming the surface. As we continue to make strides in interpreting all of the data we collect (see my review of The Numerati for more on that), some of the answers will become indeed clearer.
If as marketers we were able to track and measure attention as outlined in the example, we’d be much closer to understanding when our customers are ready for a purchase. We would also be much better equipped on having the appropriate copy and information on the page when they land there.
Now back to looking at that marvelous feat of engineering that is the new 3 Series from BMW. Are you with me? Who’s buying?

It is a volunteer group of companies designed for members to share insights and experience with each other. Period. We participate in monthly conversations to learn from each other about the applications and lessons learned using social media.
We also meet face to face a few times a year. I attended the last workshop in Chicago and helped facilitate a discussion around engaging detractors – something we’re all called to do from time to time. What the Blog Council is not is a trade association, or a standards body.
As I stated in a post at Conversation Agent, it is important to me to have a peer group of professionals on the client side just like me. We face similar issues with social media. The group members are personally impressive – each brings a list of accomplishments and a passion for conversation that is valuable to the group. And they are all generous with their time, smart and nice to boot. Many have their own blogs and social media footprint, just like me.
One of the issues we discussed that comes up often is that of disclosure. How can we help companies develop their own set of guidelines on disclosure? What has worked for the companies in the companies already using social media? The checklists that resulted were the outcome of our brainstorm and are meant to be for training purposes.
As well, the tool kit is intended as a constantly evolving body of knowledge on best practices. Clearly, we are all learning continuously thanks also to the feedback of our communities. Anyone involved in social media knows that there is no final way of doing things, just an open and long conversation.
“Blog Council members are leading by example. We’re putting this out there to show everyone that disclosure is the right thing to do,” said Andy Sernovitz, “Disclosure seems difficult at first, but it is actually easy to do well. We put these checklists together to make it straightforward for any company to figure out how to do the right thing.”
After thinking and talking about the name for this group – Blog Council – we decided that it’s a keeper. Yes, everyone is aware of the knee jerk reaction that the initial announcement provoked in the blogosphere. Whoever has been there first tends to be quite possessive of how everything is defined. With about two years of blogging and seven plus years of community building with the Fast Company network I still consider myself a newbie. The name is easy to remember even as we apply the learnings and sharing to all sorts of social media. So it stays.
There are plenty of people I should thank for my sticking with this blog and learning about social media. The excellent marketers, idea and branding gurus, context builders, business advisers, communications ninjas, new media evangelists, relationships teachers, and professionals who share their knowledge through publications. An honorable mention also goes to my friends who practice marketing in Italy. You will find all these individuals on my blog roll – a living testament to the kind of talent that is out there.
This group here, the members of the Blog Council, help me differently. They are my control, those who live my reality (or a similar one) day in, day out. There are smart consultant out there, but they do not have a desk inside a corporation like I do. They do not have the business reality I face every day to contend with. Sometimes, what they don’t know makes all the difference. That’s why I value these peers.
In the end the conversation is not quite about technology at all. It’s about people, how we relate to our experiences and working environments. How we show up as human beings. It is my hope that these checklists will help business owners be more prepared to wade into the waters of social media alone or with the help of their agencies.

Since I have an iPhone and was curious, I went to take a look. Fun, and addictive. That is the whole point of games, right? Especially if they are of skill, you want to keep trying to see how far you can go. There is already a Top Ten list of high scores. As Tim says on the company blog:

If you’re holding the highest score at 5:00pm CST on August 15, 2008 you win an all-expenses paid trip to Minneapolis, MN, the opportunity to don authentic Viking regalia and the chance to throw a birthday cake at our CEO, Tim Brunelle. We’ll even broadcast the proceedings on the Internet.

Latest high scores will be shared on Twitter, so if you’re playing, add it to your account. Let me know how are you’re doing.
Why Games are the Future of Advertising
According to statistics published on the Entertainment Software Association web site, action games were the top selling video game genre in 2006, with 27.5% unites sold. Other popular genres are sport games with 17% units sold, racing and shooters with 10.6% each, role playing with 9.5% and family entertainment with 9.3%.
As far as computer games are concerned, strategy is by far the winning genre with 35.4% units sold in 2006. Role playing games were second in line with 13.9% of the units followed by family entertainment with 12.7% and shooters with 10.9%.
Statistics also show that the average game playing time for women is very close to the average playing time for men: 7.4 hours per week vs 7.6 hours per week.
That is for entertainment. Tim’s game reminds more of the sort of social games that are being developed for social networking sites. There are two very well funded startups within Facebook focused on social games. They are:

• Social Gaming Network – see also the profile on CruchBase
• Zynga Game Network, check out the post by Fred Wilson on the Union Square Ventures blog

As Fred says, the social net is a powerful platform for building and launching web applications. When you develop a model for a sustainable business operating web applications on top of other’s platforms, you win. The name social game network is quite descriptive – a network where you can play games with your friends.
Fred continues: Building a game network on top of the social web is a big idea. That is for several reasons. Engagement is key.
In a guest post at Lightspeed venture Partners, David Perry, Chief Creative Officer of Acclaim Games, Inc. writes about 29 business models for games. Twenty nine potential ways to monetize video games. Some of those he lists apply to digital marketing, specifically:

• In-game advertising, product placement built into a story
• Around game advertising, created using services like Google, personal affiliate deals, etc.
• Advertgames, just like movie trailers
• “Try before you buy”
• Selling branded items
• Buy something, get the game for free

There are many more ideas in the post that could get you thinking about your products and services.
With ad targeting, as Jeremy Lew, Lightspeed venture Partners, outlines traditionally we have four categories:

Geographic
Demographic
Contextual
Behavioral

What those categories do not tell you with any degree of certainty is who you are talking to. Are you reaching the right people with the right value proposition? It seems to me that the answer lies indeed in engagement.
The Old is New Again
Mindshare is moving from the TV to the internet. Platforms such as Facebook and MySpace are the mainlands where people congregate. These platforms can be seen as the TV and social media applications as the TV shows. As TV ad dollars shift online so will the shift in the type of advertising that is done online.
A world-class Facebook application has hundreds of thousands if not millions of users and has more monthly page views than most leading internet destinations. Apps provide users with unparalleled engagement and interaction, and can be branded with ease.
Banner ads will sadly still be prevalent, but branded apps are the ad vehicles of the future. The most successful apps will live where the masses congregate, within the mainlands of Facebook and MySpace and take the form of tools of expression, niche communities, contests/sweeps, and viral games. This thought also holds true for the iPhone and other mobile platforms.
Forward looking brands will do as they did with the TV shows of the 50s and will sponsor apps that are aligned with their brand promise. It will be seen that the top performing app sponsorships will involve a long term relationship between the brands and the apps rather than a quick 60 or so day program.
An Example
The Ultimate Flirt Facebook app from V05 is an example of a successful branded app. The app is a branded community/game built around the competition to become the Ultimate Flirting Champion. Users engage and interact in a rich manner by answering a Flirt Question of the Day, rating each other on how datable they are, sending each other Flirt Gifts, uploading pictures, messaging each other, and much more.
The app has nearly 300,000 total users with an average of 5,000+ users that are active each day, and it has in one month generated over 2,000,000 page views. The app was developed by Stuzo, Inc. and promoted by Appssavvy (disclosure, this part of the post was contributed by Gunter Pfau of Stuzo).
In Conclusion
This is just the beginning. Branded experiences in the form of applications and games are a way to move up on the engagement meter. Look at those numbers for the V05 Facebook application. Can you give me any direct marketing program that yields 5,000+ active users?
Games are portable, they are open ended in that you can start a new one or choose to play one at about any time, they are social, and they are fun. Online, you can really see what sticks and what generates traffic and interest. They can also be a great vehicle for peer to peer conversations, or word of mouth. They are tool in the hands of the influenced rather than the influentials and have a better likelihood of spreading for that reason.
Have you experimented with games or thought of giving it a try? If not, why? If you have, what have you learned about your customers?

What are those building blocks? More than profits.

• emotional appeal
• vision/leadership
• social responsibility
• workplace environment
• financial performance
• products/services

How do you measure reputation? According to Ken Powell, Chairman and CEO of General Mills, you do so in:

• recognition
• employee recruitment and retention
• stock price multiples, even
• trust is by far the most important measure

The top ten companies on this year’s list include (with social media URLs or specific category scores):
1. Google – Google User Experience manifesto
2. Johnson & Johnson – JNJ BTW a three dimensional view of Johnson & Johnson
3. Intel Corporation – IT @ Intel Blog
4. General Mills – scores in social responsibility, emotional appeal, workplace environment
5. Kraft Foods – scores in emotional appeal and workplace environment
6. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. – scores in financial performance, vision & leadership
7. 3M Company – scores in emotional appeal and products & services
8. The Coca-Cola Company – Coca-Cola Conversations
9. Honda Motor Co. – “Honda strives to be a company that society wants to exist,” said Jeffrey Smith, spokesperson for American Honda Motor Company, Inc. “As such we endeavor to create value for our customers and society through our efforts to improve fuel efficiency, enhance safety, provide products of the highest quality, and be on the leading edge of corporate social responsibility.”
10. Microsoft – Microsoft Community blogs
From the press release:

Overall, more companies taking an active role affecting and managing their reputation are seeing positive results, while those that are not continue to see their reputation decline.

Why does it matter? Because we buy and recommend products and services based on a company’s reputation – as experienced in customer service, and perceived through the display of high ethical standards. It comes down to trust. That five-letter word.
Rather than focusing on improving familiarity, companies would be better served in working to improve understanding. What do you think? Have the social media activities helped the companies that engage in them score higher on this list?
For select research download the PDF here.

One of the biggest obstacles in getting anything done is the lack of process. No process also means that there is no transparency as to progress made. Whether you’re working inside an organization or in a small company, it is a challenge to be everywhere and do everything that needs to be done. This is especially true when we talk about follow up on feedback. Somehow that is often extra planning.
Enter SuggestionBox, a system that might help you stay the course on customer feedback. Their tagline is “ideas into action,” which is the aspiration of the management system. Members can track the progress of their suggestion with transparency – from under review, to being implemented, to has been ruled out. There is also a community rating layer, where other members can vote on the importance of your suggestion.
I looked at the existing boxes on the site. They might be all new suggestions, so far I am seeing a lot of “under review”. The one suggestion box with the most implemented I could see is that for Suggestion Box itself.
As I looked at the site, I had a sudden vision of that wooden suggestion box abandoned in a corner of the kitchen at a company I visited. There it sat all alone. Of course, with digital information it’s a completely new ball game. If your box sits alone, quasi-abandoned, everyone will surely notice, won’t they?
Should the job of manning the suggestion box go to marketing? Many companies are now building ideation teams – would they be the best owners of the feedback and action? In which industries do you think SuggestionBox might be most needed?
One thing is for sure. Once you open the Pandora, ahem, SuggestionBox, there is no going back on what comes into it.

Yet, there is still a place for Web sites in your marketing mix, provided you think about a few ideas. When you improve its performance, it in turn performs for your business. A few thoughts to consider as you review your site:
Content
Does the language sound stilted? Do you use too many buzzwords? How about technical terms? Short, to the point, and human speak is best. You want to use normal words, and let the personality of your business shine through.
As far as engagement goes, you’d want to organize your presentation as a marketing conversation. It starts with your customer and prospect, the questions they ask themselves, and the issues they face. The reasons why they would be visiting in the fist place. Seth (Godin) has a colorful expression for representing that: “where is the banana?”
People are getting used to browsing and reading blogs. Even online publications have become more interactive. By writing your content in small chunks as a marketing conversation, you take the next best step with your reader – that of ghosting the conversation that is going in in their head.
Presentation
Make good use of white space and be economical at the same time. Aesthetics has its place, yes, but not at the expense of clarity. What do you want your reader to do? That is exactly how you should present to them. There is a logical sequence and topical grouping you can follow, depending on your content.
Use of font, colors, etc. should be common sense. Then again, I still see dark sites with reverse color type. It is extremely difficult to read white type on a black or dark background online.
Usability
Where do I start? Is your navigation clean, simple, and self-explanatory? Is your site easy to upload on a BlackBerry? More and more people use mobile technology to look up information, if your site is not mobile-ready, they’re out of there, and they might not visit you when at their laptop. I actually asked a cross-section of people about it, and this is mostly the answer I got.
Flash may look fancy, but is it easy to take in visually? Yes, it lends a dynamic element to the site, except for it tends to be the same over and over.
If you use video, have you considered how easy it is to upload and view from a number of tools? The same conversation goes here as we had for content. Keep it short, to the point, in easy language to understand and remember.
News
This is the part of your site you have greater opportunity to update frequently. Do that. Include a calendar of event – we all like to know what’s going on. Consider putting on it the events you attend, too. They might go to your passion for your practice area, and desire to keep up to speed. Plus it might provide an opportunity to meet up with people as you’re on the road.
Contact
It’s tempting to use contact forms to avoid spammers. But if you do, 100% of the times the form goes to a blind email, one your customers cannot see. They do not know who is responsible for the response. It’s a good disincentive, it does not inspire trust. Why would you not want to be easily accessible to customers and prospects?
I’ve seen a few bloggers do the form thing, too. It’s a big turnoff. Especially since when I used it to contact one or two who already know me, I got no response. Maybe it goes directly into a spam folder?
___________
These are just a few design features to consider if you’re giving you blog a spring cleaning. But here’s the most important of all: What is your blog about? Look at your page. How does each element contribute to telling the story of your site? If you can’t answer this question, it’s time to rethink your blog’s narrative.

We want things now and waiting is not an option, writes the New York Times. In the article, as in the changed expectations, there are multiple lessons for the marketer in you. We take that level of impatience to work with us. Watch out for:
Lesson 1:
The company you work at or work for may not slow down long enough to figure out if what they are doing supports the business strategy. Many companies that have been around a long time, in fact, are run by sales groups or product managers, making the marketers’ job challenging. The internal customers want that brochure and they want it, now. Nobody wonders if that is the right tool to accomplish what they seek to achieve.
Lesson 2:
Every resistance is futile. Whenever you try to outline the problem – in some instances blatant lack of process – you get thrown under the bus or run over. Someone else is ready to do it faster, cheaper – better? I have my doubts. The old saw “faster, cheaper, better – pick two” is still alive and well. Between discussing and doing, the wise marketer usually goes for doing. Even when you know that you are doing the wrong thing.
Lesson 3:
Good enough as a habit becomes a lot of half-baked stuff. Plus it puts you in reactive mode constantly. You may be able to get by with flying by the seat of your pants a couple of times here and there, I don’t recommend it as a long term strategy. The karma alone will get you. If not, you can count on your customers noticing and letting you know.
Lesson 4:
You end up with an unbalanced diet. As the Times says: “changing the equation isn’t so much a matter of throwing out old media as adjusting to hybrid models that enable an infinite inventory on a digital shelf – embracing, rather than trying to control, choice.” Taking all your print media placements and putting them online may not make sense for certain B2Bs that still have a good reach on some business or trade publications.
Lesson 5:
You have not given yourself enough time to make what you are doing effective – by establishing success metrics, building on a baseline, knowing how and when you are measuring, and leaving room for the unknown.
When it comes to taking the time to think and plan, we can be the worst offenders. Good things may still come to those who wait. Can you think of other lessons for marketers? I want them, now!

When people expose information about themselves and others online without thought to privacy and norms, the information we share so freely can make us less free. When in digital form, this information can be aggregated and searched, and it remains permanent.
Privacy involves accessibility, con?dentiality, and control and privacy today is clashing with free speech, particularly online. This is what Daniel J. Solove writes in his free online book, The Future of Reputation. Solove teaches at the George Washington University’s Law School.

This book focuses on the free dimensions of the Internet. The future of the Internet involves not only the clash between freedom and control but also a struggle within the heart of freedom itself. The more freedom people have to spread information online, the more likely that people’s private secrets will be revealed in ways that can hinder their opportunities in the future.
In many respects, the teenage Internet is taking on all the qualities of an adolescent– brash, uninhibited, unruly, fearless, experimental, and often not mindful of the consequences of its behavior. And as with a teenager, the Net’s greater freedom can be both a blessing and a curse.

Solove maintains that norms – the societal rules of approval and disapproval – can and do help online only if they cut both ways. In other words, the cyberspace norm police should also hold themselves accountable.
The slogan “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” drives home the meaning of context and privacy. Consider this for a moment, it’s not such a wild statement – it goes directly to a nuance Solove highlights on privacy. When an event that occurred in one context is taken out of it, its nature can be altered significantly.
We spend a lot of time in public places. Should we expect that anyone, at any time, might take a snap of us getting impatient in a long line at the cash register, or in general having a bad day? How would you feel about any of your daily activities being exposed online?
It’s human nature to be curious and technologies are expanding and changing so rapidly that we are constantly in need to figure out their impact on our lives – they can alter the matrix of freedom and control in new and challenging ways.
Where do you see yourself on the privacy/freedom spectrum? Where do you put others?

You can find definitions of trademark here, here, and here. However, how did I find this information? By running a search. If someone is looking to find a resource that does “X”, they will use the same scientific method. You may stand out by having a registered mark next to the name of your business.
You may also stand out more on the force of your use of a certain expression as associated with your brand. De facto burnishing that expression in the minds of your potential customers and partners as associated with you. In other words, you can choose whether to hinder your idea because of trademark issues or agree to spread it anyway. Seth riffed about it here.
There are some very good ideas in his post:

- You can trademark just about any word or phrase, but that doesn’t mean it will hold up.
- One thing that has changed dramatically about trademarks is the world of domains.
- Every trademark that turns generic does so for the same reason: because it’s the easiest way to describe something.

And it is flattering, too when someone else adopts your idea or a name that is very similar to yours. What do you do when you find someone who has their ID and brand name almost exactly like yours? I posed the question on LinkedIn and received some preliminary answers:
Todd Jordan said: “First off, keep an eye open to see if they are copying your content or stealing your contacts away. Second, contact them and ask if they are a fan.”
Joe Raasch added: “Intent. What was the intent of the copycat? Copying is a sincere form of flattery if it is done with positive intent. If it is done with intent to steal business, contacts, or plagiarize a good name, that is wrong.”
Marc Aniballi contributed: “This is unavoidable as soon as you “get big.” Or at least big enough. You can only minimize the damage. Make sure your clients know that a copycat exists and not to get duped. Clearly communicate YOUR id in all places to ensure that mistakes are minimized. Otherwise, there is little you can do to stop the other person unless they start to misrepresent themselves explicitly as you. And even then, you need proof.”
I know organizations are on top of trademarking laws and usage. There is legal help on hand. If you’re not, I recommend you make inquiries. What about individuals? With self-publishing and social media raising so many new individual profiles, it would be worth looking into it a bit more. And don’t forget to look into the meaning of the phraseology and words you are planning to use if your business is global.
What is your experience?

That is how the company does consumer-generated content — by sharing its own and that of the company’s fans. The brilliant distinction in the terminology is by Mark Earls.
Pamela Kaufman, Chief Marketing Officer, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group, shared the company’s new media strategy last week at the BRITE CMO Summit held at Columbia Business School, New York.
Nickelodeon is a company of global reach and size and a real contender to Disney with one big difference – they are thrilled when customers use their content. Family hotels, theme parks, Royal Caribbean cruises, and music are all in the company’s present and near future – and so are its customers, the shows’ viewers.
iCarly is a perfect example of viewers’ engagement. A TV program that showcases an online show where kids can upload their content – videos, music, poems, etc. – for a chance to be featured in the show. I was sitting next to a marketer whose 4-year-old child knows how to turn on her Mac and find Nick’s shows. Now that is slippy!
Running something like 600 promotions a year, Nickelodeon is co-creating publicity with companies like Chrysler and its characters. Aren’t kids driving purchasing decisions in many families today? “It’s a big responsibility,” said Kaufman, who was recently promoted CMO after 11 years with the 13-year old company, “and we take it seriously.” Her passion for the business and the audience – the kids and their families – showed. She believes in rigorous research – both qualitative and quantitative. “We need to have the pulse of our customers’ preferences,” she said.
If you want your content to be top of mind. If you want your customers to think of you as preferred, forget sticky. How can you make your content more slippy?

Lead generation is the lifeblood of companies in the B2B space. Usually a lead generation campaign will use the following ingredients: a promotional message, a (hopefully) highly targeted and scrubbed list of prospects, and a customized marketing follow up on the call to action.
Part of the solution to the list problem is examining the sources that are being used by lead generation companies to produce the leads they resell to you. This includes search engine campaigns, blogging, informational articles, content management systems, and strategic alliances. How reliable are these sources?
The size of your starting prospects list depends very much on the type of sale you are working on cultivating. Another consideration is that you may want to layer different titles or types of decision makers for a more complex product with a longer sales cycle. How do you achieve that with social media?
While one can definitely use social media tools to nurture leads, the question remains if it is viable for finding leads in the first place. The first question is where to go to have a highly targeted environment to prospect. Will that be the same place where all your competitors are? I believe in integration, so the interest created by a social media tool should be augmented and supported by an invitation that entices people to check you out and buy your product or service (what marketers call pull).
The second question is what do you define a “lead”? My suggestion is to put some thought into defining this as it will come in handy when you are developing the follow up materials. A lead to me is someone who raises their hand and says: “yes, I want to talk to a sales rep.”
When using social media tools, you will need to develop an equivalent for people to signal to you that they are raising their hand to talk about business. Embed a call to action button at the end of your blog posts, for example, that provides readers with a choice: link here for further reading on this topic or click here to talk to us about a need you have or a problem we can help you solve.
The shift to online behavior of recent years has made information or what we call thought leadership a dominating factor in the call to action that allows you to capture leads. Half the battle is creating content that will be worth someone’s time, but the better half of that same battle is making that content highly pertinent to the problem the prospect is trying to solve. White papers have been used widely (or should I say overused?) in many forms and places and they are increasingly becoming a pretty tired concept.
The social media alternatives to the white paper can be many – eBooks, activities and conversations that help your prospects further self qualify, posts containing opinion on trends and broad market issues, all the way to potential communities and portals with forum boards to help your current customers see the breadth of services and products you offer as well as what other customers are reading and talking about.
The buyer wants to be in control of the vendor/prospect conversation and the more you can put her in the driver seat by providing highly relevant information and the means to self select, the greater the chances she will engage with you. Social media has the potential of bringing many of the best practices for lead generation in alignment with demand creation and awareness building to benefit both the buyer and the seller.
Have you used social media for lead generation? If yes, can you share a success story? If not, what obstacles have you encountered?

All you need is an Internet connection and the ability to type in 140 characters. For some of us, me included, that is hard. It practically drives itself (although it may drive you crazy if it goes down). And the price is right, along with the extreme portability. It’s free, for now. See the Twitter wiki with good links on descriptions, etiquette and glossary of terms.
The two concerns cited most by B2B companies on the use of social media:
(1) time and resources invested with no clear sense of ROI;
(2) the lack of managerial and legal oversight inherent in the use of social media go away.
In fact, as long as people are willing to try it out, Twitter may be the most appropriate tool to get messages to those you wish to reach, fast and with economy of words, literally. And it allows you to do so even while on the road.
Here’s a short guide on how to use Twitter in B2B
Start a Twitter profile, there are already many created for publications like MarketingProfs and Fast Company, for example. If you are using the account for a specific group of people and do not wish your updates to be made public, you may protect your stream by checking the “protect my updates” box under settings. You may personalize or brand the design of your home page and select a picture either of the person posting the updates or a logo for your business. The picture will show up next to each message sent from that account.
Spread the information to your intended audience providing them with simple instructions on how to sign up for a free account and follow your stream. Customers, prospects, partners, and colleagues will then be able to view your updates. It’s a good idea to follow those who follow you in turn because now that you have a portable broadcasting channel you can do a variety of things:
(a) share bites of knowledge from events and receive other people’s impressions;
(b) broadcast meet up places taking care to provide an online streaming video or audio channel as well for those who are not on the ground to join you live (this is a nice touch for customers);
(c) use it as a tool to gather feedback on your reports from the road by asking questions and interacting with your audience – it can be particularly useful when colleagues can back you up or fill in with more information from the office or other locations.
Am I missing anything? What other uses have you found to test drive Twitter for your business?

“We have limited time; we are by necessity guarded by your approach.”
“However, we have big, big problems to solve. In that effort, we are open to your ideas.”
“Help us learn. If you want to be a trusted advisers to us, you must first become a trusted educator.”
“Too many of you forget the sales basics. You show up to meet with me, but you don’t know my business, you don’t know my purchasing history with your company.”
“Your personnel turnover in sales is too much. In many cases, I know more about your products than you do. I also have to educate you on the products that you already sold me.”
The opportunity cost is sky rocketing because there is a misalignment of how opportunity is constructed. There is quite a bit of work that needs to be done to revisit lead generation campaigns and definitions of leads. How do you qualify leads today? Chances are it’s an inside-out process. How can you make it more outside-in?
1. By listening closely to what buyers are saying about *their* buying process. It should be straight forward and basic. If that’s the case, this is a return to basics point.
2. By reducing the amount of materials you send prospects and existing customers. Having lived elbow to elbow with sales teams, I can attest to the fact that what they request of marketing departments and what they actually use are two different things — as in fractions different. Save a tree, print less, be more strategic in what you print.
3. By making the materials you send useful in educating prospects and illuminating how you could solve their problems. What are your value propositions? What is core to your business? How does that solve the customer’s specific problem?
4. By being prepared to speak about your prospect’s or customer’s specific business. Try something new, time your presentation or conversation to see how long you plan to spend talking about your capabilities vs. having a conversation about the needs of your customers.
5. By centralizing or coordinating all your efforts across the organization around the customer or prospects. How many times have you communicated with them this month? The reason why smaller companies are much better at executing on this is obvious — they often have less resources so they’ve learned to be resourceful.
Nothing annoys people more than having their time wasted. Stop the insanity, work smarter. Align your own process to the prospects and customers buying cycle. Part of this alignment should include preparing the sales rep to be a focal point — the trusted adviser who has access to the information, expertise and delivery teams.
Is your sales team on board with the outside-in approach to lead generation? If that is the case, are you training them on the right skills? Have you measured your cost of sales? If not, why not?

According to Margaret Wheatley, we live in a quantum world. And that might explain a few things. For example, for those of you fond of thinking of metaphors for working together, jazz might be a good one to represent such a world. Because it demands that we be present together, and be willing to improvise.
Isn’t blogging all about improvising? We agree on melody, tempo, and key, and then we play. We listen carefully, we communicate constantly, and suddenly, there is music — possibilities beyond anything we ever imagined.
The music — the conversation — comes from a unified whole we have accessed among ourselves, a relationship that transcends our false sense of separatedness. “When the music appears, we can’t help but be amazed and grateful,” writes Wheatley.
The relationship is what makes the conversation, even if it’s only in someone’s head. We never do know and rarely learn how our small activities will affect others through the invisible fabric of our connectedness.
That’s one of the reasons why I think blogs are excellent internal communications tools. Part environments where to provide transparency into the inner workings of an organization, especially when it is quite large, part places where employees can learn to play jazz/fit together.
Influence does not occur as a direct result of force exerted from one person to another, it ensues depending on people’s engagement with the ideas presented to them. To engage and tap the creativity that is already present, we need to present opportunities that will allow the forming of relationships.
What employees perceive is what ultimately the world and your customers will touch …. your colleagues throughout the organization are also brand ambassadors and company spokespeople …. formal or informal. Listening for a cue of where you enter the conversation is a hallmark of jazz and of great marketing organizations.
Whether you work in the marketing department or not, being part of a culture that understands the importance of connectedness shows in every external touch point and relationship. This is why blogs have become an important tool for communication — it was never a question of critical mass, it was always a matter of critical connection.
Are you using a blog internally? If yes, how? If no, why not?

Still pushing the message through, he proceeded to throw around titles of supposedly very important people I had not gotten my company in front of. When I tried to wedge in an objection that now was not the right time for me to talk, he insisted on making an appointment for 10 minutes of my time …. he had already taken 15.
During that time he managed to:
1. Run offense and defense at the same time — I was really not that good if I did not take this fabulous offer immediately. When I asked for an email the answer was “I was afraid you were going to say that, all I need is really 10 minutes of your time to have a conversation.”
2. Insult me …. did I know who he was talking about? I mean, the key decision makers in blah, blah industry. When I mentioned that I do indeed know the VPs of public affairs and communications in those companies he quickly changed topic. Wanna play who’s more connected?
3. Scoff at me …. why would we include your company in this initiative anyway? What have you guys got that is so special? You called me, remember? I thought. My attempt to use brevity in a description opened an unwelcome rush of questions as if now we were to pass an admission test.
All without once, not even for a minute, listening to and internalizing what I was saying. I ended the call with the request for more information to share with my team. Information I have not received. Sadly, this was his version of lead generation …. pushy, unkind, and one-way. A conversation it most certainly was not.
Now, I have no problem with sales professionals. I think they are very special people …. it takes patience, resiliency and ability to adapt to be in sales. Today, it also takes a generous reserve of emotional intelligence. If this is your sales team, pull them off the phones and teach them some manners.
In addition, as a respected marketer, I am sure you will share some tips on how to approach a true conversation …. I will let you fill those in the comments. A tip to the fellow with the British accent: no matter what you do, don’t antagonize the person you call, they may end up not buying from you and telling all their colleagues. You would be amazed of how small the B2B world is on certain issues.
Ever had an experience like this? Did you end up using the pitched product or service?

When it comes to using social media for your brand, you are navigating in uncharted territory. Social media does not outright solve many problems your brand, or your business for that matter, may have. The answer to those resides in branding realignment or the discovery of a whole new business model. That is an internal issue that will guide first who …. your brand promise as rooted in a viable business model …. then what …. the perception the brand will have in the marketplace.
Our organizations are filled with skilled managers who can solve problems. They were trained to do so in prestigious schools and through years of experience. They can run research and measure results from campaigns with the precision of surgeons. All without a thought to participation by the market itself.
Alas, what you face today in the world where your brand lives, are not just problems that can be solved neatly with the stuff you have. Your customers’ context has changed to include what I’ve come to call dilemmas …. something that cannot be solved with either/or thinking, questions that you need to hold in your head and learn to navigate through with flexibility. This is why social media has become such a big part of the conversation.
The disconnect between having all these wonderful tools (i.e., social media) and the ability, your company’s ability, to make good use of them stems from this misunderstanding of problem thinking vs. a context filled with dilemmas. What is deemed “good”? How do you measure it in tangible results? At what point can you say you moved the needle in your favor?
The Context and Your Brand Story
In Get There Early, Bob Johansen of The Institute of the Future (IFTF) outlines several directions for change he foresees in the next decade.
1. Everyday awareness of vulnerability and risk …. in both the developed and developing worlds.
2. An hourglass population distribution where old age is the new frontier, but the kids will be heard.
3. Bottom-up everything, where people interact with the products and services they consume.
4. Continuous connectivity where network connections are always on.
5. A booming health economy in which health is an important filter for many purchasing decisions …. and health risks are on everyone’s mind.
6. Mainstream business strategy that includes environmental stewardship combined with profitability …. doing good while doing well.
These are directions we’re moving towards at the moment, not sure things.
To consume means to destroy; yet consumers are not just there to destroy and receive the messages you have for them passively. Today, consumers are individuals who empower themselves with the tools they are learning to use. Do you want to know what is the number one network security risk inside organizations? Personal technology devices and tools that employees bring in …. self … customization.
It goes hand in hand with self-agency …. acting on your own behalf, which magnifies individual decisions. While we do that, we also hold close ties with a network, which may influence those decisions.
The third direction consumers are moving into is self-organization. I wrote about it in my last post here at the Daily Fix …. this is where everyone can be a seller, and everyone can be a buyer. Social networks are disrupting everything you know about business. Where your business model and your brand fit in should be your first question.
As new age was put forth as a panacea for a society seeking spiritual roots, now social media is being thrust upon the fabric of business. Ask yourself: when was the last time you talked about new age? In five years can you still imagine yourself talking about social media as something layered on top of your core marketing?

That is a lofty number.
In strictly marketing terms, what does this trend mean for online business segments?
(1) self-service applications used by groups and marketing campaign teams;
(2) brand applications that focus on customer engagement;
(3) and enterprise applications that provide more effective ways of working with customers, partners and other external parties.
But what this means to you customer is the ability to leverage their online relationships into business relationships. According to the New York Times, Lemonadehas just unveiled a service that will let users create kiosks on their Facebook and MySpace pages, among others, to sell anything from old furniture to the products of online retail stores.
The affiliate programs will net commissions of between 5-15% and other incentives to deliver a paying customer. Lemonade keeps 20% of the commissions on behalf of people who create online kiosks, and will pay users the rest of the money.
From lemonade stands to Garage Sale — Buy.com’s new service that allows people to sell used items on their Facebook pages for a 5% commission …. – the best way to dig out of unused products seems to be online these days.
This nexus further breaks down traditional distinctions between the Customer and the Seller. Pioneers in the new market space will find they are becoming, in a sense, partners with their customers — who, in turn, are transforming their online social relationship into small business alliances of their own.
And this is the pervasive and permanent nature of what we currently call social networking. One can imagine a day in which the distinction between business and customer; between network and application; between social and entrepreneurial seem dated and artificial.
So be a visionary: what other manifestations of social networking can you imagine? And what are you doing about it?

Realistically, it is surprising that a network that has grown so fast in a few years may have had so few glitches (comparatively speaking) as Skype has. If the company did well on the reliability scale, where could it have used improvement? In addition to realizing that we had not made back up plans in case of emergency, what did we learn from the experience?
While the programmers may have been working feverishly to solve the problem on the back side, the popular Skype blog did not mention the reason, which unnerved users despite their statement: “…the Skype system has not crashed or been victim of a cyber attack. We love our customers too much to let that happen.”
A day later, Skype was referring to customers as “family” in their communications, but not really giving their customers the equivalent of a “family talk.”
They used all the right words yet the sentiments in the news written by customers remained quite critical. What could have been done better? News that affects millions of people should be considered a crisis and treated as such. In that vein:
1. Apologize right away, don’t wait two days.
2. Say you’re sorry about the right thing. How about apologizing for you actions, not your customer’s emotions?
3. Put your energy wholly into discovering the cause. Dispelling rumors works better long term when you have a theory to offer.
4. Make the “back to normal” announcement sing by putting meat to it. No need to wait for all the details.
5. When you create expectation that more details are forthcoming, deliver. Use active language whenever you can. Saying, “the Skype peer-to-peer network became unstable and suffered critical disruption,” and so on and that “the issue has now been identified” is more of the same passive speak. How about, “a Windows update caused a massive outage of the Skype peer-to-peer network.” And then get into the details.
A fuller explanation of Skype’s technical issues wasn’t forthcoming until five days after the outage. A more timely note of this detail – while not technically exhaustive – would have gone a long way to reassure users of Skype’s fundamental soundness.
How many companies and users have been investigating alternatives to Skype in the meantime? What will this mean to Skype’s long term reputation as communications channel worthy of use by business?

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Hill founded Commerce Bank in 1973 in New Jersey and over the next 34 transformed it into a powerful entity in the region by creating top notch customer service and engaging in smart marketing moves.
The related party arrangement can be tricky to pull off. Perhaps Shirley Hill was the best architectural design and facilities management choice, yet the fact that she is Mr. Hill’s wife has cast doubt on the deal. Were timelines stretched and costs incurred because of the familiarity between parties? That may have been one of the deliberations that stuck in the regulators’ craw.
If you think that these considerations are valid only at such high levels, think again. Over the years, I had a couple of instances in which hiring a third party to do a job who was also a friend bit me in the tail.
In the past I shared a project with a trusted company, one that served me well numerous times. The objective was to complete the simple assignment within a set time period. We discussed the time line, the budget and the scope quite openly. Yet it was not delivered on time, and there was some discussion of the budget not quite covering the work.
What went wrong? Our friendship got in the way of the project. After having done all the leg work with the client, and delivering on the first stage of the project I released it to my friend. Our conversation about expectations was quite clear to both yet it failed in the details.
Lesson number one: the devil is in the details.
The lead designer was not able to being work immediately due to personal circumstances. I learned that one week after I was expecting the design draft to share with the client. One other detail I had not considered was that yet another provider had to be involved to complete the project as the company did not have the capability in house. By now, with the timeline expanded, the budget agreed upon at the start was also getting stretched.
Through no exact fault of anyone, I was able to present a version of the deliverable to the client two weeks behind schedule. What was supposed to be the work of one week, plus another for revisions and completion, had become now four weeks. At that point, the company was starting to look for payment while the client had not yet seen any of the completed work. Not a good place to be. In the spirit of complete disclosure, I have also known the client for a number of years through work.
Lesson number two: the same people may behave differently in different circumstances, including you.
We all worked through the final comments and tweaks as a team. However, everyone was now occupied by other commitments; not to mention the tough discussions we had to broach so we could get past the challenges. I stand behind my promises and the additional funds for the company came out of my cut. That was no problem at all.
What happened was a classic case of familiarity breeding a false sense of security –because we have known each other and worked together for so long, we all made assumptions about where the project was. We talked at every single stage, yet we didn’t communicate right.
Lesson number three: don’t assume that because you’re talking, the right message is coming through.
Along with the lessons, here are some takeaways:
1. Even if the project is a small one, request a firm quote in writing of what the agreed budget covers. The document will stabilize the details you both agree on and will serve as a reference later.
2. Keep a close contact with all parties involved and insist that the project lead on the other side knows what is going on. In our case, the designer had taken the initiative to interpret the charter one way and took too much time down that road.
3. If you need to outsource a big portion of your project to a third party, select one that has the capability to do the rest. In my case, it would have been better to have everything under the same roof as a third relationship and pricing structure impacted the cost considerably.
We grow most when we learn, and all parties involved in my story are professionals who will deliver the best outcome …. we are now in problem solving mode. I am sharing the story with you so you can share yours, I’m sure you have at least one.
C’mon, do tell and stay constructive. What other advice would you give me and others on hiring friends? This is important …. we spend a lot of time networking and building relationships, we don’t want all that energy to go to waste when the time finally comes to do great work together.

With the shrinking of resources everywhere, the marketers inside organizations have found themselves having to do much more with much less …. and being under pressure to deliver on results without there being a very clear definition of what that means sometimes.
That’s a lot of pressure. Plus, there is often the need to educate colleagues from other areas of the organization about what marketing delivers and why it is an important function vis-à-vis sales, engineering or finance, which by and large continue to drive most B2B organizations — technically, culturally and politically.

Your starting point in pitching marketers inside organizations is the awareness that they need more than just a brochure or a new logo. When approached the right way, the conversation may lead to being selected as more than a vendor and becoming a partner. This of course assumes that you’ve done your part –
Essential Dos:
- Do your homework — learn more about the organization. Google it, data monitor it. Talk to people who can give you a first person account, not just a name. You are going to want to be considered after all.
- Think in terms of benefits …. if you were to buy your own services from the point of view of the marketer you are pitching, what is the key strength?
- Be persistent *and* patient …. it takes a lot of time to break through the noise today. It may also take time to find the right fit between what you offer and what is needed. Find ways to be helpful without becoming a nuisance.
– which leads to the Main Don’ts:
- Don’t be a nuisance …. – if you send a brochure about your company, that’s essentially a cold call. You compound it by calling a couple of days later to follow up on what amounts essentially to unsolicited mail.
- Invoking the power of higher authorities is the shortest path to the exit door …. – how does this grab you? “I was talking with your CFO the other day–” This is the equivalent to saying to someone you want to date that you were talking to their Dad, and therefore they should go out with you.
- Pressing people at networking events …. – people who represent service providers are often in the majority at professional associations’ events. Some of them may insist on pitching you every single time. If you haven’t read the very entertaining book He’s Not That Into You, you might take a look at the concept. Yes, I’ve seen you, I know what your company does, and I’ll call you when and if I need those services from you.
These are my main dos and don’ts.
I can tell you that the most successful at pitching me have been those companies and agencies that (1) had a core skill I needed at the moment; (2) where flexible and willing to work as part of the team, which means with other agencies and firms for me; (3) found ways to be useful above and beyond the call of duty (this is valid in any relationship).
I’m sure by now you are hitching to tell me your stories …. both from the agency/consultant side and from the corporate side.
What are your top dos and don’ts? Any story that could be the poster child for a do/don’t?

It’s also our fault. Before you move onto the next post, let’s agree on the qualities that make a good marketer today. We need to be good at (the highlights):


How many of you have put these skills to use in the course of your daily work? There is a reason why the list is ordered that way. Many of us climb the first couple of rungs of that ladder really well, yet we rarely get to the others. Why?
The problem, as I see it, is that we don’t do a good job at selling ourselves. Ladies and gentlemen, what people often see is the end result, the campaign, the ads, the program. So they come to the obvious conclusion that that’s where marketing resides. Marketing = tactics.
You’re not convinced yet. You’re thinking that rookies make that mistake; they are too inexperienced to articulate the value of what they do to senior management. Consultants do a better job at this. Their clients hire them on the strength of their being able to articulate what they bring to the table.
What if I told you a brief story that illustrates how a top-notch marketer made the classic advertising rookie mistake? The following story is extracted with slight edits for length from the book Rebuilding Brand America by Dick Martin, former VP Public Affairs at AT&T.

After 9/11, the President decided that we needed to do a better job telling the Brand America story. So who did he turn to? Charlotte Beers, the first woman to rise to the top of two agencies, Ogilvy & Mather and J. Walter Thompson …. – making her the most prominent woman in advertising.
Secretary Colin Powell turned to “the Queen of branding,” “the Queen of advertising,” or “the Queen of schmoozing,” as people called her. His idea was that we needed to sell democracy, the product of a free enterprise system …. – the American value system.

Beers went at it in earnest, doing her research, meeting with people, and working around the clock to come up with the “Shared Values” campaign, a $15MM effort. The response was good, but the campaign didn’t work. Why?
Ms. Beers gave her client what he wanted rather than what he needed. Two major forces where against her:
1. She was not familiar with the intricacies and bureaucracies of reconciling the mandate from Secretary Powell and the complex web of communication offices at the State Department and across the administration. Her sense of urgency blinded her to the fact that she needed to research and understand the dynamics of this organization.
The lesson: know the environment in which you move really well, do your due diligence, speak with key stakeholders, and find the gatekeepers and the internal network’s nodes.
2. She jumped on a running train. She sat in on conference calls where the president’s communications director, Karen Hughes, was already leading State and Defense Departments staffers in writing the message of the day and plotting political strategy.
What happens when you’re put in charge of getting a message out and someone else is already doing it? The due diligence would have uncovered that many of these decisions had already been made. How about going back to the people who put you in charge and request that the business support you as the new lead?
The lesson: your first priority should be to set strategic direction. Find those people within your organization who set the tone from the operational side and partner with them.
You may also find, as Ms. Beers did, that there aren’t enough staff and resources allocated to your department. That will need to wait for another conversation.
Repeat after me, next time someone comes to you requesting a brochure, or a web site, or an ad, what do you say?
Let’s climb that ladder, shall we?