Social Media Crankiness

I have been so immersed in reading about social media - case studies, best practice, how-to, critiques, analyses - that I've just about reached saturation. Not that I now know everything (click here to see why that's impossible) but that I've hit a point of crankiness when I start reading the same thing over and over AND when I start to see a repeated lack of complete common sense.

It comes down to this: make an amazing product, people will buy it. Think LuluLemon and their yoga pants which any woman will SWEAR takes ten pounds off...yoga culture be damned. Think Starbucks, the company I hate to love: Absolute consistency in product, service, atmosphere. It's just smart.

Have all the fans, contests, games and apps you want. A bad business will fail because people talk. Word of mouth is still word of mouth; social media has just amplified the review.

I'm reading a Harvard Business Review social media series and an article (Dec 2010) on the updated "consumer funnel" and it's a load of B.S. I choose restaurants differently than cars and skincare. There is no formula that fits all buying decisions, or all consumers, in all cases.

Being smart with social media is no different than being smart in direct mail, on TV or on a billboard: Get attention, make a compelling promise and then - here's the tough part - DELIVER THE G-D promise! This is where companies DON'T invest. They hire the cheapest talent they can and don't invest in those folks. They cut corners and then wonder why people bad mouth them on social media.

Rather than spending gzillions on a slick campaign, just keep your word. And invest in world-class talent who will help you keep your word.

Now pass it on.

Ten Types of Businesses and a Twitter Use for Each

This comes from my "100 ways series" that I use in workshops:

1. Consultants, advisors, coaches, speakers, trainers, 'experts' and wanna-be gurus: Share valuable content, connect followers, offer how-to info from respected blogs, and generally make 'em want more.

2. Retail (especially those stores that have really beautiful product): Photos...and lots of them. Flickr is your friend.

3. Travel brokers, agents, tour companies and accommodations: Sell-offs (and prices with no hidden extras).

4. NFPs, community organizations, associations: Acknowledge publicly your volunteers, board members and donors (with permission, of course). Post events with pics and post-event video.

5. B2B: Exchange war stories, RFPs, recommend suppliers.

6. Professional service firms: Customer service questions, deadlines, new legislation.

7. Restaurants, cafes and bars, etc.: Daily specials, local food on the menu, draught on tap, server suggestions, menu requests.

8. Homeowner services: Tips and free advice.

9: Businesses that teach or train: mini "how-to" videos.

10. All businesses: events, 'mention this tweet' contests, link to blog, job openings, kudos.

Did I ignore your business category here? Post a request and I'll reply.

Happy B.I.T.L.

(badminton in the living room)

Newsletter or Blog? A Question Posed on INC.com

Do you find it more effective to communicate with customers and prospects through a blog or through an e-mail newsletter? Asked on INC.com

Kathy Patterson | 2 minutes ago

This question is classic apples and oranges. While they are both valuable communication tools, a blog requires a "pull" technique whereas a newsletter is "pushed" to select customers/prospects. The decision comes down to whether people are looking for the information in your blog (ie: an IT exec writing about trouble shooting) and therefore find the blog via search, or if they are not looking, and therefore need to be direct marketed. The decision needs to be based on your very specific objectives, the content, and where your customers are in the buying cycle (awareness through to action). More and more businesses of late are using a blog wisely as a communication hub that all social media efforts and SEO points to. A major benefit of a blog is the ability to pose questions and elicit response and two-way dialogue. However if a newsletter offers a collection of information of use to a prospect, it can still be relevant. And why not integrate all? Push out a newsletter of value, and pull readers to a blog to comment. That's the best of both worlds...

Social Media ROI

Lots of buzz about how measurable internet marketing is. Why then is the return still so low compared to traditional direct? I finally found the hard data this morning. Over 50% of MarCom budgets are spent on Direct. Mail STILL enjoys the best ROI. Email is dismal in comparison. The only channels with a lower ROI than email, are mobile and social media.

I suspect the reason is that most businesses trying new channels - because they are so cheap, quick and dirty - are doing a terrible job at it.

They are shouting rather than listening, hawking rather than offering. Companies using Twitter, Facebook and Email campaigns need to take a page from companies doing it right: Zappos, Amazon, IKEA, etc. You don't need their budgets; you need their smarts.

Coincidentally, I received Godin's new book via FedEx today; Linchpin may provide some of the answers.

If you have questions about your company's efforts, post them here. I'll be launching a marketing troubleshooter blog on this space over Reading Week in March. Stay tuned....