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Rhythmic Gymnastics Don’t Belong in the Winter Olympics, Or Your Marketing

Received a call here at Area 224 HQ from a dear friend, and here was his question:

Why do I have to jump through so many hoops to get someone’s free report?

In brief, here’s what happened:

Credit: IOC.
Credit: IOC.
  1. Friend attended webinar for free.
  2. Friend liked what he heard from a speaker, decided to visit a website to get the “Free Report” valued at “some figure that makes it sound really valuable.”
  3. When he tried to get the report, he was asked to buy something. He said no.
  4. Was taken to another page to download the free report.
  5. Was asked to input email address.
  6. He was then taken to another page and was asked to buy something else.
  7. Meanwhile, the email with instructions to download the Free Report ended up in a Spam folder.
  8. He got confused.
  9. He emailed the provider of the Free Report.
  10. Provider sent out another note saying s/he had messed up, suggested a new approach – new link to Free Report.
  11. Friend lost interest, was confused, felt taken, didn’t want to jump through hoops.

Result: Prospect (my friend) moved into “Will Not Buy” category.

This has resulted in my creation of a new style of marketing: Empathy Marketing.

If you think about it, Empathy Marketing is pretty easy to do: make it darn easy for the prospect to get information from you. Especially if that information is FREE.

You see, FREE needs to mean, well, FREE. Not “Free with strings attached.” Not “Free with email address and permission to send you a bunch of stuff.” FREE.

Area 224 has some newsletters of our own. Sometimes we send out an email when we post something neat on the blog, like this. We often tweet about what we’re up to. Etc.

Oh, and our Real SMM product – the one we’re partnering with Socially Mediated’s Jim Alexander on? We have some FREE stuff there. Like a White Paper that’s a FREE Report. Here’s the link: http://realsmm.com/5mistakes.

Jim and I had a 30-second call about this very subject yesterday. “Down with Rhythmic Gymnastics,” I told him. “I wholeheartedly agree,” he said.

So, are you practicing Empathy Marketing, or are your making customers jump through hoops?

Written by · Categorized: smm

SMM stands for Social Media Manna

We came up with this concept shortly after a chat with Jim Alexander of Socially Mediated. Yes, it’s that easy – come up with a Social Media strategy for your organization and it will be like Manna from Heaven. Wonderful, tasty sweet bread falling from the sky. Social Media Manna. SMM.

Social Media Manna will not fall from the sky.

Remember Seth Godin? Very smart, uber-marketer, always writing another book? That Seth Godin? He hit the nail on the head — here’s a quote from him:

“The reason social media is so difficult for most organizations? It’s a process, not an event. Dating is a process. So is losing weight, being a public company and building a brand. On the other hand, putting up a trade show booth is an event. So are going public and having surgery. Events are easier to manage, pay for and get excited about. Processes build results for the long haul.” – Seth Godin, 2009.

This is where the Manna test fails for most organizations.

Process: Engaging with customers, prospects, clients, friends, the general public.

Event: Setting up a Twitter account.

Process: The quid-pro-quo of social media interaction – quid of sharing information and having conversations; quo of getting valuable insights from clients or consumers and being proactive about making things happen.

Event: Setting up a Facebook Fan Page.

If you look at the PROCESS of Social Media Marketing – that’s what the “M” stands for, “Marketing” – you’ll realize that the skies will not open, and delicious bread will not fall into your lap immediately.

If you invest time into engagement marketing, authenticity marketing, and know that you have to get real — well, you’ll get your slices here and there. And you might just find out what type of bread people really want.

3 Weeks, Times Two…

Lesson We Learned: Explaining Art + Science of Social Media…

Area 224 returns for not one but TWO repeat engagements of 3 Weeks to Social Media Success.

Up there on our site you’ll see it say “3 Weeks is Back!” That’s because we did this program in December and, well, we had quite a few people ask us if we’d do it again. So here we are.

PLUS – this is more laser-focused, less sessions, and some one-on-one time and group time and…we’re really excited.

Add to cart

BUT…what about Real Estate? Don’t you guys have something for that, too?

YES…our Real SMM product has 3 Weeks to Real Estate Social Media Success. Real Estate people – agents, brokers, investors, title company, mortgage people…etc., they can all learn from the experts (we’ve been doing webinars like these ALL through 2009).

Add to cart

So, if you ARE in Real Estate, check out the Real SMM site and sign up there. If you aren’t, see more info on our 3 Weeks program right here.

Cheers!

How We’re Doing – Stamping Out Poseurs

Hi! Back in January, we said we were on a mission. Here’s a recap.

Goal: Stamp Out Social Media Poseurs in 2010.

I’m on a mission. Please join me.

You know what a “poseur” is, right? I don’t have to define it – it’s one of these things, like “art” or good graphic design. You know it when you see it; and, when you see it, in the case of Social Media Poseurism, you don’t like it.

Let’s band together to stamp out Social Media Poseurs in 2010!

If you see any of these 17 behaviors, actions or tweets — report them! Or, better yet, just stop following, unfriend them, and move on. Life’s too short.

Here’s the list:

  1. Calling themselves a “guru.”
  2. Calling themselves a “rock star.” (Actual rock stars may call themselves rock stars.)
  3. Calling themselves a “ninja.”
  4. Tweeting the same 15 things over and over again, usually from multiple accounts. [Editor’s Note: WAIT, I do that! That’s how people saw this in the first place! Must change this, STAT!]
  5. Unable to provide an actual business case study for any social media usage – even if it’s from someone else.
  6. Saying they were a CEO many times, as if you’re supposed to be impressed. (I’m a CEO, have been a CEO. I’m not impressed by my own title.)
  7. 100% self-serving tweets. Twitter is the closest thing to the Social Media Party that your kids warned you about. Talk WITH people.
  8. Any automated “machine” approach to any of this SMM stuff.
  9. Selling you Multi-Level Marketing Crap via Direct Messages or Facebook Spam. [EDITOR: I still can’t stand this stuff.]
  10. LinkedIn LIONs who are Social Media Experts. (I have 10,000 people I’m connected to, therefore I am a Social Media Expert.)
  11. Anyone who calls themselves a Social Media Expert. See 1, 2, and 3 above.
  12. Anyone who has all the answers.
  13. Unable to provide a business example where their assistance has added – be it % of sales growth or more leads or added phone calls to the call center. (Thanks, @mattdollinger.)
  14. USING ALL CAPS TO GET THEIR POINT ACROSS.
  15. WORSE, USING ALL CAPS IN THEIR TWITTER USER NAME. (Sorry, @CHRISVOSS, that’s a foul.) [EDITOR: Guy listed in #15 is also the mayor of a Las Vegas Arby’s on Foursquare. I gave him ribbing in the Winter, and nothing.  So I’ll rib him again, with the goal of engagement.]
  16. On the part of brands, having a “social media expert” on staff and refusing to figure out why they’re there. (Customer Service? PR? Sending out coupons? Have a point!)
  17. Anyone who claims to be a “Word of Mouth” expert and is not using Twitter properly. By properly — at least 1000 followers, following the same number, and engaging 10x a day. Thank you.

Okay, 17 reasons could probably be 170 with a little more thinking. The point here – don’t be lame. We’re all trying to make a buck — myself included. Fine, there’s room for a good many of us to explain this Social Media Marketing landscape to those who want to learn it, have to learn it, or are somewhere in between.

Happy New Year! (Even to the Poseurs; just start being real, okay?)

How’s Your January Lookin?

Area 224 announces a new series of Webinars for Social Media Success: B2B Marketers Take Note!

If you’ve missed us during the 3 Weeks to Social Media Success series, that’s okay – here’s your chance to get the industry-specific Social Media Strategies your company needs.

We’re hosting Webinars starting January 5, 2010, and each one is for a different industry:

  • Social Media Success for Small Business: January 5
  • Social Media Success for Real Estate Professionals: January 6
  • Social Media Success for Not-for-Profits: January 7
  • Social Media Success for Real Estate Professionals: January 13
  • Social Media Success for Business-to-Business Marketing: January 14

Best part – this time around, you can just purchase one webinar seat – depending on your industry – and it’s for one low price that won’t break the budget!

Click here for more info:

Area 224 Webinars.

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