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Enhancing Email with Social Media: Q&A with Lyris and You? . Email and social media integration is a hot topic among today's marketers and business executives. As companies look towards integrating the two channels they are left with countless questions about w... (03/11/10 09:01 AM)

MIT Media Lab Unwraps Its New Digs.

The building will now host MIT's most storied hothouse for interactive design innovation.

MIT Media Lab

Last Friday, MIT opened the doors on it's newest big budget building, a spacious complex for the MIT Media Lab. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Fumihiko Maki Associates, with project architect Leers Weinzapfel Associates, it's a departure from some of the bold experiments scattered around the campus, by starchitects such as Steven Holl or Frank Gehry. It's a fairly straight-laced building, designed to inspire collaboration.

MIT Media Lab

At six stories and 163,000 square feet, occupants shouldn't be squeezed for space anytime soon. The labs--ranging from the Tangible Media group, which focuses in interaction design; to the City Car project, which is designing on-demand transit systems; to Lifelong Kindergarten, which designs educational technology--each get big, wide-open, two-story studios. The architect dubs these "atelier style" spaces--that is, something as airy as a factory floor, but a bit more human scaled.

But the design's smartest features are quiet. The building is organized across a huge central atrium. But on either side of the atrium, the floors are offset. That simple detail means that denizens can look across the atrium, and see those from other labs, busy at work. The idea is that by making the community always visible, the architecture will be able to engender a cross-pollination of ideas. Here's a picture that hints at the effect, via Dwell:

MIT Media Lab

Meanwhile, the few splashes of color are reserved for the atrium's staircases--and the specific color scheme is borrowed from Piet Mondrian. (It also nods to the colors in IM Pei's original MIT Media Lab building, which is attached to the new one.)

Notice how the stairs are bowed out in the middle--they're actually an infographic of sorts, showing the stress loads borne by each section of the span:

MIT Media Lab

For more pictures and information, check out Dwell and CNET.

[Top two photos by Andy Ryan for MIT; bottom two by Tiffany Chu via Dwell]

(03/11/10 09:00 AM)

A Cheat Sheet to Help You Conquer Social Media.

Social Media

Marketers who are still a little unsure about charting their path through the choppy waters of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn could do worse than check out this handy little guide to making social media work for them. The CMO's guide to the social landscape, created for CMO.com by client 97th Floor, takes all the major social media sites in the U.S. and analyzes their capabilities in four sectors: customer communication, brand exposure, driving traffic to your site, and SEOs. (For the full-sized version, click here.)

Cheat Sheet

Overall, it's YouTube and Digg that post the best results, although the former falls down on the traffic question, while the latter fails on customer communication. One thing that the cheat sheet neglects to mention, however, is how deeply you need to go into each Web site when launching a new campaign. It's pretty obvious that a softly-softly approach can get your message across on the social media. But if you over-market your product, it's un-friending all the way.

[CMO.com Via The Common Hoster]

(03/11/10 09:00 AM)

The Faces Behind Social Media.

(03/11/10 09:00 AM)

Virgin Media Launches Community For Young Entrepreneurs. Virgin Media and Enterprise UK have joined together to launch Virgin Media Pioneers, states UTalkMarketing.com. This creative new community will help connect young entrepreneurs with business experts. By connecting young entrepreneurial talent to a network of peer support, entrepreneurial contacts and expert business advice, Virgin Media Pioneers aims to help build better businesses and close [...] (03/10/10 09:00 PM)

Industry Buzz & News: 3/10/10. Measurement & Analytics: 24/7 Real Media integrates with Omniture Data. Ad Technologies & Vendors: MediaForge ads only charge when people interact and buy. Major Account Moves: Walmart places a... (03/10/10 09:00 PM)

Infographic of the Day: Arms Sales Around the World.

Business is booming!

Arms Sales

We're all dimly aware that America's defense contractors sell weapons around the world. But you'd probably be surprised at just how huge a business it is: The U.S. accounts for nearly 70% of weapons exports around the world, and the market comes to over $55 billion.

All that information is laid out in a useful new infographic created for GOOD by Column Five Media. Here, for example, are the items that are the hottest sellers on the international market:

Arms Sales

But what might be most troubling is that our old BFF's Saudi Arabia--a petro-monarchy with deep ties to Washington, where domestic charities regularly fund terrorism--are the biggest arms buyers, having accrued nearly $37 billion in foreign arms between 2001-2008.

Check out the entire chart at GOOD.

(03/10/10 09:00 PM)

How to Write a Mission Statement That Doesn't Suck [video].

mission statement

I want to show you why most mission statements are so terrible.

Let's say you founded a pizza parlor. And your first idea for a mission statement is something like this: "Our mission is to serve the tastiest damn pizza in Wake County." That's pretty good. If I worked for you, I could get excited about that. Now here's how it will go off the rails.

[twistage 0fd64afa78711]

So you'll call your colleagues around the conference room table to unveil the mission, and all of the sudden, these people that you like and respect are going to transform into 10th-grade English teachers, nitpicking every word. Everybody starts chiming in with opinions: "Hey, I really like the word 'present' better than 'serve,' it has a nice resonance." And someone else will say, "Well, we obviously can't say 'damn,' that's just offensive." And so it begins. And as you go around the table, your mission statement will be pecked to death.

We can't limit ourselves to Wake County--and also, it's not just tasty pizza right, it's about freshness--we should say "high quality" not tasty.Isn't it weird that we mention pizza but not our great salads and calzones? What if we changed it to "highest-quality Italian food"?That's good but even "Italian" seems limiting--what if we decide to move into gyros?Hold the phone, people, we haven't even mentioned the great family atmosphere--the coloring books and big comfy booths and all that.Great point--you know what we're really doing here, at the end of the day? We're providing a family "entertainment solution!"Yeah, solution!NAILED IT.[Dan] Everyone's excited now. You're almost there. And then Steve at the end of the table pipes up ... [Steve] Listen, guys, we haven't mentioned anything about integrity. That's what it's all about, at the end of the day. Integrity.

And is anyone at the table gonna go to the mat against including "integrity?" Nope. So it's in. And presto--there's your new mission statement:

"Our mission is to present with integrity the highest-quality entertainment solutions to families."

That's what 99% of the world's mission statements sound like, and I think you see the trap here--getting so vague and fancy with the language that it just becomes meaningless. Here are 2 ways to avoid it:

Use concrete language. Check out this mission statement from SonicBids, a fast-growing small business: "We want to help musicians get gigs, and promoters book the right bands. ... We're a bunch of people who think that music can truly change the world and make it smaller and better. ... We believe that independent music belongs everywhere: on festival stages; in video game consoles; on film screens; in college theaters; on the radio; in advertisements; on club stages and at sporting events." Wow. It gives you a picture of what they do and tells you why it's worth doing.

Talk about the why. Most mission statements are all statement and no mission. The whole point is to say why you're doing what you're doing. What makes you care? Look at the start of Johnson & Johson's famous credo: "Our first responsibility is to the doctors, nurses, and patients, mothers and fathers and all others who use our products and services." Well, okay, that's worth getting out of bed for. Compare that with ExxonMobil's. Did you feel that? A little part of your soul just died, reading that.

So you've seen why bad mission statements happen and two tips for making yours different. At our home Web site, I've put together some other resources for you to check out, if you're interested. And in the meantime, let me challenge you to do the impossible: Write a mission statement that means something. And I'll give you a hint: If it contains the word "solution," you're not there yet. Thanks for watching.

For More on this topic: Download this document Chip and I developed: "5 Tips for a Sticky Strategic Vision." Here's a funny and illuminating review of a book on Mission Statements. My opinion is that most organizations would benefit more from setting a clear, ambitious goal than from crafting the perfect mission statement. On that front, check out Collins and Porras's work on setting a BHAG (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal)--here's the original piece (for free) and a helpful overview with lots of examples. (Bonus: here are some audio resources from the guru Jim Collins himself.) And, for inspiration: The J&J Credo. (Many observers credit the Credo with helping to shape J&J's admirable response to the Tylenol-poisoning crisis in the 1980s.)

(03/10/10 09:00 PM)

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CitySearch, OrangeSoda JV to Offer Local SEO. Local online media site Citysearch and SEO provider OrangeSoda are partnering to provide a marketing tool that marries their respective strengths. The new product, CityGrid Complete, is an extension... (03/09/10 09:00 PM)

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Promote your business with a social media business card. A business card is a tool that is used to promote the business of your organization. It is a representative of your organization that promotes its values and philosophy. A professional card represents... (03/08/10 09:01 AM)

Creating a Corporate Identity by Giving Promotional Office Gifts. In this technically advanced era, where big business houses as well as little businesses are moving towards internet and media for advertisement of their services and goods, people are also looking fo... (03/08/10 09:01 AM)

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Using SocNets? Great - Just Be Sure to Talk About What Your Customers Want. Just about every brand now has a toehold in social media - even such established staples as Land O’Frost and Sara Lee Deli, both of which recently launched campaigns centered around Facebook. For... (03/05/10 09:01 PM)

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Times to Launch Paywall in May. Some media buyers are saying News International’s the Times will launch its online paywall as early as May or June. The Times has told media buyers it cannot give guarantees to advertisers about... (03/04/10 09:00 PM)

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Omniture, Facebook Join for Automated Media Buying, Optimization. Omniture and Facebook have teamed to provide online marketers tools to optimize Facebook as a marketing channel. These include an automated media buying process as well as a single dashboard to plan,... (03/03/10 09:01 PM)

Industry Buzz & News: 03/03/10. Measurement & Analytics: Getting started with online marketing and web analytics. Web analytics meets customer feedback in Kampyle-Omniture deal. Measuring social media with web... (03/03/10 09:01 PM)

Coca-Cola Snaps Up Digital Billboards to Own Its Own Net. Coca-Cola is now operating its own digital billboard network, made up of 29 digital faces in 20 cities. It is leasing the actual space from outdoor media owners such as Clear Channel Outdoor and... (03/03/10 09:01 PM)

Industry Buzz & News: 03/02/10. Ad Technologies & Vendors: AOL sells affiliate firm buy.at Social media ad network LifeStreet acquires competitor SocialCash. Email Marketing: Email still powerful marketing tool despite booming... (03/02/10 09:00 PM)

Profiling Green Moms: What Marketers Need to Know. We are in a perfect storm brought on by the economic downturn, emerging consumer interest in sustainability, and the power of social media. And whether for reasons of cost savings or family health, women who are moms, write blogs, and self-identify as "green" have exactly the motivation and conviction marketers ... (03/02/10 09:00 AM)

Ad Spending Falls in ‘09. Advertisers spent an estimated $117 billion on US media in 2009, a 9% drop from 2008, according to [pdf] figures released by The Nielsen Company. Auto Spending Tanks Spending on automotive-related... (03/01/10 09:00 PM)

Local Ad Spend to Climb 2.2% through 2014; Shift to Digital Continues: BIA/Kelsey. BIA/Kelsey is predicting an annual growth rate of 2.2% from 2009 for the U.S. local advertising market, reaching $144.9 billion in 2014. Following a significant contraction in 2009, local media... (02/26/10 09:00 PM)

Sometimes Social Media Does Trump Email. There has been much debate over whether social media is supplanting email marketing as a way for companies to reach out to customers. Any number of studies can be cited to support either argument -... (02/24/10 09:01 PM)

Industry Buzz & News: 02/24/10. Social Media: Google Buzz boosts sharing on Google reader by 35%. Tweets come to Yahoo search. IHOP scores big on Twitter but still doesn't join. Ad Technologies: Ad Net 'breaks' video mold... (02/24/10 09:01 PM)

Tax, Travel Sites Lead Category Growth. Tax, travel and career resource sites were the top-growing online site categories during January 2010, according to comScore Media Metrix. One of Two Sure Things in Life Taxes, traditionally linked... (02/23/10 09:00 PM)

Why Social, Mobile, and Email Are BFFs (Not Archenemies). The digital-marketing trifecta of social media, mobile, and email are fueling (not cannibalizing) one another. One clear example is the impact that smartphones are having on the use of email and social networking. (02/23/10 09:00 PM)

Industry Buzz & News: 02/23/10. Measurement & Analytics: Millennial says TapMetrics buy to serve advertisers by helping developers. Ad Technologies: Google revamps DoublClick, puts own name on it. Social Media: Facebook... (02/23/10 09:00 PM)

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Social Media Marketing.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Social Media Marketing

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

ShareThe Hitchhiker’s Guide to Social Media MarketingThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing Back in high school I had a great English teacher (I may not have left him with that impression at the time) that was very into science fiction. He made us read Robert A. Heinlein and all 1200 pages of Atlas Shrugged, but I [...] (02/23/10 09:01 AM)

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Microsoft Outlook 2010 Will Make Social Media Mainstream.

Microsoft Outlook 2010 Will Make Social Media Mainstream

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

ShareMicrosoft Outlook 2010 Will Make Social Media MainstreamThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing For many readers of this blog social media is mainstream, but I travel the highways and byways of this country and experience first hand in my workshops and presentations the amount of folks that “just don’t get” social media. I think they’ve heard [...] (02/19/10 09:00 AM)

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6 Steps to the Perfect Pitch.

This is a guest post by Scott Gerber of Gerber Enterprises. Got entrepreneur war stories? Shortly after my college graduation, a few friends and I started a new media company. Within a few weeks we fleshed out the concept, wrote a business... Read more

(02/16/10 09:01 PM)

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Extending Your Presentations Through the Backchannel.

Extending Your Presentations Through the Backchannel

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

ShareExtending Your Presentations Through the BackchannelThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing The term “backchannel” was coined in the field of Linguistics in the 1970’s to describe listeners’ behaviors during verbal communication. It is commonly used these days to describe the behavior or conversation going on in social media while a speaker is making a presentation. In [...] (02/05/10 09:01 AM)

Social Media Infecting Every Aspect of Business.

Social Media Infecting Every Aspect of Business

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

ShareSocial Media Infecting Every Aspect of BusinessThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing For this week’s post at AMEX OPENForum I outlined 5 Ways That Sales People Can Benefit From Using Social Media Social media tools are incredible for engagement, amplification, nurturing and deepening relationships – all the stuff that sales is supposed to do. In fact, [...] (02/03/10 09:00 PM)

Social Media Pro is Re-Opened.

Social Media Pro is Re-Opened

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

ShareSocial Media Pro is Re-OpenedThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing Last month I introduced a beta launch of our 5-week social media training course called Social Media Pro. The launch was restricted to 100 people and we filled it up in a few hours. Since then we’ve added, tweaked and polished the program with input from [...] (02/01/10 09:00 PM)

Putting The Article Directory To Work. There are numerous platforms available for marketing within both traditional and online media circles. Ranging from paid to free options, the variety can most certainly add value to any marketing camp... (01/23/10 09:01 AM)

Help for Haiti: Workshop for a Cause.

: Image by Getty Images via Daylife

If you follow Joseph Jaffe (and if you don't you will after this post), you may have noticed that he and Mitch Joel have both posted a challenge called "Keynote for a Cause" to donate 100% of the proceeds from a keynote speech to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. This weekend, David Thomas of SAS jumped on board offering his social media expertise in the form of a workshop from which he will donate all of the proceeds to the Red Cross.

This got me thinking and inspired me to act as well. My wife and I already donate the largest portion of our charitable funds each year to Project Haiti through St. Edward and Isidore Parish here in Green Bay, WI - a group that sponsors medical and other missions to Haiti several times each year.

Like David, I don't command tens of thousands of dollars for a keynote speech, and I'm not really a keynoter anyway. What I do well is teach organizations how to use social and new media for marketing. When we find ourselves in a situation like this, it's a call for all of us to use whatever talents we have to make a difference in the situation at hand. So, with that, I'm throwing my hat in the ring to offer up two Workshops for Haiti.

So, how will this work?

It's simple. You need some social media expertise and your humanitarian side wants to help those in need of our help in Haiti, so you raise the bid on the social media workshop and feed your need for knowledge and make an impact in your world all at once! The funds will be split between Project Haiti and The Red Cross.

The particulars:

My half-day social media workshops normally start at $4500 but for this I'm setting the reserve price at $1500 and we'll work up from there.

If you want to put in a bid, DM me on Twitter (@danavan), e-mail me: dana [at] marketingsavant [dot] com or drop me a voicemail at 888.989.7771 with your highest bid. If someone bids you up, I'll drop you a line to see if you want to raise yours!

Bidding ends on Thursday, January 28th at Noon.

Funds will be split 50/50 between Project Haiti and The Red Cross.

Workshops in Wisconsin - I'll cover travel/lodging. Anywhere out of the area is your responsibility (I travel cheap)

Bid me up!

In the mean time, make a difference for those that need it and text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 or help us with Project Haiti - Donations can be sent to:
St. Edward and Isidore/Project Haiti
3667 Flintville Road
Green Bay, WI 54313-8330

(01/21/10 09:00 PM)

I Need a Caption for This Image.

I Need a Caption for This Image

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

I Need a Caption for This ImageThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing I used this image in a recent presentation on social media to help set the table for one of my primary themes – social media is not a single tool or tactic, it’s more of a strategy or behavior. Suggest a caption in the [...] (01/20/10 09:00 PM)

Groupon Train is Worth a Small Business Ride.

Groupon Train is Worth a Small Business Ride

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

Groupon Train is Worth a Small Business RideThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing Groupon is a fascinating study in the fusion of online and offline marketing tactics to drive local business. Couponing sites have come and gone over the years, but Groupon’s connection to social media is turning it into a bit of a movement. A typical [...] (01/14/10 09:00 AM)

CES Coverage and a Few Finds.

CES Coverage and a Few Finds

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

CES Coverage and a Few FindsThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing As many of you may have noted by some posts here and on Twitter I attended the recent CES show in Las Vegas as a participant in the AMEX OPENForum booth. I gave presentations on social media and was joined by Anita Campbell of Small [...] (01/10/10 09:00 PM)

Google Local Storm is Brewing.

Google Local Storm is Brewing

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

Google Local Storm is BrewingThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing I’m out in Las Vegas at CES giving a couple talks on social media for AMEX OPEN and one of the big topics is Google’s new Nexus One phone. While it is a bit interesting that they’ve jumped into yet another market, I think the message [...] (01/08/10 09:00 PM)

How Brands Are Becoming the Media (and Why Your Brand Should Probably Do the Same). The hottest trend in brand marketing right now is the very thing that has fueled traditional advertising's ongoing evolution: Brands are bypassing traditional media outlets in favor of creating their own private media platforms. That's right, brands are becoming the media. (01/05/10 09:00 PM)

7 Reasons Why Small Businesses Should Take a Look at Foursquare.

7 Reasons Why Small Businesses Should Take a Look at Foursquare

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

7 Reasons Why Small Businesses Should Take a Look at FoursquareThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing In an end of the year prediction post I wrote for OPEN Forum, I listed location aware social media tools as something that would get big time attention in 2010. (See: 5 Trends that Will Shape Small Business in 2010) The [...] (01/04/10 09:00 PM)

Is Social Media Killing Your Business?.

Is Social Media Killing Your Business?

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

Is Social Media Killing Your Business?This content from: Duct Tape Marketing I know today’s short post might come as a surprise to regular readers of this blog, but even though I promote the heck out of social media use for small business, I see a dangerous side as well. Some small business folks equate busy with business. [...] (12/30/09 09:00 PM)

Small Businesses Will Simply Become More Naturally Social.

Small Businesses Will Simply Become More Naturally Social

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

Small Businesses Will Simply Become More Naturally SocialThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing This past year brands large and small rushed head on into social media marketing. They had to learn about all things Twitter, hire social media consultants and create special social media metrics and budgets. Now that hype surrounding the next new thing has [...] (12/29/09 09:01 AM)

How Local Businesses Use Social Media.

How Local Businesses Use Social Media

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

How Local Businesses Use Social MediaThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing So many local businesses assume social media is just for people wanting to reach the masses around the world – right, just like using email and having a web site used to be. Using social media to grow your local business is one of the most [...] (12/21/09 09:00 PM)

Practical Guide to Social Media.

Practical Guide to Social Media

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

Practical Guide to Social MediaThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing Marketing podcast with OpenForum (Click to listen, right click and Save As to download – subscribe now via iTunes The above podcast is an interview I conducted with OPEN Mic, hosted by Monocle editor Tyler Brûlé, as part of a social media special. Guests also include [...] (12/17/09 09:00 PM)

The State of Social Media Marketing, by the Numbers: A Sneak Peek. Before writing The State of Social Media Marketing?an in-depth, thorough study of social media use among marketers?we looked around at the existing research to see what other organizations were asking in their surveys. Much of it seemed interesting, but lacking in nuance. Here are a few rich examples of the ... (12/15/09 09:01 PM)

How to Measure Social Media Like a Scientist.

How to Measure Social Media Like a Scientist

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

How to Measure Social Media Like a ScientistThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing Marketing podcast with Dan Zarrella (Click to listen, right click and Save As to download – subscribe now via iTunes There are a lot of social media marketing books out there telling you what to do. Dan Zarrella’s The Social Media Marketing Book tells [...] (12/15/09 09:00 AM)

Introducing Social Media Pro.

Introducing Social Media Pro

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

Introducing Social Media ProThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing Warning: A bit of a straight commercial post here. If you’ve subscribed to the Duct Tape Marketing newsletter or read this blog for any amount of time you know I use social media, talk about social media, and generally love exploring it and finding very practical ways to [...] (12/09/09 09:00 AM)

Selling B2B Social Media Internally: Ten Arguments to Win Over the Boardroom, Part 2. It's year's end, and you need to rally internal support for integrating social media into your marketing mix? or have it play a much larger role. Here's how to win over the Executive Committee members, who are sure to have questions, critiques, and objections aplenty. (12/08/09 09:05 PM)

Some Video Thoughts on Social Media.

Some Video Thoughts on Social Media

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

Some Video Thoughts on Social MediaThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing The video below is part one of an interview I did with TurnHereTV. TurnHereTV is a monthly series of interviews with the thought leaders in small business marketing, online video, technology and marketing. Each month they interview a different personality to get their thoughts on [...] (12/07/09 09:00 PM)

Selling B2B Social Media Internally: Ten Arguments to Win Over the Boardroom, Part 1. It's that time to rally internal support for the "newest" programs in your marketing plans. If yours is a B2B company, 2010 is the year you'll want to start integrating social media into your marketing mix? or have it play a much larger role. But you must first win over ... (12/01/09 09:00 PM)

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Two new web services from my inbox. Maybe these are useful to some readers: 1. Trade your contacts with others with the Reach Lead Network ala Jigsaw. Cool feature is that they can resolve ’social media’ contacts (i.e. Twitter followers) into real contact info. 2. If you are looking for new product/brand/company names to trademark, searching out conflicts is a pain. Well, until you’ve [...] (11/23/09 09:01 PM)

Marketing automation? Shoot yourself in the foot?. There are two new technologies that professional marketing types are all a-buzz about: 1. Social media2. Marketing automation Social media is something you can experience for yourself and decide where you fit in. Marketing automation is a bit more vague. What am I automating? How does this replace what I already do? Or is it a whole new [...] (11/23/09 09:01 PM)

Start Smart: A 10-Step Social Media Guide for B2B Marketers. There's no escaping it, marketers: Amid a flurry of headlines, bestsellers, and reports documenting social media's meteoric rise... the future has arrived. But for a B2B executive tasked with making sense of it all, wouldn't it be nice if the future came with a road map? Follow this 10-step guide. (11/17/09 09:00 PM)

10 strategies for building a credible sustainable brand. I recently conducted a webinar on 10 Strategies for Building a Credible Sustainable Brand in conjunction with Sustainable Life Media. While I'll never again agree to develop an hour's worth of new content with 1 week's notice (!), I appreciated... (11/13/09 09:00 PM)

7 prospecting rules that produce leads webinar. The phone is a powerful and effective lead generation tool and is an important "social media" platform. It is inarguably the human touch of a lead nurturing program. That’s why every opportunity - including cold calling - should be treated... (10/29/09 09:00 AM)

Things a B2B company can do to be more social now. I think the hardest part in participating in social media is defining a clear strategy on WHY you're doing it. Then the execution (actually doing it) becomes much easier. That said, if you're looking for some simple ideas for incorporating... (08/10/09 09:00 PM)

Great example of social media for small business.

From a small biz perspective, this is a great example of how powerful social media is and how quickly it can catch on for a small biz operator with a good value proposition and a little willingness to experiment. Check out the whole NY Times article for the skinny.

For Mr. Kimball, who conceded that he "hadn't really understood the purpose of Twitter," the beauty of digital word-of-mouth marketing was immediately clear. He signed up for an account and has more than 5,400 followers who wait for him to post the current location of his itinerant cart and list the flavors of the day, like lavender and orange creamsicle. , Marketing Small Businesses With Twitter - NYTimes.com

So, what's your small business doing to get engaged in social media today.

(07/28/09 09:01 AM)

Social media's impact on web forms and landing pages. More marketers are embracing social media and inbound marketing practices for lead generation. That's a good thing. I’ve written about how you can leverage social media tools like blogs, twitter, LinkedIn, etc. to drive interested visitors to your website or... (07/24/09 09:00 AM)

Webinar on Putting the Human Touch into Lead Generation. There are numerous tactics for generating leads these days — everything from the traditional email or phone call to the explosively popular social media craze. However, the real challenge is not necessarily in generating leads, but more in truly connecting... (07/20/09 09:00 AM)

7 Tips on how B2B marketers can leverage social media. In B2B sometimes we need to remind ourselves that people don’t buy from companies, they buy from people. That’s why why I think social media has a lot of potential for B2B marketers and sellers. Why? Social media tactics are... (06/29/09 09:00 AM)

June is Entrepreneur's "Do It Yourself" Marketing Month!.

For those of you who are not yet fans of Chase's Calendar of Events, you'll find that it's a great resource for you or for your clients when seeking those special holidays to tie your promotions to! In fact, there only ONE entry in the entire book with the word "marketing" in the title, and it happens to be in honor of Entrepreneurs "Do It Yourself" Marketing Month in June. Of course, that's reason to celebrate.

In order to do our part for the celebration, we've created a cool little e-book with some marketing planning tools and 30 ideas for entrepreneurs, along with a 30-day e-course starting on June 1st. What's even better is that there's different content and different ideas in the e-book and the e-course, so it's like you're getting two for one!

Learn more about Entrepreneurs "Do It Yourself" Marketing Month at: www.diymarketingmonth.com

Below is the press release signaling the launch of Entrepreneurs "Do It Yourself" Marketing Month coming up in June.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: DanaVanDen Heuvel
The MarketingSavant Group
888-989-7771
dana@marketingsavant.com

MarketingSavant Group reaches out to entrepreneurs with "DIY" marketing in honor of June's "Do it Yourself" Marketing Month

Green Bay, WI -- (May 13, 2009) Even in struggling economic times,
small businesses' entrepreneurial spirit continues to be a driving
force in the American economy.

A Green Bay, Wis.-based marketing consulting and training firm is
reaching out to the backbone of American business, providing a
Do-It-Yourself Marketing Plan customized specifically for
entrepreneurs. MarketingSavant is delivering free marketing tools just
in time for Entrepreneurs "Do It Yourself" Marketing Month in June.

"As an entrepreneur myself, I know how challenging it is to keep
marketing 'top of mind' and to stay front of mind with your customers
when you're wearing multiple hats," said Dana VanDen Heuvel, president
of MarketingSavant and creator of the month-long Do It Yourself
Entrepreneur Marketing Plan geared to small business. "But effective
marketing is even more pivotal to a small business' well-being than
their larger peers'."

Not to mention the sheer number of small businesses ripe for
marketing assistance. Small business is not equated with small
financial impact. Consider these statistics:

In 2008, there were an estimated 27 million small businesses in the U.S. (Source: Small Business Administration)

In 2008, 12 million people were involved in starting new firms. (Source: Small Business Administration)

For 90 percent of these beginning entrepreneurs, it takes more
than five years for an outcome to be determined. In that time,
one-third disengage, one-third continue in start-up mode and another
third implement a new firm. (Source: U.S. Small Business Administration)

Small businesses provide half the nation's nonfarm, private real
gross domestic product, and half of all Americans work for a small
firm. In addition, small businesses have been the primary job generator
in the U.S. economy, creating 60 to 80 percent of the new net jobs
annually from 1994 to 2004.(Source: Small Business Administration)

With numbers like these, there's a substantial audience that can
benefit from Do It Yourself marketing tools customized to their unique
needs. The MarketingSavant DIY Entrepreneur Marketing Plan includes
several resources that entrepreneurs can quickly put to use, as well as
tools to build their long-term marketing plans, including:

"30 Days of DIY Marketing" e-book, an excellent resource that
provides a marketing calendar and more than 30 do-it-yourself marketing
ideas to grow your business over the summer;

30-day e-course, delivered daily by email, highlighting marketing tips;

Eligibility to receive one of 10 free copies of the book, "Guerilla Marketing in 30 Days" by Jay Conrad and Al Lautenslager;

Free access to a BlogTalkRadio program featuring insights from Lautenslager, a well-known and respected guerrilla marketer

Tips for reaching out to the media to obtain media coverage on your event/product/service

Much more!

"Realistically, entrepreneurs want to take charge of their own
marketing, just as they take charge of everything related to their
businesses," said VanDen Heuvel. "The DIY Marketing Plan makes this
good intention a reality by delivering a comprehensive plan
specifically for entrepreneurs in an easy-to-implement, do-it-yourself
format."

To learn more about the DIY Entrepreneur Marketing Plan and/or to
participate in the plan for your small business' benefit, visit www.diymarketingmonth.com today!

(05/14/09 09:00 PM)

Ask MarketingSavant BlogTalkRadio show today.

We're kicking off the Ask MarketingSavant BlogTalkRadio show today. It's a soft launch, and we're using the TechnoMarketing platform as a gateway into the call, deriving the questions from some of our social media & marketing technology events. In the future shows, we'll be inviting guests and some really exciting marketing folks to chat with us! Today, it's just me, working through some questions, and working through the bugs!

You can also ask your questions today (though we may not get to all of them) through the BlogTalkRadio chat or by using the Twitter hashtag, #askms.

Click on the link below to listen to the Ask MarketingSavant Radio show

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/marketingsavant/2009/05/05/Ask-MarketingSavant-Radio

Date: TODAY! Tuesday, May 5th
Time: 11AM Central
Duration: 30 minutes

(05/05/09 09:01 AM)

Green Bay Social Media Survey. If you're in Northeast Wisconsin, we'd love your opinion in a new social media survey that tracks what business in our area are doing with today's social media tools. Do you tweet? Does the term "Web 2.0" cause your eyes to glaze over? Are your co-workers on facebook? Help us gear up for the Green Bay Chamber of Commerce social media event on May 19 by participating in this survey. We'd love to hear what your reference point is in this hyper-connected age we live in. Participate by going here: http://whatthetweet.marketingsavant.com/surveyGreen Bay Social Media Survey

(04/03/09 09:01 PM)

How to use social media for lead generation. I’ve been blogging for over five years. When I started, there wasn’t a business case on the ROI of blogging, nor was there a lot written on B2B lead generation. I started blogging because I wanted to share with everyone... (02/25/09 09:00 AM)

Can a social media like Twitter boost your lead generation results?. Yes. I came across a blog this weekend that reinforced my thoughts. This post, written by Christian Fea, CEO of Synertegic, Inc., started off with a this statistic that he found on compete.com: Twitter had around 3 million people visiting... (02/25/09 09:00 AM)

Social media: It's all about risk, resources and rewards..

In countless discussions about social media, digital marketing tools and "what's next," I've determined that it's critical for all marketers to put a framework around their decisions on what tools to use, when to use them and how to get started. I put these decisions into a general "3-R" framework.

Risk: What's your tolerance?
Whether you're catapulting your brand into the social media sphere by simultaneously starting a blog, moderating a customer community and twittering, or if you're simply monitoring social media to get a glimpse of how the world sees you, there's a certain modicum of risk involved. You need to determine how much risk you're willing to take.

Social-media risk can manifest in the following ways:
> Exposure to issues that you'd rather not confront in a Web-based public forum.
> Suppliers and competitors watching your every move and your every flaw.
> Legal ramifications of customers commenting on bugs, defects, recalls, etc.
> Sharing control of your finely crafted brand message with passionate, yet misguided, fans.

Organizations that are ethical, honest, have strong brands and a strong sense of self will prevail and enjoy a low-risk environment in their social media endeavors. However, if your organization is secretive, insecure and does things you wouldn't tell your mother about, then you'll likely find there's simply too much risk for you in social media.

Resources: Do you have them?
This is probably the number one question I hear: "What does it take to do this stuff (blogging, social media, podcasts, etc.)?" For most companies, the cost of technical resources is the least of their worries. In fact, a majority of marketers who deploy social-media campaigns find it's the least expensive part of their budget. It's much more important to have the right people in place to help with your social media efforts. Whether that's a knowledgeable person in-house or a paid consultant, human resources are the most important aspect of putting social media to work in your organization.

Rewards: What do you expect?
Let's be serious. The only reason we're in marketing is to pursue capitalistic rewards. If we really want to pursue social media as part of our marketing - with low risk and few resources - we can certainly have at it. In the final analysis, however, we need to show substantial rewards in order to make it worth our while.

The ROI of social media depends on your overall goals. Most marketers define social-media rewards in the following ways:
> An increase in Website page views from social media sources.
> A larger network of customers and fans on social networking sites.
> Growth in your prospect email database.
> Increased conversation about your company on the Internet.

When considering social media as a component of your marketing mix, remember the three R's: risks, resources and rewards. By vetting your plans against these criteria and asking the right questions, you'll be on the path to social-media success.

(02/24/09 09:00 AM)

Social Media Marketing Best Practice Tip.

I'm fond of saying that social media doesn't have 'best practices' per se, we just have 'current practices'. Those things that we know are working right now with very, very limited play in a real market. That said, I see that Mitch Joel, Six Pixels of Separation, has started a blog meme on pulling together the best practices and has challenged bloggers to write one post. I also see that Toby has already contributed some outstanding insights. Here's my take

Social Media Best Practice Tip:

Alignment: Yes, that's it. Alignment. If your organization is considering (or is well on their way) pursuing social media in your tactical marketing plans. It (social media) MUST be in complete alignment with your strategy and differentiator as an organization and in complete alignment with what you're already doing in your marketing plan.

Strategic & Differentiation Alignment:
If you've not yet read Seth Godin's book, Meatball Sundae, I highly recommend you check it out. In a nutshell, it gets after this very issue. If you're in charge of marketing for any organization that does not (and is not likely to in the future) embody openness, sharing, trust and all of those things that are required in a customer-owns-your-brand world that is social media, this might not be a strategic fit for you. Should you change, perhaps, but that's not the issue here. Just as I would rarely advise a B2B startup client to advertise on network television, there are some companies that aren't going to align on social media. One last thing - even though your company has some aligning characteristics...if your legal department doesn't, your social media marketing plan may have a hard time getting off the ground. I'm just sayin'...

Marketing Plan Alignment:
This one's a bit easier, but still a challenge, and we're still talking about alignment. If you decide to setup a Twitter account because it's cool, but you're not blogging and you're expecting things to just explode for you, that's unrealistic (but, you already knew that...) You need to align social media vehicles with that you're already doing and plan appropriately for their launch. If you have a customer database but you've never sent an email, maybe do that first...then put up the videos, then email your customers again, then get the blog going, then seed you customers with that and get the real conversation going... I'm still bullish on data and collecting it on prospects and customers (RSS subscribers and video viewers are not success metrics in the end) and employing that data in your marketing and social media efforts.

[UPDATE] One more thing... This 'social media thing' is new, and it's not...you know what I mean...right? Well, here's what I mean. Companies that do well in social media are those same types of organizations with the criteria identified by Jim Collins in Good to Great. They would meet the test of social media readiness. Examples of that criteria include: humility, acting as a servant leader, being able to accept brutal honesty, availability, a willingness to share credit (ideally, give full credit to others) and take sole responsibility and blame for failures.

(02/24/09 09:00 AM)

8 Tips for Selling Social Marketing to CFOs. Marketers are usually challenged to justify word of mouth social media marketing programs to the finance department. With economic challenges ahead, your job doesn’t get easier. As someone who’s focuses on both creative and measurement, and as Interim CFO at Bazaarvoice, I started thinking more about the question of what marketers need to sell CFOs on the social marketing opportunity. Ultimately everything comes down to the bottom line – drive revenue, margin or costs down – but every marketing strategy has a different familiarity, timeline to ROI, or measurements that have to tie back to the P&L. So the approach to start, grow and sustain social marketing through the eyes of the finance department will differ from doing business as usual. And the justification needs to span beyond the numbers to get the entire management team to understand the ‘ecosystem’ effect of how customers make purchase decisions in a networked world.I posed a question on LinkediN question to my marketing peers and colleagues: With the economic downturn, how will you convince the CFO that "social" marketing is a priority?I’ve summarized the 25 answers to the question into these 8 tips: Provide financial leaders with hard facts—give numbers representing the anticipated dollar value of social media marketing compared to its cost (ex: anticipated ROI) for your company, cite research on the proven effectiveness of social media (ex: reviews/testimonials turn potential customers into actual customers, which is crucial, especially during an economic downturn) and emphasize that a company should always aim to... (02/24/09 09:00 AM)

New Event! What's Your Marketing Stimulus Plan?.

I've just launched the first of a series of marketing, thought leaderships and social media events that I'll be running in Wisconsin in 2009. If you're up for some 'marketing stimulus', I recommend that you check out this program!

The MarketingSavant Group invites you to attend the Marketing Stimulus Plan Boot-Camp, a one-day in-depth workshop that will jumpstart or revitalize your marketing efforts in these tough times. The best companies don't cut marketing spend in a downturn, they do the opposite. They know that even the toughest market conditions still provide plenty of opportunity.

Attend this one-day workshop to refine and revitalize your marketing strategy to help you swim upstream during the recession and position your company for long-term success.

Who: The MarketingSavant Group
What: What's Your Marketing Stimulus Plan? Workshop
When: January 27th, 2009 from 8:30 to 4:45
Where: De Pere, WI at the F.K. Bemis Center - St. Norbert College
How Much: $295 early reg / $395 after 1/9/09
Where do I Sign Up: At the Eventbrite website

Marketing managers, sales professionals, business owners, and executives within small to medium sized companies responsible for sustaining profitability and striving growth in a downturn will learn how to:

* Develop a road map for putting frugal, ethical and effective marketing strategies in place immediately
* Understand how new approaches in digital and social media marketing can catapult your company into new market opportunities
* Adapt your marketing spend for today's unpredictable economy
* Adjust prices and promotions without sacrificing market share or brand image
* Focus on accountability and obtaining measurable results from your investments
* Improve strategic and tactical planning with marketing ROI techniques and tools
* Manage your marketing budget and collaborate CFO and CEO

It's been said that "Every adversity carries a seed of equal or greater benefit." This program will help you and your business find the silver lining in those dark clouds by adopting creative, compelling, and low-cost/high-return marketing strategies. We'll discuss and learn new ways to devise new strategies to overcome economic turmoil, and execute new tactics to win, sustain and grow new business.
Bonus Item for Attendees:

All attendees will receive a copy of Marketing in a Downturn: Recession-Proof Strategies for Smart Marketers, a 90-page e-book featuring over 25 interviews with leading marketers, consultants, managers and business owners sharing their most effective marketing strategies for remaining profitable and sustaining growth during a downturn.

Who Should Attend?
* Marketing and communications professionals
* Small business owners
* Channel and brand managers
* Entrepreneurs and start-up managers
* Advertising and public relations professionals seeking new client solutions

You'll Walk Away With:

* Dozens of low-cost and effective ideas that you can implement immediately to jumpstart your marketing in the recession of 2009
* The tools, templates and action plans you'll need to succeed in the world of digital and social media marketing
* An idea packed e-book, Marketing in a Downturn: Recession-Proof Marketing Strategies for Smart Marketers, on how to make the most of your marketing in a recession

Register Now at Eventbrite

(02/24/09 09:00 AM)

User Generated Content is Booming for Baby Boomers. A marketer from a manufacturer brand recently asked me if user generated content was relevant to the baby boomer and senior population. Boomers make up of 35% of the Internet population. While it’s true that Millenials (the 13-24 generation) share content at double the rate of Baby boomers (56%), 31% of Baby Boomers share their own user generated content. This could be in the form of reviews, blog posts, comments, discussion forums, etc. Bazaarvoice has several clients with a high percentage of boomers in their base that are getting great results from UGC; such as QVC, Sears, Macy’s, Blair, Home Depot, Canadian Tire, Golfsmith, and many others. The use of search (where 25%+ of results are UGC) and usefuleness of user generated content for a purchase is relevant at any age. Just ask someone you know over 50 if they read reviews when they shop online. Nielsen found 8 out of 10 shoppers used reviews when shopping over the holidays, and that includes 35% of the internet population that are boomers!If you are interested in learning more about marketing and new media strategies for the Baby Boomer generation, consider attending the What’s Next Boomer Summit, March 19 in Las Vegas. There will be an E-Revenue Bootcamp. I will be speaking there and will discuss the impact of UGC and customer reviews for this generation. Also, Guy Kawasaki will keynote. Should be a great conference! (02/24/09 09:00 AM)

New Event...New Blog - Digital Centered Marketing.

Bill, Toby and I are going on the road again with the AMA! Starting in October, we're putting on a new event titled "Digital Centered Marketing." Like any good digital event, we've started a new blog to chronicle the examples and ideas that we encounter as we run up to the event.

Digital Centered Marketing is all about:

The marketing world is becoming digitally-centered faster than most marketers ability to learn, adapt and apply the latest techniques. Conventional marketers and agencies trapped in standard marketing models are no longer producing the same results that they were even a few years ago. Forward-thinking marketers have begun to shift their thinking from the traditional environment to the digital centered multi-channel environment.

This Digital-Centered Marketing program will explore the changing landscape of marketing that is no longer about exposure but rather engagement in digital relationships through digital media founded on the intelligent use of digital data and CRM.

Real-world models, pockets of excellence insights andÂ? process examples gained from Digital Centered Marketing: Moving Your Marketing into the Digital will change your business for good. Come learn how leading marketers are thinking differently, taking fresh approaches and embracing non-traditional thinking by putting digital at the center of the marketing universe.

If you're interested in going beyond the discussion about social media and hearing about how digital is truly changing how businesses set strategy and go to market in this decade, you won't want to miss Digital Centered Marketing.

Follow along on the blog or join us at an event in Chicago, New York or Seattle!

(02/24/09 09:00 AM)

New Event! What's Your Marketing Stimulus Plan?.

Attend this one-day workshop to refine and revitalize your marketing strategy to help you swim upstream during the recession and position your company for long-term success.

Register Now at Eventbrite

(12/17/08 09:00 PM)

Social media: It's all about risk, resources and rewards..

(10/01/08 09:00 PM)

New Event...New Blog - Digital Centered Marketing.

Digital Centered Marketing is all about:

The marketing world is becoming digitally-centered faster than most marketers ability to learn, adapt and apply the latest techniques. Conventional marketers and agencies trapped in standard marketing models are no longer producing the same results that they were even a few years ago. Forward-thinking marketers have begun to shift their thinking from the traditional environment to the digital centered multi-channel environment.

This Digital-Centered Marketing program will explore the changing landscape of marketing that is no longer about exposure but rather engagement in digital relationships through digital media founded on the intelligent use of digital data and CRM.

Real-world models, pockets of excellence insights andÂ? process examples gained from Digital Centered Marketing: Moving Your Marketing into the Digital will change your business for good. Come learn how leading marketers are thinking differently, taking fresh approaches and embracing non-traditional thinking by putting digital at the center of the marketing universe.

Follow along on the blog or join us at an event in Chicago, New York or Seattle!

(09/24/08 09:00 PM)

Social Media Marketing Best Practice Tip.

(09/11/08 09:00 PM)

Webinar Today! How to Create a Web 2.0/Social Media Marketing Strategy for Your (Professional Service) Firm.

Join me and the fine folks at RainToday.com (I love their site - seriously!) for a web seminar on leveraging social and emerging digital media (and a little bit of thought leadership marketing thrown in) for the professional service firm.

We're on this afternoon, September 9th, at 2PM Eastern.

Many professional services firms have a burning desire to somehow leverage the power of Web 2.0 and Social Media to grow their own business. They see others blogging, connecting in social networks, and launching podcasts and online videos, and wonder, "How do I get a piece of this social media action and how will it grow my business?"

There are several sound strategies marketers can use. In this RainToday.com webinar, online marketing expert Dana VanDen Heuvel will provide you with ideas, examples, and a plan of action for immediately putting these technologies to work to attract new clients.

Specifically you will learn:

* What Social Media and Web 2.0 is and how it came to be
* How various tactics - blogging, social networking, social bookmarks, and online media - can help you market your firm
* Examples of how other firms have grown their business with Social Media and Web 2.0
* How to plan a Social Media and Web 2.0 marketing strategy that works best for you

Sign up or become a RainToday.com member today and you will know how to derive business value from the latest online tools.

For a deep dive into using the social networking site LinkedIn, don't miss Jason Alba's webinar, LinkedIn 101: How to Unlock the Power of this Online Tool on Thursday, September 11. Become a RainToday.com Member and attend both these events, plus all other live events for an entire year for only $199.

(09/09/08 09:00 AM)

Some Thought Leadership on Thought Leadership Marketing. I had the distinct pleasure of presenting to the Reno-Tahoe chapter of the American Marketing Association today. The topic was Thought Leadership Marketing. What a fun group! The deck from the event is below.

Thought Leadership Marketing

view presentation (tags: thought leadership marketing)

(07/23/08 09:01 PM)

Small business growth through investing.

Since launching MarketingSavant (my social media/digital marketing consulting company) earlier this year, I've been looking at a number of ways to grow the business, outside of hiring people. By growing the business I mean simply the cash base or revenues from the organization. I was caught off guard when another local consulting business owner asked me "so, what's your exit strategy?" Wow, I just kicked this thing off, what do you mean "exit strategy". Of course, I know exactly what he means, but I'd never really given it that much thought. When you're an entrepreneur or an intrepreneuer (someone with an entrepreneurial spirit inside the corporation), you need to have your own exit strategy. For me, I've chosen to pursue an 'education in investing' strategy to help grow my cash reserves while I grow the business. Yes, I know, the market isn't exactly doing well, but that's precisely the time to get in. I look at the stocks and funds that I'm investing in now and thinking back to when I graduated college in 1999... if I had invested even a modest sum then, I'd be doing quite well now. Which brings us to the one thing that I think investing and marketing have in common (I'm sure there are others...but this one is really important... Faith in the future. As marketers, we're always marketing to the future, with faith in that marketing campaign and it's ability to deliver future value. As investors, we're buying stocks and funds with faith in the company's ability to grow into the future. Marketers and investors unite! Doom and gloom does not serve you...it's the faith in the future that keeps both of us afloat and in business. [Inspired by Kevin's post on 'cracks in the retirement nest egg']
(07/08/08 09:00 AM)

Off to the ALI Social Media Summit in Chicago.

If you're in Chicago between Monday and Wednesday, drop me a line!

I'll be presenting at the ALI Social Media Summit in a pre-conference workshop. Check it out:

How To Use Social Media To Enhance And Improve Your Internal Communications Efforts - And 7 Steps To Take Your Internal Social Media Program To An External Marketing Program

Some people may think that social and emerging media tools are just for customers. However, they can greatly improve your internal communication, peer networking and knowledge sharing and management initiatives if used properly. This workshop will show you how to leverage the most prominent social media tools to strengthen your internal communications processes and improve the effectiveness of any customer-focused organization. If you're considering social media for customer/external communications, this workshop will also give you specific insights and help you to 'eat your own dogfood' before going headlong into social and emerging media & marketing with your customers and prospects.

Each attendee will take away:

A comprehensive understanding of each and every internal social media tool available to their organization
Concrete examples of organizations that are employing these tools
A roadmap of where to start and how to progress in your internal social media endeavor
Develop the business case to sell internal social media based communication tools to management
The seven steps to taking social media from an internal endeavor to an external marketing program
A comprehensive workbook which explains how to learn more about each of the tools discussed

(06/09/08 09:00 AM)

Insight for Ad Agencies - Listen or Go Back to Print.

This is quite possibly the most timely and exciting article I've read as of late (come to think it, this I've been rather busy and this might be the only thing I've read of late...nope, this really is the best).

Joseph Dumont penned a piece for Imedia entitled "Why Agencies are Failing" in it, he lays out several of his own observations that are founded in a report from Forrester (might be worth the $279 price tag if you're seeking some Forrester Research Therapy for your agency) and compiled from his keen insights into the agency world.

This article really hits home as it comes at a time when I'm doing a bit of work with a few agencies that I regard with the utmost respect and I can't help but see some of their challenges echoed in this article. Those are the agencies that are truly students of advertising, marketing, customer behavior and have a genuine purpose in this world. They will succeed because they can learn, they can grow and like energy (you know, never at rest) they are always moving and changing and they're on the right path.

On the other end of the spectrum are agencies who are truly stuck. They're afraid of stepping outside of their comfort zone, afraid to admit that they need help, don't have a mastermind group internally that's challenging their age-old positioning and their clients are suffering as a result by way of crusty old strategies, reheated ideas and basically an ignorance of the end customer that we're all trying to reach. Those agencies will fail a they aren't even on a path - they're standing still.

Here are a few observations that I took from Joseph's article. I really recommend read though it with you highlighter handy - there are some real nuggets in there. If you're an agency, take this to your next staff meeting and discuss it. It's that important. If you like, buy the Forrester report (and tell me if it was worth it!)

1. Damnit, get out there and do the hard work to really understand how your client's consumer has changed their habits, where they hang out and what they want to hear from you. Media kits are for armchair advertisers. You need to get out there, listen, react and move. Oh, and get your client's leadership and front line folks on the same page too. Customers are smart. They see through the disorganization.

2. Watch political marketing. I've said this for years and I'll say it again "the harbingers of the next generation of marketing are working in politics". Watch all 3 candidates and how they leverage the digital space. Also, pay attention to their budgets. They're moving mountains and spending very little (comparatively) online...they reach the masses on TV and the influencers through digital (online) means...it's a great country we live in!

3. Interactive does NOT mean Internet. It means really in-ter-acting... get people involved, acting and interacting and engaging. Most of what's called "interactive" is anything but.

4. User generated content is not the holy grail. User generated genuine interest in a brand that excites consumers and pushes their 'loyalty button' is what we're really seeking. There are many UGC campaigns that are bolt on piles of crap... If UGC is not aligned with your brand and the only respondents are professional contestants, you should rethink things a bit. Just because it's cool doesn't mean it's you (or that an agency should sell it to you)

5. I actually think that we're in pretty good shape - there is BRILLIANT marketing going on out there (just read iMedia, Marketing Sherpa and others to see the kick ass campaigns and strategies that are rocking the marketing world)...but there's always room to do better. Both agencies and internal marketers can't afford to get lazy. The entire profession of marketing is founded on a "faith in the future" perspective! That's why we market - for the future...so hurry up and let's all get there!

(06/09/08 09:00 AM)

Insight for Ad Agencies - Listen or Go Back to Print.

3. Interactive does NOT mean Internet. It means really in-ter-acting... get people involved, acting and interacting and engaging. Most of what's called "interactive" is anything but.

(05/29/08 09:00 PM)

Purchase the Marketech '08 Marketing Technology Guide!.

$19.99

Marketech 08: Using Emerging Media in Marketing - eBook - $19.99

Today's service industry organizations depend on deeper and more relevant customer connections to drive loyalty, retention, referrals and reactivation within their coveted client base. These companies don't just need technology however, they need a systems perspective on how to integrate the ever changing world of social media, social networking and Web 2.0 into their core business infrastructure to meet their customers in their medium, now and in the future.

Purchase Now to Discover:

2008 Emerging Media Vehicles

How to Use New Media Vehicles to Your Advantage

The Latest Internet & Marketing Technologies that can Impact Your 2008 Marketing Plans

Your copy of the Marketech 08 Guide PDF will show you how to put these technologies to work for you.

This guide includes a service-organization perspective that will help you:

Utilize relevant marketing & customer service technologies that today's leading service organizations employ to connect with their customers. This includes an overview of tools from social networking via Facebook, organic corporate networks and customer community programs to communication vehicles like blogs, online video and podcasting.
Integrate with existing common customer loyalty, retention, referrals and reactivation initiatives.
Identify benefits and risks associated with these techniques and technologies such as lower cost to service and increased referrals vs. loss of central control and the increasing customer control of your brand reputation.
Discover who's doing this already examples and how is it working for them. We'll look at a myriad of case examples with learning's and action items than any organization can apply.

This eBook is available as an Instant Download in Adobe PDF *** Full disclosure: I wrote the e-book as part of a project for the AMA in late 2007 and retained the rights to publish. The response to the guide in my TechnoMarketing sessions and other speaking engagements has been so positive that I've decided to offer the item for sale.
(04/04/08 09:00 PM)

TechnoMarketing on Marketing Matters Live! Today.

If you've got a free hour from 9-10 PST today, January 9th, we'll be discussing TechnoMarketing on the AMA Radio show Marketing Matters Live! on WSRadio.

David Kinard is your host and it promises to be a great show! We'll be discussing technology tools in marketing and what's next for marketers. Fun stuff!

The world of marketing as we know it is rapidly changing all around us. Engaging your customers through the newest media vehicles such as social media, customer communities, blogs, RSS, and podcasts requires a solid foundation steeped in customer understanding, marketing planning and technological prowess. The challenges marketers face today are often compounded by the sheer volume of new media channels and the depth of expertise required to execute well in each channel.

When you listen in, you will:

* Increase your knowledge of terminology surrounding the newest technology-centric marketing tools
* Acquire a better understanding of the most popular technology-driven marketing vehicles currently in use and on the horizon
* Begin to identify which technology-centric marketing vehicles will work for your customer base and pair those up with your existing marketing strategy

Who should listen in:

* Sales and Marketing Executives of any size organization
* Marketing directors responsible for digital or integrated marketing strategy
* Anyone involved in customer-facing internet initiatives with their company or clients
* Ad agency media directors looking for a competitive edge for clients

If you'd like 2 days worth of TechnoMarketing, check into the AMA training series: TechnoMarketing: Using the Tools and Technology of Tomorrow to Reach Your Customers Today

(04/04/08 09:00 PM)

Great example of explaining del.icio.us and Digg on a website. During a social media seminar this week, I mentioned that some websites have areas where they 'explain' what the social bookmarking tools are for visitors who are interested in using them, but who may not know what they are. While basic, this is important if you really want to enable your content for sharing and subscription.

AdAge has a great example of this with their "question mark" next to the "Share & Save (?)" section.

Scroll toward the bottom of this article to see the "Share & Save (?)" section. You'll notice that they not only have the ""Share & Save (?)" section but also a newsletter subscription link at the bottom of their articles. This is a GREAT manifestation of virally enabling and enabling subscription to your brand/content.

http://adage.com/agencynews/article?article_id=123168

Then, click on the question mark and you'll be brought to a section of a page on their site that houses all of their RSS and social sharing information.

http://adage.com/rss#share

For organizations just starting out in social sharing and RSS, AdAge has a great model for how to bring your customers into the fold.

(04/04/08 09:00 PM)

CapturePlanning.com is a huge resource for learning about business development and how to win proposals.
Fill in the box below so we can keep you up-to-date with the latest best practices for winning more business.