Finding Human Desire in Marketing

What do all marketers strive for when creating a campaign? Is it a creative ad? Of course.
Is it a funny jingle? Sometimes.
Is it a memorable moment? They try.

We (marketers) live and breathe for the opportunity to create a campaign that will move people. It is moving the consumer to action through an emotional drive that drags us out of bed in the morning. We strive to reach that point of peaking human desire.

Meeting with clients and potential clients today I was moved by their desire and pure drive for their companies to succeed. They were thrilled with the concept of creating a campaign that drove to the base of human emotion.. something that thrilled to the point of action… something that told a story.

I am talking about a stimulus that moves beyond the point of action and secures an individual as a loyal customer. Loyalty is (by far) an overused word but it is the essence of creating loyalty that builds human emotion in a brand.

Tools like Facebook and Twitter in the world of Social media bring a new platform that encourages the pursuit of that emotional campaign. In all honesty it IS THE PLATFORM to create this thrill.

There is no other medium on earth that allows for the human connection quite like social media or even the Internet. You can drive evangelists of your product to bring others to your door in a fraction of a second.You can encourage individuals all over the world to communicate and help… make.. your service or product better.

How are you encouraging communication between current and potential clients? Isn’t it about time to start?

7 Ways to Change Attention to ACTION in Social Media

We spend oodles of  time talking about increased exposure for your company or personal brand while using social media. We spend countless hours reading about tips to gain attention and pull users into our content. Personally. I spend quite a bit on Google Reader trying to stay ahead of the curve and consume the next big idea.

Many small business owners concentrate on one aspect of social media: the attention of the users. It is mainly the increased exposure to potential clients that starts the interest wheel turning. This is the old marketing strategy of… the more content you share the more eyes you will hit. We need to take it a bit further than just building brand recognition. It is hard to measure brand recognition in terms of return on investment.

Initially when entering into a social media marketing strategy companies need to think about the attention gaining concepts for the plan. Whether you are doing a contest, being productive on social networks, or launching a new blog it is important to initially focus on the attention aspect of social media.

What is truly important (in a business sense) is the action the user takes to buy and/or become interested in your product. You have all the attention you can muster! How do you turn the user’s attention into action.

7 Ways to Change Attention to Action

1. Free eBook:

Write a short book about your expertise. Are you an accountant? A business coach? Maybe you are a plumber who is just getting involved online? Write a quick page turner on some topics that will be beneficial to your readers. Offer it for a free download and capture their email address. This will allow you to build your database while already zeroing in on interested prospects. Chris Brogan has done an excellent job at this.

2. Blog or Email Subscription

In everything you do in social media it is extremely important to always have a subscription box for users to subscribe to your thoughts and offerings. A great email tool for wordpress is FeedBurner Email Subscription.

3. Promotional Banners or Links to your Profile

Always have a link present (image or text) that offers a discount on your services. You can also have a link directed to your company website that allows users to invest more time in learning about your services. This is a huge example of way to drive your attention users to your website and sell them on your services.

4. Gain Their Trust

You need to become involved in the communities that potentially may be a revenue source for your company. Take the time to respond to questions, ask questions, invest in writing great content, and helping people out. This is a huge aspect of changeing attention to action. The steps towards the buying pattern of a user has a lot to do with trust in the social media environment. Gain their trust and offer them something to hard to put down.

Gaining the trust of a user is the more important of the four steps listed above. User’s attention is not a bad thing but in order to measure your  ROI  you must take some of them to the action steps.

5. Use Intense Debate to Encourage Further Conversation.

Intense Debate is an AWESOME comment plugin that allows for intense comment functionality for your blog. The features include: comment threading, reply-by-email, email notifications, commenter profiles, moderation/blacklisting, reputation points, widgets, and Twitter integration (to new a few).

6. Email Capture Page on Facebook.

Facebook Fan Pages (of Like Pages) have been increasing in terms of functionality for the everyday user. With sites like Wildfire Apps and TabSite leading the way in making Fan page functionality easier to manage… it is easier to build a capture system using Facebook Fan Pages. I recommend building an email capture page that will encourage both fans and non-fans of your page to submit their email to subscribe to your “information.” This information could be anything from company newsletter to promotions/sales jargon.

7. Video Blog

I could be better at this… believe me. The response I get off of videos is pretty overwhelming in the long haul. Videos create a sense of connection between a viewer and the content. If you create a video… be very sure you care creating something of substance. Try making a video per week to enhance the quality of your blog… driving the user to submit information in order to know you…. more.

Social Media 101 in 60 Minutes: The Web’s Best Crash Course

You’ve probably heard of how social media is disrupting various industries. For example, some PR folks are adjusting the way they work and are now pitching blogs along with the New York Times. Social media is here to stay, and it’s changing the way we do business.

I’m guilty. I work with a company that’s developing social software which is disrupting the “learning” industry‚Äîfrom small business entrepreneurs, consultants, and thought leaders to corporate training and development departments.

If you’re on Twitter and you follow Kyle, you’ve tasted the future. Oftentimes, Kyle uses Twitter to point his followers to awesome articles‚Äîa form of peer-to-peer learning facilitated by social technologies.

At Bloomfire, we’re taking that concept to the next level, and you can check that out for yourself on our website. The current generation of our platform is already available, and you can Test Drive that for free. If you’re an early adopter and want to test out the alpha version of our next generation platform, you can join our Alpha Program by clicking here. Be quick though‚Äîhundreds have already signed up, and we’ve got limited spots.

So in the spirit of peer-to-peer learning, I’m going to share a list of resources that has helped me (and many others) get up to speed in social media, fast. Think of this piece as a makeshift syllabus for a social media course. I’ve created each lesson from the most popular resources on the Internet (according to retweets, social bookmarks, YouTube views, etc.).

Here we go‚Äîlet’s begin your crash course on social media! If you watch the videos and do the readings, you should be done in less than an hour.

If you find this useful, feel free to share this with clients/partners/friends who are constantly asking you social-media-related questions.

Introduction: What’s in it for me?

If you’re reading this blog, you’re probably interested in how social media can build your business. Here’s the business case for social media: it generates revenue. Really.

It generates revenue for small- and medium-sized businesses—this TechCrunch article tells the story of several SMBs, including a Korean restaurant, dentist, and hotelier, who found tremendous success.

It also generates revenue for big brands. Did you know that Twitter generated $1 million for Dell? Did you know that YouTube helped Old Spice double their sales?

So if you’re interested in generating more revenue, then this course is for you. Onward!

What is Social Media?

Here’s the definition from Wikipedia: social media are media for social interaction, using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques.

If you’re the kind of person that enjoys textbooks, then you should read the entire Wikipedia article.

Don’t like that textbook? Here are nine more, courtesy of Google’s built-in dictionary.

But if you’re like me, then you don’t like textbooks. You like videos. So here’s the best one out there, courtesy of Common Craft. It’s called Social Media in Plain English, and it’s been viewed over half a million times on YouTube. It’s fun!

Bonus assignment: read Twitter 101 and LinkedIn 101, then submit a warm chocolate chip cookie to your nearest neighbor to earn yourself a pat on the back.

Quick Start: How to Get Setup with Social Media

There are a lot of social media sites out there, so I’m going to focus on what I think are The Big Three. Here are some great step-by-step videos for getting yourself setup on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Understanding Social Media Culture: Best Practices

In some ways, entering the world of social media is like moving to a foreign country. When I moved from Hong Kong to the United States several years ago, I needed several months to adjust to the new culture.

Which hands should I use to hold my knife and fork? When I’m having a conversation, should I look into my partner’s eyes, or avoid the eyes? Should I ask people, “How are you?” even when they’re complete strangers and I don’t really care how they’re doing?

It’s the same with social media.

How often should I retweet? Are auto-DMs rude? What should be on my LinkedIn profile?

There are ways to overcome culture shock quickly:

• Find a tour guide
• Carefully observe and take in your surroundings
• Read a textbook

I can’t help you with points one & two, but I can recommend a great “textbook.”

When I read textbooks in college, I always preferred looking at the pictures instead of reading the text. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words, right?

If a picture-book could be a textbook, then this would be it. It’s free, but it’s not a physical book‚Äîit’s a great blog post featuring 35 infographics on almost every facet of social media.

Final Exam: How Well Do You Understand Social Media?

What’s a course without an exam? Alright, I know I can’t test you, but I can give you a fun way to test yourself.

Julian Smith is a comedian who created a killer standup routine about Facebook, and it’s been viewed over 2.5 million times on YouTube. For your final exam, watch his video, titled 25 Things I Hate About Facebook.

You see, jokes often rely on cultural context. That’s why Chinese jokes translated into English don’t always work. So if you’re laughing at the jokes, then you also have a working understanding of the culture.

Want to Learn More?

Congratulations! You’ve just completed Social Media 101.

If you want to learn more, here’s a calendar of over 75 upcoming social media events. If you can’t find anything there, try searching “social media” on Meetup.com.

Nehemiah “Nemo” Chu is the Ambassador for Bloomfire, a social learning platform where employees, customers, or fans teach each other. Test Drive our software today, or join Bloomfire’s Alpha Program to test our next-generation platform (launching late September 2010). For fun, he inhales TED Talks in Kalamazoo, Michigan. You can find him tweeting @bloomfire, blogging at Bloomfire’s ePublication, and speaking at DevLearn 2010, an eLearning conference in San Francisco.

5 Tips to Connecting With The Boomer Social Boom

Randy Clark is the Director of Communications at TKO Graphix, where he blogs for TKO Graphix Brandwire. Prior to TKO, he spent 13 years with Unique Home Solutions as Marketing Director and VP of Operations. He is an avid flower gardener, beer geek, and he fronts a rock & Roll band on the weekends. And yes, he is a Boomer.

I am a Boomer. I was born between 1946 and 1964, and I have Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and You Tube accounts. According to USA Today, Facebook has 16.5 million users, 55 or older, while MySpace has 6.9 million users. Sarah Perez of ReadWriteWeb, states, “More than 60 percent of those in this generational group actively consume socially created content like blogs, videos, podcasts, and forums. What’s more, the percentage of those participating is on the rise.”

So why is this important to social marketers? AARP Global Network claims, “Boomers should be just as desirable to marketers as millennial and gen-xers in the coming years.” AARP quoted Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project, “Boomers are the mainstream of the country now, when you attract a mainstream audience, you’re going to attract a lot more commercial interests. Boomers validate that this is a big market, and that this is a place where commercial interests can make money.” Since Boomers are increasing their involvement in social networking, it is important to consider how to connect with them. We are here, but we may not hear. You… may… have… to… speak… slower… and LOUDER!

Five Tips On How To Connect With Boomers

Keep it simple. If you want to engage Boomers, make it easy. Remember we hadn’t seen a computer until we were older than most of you are now! If we have to jump through too many hoops, we might become frustrated and give up.

Explain boundaries. Imagine George Carlin or Richard Prior on your Facebook account. Upon receiving a Facebook friend request from his father, Will Smith (not the actor) explained to his father what was not acceptable (PCWorld.com). “Politics, sex, jokes, things you find funny but offend me, comments about family members, any combination of the aforementioned items, and pretty much every email you’ve ever sent me.”

Grammar does matter. We have watched the language devolve, u no? Understandably, many Boomers think the rules have been thrown out the window. Take the time to explain that poor grammar, misspelling, and bad writing do influence readers on social networks. It is not okay to call it “the ‘puter.”

Teach us social network netiquette. Sometimes we are so excited when we learn how to do something, we overlook what is next. Should I have mentioned them in the RT? Oh, was I supposed to thank someone for friending me? These simple netiquette cues need to be explained to Boomers.

Speak our language. Boomers may not keep up with the latest and greatest APPadohickie. We are more excited just to be in the game! If we stare at you with a glazed, distant look, be patient and explain it to us.

According to Wikipedia, “Baby Boomers control over 80% of personal financial assets and more than 50% of discretionary spending power. They are responsible for more than half of all consumer spending, buy 77% of all prescription drugs, 61% of OTC medication, and spend $500 million on vacations per year and 80% of all leisure travel.”([24])

When creating your next social media plan, do not overlook the Boomer market segment. Do a little research and find out where the Boomers hang in your neighborhood. Sites catering to boomers, such as www.eons.com, with over 800,000 members, continue to grow.
And remember, like they always say… what was it they say? There was something I wanted to share…now what was it? It was just on the tip of my tongue. Oh well…make yourself a great day! Peace.

Social Media Arguments Get Old

I happened across a blog post this morning by a good friend of mine, Daniel Herndon, who owns an Indianapolis marketing company. Daniel’s post entitled, Indianapolis Marketing vs Indianapolis Social Media, talks about the importance of understanding social media as part of a tool kit instead of a stand alone system.

“Buyer beware – If marketing is not one of the core services than social media is just a buzz word. No single tactic is useful without coming from the approach of marketing a product based on a targeted demographic and good messaging.”

I encourage you to read the post because it gets straight to the point and is short and sweet. This is what I am struggling with…

When are we going to quit arguing what social media actually is…. and start implementing the greatness of what social media has become… ? Social media can be used for internal communication, recruiting, public relations, loyalty programs, and even… yes… targeted demographic marketing. At the core… social media is about story telling and communication. I think that is what Daniel was trying to get across in his post.

Planning, development, building goals, and delivering on promises is fundamental to every aspect of business. This is nothing new. People have been struggling with the implementation of ideas since “marketing” was defined as a concept. If an individual (or company) has a hard time implementing an idea, Facebook Page, or direct mail campaign… either help them… or move on.

The core of your business is about delivering on what you promise. If you are developing a marketing plan… you best be sure social media is part of an overall campaign. If you are actually developing a multiple touch point marketing campaign that delivers (try HotBed Creative)… remember that it is about the numbers and not about the flair.

If a company cannot show return from case studies, with numbers, or by past clients… find some else.

Who cares how the tool (social media) is defined…

Hospitality Industry Changing with Social Media

Hotels and the Hospitality industry as a whole has undergone some changes due to the rise and growth of social media. The industry has largely been changing because of  social media with the advantage and disadvantage of unfiltered feedback.  If a customer experienced a bad stay…watch out. We live in a world where an individual could make a large problem for an industry who aims to please.

People now go straight to various social sites to find good deals, customer reviews and more. Hotels have no choice but to go full speed ahead with integrating social media into their marketing efforts. Customers use their “voice” (more like a bull horn) when dealing with this industry and can be brutally honest. There are thousands of reviews to be read and hotels must listen… in order to provide the best service possible. If there are reviews out there… it is safe to say that other customers are probably reading them.  Through the use of social media hotels can now focus their efforts by reading online reviews through Facebook and Twitter versus searching all over the web.

Facebook and Twitter are also great ways to drive users to the hotel’s website. Usually potential customers are new to your brand name and can be beneficial when measuring social media success. Also, hotels can set themselves apart by showing expertise (knowledge capital). Consider setting up a blog that details trips and activities to do near or at the hotel. Customers go where they feel secure.

When it comes to the dreaded negative comment… Social Media allows hotels to act quickly and be responsive. Instead of deleting negative reviews… highlight the positive ones. After reading the first 10 positive reviews people tend to quit reading the rest anyway. Another benefit for hotels is the ability to keep tabs on what their competitor is doing. Essentially, social media has given the Hospitality industry more value when marketing their services. Instead of people questioning where to stay, hotels can now market effectively with its other sites backing up its claims.

Stories are Life. Marketers are Failing.

Stories are life. Stories are built off of every day occurences and the little things that happen in life. Where did we… as marketers… go wrong when telling the story? All businesses and products are built off of a story. What is the main point of marketing… Is it fulfilling a need? Is it creating a product that actually helps an individual? Is it selling your wares… period?

A story is something that creates a safe haven for an individual. You are building a message that should be involved in the story of your customer’s life. It should (and must be) the connection that brings in additional customer and evangelists for your brand.

You want your customer to get to a place… a place where they agree with your terms and conditions. A place where they say, “Yes. I do need, want, or should have that product or service.”

A place where they approve your service and believe/know it will work for them… in any capacity.

What is the series of events that drive a person to a specific point: buying your product. What are you telling your customers? Is your story bland… Boring… Normal?

I see normal marketing everywhere. Brochures… Smiling billboards… Postcards… Facebook updates…It is normal and plain. There are no new story lines. There is nothing to pull me into the brand. The stock photography you bought in 1980 is not going to sell me on buying a house. The telemarketer that just left a message on my cell phone is not going to trick me into buying your magazine subscription.

And… the direct mail piece you just sent me asking me about my retirement plans… is definitely not going to pull me into your luncheon.

My friends and MY preferences are going to sell me on your product. I want to pull your information at MY will… at MY discretion. Notice a trend here?

It is about me… how are you speaking to me? Nay… how are you listening? Do you know what I want as an individual… are you allowing me to interact?

If you are not…

You have a long way to go… shift that paradigm and interact.

Restaurants and Social Media

Restaurants using social media is not a new concept. There are certain things restaurants should and should not do. Many of the ideas by the food and beverage industry are creative and unique, which they should be.

The restaurant business is a form of entertainment. You go to a restaurant to enjoy the environment, the food and the service. I mean… let’s be honest… who doesn’t want to be waited on for the rest of their life? If you don’t… you are lying.

When planning a restaurant communication’s strategy using social media… keep in mind that your plan should be entertaining, captivating and should keep your patrons coming back for more. So what should be done?

1. Use Twitter for More than Customer Service
It’s a great tool to use for listening to your customer base. If you have a following then more than likely those followers consist of your customers and they like to be rewarded. Be creative… you could start promotions on Twitter and get your followers involved in redeeming the coupons. Offer exclusive prizes to followers. Be entertaining by giving them a reason to come back.

2. Utilize Your Facebook Fan Page to Drive Traffic
The fan page can sometimes be a second thought due to the high traffic of conversations happening on Twitter. It’s important to engage on Facebook to keep the fans visiting. You can also use the same creative approach to attract more fan involvement. Create a place for fans to visit by adding pictures, asking for fan photos, sharing updates and offer incentives for fans to visit page.

3. Create a Blog to Share Your Story
We all have a story. It’s easy to assume that a restaurant doesn’t need a blog. However, a blog can be give your customers an even greater sense of a relationship. The blog will reflect the restaurant in a more detailed way. Every blog post read can increase the chance for potential customers and current to visit the webpage and drive traffic through the doors.

4. Use Video to Capture the Action!
Take video of events or food and upload it to Flickr or YouTube. Words may not be enough for some people and actual visuals of food can intice customers. Video is also a great way to showcase the people behind the business. People relate to people and video allows for the customers to meet the people behind the food….which hopefully generates loyalty.

Food is something that interests everybody. It’s enjoyed… it sparks conversation… brings up memories…I know it sounds familiar. It should.

The ideas listed above are just a few essential “must dos” when beginning a social media strategy. These are just a few but there are so many more. Keep in mind mobile applications and location based applications.These are two applications that aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. What ideas do you have?

Social Media is NOT Scary. Read the Stats.

For some reason social media for business is still in question as a marketing tool. Sometimes… I feel like I’m beating a dead horse here. Individuals are still not sure whether it’s truly worth the time. Their not sure if it will actually yield desired results. However, if you are anything like me… you don’t yearn for success… you expect it. That being said social media (if used correctly) can match your expectations with little exception.

For starters, do not be scared of social media. It may bark but it will not bite. It may bite depending on where your judgement is being placed. From a marketing perspective you can look at both systems as being either negative or positive. I would like to think we are passed the point of talking about ignoring.

Although you may not understand every nuance… do not live in fear of it. The only way to conquer any fear is to face it. Therefore, learn about it. See what you can do with it and what will work for you or your company.  Here’s some stats to back this up from the blog Why Executives HATE Social Media (which I also recommend reading).

• In the last 7 years, Internet usage has increased 70% PER YEAR. Spending for digital advertising this year will be more than $25 billion and surpass print advertising spending (forever)
• Lenovo has experienced a 20% reduction in activity to their call center since they launched their community website for customers
• Blendtec quintupled sales with its “Will it Blend” series on YouTube
• Only 18% of traditional TV campaigns generate a positive ROI
• Dell has already made over $7 million in sales via Twitter
• 37% of Generation Y heard about the Ford Fiesta via social media BEFORE its launch in the US and currently 25% of Ford’s marketing budget is spent on digital/social media

(Sources for Statistics: meyersreport.com lenovosocial.com George Wright Blendtec Mashable.com econsultancy.com businessweek.com )

Social Media has clearly made it’s mark on industries all over the world.  When questioning if it’s worth the time… quickly note that Facebook alone has 500 million users not to mention Twitter is becoming a  rapidly growing source for news and insight into companies and customer interaction. When people are talking it is extremely important that you are listening as a brand. Social Media offers unsolicited feedback. By simply setting up a Twitter account for your company, department or personal brand you can receive instant and honest opinions from customers you’ve never interacted with before. The opportunity for you to cater to the needs of the customer outweigh the time spent. Customers are not dismissible. They are the fuel that keeps your company running. Therefore, time needs to be spent finding how to offer them better service and where you can improve. This is only one aspect of the many reasons  why Social Media is not a waste of time.

If your unsure of Social Media in terms of results then feel free to source the statistics from above. The tool may not launch your company into a whole new tax bracket but what it will do is create relationships. A business does not exist without relationships and without these relationships there are no tangible results.. In order to have a successful experience on social networking sites one must remember to be authentic, responsive and engaged.

If your still unsure on whether or not to implement Social Media then expect to get lost in the noise. In order to stay relevant one must stay current. Social Media may not be the answer to all your problems but if anything it will bridge the gap between the corporation and its consumers. That alone should offer value enough.

Is Email More Important than Social Networks?

The business debate rages on about email marketing and social networks (social media). Should businesses focus more attention on their social media accounts like Twitter and Facebook…or email interactions? I tend to land right in the middle. Frankly, I’m pretty tired of people just arguing for the sake of arguing. What does the customer want? How does the customer want to receive YOUR information? Sometimes businesses fall short and forget the simple age old rule: Customers First. I don’t care if you don’t want to spend time on Twitter or you think it is stupid. I don’t care if email takes way tooooo long. If a customer has subscribed to your email, follows your tweets and has liked your fan page… they must want to be contacted through these channels (maybe).  The debate continues on… which one to use… when and for what?

When deciding how to share information with your customers you must first  understand how customers view each and every channel.

According to MediaPost Publications, the majority of costumers view email as the least intrusive way for companies to engage . Customers trust email more than social networks. Period. They believe they know how to avoid being scammed in email but do not fully understand the risks in social networks. Email is also viewed as being a good source for detailed information or when looking for exclusive deals.

Facebook engagement is more for entertainment purposes. Although customers can still get information and access to deals it offers a fun, different experience with the company.

Twitter is simple and to the point. It also fosters a relationship between the brand and the customer… which can generate brand loyalty and trust.  Like the people, like the brand.

So, which reigns as king? There really is no channel that surpasses the other. However, there are channels that are more appropriately suited  for delivering different messages to the consumer.  If we can agree that Facebook is more for entertainment then let loose a little (have fun with your fans on Facebook). Email your customers when you need to share some updates or detailed information.  An email is private. Twitter is perfect for engaging in a conversation with your customers. Get to know them and let them get to know the company on a more personal level.

Customers (for the most part) haven’t changed but there communication expectations have… thanks to social media and the Internet.