Growing & Learning

How do you tell if your social media consultant is the real deal?

January 9, 2009

Image via Wikipedia

Awhile I ago I suggested that it might not be a brilliant plan to hire a consultant or agency to help you with your social media strategy if they can't document that they've done more than learn the buzz words. 

Would you want to be a surgeon's first patient?  On a pilot's first flight?  So why should you be someone's social media guinea pig?

But if you're new to social media, how do you determine who's blowing smoke up your skirt and who's the real deal?  Beth Harte put together a remarkable checklist of what you should be looking for and you're going to want to read her whole list. 

But here are some basics, in my own words:

1. Does not believe that every company should (or can) blog.  Nor do they believe that the blog is the be all and end all.
2. Constantly reminds you (if you need reminding) that social media is a tool, a medium.  Marketing basics like understanding your brand and having something of value to share/say still apply.
3. Have a proven, successful  social media strategy for themselves/their agency.  If they can't or haven't done it for themselves, why in the world would you think they can do it for you?
4. Helps you weave your social media strategies into the rest of your marketing plan.  Social media should be a part of the whole, not a whole new thing.
5. Doesn't promise that social media efforts are so incredible they're going to protect you from the recession, a mediocre product or male pattern baldness.

Bottom line….you want an agency or consultant who is bullish on social media but doesn't believe it's the holy grail.  They can integrate these tools with the rest of your marketing efforts and you know they can do it for you….because they did it/are doing it for themselves.

I just scraped the surface.  Check out Beth's post for the drill down.

Holiday gifts for you (free stuff!)

December 22, 2008

I've got a few wrapped packages with your name on them!  Use them well.  Steal from them.  And of course, share them liberally. 

After all, it is the season of giving!

Drew's free stuff page:

Come download ebooks, tools and more.  (click here)

Joan Stewart's The Best of the Publicity Hound's PR Tips of the Week.

Joan pulled the best of the best and put them into an e-book.  She's inviting everyone to not only download but "re-gift."  (click here)

Chris Brogan's free ebook on personal branding

Chris is always quick to share his insights and knowledge.  This is a short (15 pages) but smart read.  (click here)

Seth Godin's Flipping the Funnel ebook

Seth gets viral marketing like nobody's business.  Check out his ebook on how he sees web 2.0 tools meshing with his Purple Cow theories.  (click here)

John Jantsch's Social Media for Small Businesses ebook

John's always got something practical and valuable to say.  Check out his free ebook.  (click here)

Name a medium and I’ve got a learning tool for you!

November 24, 2008

Sure, there’s a 4-day weekend coming up.  At least for us Americans. You bet — lots of turkey and pumpkin pie.  And football.  Let’s not forget football.  Or, if you prefer — shopping.

But sooner or later, your brain is going to ask for of a jump start.  And I’ve got just the thing for you…no matter how you like to learn.

Special Report:  Rain Today’s Face to Face Networking Guide: A Primer for Relationship Building

Rain Today is one of my favorite resources.  Tons of good information, webinars, research reports and smart writing.  They’re offering this free report as part of their 7-day free trial. Here’s how it works.

• Sign up for their 7-day free trial.
• Download the Networking Guide.
• Explore all of their other resources, download all the articles, reports, etc. that you want/can.
• Decide if you want to remain a member or cancel without any financial obligation.

E-book:  Back to Basics by Deborah Chaddock Brown

Deborah’s e-book is a great marketing 101 primer.  She asked me to review her manuscript and provide a quote for her cover.  Here’s what I said:

"Deborah Chaddock Brown is a bold-faced LIAR!! She promises 30 tips to market your small business in her new book, Back to Basics.

But there have to be at least 50 of them in there! With easy to grasp examples, Deborah offers the small business owner a cornucopia of marketing tips, tricks and best of all, proven techniques for building a rock solid marketing foundation.

Read this book with pencil in hand because you’ll be taking notes in the margins as you plan your way to smarter, more effective marketing."

Software:  Marketing Plan Pro by PaloAlto Software and Duct Tape Marketing

This interactive software takes the small business owner through a step-by-step process that helps them identify their target audience, key messages, forecast sales and expenses, and track your progress once you’ve completed the plan.

John Jantsch, founder of Duct Tape Marketing, has been serving the small business owner and helping them wrap their arms around marketing for a long time.  His involvement with this project means you can count on receiving a quality product.

Web-based video learning:  Web Video University

Through a virtual classroom online, you can learn how to craft, script and create high quality web videos to use on your website or blog.

The Web Video University course is broken down into four weekly lessons which will cover everything from content to the technical aspects like lighting and sound.  Dave Kaminski walks you through all of the basics and often offers some cost-savings alternatives to going out and buying big ticket equipment.

There you have it…and if none of these trip your trigger — be sure to check out the Amazon widget in the sidebar.  It’s filled with books that I highly recommend.

Feel like a manic juggler?

October 28, 2008

Image via WikipediaI don’t know about you but sometimes it can be a little overwhelming.  Okay…that’s a lie.  It can be incredibly overwhelming.

We’re all juggling as fast as we can and no matter how many balls we have in the air, there’s always another one being tossed into the rotation.

There’s a new project (or three) at work, a new book to read, 5,000 new blog posts in your RSS feed reader, six fresh social media tools to explore and 200+ e-mails.  Daily.

That doesn’t even take into account your family, friends and just carving out some down time.  Have a hobby?  Like to travel? Well, sleep’s optional, right?

Never before in my career have I seen a more turbulent time.  Turbulent is not necessarily a bad thing.  There’s just so much swirling around us, our customers and the work we do.  And it’s exciting.  Intoxicating.  And important to continuing to be relevant in our jobs.

So…how do you juggle it all? How do you stay sane AND productive?

Here’s my plan.  Help me spread the word that we’re looking for Sanity/Productivity tips.  Once we get a good collection here, I’ll create an free e-book that we can offer to others suffering from the same manic juggling that we are.

Come on…share a tip, idea or solution that works for you.

Unless the building is on fire…stay OUT!

September 29, 2008

I know, as an agency owner, writer, speaker and active community volunteer (not to mention dad et al) there are some days when I literally run from meeting to meeting, trying to squeeze in phone calls in between meetings.  And then I wonder…when will I get all the work done that these meetings generated?  Those are frustrating days.  But, to be fair, I do it to myself. 

Sometimes I have to give myself a reprieve.  So I cone myself.

Coning is something we invented at McLellan Marketing Group because all of us need some "quiet time" now and then.  Every employee at MMG has a traffic cone in their office.  When that cone is placed in their doorway, it means, "unless the building is on fire, do not disturb me."

I coned myself for about 90 minutes yesterday.  The week had been frantic and I was riding very close to several deadlines.  I got more done in those 90 minutes than I had all week.  And best of all….I felt great.  I felt calm, I felt successful.  I felt like I was back in control.  Here are some of my secrets to successful coning.

• Have a commonly understood signal (like the cone) that everyone in your office will honor.
• Set the example by NEVER interrupting a coned person.
• Turn your cell phone, regular phone et al ringers off.
• Do not check e-mail, blog feeds or any other distraction during your coned time.
• Do not do it for more than 90 minutes (its very frustrating to be on the other side of the cone and need to talk to someone who’s been coned for 3 hours.)
• Make it a habit.  Do it at least 3 times a week.  Even for 30 minutes a time

Of course, it does not have to be a cone.  Get creative.  As you can see, I have added a skull to my own cone…just to reinforce the gravity of circumstance that one would experience if they broke the code of the cone.

It’s hard to keep those marketing juices flowing if you are feeling bogged down.  Find a way to get yourself some quiet time.  You’ll be surprised at how quickly you get re-fueled. 

(And yes, I have a carpet with a little road on it for match box cars in my office.  Another post for another time!)

How do you carve time out for yourself?  How do you get thinking time, writing time?

Will you have a little branding with us tomorrow?

August 5, 2008

Join the gang at MMG for the Branding Breakfast or Lunch!

Here’s the drill.  You come.  We talk branding.  You leave with some new ideas to try back at the ranch.

Remember…if you come for breakfast, we feed you.  If you opt for lunch, it’s BYOL.

What: Branding Breakfast (delicious, hot breakfast provided)
When: 7:30 — 8:30 a.m., first Wednesday of February, May, August and November.   That’s tomorrow…August 6th!
Where: Workforce Center. 430 East Grand Ave, Des Moines (map)

Or…

What: Branding Lunch (BYOL)
When: noon — 1:00 p.m., first Wednesday of February, May, August and November.  Again…that’s tomorrow…August 6th!
Where: Simpson College WDM Campus. 3737 Westown Parkway (classroom #9) (map)

RSVP: Yes, I want to talk about branding!

We’d love to have you join us!  (If you live outside of Iowa…it’s probably a bit of a trek.  But you could be with us in spirit!)

Be sustainable, be green and what does it all mean?

August 4, 2008

It’s all around us. 

Some call it a revolution, others a movement.  But clearly, green is in.  And where there’s in, there is marketing opportunity.  There are now green agencies, green marketing blogs, and even new jargon.
 

Let’s face it, green has gone mainstream.  Some of it is genuine while others is really more marketing ploy than true activism or product benefit. 

They even have a name for it already….greenwashing.  CK provides this definition in a recent post.  "Greenwashing is "the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service."

As with all "hot" trends, these will shake out.  The companies that can sustain it and walk their talk will reap the benefits of the position.  Those who seized the opportunity with much behind the fanfare will be exposed.

I love this story out of the New York Times.  A group of direct mail companies are trying to create some "green standards" like "list hygiene" which basically means taking dead people off their lists.  Come on.

In the meantime, as we all wrap our heads around the green movement, it’s helpful to have a tutorial or two.  And that’s why Mario Vellandi has shifted his blog (Melodies in Marketing) and his efforts to covering topics in sustainability, product development, design and green marketing.

Mario put together an impressive and exhaustive video series while attending the Sustainable Brands 08 conference.  You can find descriptions of each speaker, some summary and analysis of their presentation and of course, view the videos.  (Note:  Some of the videos have been temporarily removed.  But Mario’s blog and efforts are still worth the visit.)

We all have a lot of learning to do.  Mario’s video series is an excellent start!

You learn by listening (build a blog #1)

July 21, 2008

I spent part of last week with a client team who is about to enter social media by launching a blog.  They asked me what the most important thing they could do to ensure that their blog was a success. 

I said…anyone with a computer can launch a blog.  Few are going to do it right.  And few will still be blogging in 6 months.

Why?

The software is easy and in some cases, free.  If not free — then cheap.  I pay a whopping $15/month for my Typepad account and I have the high powered, design your own version.

But just because you can click a few links and have an empty blog doesn’t make you a blogger.

Before you can do it right, you need to have some idea of what right looks like.  And you learn that by observing others who are already successful.

When we create/launch a blog for clients, the first thing we make them do is listen.  Think of all the important things we had to learn throughout our lives.  Walking, talking, reading, riding a bike.  The first step in any of those efforts was to see it being done.  We had it modeled for us.  Then, we slowly began to mimic that behavior until we were able to do it on our own.

Blogging is no different.  You learn by listening/reading those who are already successful.  So if your company (or you) are thinking about launching a blog, start right.  Start by making a list of 20 blogs in your category.  Pick some of the big, popular ones and some less well known. 

Begin noticing (and recording) some of these elements.

• How often do they publish new content?
• How do their posts look?
• Do they use visuals?
• How long are their posts?
• What else, besides their posts, are on their blogs?
• Do they have advertising?  How does that impact your reading?
• What’s on their sidebar?
• Who do they link out to?
• How often do they link out?
• Who links in to them?
• Do they allow comments?
• Do they get comments?
• Who/from where are their commenters?
• Do they respond to comments, if so…how?
• Do you see any pattern or themes in their posts’ content?
• Do they use multimedia like video clips or slideshare?
• Who is on their blogroll?  Do they have one?
• What do you like about their blog?
• What don’t you like about their blog?
• How well is their blog branded and tied back to their business?
• Does their blog seem self-serving?

You get the idea.  Listen.  Observe.  Question.  That’s step one. 

Are you tough enough to take it?

July 7, 2008

Most businesses have a heavy focus on acquiring new clients. Especially as we consider that we might be rolling into a recession. Everyone is sensitive to the importance of keeping new prospects flowing. 

But we should remember that the way to get new prospects is to be smarter about how we treat current customers and even how we treated those customers we’ve lost.  Getting smarter is a much better strategy than blindly lowering our prices to combat tougher times.

Losing a customer is inevitable.  It happens to every business. But losing them for good is not inevitable.  You can get a good percentage of them back.

One of the most powerful pieces of research you can do is a lost customer survey.  This isn’t for the meek.  It’s a little like being hit with a toxic gas.  It can knock the wind out of you!

You need to be ready to hear some painful truths.  They left for a reason.  And the reason is rarely price.  So something in your product, service or interactions pushed them into your competitor’s arms.

This is not something you can do effectively by yourself.  Here’s a human truth that works both for and against us.  People are basically nice.  They don’t want to offend you or hurt your feelings.   But you will be amazed at how candid (and sometimes brutally honest) they will be with an objective third-party.  So, get professional help.

Once you hear the truth, there will be elements within your business that you will clearly want to change. Change them or put plans in place to change them.  Then, craft a letter to your lost customers thanking them for their participation and sharing the results with them.  Yes, air your dirty laundry.   Then tell them about your plans to change the problems.  Finally, ask them to come back.  Give them an incentive to do so.

You won’t get them all.  But you’ll get many of them back.  Best of all, you have made changes that will keep more of your current clients right where they belong – with you.

One of the services we provide MMG clients is a customer satisfaction assessment.  Every one of our clients who embarks on the research ends up changing the way they do business for the better.  Hard to argue with results like that.

SWAT Summit offers YOU a discount!

July 2, 2008

Get the inside scoop on advertising and marketing on social networks on July 17th in lovely San Francisco.

Social networks are transforming the way brands and consumers interact. Leading brands and agencies are embracing their potential — are you?

SWAT Summit looks at how agencies and brands can harness the power of social networks. This conference is for anyone who wants to be a leader in the next generation of marketing and advertising — and for the publishers, developers, and ad networks who will work with them hand in hand.

SWAT Summit is an exclusive gathering place for 200 key influencers and decision makers such as Brand Managers, Media Planners, Media Buyers, Marketing Directors, and individuals at the Director, VP, and C-Level.

Limited spots are also available for: Press, VCs, Analysts, and Academics.

Check out their speakers, or go ahead and register.  Marketing Minute readers are being offered a $100 discount on the event.  Use discount code:  drewmm