From Person To Person…

True story…

I was working at an ad agency and was in an initial client meeting with a man that sold cleaning equipment to businesses. He was lamenting (naturally) that his business was slow and I asked him what kind of advertising/marketing he had done in the past.

He told me he had not done much (naturally). Imagine that, no business and no advertising/marketing. Go figure.

Anyway, we ended up getting the account and the first thing he wanted to create was a sales letter, something to send out to prospects. Me being the writer and all scribed such a letter, informing his prospects of all the fabulousness that awaits them if they patronize this particular company.

I emailed the initial draft of the letter to the client for review and his response back to me was something I have never, ever forgotten.

“Change the copy. It’s too personal. We are a B2B company, not B2C.”

My email back to the client went something like this…

“Thank you for your feedback. I understand completely you are a B2B company, however please remember that this letter is going to a person, meaning there’s a real, live person on the other end of the line, hence my “personal” tone in the letter.”

The client’s email back to me…

“I don’t care… change the copy. Don’t want any personal tone, language, etc…”

I made the changes as requested, we mailed the letter… it flopped like a fish, his business continued to flounder and the rest is history.

Of course I am simplifying things but you get my point.

This gentleman, and how many more like him(?), could not grasp the fact that there was a real human being on the other end of his sales pitch. In his mind, he was a B2B company and B2B companies don’t need to be personal or conversational…that was for the B2C folks.

The moral of course I don’t care what you are, B2Bm B2B, E=MC2, whatever… until actual businesses can speak for themselves — and who knows, Steve Jobs may just have an App for that, you have to remember there is ALWAYS  a person on the other end of the line.. with emotions, feelings, opinions and so on.

One person in particular who’s a hellluva smarter than me (not too hard to do mind you) once wrote…

“How many marketers are putting 2 and 2 together and recognizing that the most obvious and direct route to sales and profitability starts with conversations with individuals – who, at their core, love to converse - that lead to relationships that lead to advocacy?”

The person in question is Lisa Petrilli who blogs over at LisaPetrilli.com.  The aforementioned quote was in a recent post of hers entitled “Why You Must Rethink Your Marketing.”

I highly recommend reading her blog and check out this post in particular. She’s got some great feedback from more smart folks like Mack Collier and Tom Martin to name but a few.

USPS Doesn’t Think Much of Social Media…

I love reading magazines… always have.Could be anything from Chess Lovers Monthly to Time to The American Philatelist. Doesn’t matter if the issue is months or even years old… I’ll read it.

I tell you all that because the other day someone gave me a copy of Deliver… A Magazine For Marketers, as per their tagline. It’s published by the U.S. Postal Service. You know, the ones who want to raise rates again because, God forbid, they get their own act in order… nah, ‘let’s just raise the rates again.’

It was an older issue of Deliver, dated June 2010 and almost immediately the following quote jumped out at me like that alien jumping out of that guy’s stomach in that movie…

“Social media takes up more time than it does money.”

Now the wordsmith in me wondered aloud… “Isn’t there a word missing? Shouldn’t it read ‘“Social media takes up more time than it does generate money.” Or something like that?

Another line that got set my blood to boiling was this one…

“The real danger with social media is in marketers expecting too much from it.”

A few weeks ago I wrote a post for Social Media Today entitled “Find Social Media Sand, Insert Head.”

In the aforementioned article, I told of posting a query on LinkedIn in which I asked “What’s the first thing you think of when you hear ‘Social Media?’”

You can read for yourself the astonishing responses I got and it’s quite obvious that the good folks at the USPS have their collective heads in the Social Media Sand as well.

Still not convinced. Think the USPS is just defending its turf by merely asking folks if Social Media is worth it?

Well on the last page of this particular issue of Deliver was a full-page image entitled “Last Word > Found in the Trash.” It shows a crumpled piece of paper with a chart labeled “Percent of Adults Who Use Social Media, 2005-2009.” Above the chart is written “Why are we paying so much attention to this if HALF the population isn’t?”

The scribbled answer: ” ’Cause it’s the cool new thing.”

Yes, Social Media is the new, cool thing… although I would argue it’s not so new anymore… at least not to me. But to hang your hat on “half the population isn’t (using Social Media)” is incredibly short-sighted. It’s like… having your head in the sand.

I’ve written and said aloud countless times before, Social Media is not some panacea that will cure all your advertising and marketing woes. It has to be used wisely and in connection and conjunction with other mediums.

• Print
• TV
• Direct Mail
• Email
• Radio
• Outdoor
• Mobile
• And on and on and on…

There is no one single medium that will give you the desired results you look for… the key is to mix things up a bit.

Life’s too boring to do just one thing all the time, isn’t it?

Are You Disruptive?

Mobile Marketing Busy Signal?

This just in… many Americans have cell phones. I know, I know, shocking…

Latest figures indicate that nearly 90% of all US households have cell phones, give or take a percentage point here or there. Cell phones, iPhones, Smartphones and so on have taken on a whole new meaning that goes way beyond just making a phone call.

You would think, given the fact that mobile marketing/advertising allows for 24/7/365 access to potential customers that direct marketers would be all over this new tactic like the USPS is to another rate increase…

Um… no.

From a recent article on eMarketer…

“According to an April 2010 survey by interactive and email marketing agency eROI, less than a third of US marketers think optimizing the mobile marketing experience is important to their customers.”

The eMarketer article goes on to reference a study by Multichannel Merchant which found that nearly 80% of US multichannel retailers had no m-commerce capabilities.

So we have nearly 90% of all American households filled with American consumers with cell phones all waiting and wanting to purchase a product, a ware, a service and so on yet over 3/4 of the retailers don’t provide the means to do just that?

Sounds like a busy signal to me…

What do you think?

• Are you a marketer and if so, are you utilizing mobile marketing in your marketing/advertising efforts?
  • If yes, what kind of results are you seeing?
  • If no, why? Cost? Time?

A little TOO techie even for me…

Yesterday I told you all about this remarkable new thing-a-ma-bob that Intel has created called “Silicon photonics” that will allow us to download huge files in a matter of seconds.

Today I find out that there’s ultra-new Twitter app/tool/device/whatever that provides Twitter updates in real time, as they happen… no more refreshing. The app is available for Echofon for Mac and in beta form for TweetDeck users such as myself.

This will revolutionize the entire free Twitter Universe… And the crowd goes wild…!!

Not quite.

Here’s a video of how this will work in TweetDeck:

Has your head stopped spinning? Does it feel like you might throw up?

Are you kidding me?

This is a good thing to see Tweets fly by at warp speed? Hell, I can’t keep up with all the Tweets now!

Please tell me I am not the only one who thinks this is downright nuts and is a surefire way to go slowly insane…

Please, someone, anyone…

Download an HD film in a second…

No, that’s not a typo and yes I have had my morning coffee… at least I’ve begun the caffeine onslaught for the day.

My man Phil Murphy, our IT guru at fmi marketing solutions, passed along this story to me and while I am surely no techie (the car I drive has a cassette player in it – and I still use it), I am always interested in and intrigued by innovation, ingenuity and really neat stuff.

The story, which appeared on Gizmodo.com, tells of Intel’s latest invention, something they call “Silicon photonics.”

This new concoction (see how techno-savvy I am) will allow users to “transfer the entire printed catalog of the Library of Congress in a minute and a half”… or something like that. The transfer speed for Silicon photonics will be a staggering 50 gigabits per second.

Intel CTO Justin Rattner, in the official press release, stated…

“This achievement of the world’s first 50Gbps silicon photonics link with integrated hybrid silicon lasers marks a significant achievement in our long term vision of ‘siliconizing’ photonics and bringing high bandwidth, low cost optical communications in and around future PCs, servers, and consumer devices.”

Now I have no clue what any of that means but… I’ll be damned if doesn’t sound very cool.

Here’s a video Intel created to show off their new toy, which by the way, is not available yet – Rattner said Intel hopes to have silicon photonics “widely deployed” by mid-decade…

Here’s the full story at Gizmodo and the official Intel press release.

Now, if anyone knows how to stop the clock from blinking on my VCR, I would greatly appreciate your help.

For now, I’m going to go in my car and pop in my Milli Vanilli tape.

Online Video Viewing Increases…

According to a story today on e-marketer, “Sophisticated syndication strategies (are) on the rise”

As you can see from this chart to the right, those of us adults watching full-length TV shows online is increasing… rapidly.

My question is… (to quote Jerry Seinfeld)

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?

I know one adult, no make that two, who are NOT watching full-length TV shows online… yours truly and my wife.

Why?

Cause there’s only 24 hours in a day, that’s why.

Look, I’m a major proponent of using video online as part of a company’s web presence… in fact I think it’s a necessity… but that of course would be in the short-form realm.

Apparently my wife and I are in the minority…

“This shift is the result of a confluence of factors, including the greater availability of long-form content, the popularity of venues such as Hulu and broadcast TV sites, technology developments and internet users’ growing comfort with online video,” said Paul Verna, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report “Video Content and Syndication: Long-Form Content on the Rise.”

I don’t know about you but with a full-time job and two kids and a house and all that good stuff, my wife and I barely have time to watch TV via traditional channels, like on say a TV yet alone via computer.

If you build it, they may not come…

Under the guise of Social Media…

Be it an ad agency, a dog grooming salon, a Dairy Queen, a dry cleaner or any other entity even though you build it doesn’t mean they’ll come…

This is not the movies, kids. There are no ghosts, spirits or apparitions in the cornfields just waiting to Like you, Follow you, Friend you, Link with you or whatever. You have to tell them, not the other way around. Sure it would be great to create a Facebook page and Twitter account and LinkedIn account and so on for your business and then have the masses flock to your proverbial doorstep…

You set up all the aforementioned Social Media accounts. Great. Fantastic.

Now what are you doing about it?

Are you advertising you now have these accounts?

Are you including links to your Social Media accounts in ALL outgoing communications?

Are you including links to your Social Media accounts in all advertising you may be doing, regardless of medium?

And of course, what value are you providing to those that do in fact Like you, Follow you, Link with you and so on? But that’s another topic for another day.

Nonprofits and Social Media

At fmi marketing solutions, we do a lot of work with nonprofits. Obviously they face a unique set of challenges, most notably a lack of monies necessary to get the word out on their particular cause and/or to raise much needed funds.

Recently, an article appeared in PR Week which speaks directly to a medium many nonprofits are turning to… Social Media.

Some key points…

• “It is a great channel in terms of micro-giving – enabling supporters to ask a wide audience to donate a small amount of money.”
• Over 2/3 of March of Dimes Facebook Fans have downloaded a fundraising application
• It’s vital to engage your donors via Social Media
• For many nonprofits, text messaging is a very viable fundraising option

Here’s the entire article…

Nonprofits discover power of social media fundraising

By Chris Daniels
PR Week, July 2010

For the past few years, non-profits have used social media to build engagement around their causes.  But, more recently, they have started using social and digital media to directly drive fundraising communications.

The American Cancer Society recently launched its new “Choose You” campaign and website aimed at encouraging woman to make an online pledge and a $5 donation toward reaching their personal health goals.

Those taking the online pledge can then ask their social networks for support donations.

“We like to think of it as ‘friend raising,’” says Alison DaSilva, EVP for Cone, which developed the campaign. “Nonprofits need to help people be social and share information.”

A new audience

Mike Swenson, president of Barkley PR, agrees that encouraging supporters to use social media to raise funds is a key strategy.  “It is a great channel in terms of micro-giving – enabling supporters to ask a wide audience to donate a small amount of money,” he says.  “For nonprofits, it’s a way to open up their story to a new audience who, at least at the moment, can’t write a big check.”

It is an approach adopted by the March of Dimes, a Barkley client.  To help promote its March for Babies fundraising walk, supporters can download a widget to their Facebook page that tracks their goal and progress.  It also allows friends to directly donate without leaving the Facebook page.

Patricia Goldman, VP and CMO for March of Dimes, says more than 56,000 of its 71,000 Facebook fans have installed the fundraising application and, more importantly, generated donations with it.

“You can no longer do major fundraising events without the involvement of social media,” says Goldman.  “People are much more willing to post something on their social media accounts than send out 500 e-mails.  And from a fundraising perspective, Facebook reaches a broad platform of people.”

But she warns that nonprofits can’t simply have a social media widget and expect donations to come in; they need to engage on those sites as well.  “They are free for all intents and purposes and easy to use,” adds Goldman, “but the posts and comments happen so frequently that you need resources to keep on top of it.  You can’t languish,”

Beyond Facebook

While Facebook might be the social network of the moment, Wendy Harman, social manager of the American Red Cross, says other digital tools can be just as important to fundraising.  The humanitarian organization raised $32 million to help victims of the Haiti earthquake through a text message campaign.

Harman notes that the initial appeal from the American Red Cross was sent through its Twitter account, and that tweet was subsequently retweeted by celebrities and other influencers who reach a much larger audience.  “All we had to do was tweet about it once,” she adds.  “Twitter works great as an emergency notification tool.”

The campaign also made the organization realize mobile’s vast potential.  “We knew this was a space that needed our attention, but having proof that it works helped us push forward on this,” explains Harman.  “Over time, it will become another way for the public to donate to us.”

Donations made through social media and mobile can also be directly tracked – another bonus – but Harman says the American Red Cross has approached its digital presence without a fundraising objective.

“I felt by creating value in this space and giving information and different touch points, we’ set ourselves up to inspire people to donate rather than always be looking for money,” she says.  “So far, that has worked for us.”

Do you know…?

Ok, I realize that’s a very open-ended query…

I could be asking…

Do you know the way to San Jose? (showing my age here)

Do you know the first toilet ever seen on television was on “Leave It To Beaver?”

Or even…

Do you know one of Hewlett Packard’s first ideas was an automatic urinal flusher?

I’m actually quite concerned that two of the three references I chose have to do with toilets but… for this context and in this forum my query is…

DO YOU KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER?

I know, I know… you get asked that a lot, right?

‘Of course I know my customer, what do you think I am, an idiot?’

Well…

I’ve been in advertising/marketing for about 20 years now (showing my age again) and I’ve sat in more meetings or had more phone calls with clients who have no clue who their customers are.

Here’s a typical response to my query I receive from clients…

“I think they’re mostly women, I would say between the ages of 35-65, have two and  a half kids with a household income of somewhere between $35K and $100K.”

There are some obvious danger signs that should smack you right in the face.

1. “think”… You think they’re mostly women, etc? Nice, way to go out on a limb there
2. Two and a half kids. My personal favorite. “You know Jimmy and Lisa are great kids but that damn half kid Billy is a pain in the a…” What the hell is a half a kid?
3. A glaring omission is how often does your average customer patronize your product, service, ware or whatever?

It will obviously depend on said product, service or ware but in the right context, is it…

Once a week? Month? Year? Millennium? What?!?!

One of my fave bloggers, The Ad Contrarian, had a great post about this very topic not long ago.

In his post, he makes reference to the fact that “Advertising messages should be created for, and directed at, the heavy-using, high-yield customers in your category.”

He also makes reference to an Ad Age article: “Purchase Habits Trump Demographics in TV Buys.”

Demographics have almost no effect on whether TV ads produce sales, and consumers’ purchase history is the most reliable predictor of success, according to research from TRA, which has been pairing data from set-top TV boxes…since 2008.

The gender and age of viewers has little correlation with the way those viewers respond to ads, TRA President Bill Harvey said..

“TV’s major sales effect tends to be among people who are heavy purchasers in your categories…”

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “This only speaks to TV.  Demographics still plays a role in the other mediums, right?”

Wrong.

Well, sort of…

Let’s say you have 1,000 customers  in your database. Many people would create a demographic profile using all 1,000 people, right?

But why use ALL 1,000 if only a certain amount are the aforementioned heavy-users, the ones you KNOW are more likely to buy. Why include someone who buys once a month with someone who buys once a day? Deomographic Profile results would be somewhat skewed, would they not?

Identify your heavy-users and create your profile off of THAT list.

Just remember… he/she ain’t heavy… they’re your customers. Your BEST customers.