Social Media (or any other form of Marketing and Communications) won't save a bad product, brand or service.
This may seem like an obvious statement out of the gates, but it is something that many brand managers don't really wrap their heads around. If you love the TV show Mad Men (and who, in their right mind, doesn't?) the subtext of the early days of advertising (and something that kept happening until very recently) was the ability for a brand to engage with a Madison Avenue type of advertising agency to help them turn a coal into a diamond. The germ of mass media advertising was about creating an allure or desire for products and over-selling them. Making them seem and feel bigger than they really were.
Social Media changed all of that... and more.
While advertising still works on creating this perceived desire, things do change when all voices (the brand, the advertising agency and the consumer) have an equalized platform. Any one individual with a gripe or with something nice to say can get to the top of the search engines or have their online social network share their story (in places like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc...)so brands, products and services have to be able to deliver. In fact, with customer reviews (or peer reviews) individuals can affect a sales outcome right there where the "buy now" button lives.
Ultimately, your brands, products and services have to hold up to this very simple adage: "it is what it is and it does what it does."
It's great if it can do more (but if it could do more, you would probably say so in all of your marketing and communications), but it really doesn't have to. So, when you use words like, "better, brighter, faster, 20% more, 40% off, etc..." you can disguise the true realities of the marketing initiative in the small print. Social Media is forcing companies to do away with that fine print. Seth Godin wrote brilliantly about how brilliant brands are the only way to go in his seminal best-selling business book, Purple Cow. While being remarkable should be every brand's lighthouse, the conversation around what it takes and those who have actually done it eludes the majority of companies. Most companies still do make regular products for regular people (in fact, if everyone was able to create a Purple Cow, how would we know? We would probably need a phrase for something that is more remarkable than a Purple Cow - Purple Panda anyone?). Seth's right, we need to get there, but most brands are falling woefully short of those purple pastures.
The point is to ensure that your product is what it is and that it does what it's supposed to do.
That - in and of itself - is enough to begin some semblance of a conversation and the initial strikes at building a community. Sadly, most brands don't even do that. They'll make claims in their advertising and fight for people to understand "their side" on Twitter. It's sad, because it is only the brands that are the exceptions to this rule that we can point to... and we can't even do that one hundred percent of the time... and there aren't enough great examples (hint: we need more!).
Why? Why? Why?
Why don't brands live up to that one simple adage? Why can't we all (as Marketers) make a commitment that our initiatives, programs and campaigns will be based on creating an appetite for something that can do what it claims and that works? One hundred percent of the time. All of the time. Without any small print. We would have a very different world. One where consumers actually enjoyed (maybe even looked forward to) advertising and one where the notion of brand loyalty would go beyond sending out mass emails to individuals who relinquished some of their privacy to simply save a few bucks.
Wouldn't it be nice? Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Insights - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image
Showing posts with label Mitch Joel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mitch Joel. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Six Pixels of Separation: The Almighty Endgame Of Marketing
We can talk community. We can talk loyalty. We can talk brand value. We can talk 30-second spots. We can talk Social Media. All of that is fine and dandy, but for Marketing to truly be respected, it's going to need one thing and one thing only...
During the two-day summit that was the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) National Convention last month (full disclosure: I sit on the Board of Directors of the CMA and act as the Co-Chair for the National Convention), both Avinash Kaushik (the Analytics Evangelist for Google and author of Web Analytics - An Hour A Day and Web Analytics 2.0) and Ken Wong (the esteemed marketing professor from Queen's School of Business) pointed out that as long marketing does not focus (with a red laser's eye) on profit and the overall economic value that it brings to the company, brand, products and services, all is lost.
Economic value and profit is more important than creativity... it's sad (but true) to say.
Kaushik actually remarked that it is "God!" If Marketing does not focus on the overall economic value that it adds to a company's bottom-line, we're simply going to be referred to as the people who make those cute commercials or the folks who put the pretty pictures around the products and services (and let's face it, none of us want to be regarded as the people who are "on Twitter and Facebook for us." That's just depressing). The fight for the c-suite boardroom, where some companies do have Chief Marketing Officers (CMO) - and some don't - is an important one for marketers to rally around. Let's not forget about about The Four P's of Marketing. They're more important than ever and they're critical to the overall health and wealth of the company.
Sometimes, marketing does focus on the wrong things.
The first step of solving the problem is in admitting that we have a problem. We are all a little too quick to get excited about logos, commercials, online social networks and iPhone apps versus looking at a P&L or sitting through the revenue generation meetings. Perhaps if we became a little more bold and focused on the left side of the brain as much as we tend to focus on the right side of the brain, there would be that much more respect for Marketing (in the boardroom and in the mass media's eyes as well).
We can do this.
Thinking about the business first. Focusing on the numbers and the overall economic wealth of the company might not stifle the creative sparks. In fact, being acutely tuned in to the overall business might force Marketing to get that much more creative. I get where both Kaushik and Wong are coming from. It can't all be Converse Chuck Taylor's and Beer Friday. We're going to have get more serious about diving in the analytics of this all. Even the basic website analytics that are being stored within a finger's reach aren't being capitalized on the way they should. We're still too busy looking at unique visitors and traffic spikes versus running multivariate testing to see which landing pages the customer prefers. That doesn't kill creativity, that makes creativity more creative. Instead of designing one page (and hoping our gut instinct is right), we're now able to experiment with multiple pages and then use the data and analytics to optimize.
This will push creativity.
Instead of seminars on brand management and how to market your company on Facebook, maybe there needs to be a marketplace for courses on profit and economic value? How many Marketers do you know that would attend one of those seminars? We're going to have to push Marketing in this direction. It's the one thing all of the other business units are paying attention to, and it's probably one of the few things that - when done right - will really put Marketing where it deserves to be in the corporate food chain (think: close to the top).
Who is with me on this? Please view in full at:Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Insights - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image
During the two-day summit that was the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) National Convention last month (full disclosure: I sit on the Board of Directors of the CMA and act as the Co-Chair for the National Convention), both Avinash Kaushik (the Analytics Evangelist for Google and author of Web Analytics - An Hour A Day and Web Analytics 2.0) and Ken Wong (the esteemed marketing professor from Queen's School of Business) pointed out that as long marketing does not focus (with a red laser's eye) on profit and the overall economic value that it brings to the company, brand, products and services, all is lost.
Economic value and profit is more important than creativity... it's sad (but true) to say.
Kaushik actually remarked that it is "God!" If Marketing does not focus on the overall economic value that it adds to a company's bottom-line, we're simply going to be referred to as the people who make those cute commercials or the folks who put the pretty pictures around the products and services (and let's face it, none of us want to be regarded as the people who are "on Twitter and Facebook for us." That's just depressing). The fight for the c-suite boardroom, where some companies do have Chief Marketing Officers (CMO) - and some don't - is an important one for marketers to rally around. Let's not forget about about The Four P's of Marketing. They're more important than ever and they're critical to the overall health and wealth of the company.
Sometimes, marketing does focus on the wrong things.
The first step of solving the problem is in admitting that we have a problem. We are all a little too quick to get excited about logos, commercials, online social networks and iPhone apps versus looking at a P&L or sitting through the revenue generation meetings. Perhaps if we became a little more bold and focused on the left side of the brain as much as we tend to focus on the right side of the brain, there would be that much more respect for Marketing (in the boardroom and in the mass media's eyes as well).
We can do this.
Thinking about the business first. Focusing on the numbers and the overall economic wealth of the company might not stifle the creative sparks. In fact, being acutely tuned in to the overall business might force Marketing to get that much more creative. I get where both Kaushik and Wong are coming from. It can't all be Converse Chuck Taylor's and Beer Friday. We're going to have get more serious about diving in the analytics of this all. Even the basic website analytics that are being stored within a finger's reach aren't being capitalized on the way they should. We're still too busy looking at unique visitors and traffic spikes versus running multivariate testing to see which landing pages the customer prefers. That doesn't kill creativity, that makes creativity more creative. Instead of designing one page (and hoping our gut instinct is right), we're now able to experiment with multiple pages and then use the data and analytics to optimize.
This will push creativity.
Instead of seminars on brand management and how to market your company on Facebook, maybe there needs to be a marketplace for courses on profit and economic value? How many Marketers do you know that would attend one of those seminars? We're going to have to push Marketing in this direction. It's the one thing all of the other business units are paying attention to, and it's probably one of the few things that - when done right - will really put Marketing where it deserves to be in the corporate food chain (think: close to the top).
Who is with me on this? Please view in full at:Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Insights - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Six Pixels of Separation: The iPhone Of The Future
How many articles can one person read about another newer version of the Apple iPhone?
Apple head honcho Steve Jobs launched the iPhone 4G this week in San Francisco at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. This is the fourth generation of the smartphone that changed (and continues to change) the world. And, while no one knows how cool, fast and impressive this next generation smartphone will be, there are some key lessons all businesspeople can take away from the presentation and promises of what this device is and what it can do.
Let's start with the raw features: Jobs did not invent video conferencing and the fact you can now multi-task (have multiple apps open at once, instead of one at a time) is not that big of a breakthrough (the Palm Pre -which was an industry flop -offered this years ago as does BlackBerry and other smartphones). Having a battery that now lasts up to seven hours also is tablestakes when you look at the average person's work schedule and how long other mobiles can go without a charge.
In the end, the new iPhone is not about the new features, but it's about where we are going with both computing and connectivity.
Remember when nobody paid for a cellphone? The culture of "free phones" permeated the mobile carrier business for years and what Apple did with their first generation iPhone is shift the mass mind-set from free to paying close to $600 for a mobile device. That mindshift opened the floodgates and, suddenly, the everyday person was comfortable (no, happy) to shell out their hard-earned dollars for a mobile device that was not only feature-rich, but would offer them a level of social status among their peers. The iPhone became a product of envy for those who didn't have one and an object of pride for those that did.
Design is everything.
One of the best business books of the past decade is Re-Imagine! Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age by Tom Peters (DK, 2006). Beyond the beauty of the book design and page layout, Peters continually highlights - in words -the importance of brilliant, jaw-dropping design in relation to the brands that have truly created businesses that are built to last. If Apple does one thing magically great, it is their industrial design. Apple products are beautiful. They fit with the times and they give us a glimpse into the future. This new iPhone also is an object of beauty. Every micro-inch of space was optimized and rethought and - by the looks of it - nothing was spared (not the weight, overall size or even how it feels in someone's hand). Creating a product that people will marvel at is no small feat in a world like ours. It's not the inside, it's not the outside and it's not what goes into it ... it's how those pieces all come together that make it so special to consumers.
It also is not about the phone.
When you pull together all of the features of the iPhone 4G, what becomes abundantly clear is that this is no longer about telecommunications. The phone (or calling) part is now shadowed by everything else. The new iPhone offers us some preliminary glimpses of what our world of connectivity, communications and computers will be. It's less of a phone and more of a remote control for your life. A fully featured computer that has all of the necessary moving parts for what a mobile device should be. When everything from the quality of pictures and videos become comparable with devices that only serve those individual purposes, we begin to really see how - in the not-too-distant future - we won't be trudging around laptops, iPads and mobile devices. There will be one device to rule them all -great text, images, audio and video in one hand-held/portable device.
It's all about the resolution.
Apple calls it Retina Display, and it boasts four times the pixel count of previous generation iPhones. Apparently, the pixels are so dense that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels. Jobs made a comment during the launch that the iPhone displays content so clearly that it is virtually indistinguishable from text on paper (everyone from Amazon and Sony to every book, newspaper and magazine publisher's ears must have perked up). Funny enough, everybody thought the existing resolution of the iPhone was already pretty impressive. You have to respect a company that iterates and innovates when what was presently in-market seemed more than above average.
Finally, it's all about the media and apps.
Music, movies, books, television, newspapers, magazines, games and more. Apple is as much of an entertainment company as they are a design and hardware company. They not only provide the hardware and connectivity, but also get a fair chunk of change by charging for the content and applications that run on devices like the iPhone. And, as if that were not enough, their new iAd advertising platform also is going to go gangbusters for the launch of the iPhone 4G. Apple will get money for the apps and they will get money from the ads. And while many are highly critical of the fact Apple is not more of an open environment, that didn't seem to stop 2 million iPads from flying off the shelves in under 60 days, and by the looks of things, the iPhone 4G will experience a similar effect.
The iPhone 4G is newsworthy beyond the innovation of the hardware, software and connectivity.
Apple turns people from consumers into loyal evangelists and they also are perfectly fine with those who can't stand them. What great bands aren't polarizing? The lessons of innovation, pushing technology and providing a product, brand or service that consumers don't even realize they may need are the real lessons that every business can learn from Apple -time and time again.
Have your say below...Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Insights - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image
Apple head honcho Steve Jobs launched the iPhone 4G this week in San Francisco at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. This is the fourth generation of the smartphone that changed (and continues to change) the world. And, while no one knows how cool, fast and impressive this next generation smartphone will be, there are some key lessons all businesspeople can take away from the presentation and promises of what this device is and what it can do.
Let's start with the raw features: Jobs did not invent video conferencing and the fact you can now multi-task (have multiple apps open at once, instead of one at a time) is not that big of a breakthrough (the Palm Pre -which was an industry flop -offered this years ago as does BlackBerry and other smartphones). Having a battery that now lasts up to seven hours also is tablestakes when you look at the average person's work schedule and how long other mobiles can go without a charge.
In the end, the new iPhone is not about the new features, but it's about where we are going with both computing and connectivity.
Remember when nobody paid for a cellphone? The culture of "free phones" permeated the mobile carrier business for years and what Apple did with their first generation iPhone is shift the mass mind-set from free to paying close to $600 for a mobile device. That mindshift opened the floodgates and, suddenly, the everyday person was comfortable (no, happy) to shell out their hard-earned dollars for a mobile device that was not only feature-rich, but would offer them a level of social status among their peers. The iPhone became a product of envy for those who didn't have one and an object of pride for those that did.
Design is everything.
One of the best business books of the past decade is Re-Imagine! Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age by Tom Peters (DK, 2006). Beyond the beauty of the book design and page layout, Peters continually highlights - in words -the importance of brilliant, jaw-dropping design in relation to the brands that have truly created businesses that are built to last. If Apple does one thing magically great, it is their industrial design. Apple products are beautiful. They fit with the times and they give us a glimpse into the future. This new iPhone also is an object of beauty. Every micro-inch of space was optimized and rethought and - by the looks of it - nothing was spared (not the weight, overall size or even how it feels in someone's hand). Creating a product that people will marvel at is no small feat in a world like ours. It's not the inside, it's not the outside and it's not what goes into it ... it's how those pieces all come together that make it so special to consumers.
It also is not about the phone.
When you pull together all of the features of the iPhone 4G, what becomes abundantly clear is that this is no longer about telecommunications. The phone (or calling) part is now shadowed by everything else. The new iPhone offers us some preliminary glimpses of what our world of connectivity, communications and computers will be. It's less of a phone and more of a remote control for your life. A fully featured computer that has all of the necessary moving parts for what a mobile device should be. When everything from the quality of pictures and videos become comparable with devices that only serve those individual purposes, we begin to really see how - in the not-too-distant future - we won't be trudging around laptops, iPads and mobile devices. There will be one device to rule them all -great text, images, audio and video in one hand-held/portable device.
It's all about the resolution.
Apple calls it Retina Display, and it boasts four times the pixel count of previous generation iPhones. Apparently, the pixels are so dense that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels. Jobs made a comment during the launch that the iPhone displays content so clearly that it is virtually indistinguishable from text on paper (everyone from Amazon and Sony to every book, newspaper and magazine publisher's ears must have perked up). Funny enough, everybody thought the existing resolution of the iPhone was already pretty impressive. You have to respect a company that iterates and innovates when what was presently in-market seemed more than above average.
Finally, it's all about the media and apps.
Music, movies, books, television, newspapers, magazines, games and more. Apple is as much of an entertainment company as they are a design and hardware company. They not only provide the hardware and connectivity, but also get a fair chunk of change by charging for the content and applications that run on devices like the iPhone. And, as if that were not enough, their new iAd advertising platform also is going to go gangbusters for the launch of the iPhone 4G. Apple will get money for the apps and they will get money from the ads. And while many are highly critical of the fact Apple is not more of an open environment, that didn't seem to stop 2 million iPads from flying off the shelves in under 60 days, and by the looks of things, the iPhone 4G will experience a similar effect.
The iPhone 4G is newsworthy beyond the innovation of the hardware, software and connectivity.
Apple turns people from consumers into loyal evangelists and they also are perfectly fine with those who can't stand them. What great bands aren't polarizing? The lessons of innovation, pushing technology and providing a product, brand or service that consumers don't even realize they may need are the real lessons that every business can learn from Apple -time and time again.
Have your say below...Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Insights - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Insights - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image: There Will Be Blood
Why do so many companies struggle with Digital Marketing, the Internet and the mobile platform?
If this Blog has done anything over the years, it has grappled with the question above. At a macro level... at a micro level... and at every point in between. We've looked at specific platforms, dissected trends and even looked into the crystal ball to ponder what the Marketing world will be. It is incredibly frustrating to watch one individual talk to a room full of senior marketers and explain - in a couple of sentences - why most brands grapple with the Internet and Digital Marketing as much as they do.
I hate Avinash Kaushik.
Kaushik is the Analytics Evangelist at Google, Blogger over at Occam's Razor and the best-selling business book author of Web Analytics - An Hour A Day and the recently released, Web Analytics 2.0 (he's also a semi-regular guest on my Six Pixels of Separation Podcast). And, I hate him because he did just that... in magnificent form. Last week at the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) National Convention (of which I was the co-chair), Kaushik (who was the opening keynote speaker) gave a very passionate presentation to a select few senior marketers during the President's Dinner, and he helped crystallize this brand struggle perfectly:
"The Web has been around forever and yet it is not in the blood of the executives who staff the top echelons of companies. Make no mistake, they are smart, they are successful and they want to do better. But the web is such a paradigm shift that if it is not in your blood it is very difficult to imagine its power and how to use it for good. How do you demand innovation & creativity & radical rethink if you can't imagine it?"
I love Avinash Kaushik.
This isn't about hiring young talent. This isn't about outsourcing all of your Digital Marketing needs. This is about shifting attitudes, embracing the very real reality of what the Internet has done to business and holding everybody within the organization accountable for their marketing actions online.
"I must admit up front that I am as hard core as any evangelical born again Christian in my passion when it comes to the web. The raw innovation and empowerment that a connected digital world has unleashed is the reason I lovingly refer to it as 'God's gift to humanity'."
While those are the words that Avinash used to open up his speech (and words that I choose to live by as well), it is how every member of your team should be thinking too (from the senior most executives to the latest newbies).
For brands to be successful, they need the Internet to be in their blood. Period. End of story. Case closed.
...and there's more where that came from. Avinash published his comments as a Blog post today titled, Online Marketing Still A Faith Based Initiative. Why? What's The Fix? Read it now and pass it on to your entire team. It is an important read.
Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Insights - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image
If this Blog has done anything over the years, it has grappled with the question above. At a macro level... at a micro level... and at every point in between. We've looked at specific platforms, dissected trends and even looked into the crystal ball to ponder what the Marketing world will be. It is incredibly frustrating to watch one individual talk to a room full of senior marketers and explain - in a couple of sentences - why most brands grapple with the Internet and Digital Marketing as much as they do.
I hate Avinash Kaushik.
Kaushik is the Analytics Evangelist at Google, Blogger over at Occam's Razor and the best-selling business book author of Web Analytics - An Hour A Day and the recently released, Web Analytics 2.0 (he's also a semi-regular guest on my Six Pixels of Separation Podcast). And, I hate him because he did just that... in magnificent form. Last week at the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) National Convention (of which I was the co-chair), Kaushik (who was the opening keynote speaker) gave a very passionate presentation to a select few senior marketers during the President's Dinner, and he helped crystallize this brand struggle perfectly:
"The Web has been around forever and yet it is not in the blood of the executives who staff the top echelons of companies. Make no mistake, they are smart, they are successful and they want to do better. But the web is such a paradigm shift that if it is not in your blood it is very difficult to imagine its power and how to use it for good. How do you demand innovation & creativity & radical rethink if you can't imagine it?"
I love Avinash Kaushik.
This isn't about hiring young talent. This isn't about outsourcing all of your Digital Marketing needs. This is about shifting attitudes, embracing the very real reality of what the Internet has done to business and holding everybody within the organization accountable for their marketing actions online.
"I must admit up front that I am as hard core as any evangelical born again Christian in my passion when it comes to the web. The raw innovation and empowerment that a connected digital world has unleashed is the reason I lovingly refer to it as 'God's gift to humanity'."
While those are the words that Avinash used to open up his speech (and words that I choose to live by as well), it is how every member of your team should be thinking too (from the senior most executives to the latest newbies).
For brands to be successful, they need the Internet to be in their blood. Period. End of story. Case closed.
...and there's more where that came from. Avinash published his comments as a Blog post today titled, Online Marketing Still A Faith Based Initiative. Why? What's The Fix? Read it now and pass it on to your entire team. It is an important read.
Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Insights - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Six Pixels of Separation: The Truth (And Value) In Advertising
Sometimes, it is not about creating something new for an existing brand, because it should be more about ensuring that the true value of that band, product or service is ever-more obvious to the consumer.
Advertising is not dead. That's the amazing message from Rory Sutherland in this fascinating TED Talk from 2009 titled, Rory Sutherland: Life lessons from an ad man.
Do yourself a favor and take sixteen minutes to watch this amazing presentation on Marketing, Advertising and Communications from someone who not only does it on a day-to-day basis, but can also talk about it in such an eloquent, humorous and impactful way: Please click here to view video: Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Insights - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image
Advertising is not dead. That's the amazing message from Rory Sutherland in this fascinating TED Talk from 2009 titled, Rory Sutherland: Life lessons from an ad man.
Do yourself a favor and take sixteen minutes to watch this amazing presentation on Marketing, Advertising and Communications from someone who not only does it on a day-to-day basis, but can also talk about it in such an eloquent, humorous and impactful way: Please click here to view video: Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Insights - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image
Monday, May 10, 2010
Six Pixels of Separation - By Mitch Joel: Jeffrey Gitomer Talks Marketing, Sales, Personal Branding And Social Media
Episode #201 of Six Pixels of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to.
There are only a few authors out there who I feel compelled to read, consume, ingest and meditate on everything they do. Jeffrey Gitomer is one of the very few. When we started re-focusing Twist Image back in 2002, it was Gitomer's book, The Sales Bible (and his entire Little [insert color here] Book Of... series), that really pushed me to think differently about everything from sales and marketing to personal branding and networking. The impetuous to Blog and launch the Montreal Business Book Review were ideas based on Gitomer's writing (he's a huge proponent of establishing oneself as a recognized authority). All of his books are business best-sellers and he is also one of the most thought-provoking and entertaining public speakers around. He is a legend, and it is a true honour to have him on the show. I'll recommend that you not only listen to this episode, but pass it on to five of your closest friends who have been struggling with how to get ahead in business. Enjoy the conversation...
You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast #201.
There are only a few authors out there who I feel compelled to read, consume, ingest and meditate on everything they do. Jeffrey Gitomer is one of the very few. When we started re-focusing Twist Image back in 2002, it was Gitomer's book, The Sales Bible (and his entire Little [insert color here] Book Of... series), that really pushed me to think differently about everything from sales and marketing to personal branding and networking. The impetuous to Blog and launch the Montreal Business Book Review were ideas based on Gitomer's writing (he's a huge proponent of establishing oneself as a recognized authority). All of his books are business best-sellers and he is also one of the most thought-provoking and entertaining public speakers around. He is a legend, and it is a true honour to have him on the show. I'll recommend that you not only listen to this episode, but pass it on to five of your closest friends who have been struggling with how to get ahead in business. Enjoy the conversation...
You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast #201.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Six Pixels of Separation: A Fascinating Look At The Numbers Behind Social Media
If you're looking for some cool Social Media stats to bulk up a presentation or bring this new media channel to the attention of your superiors, look no further.
Yesterday, Erik Qualman (the author Socialnomics) released an updated version of his very popular YouTube video on Social Media stats titled: Social Media Revolution 2 (Refresh).
Here are some of the more interesting Social Media stats: Please continue reading & watch video @ Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Insights - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image
Yesterday, Erik Qualman (the author Socialnomics) released an updated version of his very popular YouTube video on Social Media stats titled: Social Media Revolution 2 (Refresh).
Here are some of the more interesting Social Media stats: Please continue reading & watch video @ Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Insights - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Insights - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image: What Makes A Brand Social?
In following many of the higher ranked, populated and community-focused Blogs about Marketing, you will spot an interesting trend...
Many Bloggers (and their community members) feel that brands are not very "social" unless they are a part of the "conversation." Top-line, this does seem like common sense: for a brand to be trusted and accepted in Social Media it should be an active voice within the community. After all, if someone is complaining about (or applauding) your brand and you're not responding, what does that say about you?
Brands don't care?
Is it true that if a brand does not respond it is because it does not care? Do brands have any semblance of an acceptable reason not to be active participants in the online channels where their consumers are talking about, reviewing and attempting to engage with them? If a brand is saying, "we don't have the human resources to really have these types of conversations," or "we're not organized internally to appropriately deal with this type of communication" is that an acceptable response? Many (yes, I'm looking at you Joseph Jaffe) would say the answer is, "no." And, while I tend to agree, let's also not forget that a brand can be social in other ways.
There are a lot of things about Social Media that we have forgotten or take for granted.
One of the core functions of Social Media is to make whatever it is that a brand is doing more open, shareable and findable. We tend to focus on the more intensive activities (like brand-to-individual communications) because Social Media has evolved so quickly, but it bears repeating and reflecting on that a brand that isn't active within a conversation can still be very social in nature by simply sharing their content. While attending the Bazaarvoice Social Commerce Summit 2010 these past few days in Austin, Texas, it was amazing to see the retail brands (and beyond) that have customer reviews (or peer reviews) enabled on their sites, and those that are also active by leveraging another one of Bazaarvoice's services called, Ask & Answer, and yet how challenged those exact same brands are when it comes to building a community (be it on their own with a Blog or Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc...).
Once again, your version of Social Media may not be their version of Social Media.
Would you then say that those brands are not engaged in Social Media simply because they're grappling (both internally and externally) with how to engage in a conversation and how to turn those conversations into a community? Do all brands have to have that one-to-one dialogue? It's an interesting thought to ponder. Brands that allow people to say whatever they want about their products and services on their own space and in any additional channel that the consumer wants is a highly social activity (if you ask me).
And, what is the strategy?
A good Social Media strategy could start (and end) with allowing your content to be more open. With allowing consumers to say whatever they want about it and to publish that content - not only on your own websites and platforms (for all to see) - but for that consumer generated content to be shared by consumers wherever they like as well. Enabling and empowering people to take pictures and post them to flickr, while other consumers create video reviews for places like YouTube, etc... are simple acts of brands opening up what they do to criticism. In doing so, those baseline acts seem very Social Media to me.
Or, do you think brands must do the conversation part/thing as well?
Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Insights - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image
Many Bloggers (and their community members) feel that brands are not very "social" unless they are a part of the "conversation." Top-line, this does seem like common sense: for a brand to be trusted and accepted in Social Media it should be an active voice within the community. After all, if someone is complaining about (or applauding) your brand and you're not responding, what does that say about you?
Brands don't care?
Is it true that if a brand does not respond it is because it does not care? Do brands have any semblance of an acceptable reason not to be active participants in the online channels where their consumers are talking about, reviewing and attempting to engage with them? If a brand is saying, "we don't have the human resources to really have these types of conversations," or "we're not organized internally to appropriately deal with this type of communication" is that an acceptable response? Many (yes, I'm looking at you Joseph Jaffe) would say the answer is, "no." And, while I tend to agree, let's also not forget that a brand can be social in other ways.
There are a lot of things about Social Media that we have forgotten or take for granted.
One of the core functions of Social Media is to make whatever it is that a brand is doing more open, shareable and findable. We tend to focus on the more intensive activities (like brand-to-individual communications) because Social Media has evolved so quickly, but it bears repeating and reflecting on that a brand that isn't active within a conversation can still be very social in nature by simply sharing their content. While attending the Bazaarvoice Social Commerce Summit 2010 these past few days in Austin, Texas, it was amazing to see the retail brands (and beyond) that have customer reviews (or peer reviews) enabled on their sites, and those that are also active by leveraging another one of Bazaarvoice's services called, Ask & Answer, and yet how challenged those exact same brands are when it comes to building a community (be it on their own with a Blog or Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc...).
Once again, your version of Social Media may not be their version of Social Media.
Would you then say that those brands are not engaged in Social Media simply because they're grappling (both internally and externally) with how to engage in a conversation and how to turn those conversations into a community? Do all brands have to have that one-to-one dialogue? It's an interesting thought to ponder. Brands that allow people to say whatever they want about their products and services on their own space and in any additional channel that the consumer wants is a highly social activity (if you ask me).
And, what is the strategy?
A good Social Media strategy could start (and end) with allowing your content to be more open. With allowing consumers to say whatever they want about it and to publish that content - not only on your own websites and platforms (for all to see) - but for that consumer generated content to be shared by consumers wherever they like as well. Enabling and empowering people to take pictures and post them to flickr, while other consumers create video reviews for places like YouTube, etc... are simple acts of brands opening up what they do to criticism. In doing so, those baseline acts seem very Social Media to me.
Or, do you think brands must do the conversation part/thing as well?
Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Insights - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Six Pixels of Separation: Unlike Advertising, Social Media Can't Save A Bad Brand, Product Or Service
Jumping into Social Media is one of the smartest things a brand should do. It could also be one of the worst moves if the brand is not prepared.
All too often, I've heard gripes like, "we're on Facebook, but nothing is happening," or "we're on Twitter and no one is following us." You can swap out whatever Social Media channel I've mentioned and replace it with lines like, "nobody is watching our videos," "nobody is downloading our Podcast," and "no one is leaving any comments on our Blog."
Once again, brands have to be interesting, relevant and consistent to build community and conversation.
It's not rocket surgery (as my friend, Jason Falls over at Social Media Explorer always says), but it's certainly not easy. Beyond the hard work, long hours and commitment to providing true and honest value (above pushing for a sale or broadcasting nonsense into the channels and platforms), most brands looking to enter the Social Media fray have a lot more to think about than whether or not anyone will follow, engage and connect to them once they get started. Most brands need to think twice about Social Media because their products and services aren't all that good to begin with.
Unlike advertising, Social Media can't save a bad product or service.
Prior to thinking about Social Media, brands would be wise to review Don Tapscott's excellent book, Wikinomics. In particular, the section where Tapscott talks about "being buff." The brands that do well in Social Media are the brands that look good naked. Because, as Tapscott says, if you're going to be naked online (which all brands are), you better be buff, in shape and ready for it... and he's right.
Maybe Social Media is the last thing you should be doing if...
The majority of people have nothing nice to say about your brand.
Your customer service center is over-worked with complaints and issues.
Your current brand strategy revolves around trying to make your products sound better than they are.
You don't have the time, passion and/or commitment to do Social Media with transparency, credibility and authenticity.
You really don't care about customers and only care about selling.
Your heart isn't into it.
You feel like you don't have the time to do it.
Social Media won't save a bad brand. It will only shine a brighter light on the warts and flaws.
Six Pixels of Separation
All too often, I've heard gripes like, "we're on Facebook, but nothing is happening," or "we're on Twitter and no one is following us." You can swap out whatever Social Media channel I've mentioned and replace it with lines like, "nobody is watching our videos," "nobody is downloading our Podcast," and "no one is leaving any comments on our Blog."
Once again, brands have to be interesting, relevant and consistent to build community and conversation.
It's not rocket surgery (as my friend, Jason Falls over at Social Media Explorer always says), but it's certainly not easy. Beyond the hard work, long hours and commitment to providing true and honest value (above pushing for a sale or broadcasting nonsense into the channels and platforms), most brands looking to enter the Social Media fray have a lot more to think about than whether or not anyone will follow, engage and connect to them once they get started. Most brands need to think twice about Social Media because their products and services aren't all that good to begin with.
Unlike advertising, Social Media can't save a bad product or service.
Prior to thinking about Social Media, brands would be wise to review Don Tapscott's excellent book, Wikinomics. In particular, the section where Tapscott talks about "being buff." The brands that do well in Social Media are the brands that look good naked. Because, as Tapscott says, if you're going to be naked online (which all brands are), you better be buff, in shape and ready for it... and he's right.
Maybe Social Media is the last thing you should be doing if...
The majority of people have nothing nice to say about your brand.
Your customer service center is over-worked with complaints and issues.
Your current brand strategy revolves around trying to make your products sound better than they are.
You don't have the time, passion and/or commitment to do Social Media with transparency, credibility and authenticity.
You really don't care about customers and only care about selling.
Your heart isn't into it.
You feel like you don't have the time to do it.
Social Media won't save a bad brand. It will only shine a brighter light on the warts and flaws.
Six Pixels of Separation
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