Perspective in Business, Marketing – and Life

February 27, 2012 By 5 Comments

If you’re new here, be sure to check out the webinars we’re doing in the month of March. We’d love to have you join us!

Baby YOU'RE a Firework

cc License, Camera Slayer

Sometimes, a healthy dose of perspective is in order. Here’s what we mean:

In the past month, we’ve had a couple friends get medical diagnoses that, frankly, suck. Long-term prognosis is good – but life will be different.

We’ve watched a few friends get new jobs and launch new opportunities – and, while it’s awesome for them, we’ve also seen more than enough examples of friends who are stalled: can’t find the right opportunity, found the right opportunity but can’t start it for awhile, or are gainfully underemployed, or terminally in a funk.

We’ve seen connections appear to drop off the face of the earth – but it’s because they had to leave the social media world: bad relationship, crumbling marriage, family issues, or even threats of violence.

And, even though it seems like everyone is underwater with their mortgage: we’re connected to people who are not only mortgage-less, their living conditions can BEST be described as “sub-optimal.”

Perspective is a Funny Thing: You Don’t Get It Until You Get It.

It would be easy for me to sit on my high horse and tell you to “look out for each other” or “be careful what you post because it might rub someone the wrong way.” But I can’t. I don’t have your perspective – and you don’t have my perspective.

I had a good friend who, a few weeks ago, started a conversation like this…

THEM: “Can I be brutally honest with you?”

ME: “Yes.”

THEM: “Promise not to get offended.”

ME: “Okay.”

THEM: “You are sharing too much negativity. Every post, every status update, every everything is…too negative. By being negative, you’re inviting negative things into your life.”

ME: “I’ll take that under advisement.”

This was the frying pan to the face that I desperately needed.

They were 100% right. I was being negative. I was inviting the negative. Thus, negative was following.

The Business Takeaway: Positive Execution

Whatever your business is, it might be easier to look at what you didn’t get done than what you DID get done, or on what hasn’t happened than what HAS happened. It might make more sense to say that “Bob is a VP and I’m just a Manager.” Or “Mary sold her company and I’m still languishing away at mine.”

But, wait a minute: what DID you do? What HAS happened?

Crap, I’ve had too many discussions with people about client opportunities here at Area 224 world HQ that it would be virtually impossible for me to go back to past experiences and not find a positive takeaway.

Find the positive execution and focus on it. You got something accomplished – and that is a plus that you can use as a POSITIVE.

The Marketing Takeaway: Don’t Market Absolutes

I’ve always thought that one thing that churches did well in the Middle Ages was to Market Absolutes: “Join Our Church or Go to Hell.” That’s an elevator speech that is succinct, negative, and absolute.

Not buying your product doesn’t mean my hair will fall out – and buying your product, conversely, shouldn’t absolutely give me a full head of glorious hair.

It might help – but the zero sum marketing game hurts everyone. A plus for you shouldn’t be a minus for me – it works or it doesn’t. Maybe I’ll try it, maybe I won’t. Show me how it might make my life better – but don’t give me the platitude that says “Buy Now, Be Absolutely Thin Tomorrow.”

Empathy Marketing – not Absolute Marketing. People can read right through the hyperbole – they want to see the process BEHIND getting there, not the absolute holy grail.

Walk Me Through It. Don’t sell me on your overnight success – that’s ten years in the making anyway.

The Life Takeaway: Lift Someone Up

The same conversation I referenced above ALSO got me to endeavor to “lift up five people a day.” By that – heck, someone has something positive going on, right? If not, make it happen yourself – who can you send a letter to? Whose status update needs the like button clicked? Who do you know that can help open the door for a new job, a new contract, a new relationship, for someone in your circle?

Five People: That’s Not Too Difficult. Lift Them Up.

Trust me – I can’t sell you on changing your perspective immediately, but I can ask you to seek out things that are positive and GET your perspective changed.

Starting now.

Filed Under: Perspective Tagged With: , ,

Your Fill In The Blanks Social Media Bandwagon Blog Post

February 24, 2012 By 19 Comments

Last year? Quora. This year? Pinterest. What’s Next? Doesn’t Matter: All you have to do is copy and paste what’s here, and fill in the blanks once the next new thing arrives. You’re welcome.

Joyous Social Media Users

Photo courtesy lightruth, used with CC license.

There’s no question that [BLANK] is the hottest thing going in social media right now. After its launch [6 MONTHS AGO, 6 YEARS AGO, LAST NIGHT], [BLANK] is attracting the attention of brands, venture capital firms and even the President [OF THE UNITED STATES, OF RUSSIA, OF MY LOCAL SOCIAL MEDIA CLUB CHAPTER].

We took a look at the inner workings of [BLANK] and we like what we see – there’s a reason for all the buzz! In fact, Social Media [GURUS, NINJAS, ROCK STARS] from [CITY] to [OBSCURE CENTRAL EUROPEAN NATION] are all jumping on the bandwagon.

So, should you join them? Well, here are some tips before you [GET STARTED, SELL AN EBOOK ABOUT "BLANK"]:

1. Don’t Ignore the Other Networks

“[BLANK] should be part of every brand’s social media strategy,” said [EXPERT, GUY OFF THE STREETS, SIMPSONS ANCHORMAN KENT BROCKMAN]. “In fact, the way it seamlessly connects with other networks, I can’t imagine life as a brand marketer without [BLANK].”

And, with the backing of [GOOGLE, MICROSOFT, THOSE GUYS WHO GOT INVESTMENT FOR THAT ONE THING], you can bet that [BLANK] will become part of the social media fabric for years to come, meaning that it will be another tool in the arsenal – and your experience [BLANKING] will integrate well with your experience [FACEBOOKING, TWEETING, QUORA-ING].

2. No Matter Your Industry, Learn From Others Who Use [BLANK]

Just last night, [WEBSITE] reported that a Not-for-Profit used [BLANK] with great success. “We [BLANKED] and, while we were wary that it was a bunch of hype, after [BLANKING] we totally love it. And, two people came up to me [AT AN EVENT, ON THE STREET, AFTER SEEING ME ON THE TODAY SHOW] and said they saw our integrated, strategic [BLANK] presence and planned to [DONATE, COME TO OUR EVENT, WATCH THE TODAY SHOW AGAIN].”

Pinsanity

Guess which camp we think Pinterest is in?

3. Even if [BLANK] Goes Away, Have Fun [BLANKING]

The founders of [BLANK] admit that they’re a little surprised by the attention. “I remember the early days of our startup [6 YEARS AGO, 6 MONTHS AGO, LAST NIGHT], when we wondered if anyone would [USE IT, FUND IT, GIVE US $200 MILLION DOLLARS]. But we stuck to it – we were committed to our dream, and, even though Mom and Dad told me how awesome we were, we knew that, until we had [A TECHCRUNCH POST, 25 USERS, JEREMY LIN'S ATTENTION], we weren’t going to make it. Now, though, we’re convinced – this will be huge.”

As with any emerging technology, there’s always some hype. But, if you use this template, you, too, can post about what [BLANK] is doing.

Have an awesome time [BLANKING]!

 

Filed Under: Bacon, Buzzwords, Poseurs Tagged With: , ,

Internet Marketing Vs. Social Media Marketing

February 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Hi. If you’re new here, be sure to learn more about our FORWARD:MARCH program, with private coaching starting March 1 and webinars kicking in on March 6.

We have often said that the work we do here at Area 224 – and the 12 Minute Marketing program we launched last year – has been at the intersection of Internet Marketing and Social Media Marketing.

Pinterest Photo

Guess which camp we think Pinterest is in?

But what do we mean by that?

Good question…and, even though we see some real differences between the two – in approach, in positioning, and in numbers – we think both sides can learn lots from each other. Here are some key learnings:

Internet Marketing is All About Numbers.

Social Media Marketing – while getting better at it – is more of a “soft science.” Here’s what we mean:

Uber-Marketer Frank Kern has talked quite a bit about specific programs he has done – and he has opened the kimono and shared the nitty-gritty numbers. Like this:

  • 10,000 emails sent
  • 27% open rate
  • 97 sales
  • $1397 per sale

The ROI here is unclear – we don’t know how much was invested in all facets of this campaign, but we can tell you this: Internet Marketing focuses on Sales Numbers.

To take it a step further, there’s a guy named Ryan Deiss – also someone who falls into the “Uber-Marketer” camp – who has often said that he zeros in on one absolute number before deciding whether or not to get involved in someone’s product launch:

Earnings Per Click. (Or, if 100 people click on a landing page, and 5 of them order a $49 product, take 5, multiply it by $49 and you get $245; divide that by 100 and you come up with $2.45 per click.)

Meanwhile, Social Media Marketing is Less Mature about Bottom Line Impact

Very simply put, if we have to explain any of the above concepts to you, you are probably NOT an Internet Marketer. You might be a Social Media Marketer.

OR, at the risk of being even more direct, you might just be “in Social Media.”

This is one area where big brands and big agencies have failed in the past: they’ll hire based on soft numbers that might be rather suspect. 5000 Facebook friends (the limit). 25,000 Twitter followers (many of whom may well be bots).

And, to expect “Social Media” to translate immediately into “Social Media Marketing,” you MUST have an Objective.

Gone are the days (and these were a couple years ago, mind you) where brands can say “get me on Twitter” or “get me a Facebook fan page” and have that translate into some definition of success.

Campaigns and Landing Pages are more the domain of Internet Marketing

Yes, I said it out loud: Social Media Practitioners – the experts, gurus, ninjas and rock stars you have heard so much about – these folks tend to NOT be very good at running a campaign that goes beyond really soft sciences like “engagement.” You’re possibly going to hear terms like “number of Retweets” and “number of Facebook Fans” – but, from the Social Media folk, you will not hear anything that makes the ears of the sales people ring.

“We drove 1000 people to the landing page, and 125 of them filled out a form. All of them received a white paper from our firm; we were able to reach 15 of them by phone in the first week after the white paper arrived. We have appointments with 5 of them to talk about their business needs.”

A hypothetical quote…but which type of person produced it?

Internet Marketing is always wearing a Sales Hat

This might be the greatest difference between Social Media Marketing and Internet Marketing:

Internet Marketers always have a number attached to their name.

One reason yours truly got out of traditional PR back in the middle of the last decade: fighting for budgets and not being able to quantify the value you bring to an organization is TIRING stuff.

Our Point: if you’re in Social Media, think first like an Internet Marketer.

Filed Under: 12 Minutes, brand communications, Internet Marketing, Social Trends, Twitter Tagged With: , ,

Top 5 Things That Top 5 Things Blog Posts Can Teach You About Blogging

February 15, 2012 By 10 Comments

Welcome! New here? Say hi, and check out something special and cool we’re doing for the Month of March called “FORWARD:MARCH.” Your business may well thank you…

Area 224 Alternate Logo

Remember this logo kerfuffle? Jeremy Lin pinned about it

Jeremy Lin. Pinterest. Infographics. Downton Abbey. Social Media. Business. Life.

It seems as if every stinking topic on the Internet these days is being blogged about in a “Top 5 Things” post. It’s enough to make you run, kicking and screaming, to your nearest book, as a means of escaping the madness.

Can you really learn anything from any of these Top 5 (or any other number) posts? Why yes, yes you can. Sometimes. Kindof. If you pin about it. Here goes:

1. Be prepared to chase car bumpers

Ever wonder what the car that chases the car bumper actually DOES with the car once he catches it? That semi-rhetorical question is meant as a thought-provoker: No dog has ever been shown on YouTube catching a car. But they chase them anyway.

It doesn’t matter if Jeremy Lin is a flash in the pan, or if Pinterest will have its traffic wane – bloggers are a mercurial bunch and will chase whatever topical car bumper they can.

2. Bigger means more, not better

I’ll call two sites on the carpet: Huffington Post and Forbes. Both have had posts in the past week that had this author scratching his head: they seemed to have been thrown together randomly, weren’t very well thought through, and were done entirely for search value.

As if to say that a “Top 5 Things That Jeremy Lin Can Teach You…” post is going to actually teach you something.

(As if to say THIS list will actually teach you something.)

The fear is that blogs are becoming like any other news outlet that has space to fill: if it’s a rainy day, then you run a story on umbrella salesmen if nothing else is going on.

3. We like lists when we can see ourselves in them

Think about it, if you see a list of “Top 5 Bloggers in Arkansas,” you want to see yourself there (if you live in Arkansas). If you don’t live in Arkansas, you may very well want to see yourself making one of those lists for your own state.

Often, especially in “social media,” people don’t become your friend, fan your page, or retweet your blog post because they like you. They do so because they want to BE you. You give off an image of someone who has it in control, or vacations a lot, or has a great MLM business. (If you’re a brand, it’s because of those brand attributes – drinking your beer will make me more attractive, driving your car will make me cooler.)

Chicago Magazine ran a list of the 100 Most Powerful Chicagoans yesterday, and I gravitated toward it – but, knowing I’m not ever going to be in the list, I started scheming about ways to get on similar lists. It happens, it’s human nature.

4. Just because you have a blog doesn’t mean you have something relevant to add to the conversation

Big brands and especially B2B companies are learning this first-hand. Now, everyone and their brother has access to blogging – so, it follows, why shouldn’t everyone blog?

This is my beef with Forbes.com – the addition of a post on Jeremy Lin wasn’t exactly adding to an already noisy conversation. Here’s the link.

5. Everyone is an expert

We saw the first of many “How to Use Pinterest for your Business” blog posts yesterday: and we saw this one by accident, as we haven’t been looking for them. Because we know they’re out there – next to the “How to Market Your Business with Quora” posts.

This expertise on everything that’s everywhere leads us to the next question: if everyone’s an expert, what is anyone actually DOING?

While this blog post might have been somewhat tongue-in-cheek, there are some serious questions we think you should ask yourself:

Why are you blogging? Who are you blogging for? And, most importantly, are you adding anything relevant to the conversation, or just talking?

Filed Under: blogging, MLM Tagged With: , , ,

FORWARD:MARCH – Join Us for an Intensive Training Program Starting March 1

February 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Act Now

Only 10 Slots for FORWARD:MARCH

We’re doing a very intensive, hands-on, training program starting March 1 – and we’d love for you to join us…

Hi from Dave from Area 224. We’ve got something extra-special planned for March 2012 – but we only have ten slots.

It’s a training and consulting program called FORWARD:MARCH – and you can learn way more about it on this special page we’ve whipped up:

Go to the FORWARD:MARCH page.

Questions? Hit us up at hq at area224 dot com.

Filed Under: Consultancy Tagged With:

How to Learn PR from Pinterest, Downton Abbey and Susan G Komen

February 3, 2012 By 8 Comments
Pink Car

Used with cc License, thanks Fabrice79

What a week, huh? If you haven’t been paying attention, you missed a ton. Here’s a recap. Oh, and spin on over to New Frugality to take a look at a cool side project that Dave’s part of.

1. Pinterest is officially huge – and possibly overrated.

Heard about Pinterest yet? Well, we don’t wanna explain it – we’ll leave that up to the experts. Like Francisco over at Social Mouths. His post tells you just about everything you need to know about Pinterest.

What’s the PR takeaway?

80 percent of users, according to Francisco, are female. Thus, know your audience.

The delightful Sean McGinnis asks whether Pinterest will become the next Quora or Empire Avenue. Good questions.

2. Downton Abbey is worth the hype.

Haven’t seen the BBC-turned-PBS English Lords and Ladies Programme yet? Neither had Dave before two weeks ago.

Now, I’m officially hooked. And almost caught up. Why? It’s a quality program(me).

What’s the PR takeaway?

Storytelling is NOT going anywhere. Thus, learn to write – and learn how to tell a story.

The richness of prose is not JUST because people spoke more formally back in the day (the 1910s). The complex characters, the story arcs that are going for years. When’s the last time you actually sat down and planned your business for the long term?

3. Susan G Komen for The Cure didn’t read the tea leaves.

Yeah, it’s a firestorm. But, as Dave shared on Facebook earlier today, the real issue here isn’t pro-life vs. pro-choice, or access to women’s health care. The real issue is “pinkwashing.”

What’s the PR takeaway?

Think things through, and don’t be a bully. Thus, just because someone wants to give you money in exchange for association with their brand – make sure that’s a good idea.

Komen underestimated how polarizing this issue would be; as a result of their off-again, on-again support of Planned Parenthook, they alienated first the Left, then the Right. AND, as a result, they are now subject to more questions – from the Left, Right AND Middle – as to how they spend their money, what they spend it on, and whether it’s all supporting their cause – or just pinkwashing.

Pink Guns Don’t Help, either.

Hype from Pinterest, Story from Downton Abbey, and Pinkwashing from Komen. Lots of PR Learning this week.

 

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Filed Under: Buzzwords, Causes, PR