Start A Content Conversation

We all have a lot to say. Between sales pitches and proposals and PowerPoint presentations, we’re kind of up to our eyeballs in information. But is information content? If so, what information?  

If content is king, how do you ensure he doesn’t get dethroned? The answer is to have a conversation.

BE APPROPRIATE

That doesn’t mean don’t post questionable photos on your website. (Don’t do that, though). Being appropriate means having something to say that reflects the venue in which you’re saying it. Your corporate website and a product-specific Facebook page that has a college-aged audience will have different things to say. Neither are mutually exclusive. But you likely have a different way of speaking when you’re talking to your best friend versus a corporate CEO. The content, or conversation you’re having needs to focus primarily on the audience with which you’re having it. Like any good conversation, it should be a two-way street. I’m not talking about a live chat feature. I’m talking about solid research. How your customers reach out to you tells you a lot about the conversation they’re looking to have. Traditional websites, product-specific sites, individual social media interactions, trade show interactions and even Skype chats, each attracts a unique audience that will respond to you if you are appropriate.

RELEVANT WEBSITE CONTENT

One of the primary drivers of Google’s search algorithm comes from relevant content. Google, they’re pretty smart. Not long ago you used to be able to type a bunch of keywords onto the bottom of your web page and jump to the top of Google’s search. Actual content that relates to the subject of the page, the industry associated with the site, etc., is one of the things that drives search results. More is not always better. Doing extensive research about search terms and analytics data will give you a good start in providing content that corresponds to the most relevant search terms for your site. If you tailor your content to what your audience is actually looking for, you will notice a dramatic difference in your search rankings.    

KNOW YOUR STUFF, BUT DON’T BE A KNOW-IT-ALL

Content is a conversation. It’s not a lecture. There’s a fine line between the two. Your job and the job of your business is to be the expert in your field. As such, you’re expected to know a bunch of stuff. But information is like having your in-laws come to visit. A little goes a long way. Keep in mind that what most of your customers want to know is that you know. They don’t need the complete recipe to your secret sauce. They just need to know that you know how to make it. 

BE BRIEF

A good deal of your ongoing conversations with your customers will be via social media. Social media is a drop in sort of place. It’s the virtual water cooler. Your interaction should be short, sweet and to the point. You don’t need to write the entire novel, just a short chapter. When you’re writing short content, be specific. Don’t necessarily talk about all your new products, just one at a time. Or maybe a single feature of a product. 

DON’T WASTE THEIR TIME

Your audience bores easily. Quick bursts of information that grabs their attention and allows them to get on with their lives will leave them wanting more. Respect the short attention span. You can’t win against it. Don’t even try.

BE BRAND CONSISTENT

Above all else, have a plan. Don’t sacrifice your overall brand strategy for a specific venue, but be flexible enough to remain appropriate. That takes a little effort. You may need to experiment a bit. 

There is no single way to generate awesome content. Your conversation is and should be different than your competition. What is consistent across the board is that you are having a conversation. You’re building a relationship. That’s the secret to creating killer content. Your voice should be unique. That’s what sets you apart. So now it’s time to start a conversation.

What Obamacare Can Teach Us About What NOT To Do In A Marketing Campaign

Love it or hate it, agree with it or continue to vote against it, the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is here to stay. At least until their ill-fated marketing blunders sink the program.

I'm about as liberal as it gets. Personally, I favor the Canadian system. I'm familiar with it, so it's not just a talking point. I have my own issues with Obamacare, but this is a marketing blog, not a soapbox.

We can learn some valuable marketing lessons from the ACA rollout. There was a lot that was done wrong. Here are the top three.

1. NEVER, EVER GO LIVE WITH A BROKEN WEBSITE
Your website is the central hub of any marketing strategy you're building. Even a social media campaign needs someplace to point. The Obamacare website was a complex, convoluted structure that fell victim to the oldest trick in the book—requirements that changed multiple times throughout the build, often changing the entire infrastructure. Everyone's familiar with the Healthcare.gov website jokes, the opposition's continued barrage of attacks, the Congressional hearings, the whole bit.

Here's the thing—the more complex the website, the more intense the testing needs to be. Any website needs to undergo something called User Acceptance Testing, or UAT. A website begins with a set of requirements—what the site needs to do. Most sites are fairly straightforward. A homepage, some product or service information, a contact page, etc. For more complicated sites, such as those involving data, (the capturing of customer information, the dispensation of customer information, product data, etc.), requires a much more involved set of requirements, and therefore a much more involved UAT process. We won't delve too deeply into web development here, but suffice it to say that you want to do at least the following when testing any site:

a) Test on multiple browsers. Safari, Chrome, Internet Explorer and Firefox are the most common and should suffice for most UAT. Make sure you test multiple versions of Internet Explorer (IE9, for example, can throw a wrench into the most well executed and seamlessly developed website).
b) Test on multiple operating systems. Test on both Mac and PC.
c) Allow for operator error. Your clients may not be the brightest bulbs in the box. Is the site foolproof? Is it easy to navigate? Can you find information within two clicks?
d) Try to break it. The more complicated the site, the more errors you should find. Do things the site isn't designed to do—how does it handle these requests?
e) Create informative error pages. The last thing a user of your site wants to see is some convoluted error message that may mean something to a developer but just looks like your site is broken otherwise.
f) If there is an error, provide a clear path out of it. For instance, if you have a user signup page that requires a specific format for information to be entered, clearly explain this or provide a contact phone number or email address that can help.
g) For the love of punk rock, ANSWER THE PHONE and answer your email. Promptly. If someone is on your website and wants to sign up, search for a product, etc., they want to do it now. Don't make them come back. Don't make them wait.

Your website is your virtual front door. Whether you're a retailer, Realtor®, or are simply providing a contact portal, this is your first impression. Never, ever go live with a website that doesn't work.

2. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
One of the key provisions in Obamacare is the inclusion of a robust number of 18-34 year olds. There's a reason why everyone wants to market to this demographic. For the healthcare system to work, it needs to spread the risk across a large pool of healthy users.

These people are what I call The Unmarketable. It's not that they can't be influenced—you've got to know what you're doing. If you want their business, you've got to earn it. They have been sold to their entire lives, and they can see you coming a mile away. Here are the ground rules for marketing to the 18-34 demographic:

a) Don't try to be cool. Using popular catchphrases, current references, etc., will only make you look old. They know how to filter your pathetic attempt to sit at the cool table. Don't even try.
b) Don't talk down. One of the most common mistakes made when marketing this group is giving them the impression you think you're smarter than they are. You might be, but they hate that. Be direct. You're not talking to your insolent twenty-something. You're talking to a potential customer. Give them the respect you'd give any customer.
c) Celebrity endorsements can go very wrong. This is the era of five-second fame. Everyone is famous. If you latch on to some anti-celebrity, you have immediately put an expiration date on your campaign. Remember Gangham Style? Exactly.
d) Don't try to go viral. There are specific ingredients that go into a viral video, post, etc., You don't have them. You don't have access to them. Yes, it would incredible to have your commercial go viral and get twenty million views on YouTube. It would also be incredible to win the Powerball. Setting out to "go viral" is a waste of your time and resources.

There is no single way to market to The Unmarketables. There's no single venue, media outlet, or social media service that will hit everybody. The secret with this generation is that they're compartmentalized. The days of everyone watching a single TV network or visiting a single source for news online, or a single social media venue are gone. The "18-34 year old demographic" isn't a single entity. It consists of millions and millions of individuals. You need to know a whole lot more about your target audience than simply that they're between 18 and 34 years old. If you don't know them, they won't care one bit about you.

3. DON'T LET YOUR COMPETITION DEFINE YOUR STRATEGY
There's a reason you're in business. There's a reason your product or service can compete in the marketplace. And if you're in the marketplace, you've got competition. If you don't have competition, you will. One of the biggest mistakes the Obama administration made in selling Obamacare to the American people was letting the opposition (his competition) define the argument. It's your competition's job to point out why their product or service is superior to yours. That's what the free market system is all about. Your marketing strategy will not be successful if it's simply a reaction to your competition's marketing strategy. No one's interested in why Product A sucks. They want to know why Product B is great. Believe it or not, positive messaging is far more effective than negative messaging. The businesses that are #1 in their fields (Coke, McDonald's) don't spend their time focusing on their competition. The businesses that are #2 (Pepsi, Burger King), do spend their time focusing on their competition. That's one of the reasons these businesses are #2. Not sure how to do this? Here are the basics:

a) Have the best product or service. You can't survive in any industry for any length of time if your product breaks or your service is subpar. Wait, you don't think your product or service is part of your marketing campaign? Pumpkin, it's the centerpiece. You will go out of business if you don't focus on your core products and services. Simple as that.
b) Clearly and concisely explain why you are the best. Is it taste? Satisfaction? Quality parts or ingredients? What sets you apart?
c) Why is it necessary? Neither Coke nor McDonald's products are required to sustain life on earth. Why are they necessary, then? This is what they call in sales selling the sizzle, not the steak. What does your product or service provide, make easier, make better, or help satisfy?
d) Take the high road. You don't need to mention your competition in your marketing. It's your marketing, not theirs. Don't give your competition air time. It makes your business look petty. Product comparisons are for those in second place. First place doesn't need to compare.
e) Solve problems quickly and in public. Let's say your business prides itself on providing service within a 20-minute window. For one reason or another, your service tech was unable to arrive. Your customer complains on your Facebook or Twitter feed. The first reaction by most businesses is to remove the post. After all, who wants anything negative on their Facebook wall? Instead, engage the customer and MAKE THINGS RIGHT in the same post, in the shortest possible time. It doesn't matter that your service tech had a car accident. It doesn't matter that the snow hadn't been cleared off the roads. There are always things that are out of your control. The only thing you can control 100% of the time is how you respond. It's not personal. It's business. Give the client a gift card. Refund their service call. Give them a free service call. Whatever you do, do it in front of everyone.
f) Know the difference between slander and libel. In a nutshell, slander is saying "you suck", libel is writing "you suck". There are tons of legal gray areas, but that gives you the idea. Keep in mind that your competition may engage in nefarious tactics from time to time. We wise in your approach. Overreacting to some slight by your competition can make you look like a jerk. Underreacting to something that is potentially damaging can leave your business exposed to serious trouble. Know when something is business and when it's war. Take a look at my post about when to hire a lawyer. It'll help.

Remember that you need your clients more than they need you. The world will get by just fine without your product or service. When you're developing a marketing strategy, keep in mind that every aspect o your business is part of the strategy. You can have the most vibrant website, the most dependable product, but if your customer service staff is perpetually rude, you will go out of business. Your business is a series of links in a chain. That chain is your marketing strategy. A product that works, built from parts that are high grade, with an easy to engage sales interface, a customer service team that goes the extra mile, and truly dependable service is the centerpiece of your business. Your entire business is about marketing. Break a link, break the business. At least you won't be dragged before a Senate subcommittee.

The Rules of Social Media

Contrary to popular myth, even the Internet has rules. Social media is no exception. As a business operating a social media page, you have the ability to either effectively increase your market reach—or do irreparable harm. Here are the basics on the do's and don'ts of operating a business social media page.

1. KNOW YOUR MEDIA TYPE
Facebook is very different from Twitter. Pinterest and Google Plus are also unique. LinkedIn is a totally different animal. It's like talking to people from different parts of the country. There are ways of doing things and presenting information that varies between all social media venues. Twitter has a character limit - the most effective posts on Twitter are brief. Twitter users are used to brevity. They don't want you to be wordy. Facebook is more conversational. Facebook is relationship-based. Google Plus is similar. Pinterest is essentially a photo sharing showcase, so it's much more visual. LinkedIn is the professional social network—largely underutilized by businesses. There are literally thousands of social media venues. Each has its own vernacular. It's important to learn the dialect before you try to fit in.

2. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
This is not only true for social media, but for marketing in general. Unless you know who you're talking to, what they're interested in, and what will turn them off, you can't create effective posts. What is of use to your audience? What will they be interested in seeing from you? They're choosing to follow you for a particular reason. Discover that reason and tailor your posts to them.

3. YOU'RE A GUEST IN THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA FEED
Just like going to a dinner party, you are a guest in your potential audience's house. They've invited you in because they want to hear more from you. Just like going to a dinner party, you need to bring something. The proverbial bottle of wine in this case is information. You need to establish yourself as the recognized expert in whatever you do. How do you do that? It's different for each industry, and for each social media page. Don't be looking to sell, at least not all the time. Unlike traditional advertising, you don't need a constant call to action. Your social media page (if designed properly) will have all the information necessary for a follow up. Provide information your users can use. Get in, get out, and don't annoy your followers. Short, clear, insightful posts will make you sound like you know what you're talking about. Because you're the expert.

4. IT'S A SOCIAL NETWORK
The goal in using any type of social media is to increase your reach virally. This means that your user likes your post enough to share it. Once it appears on your user's social media feed, all of their connections can see what you have to say. If their friends like you, and they share something informative that you posted, you will be much more likely to be followed by your users' friends. This is the goal. Social media is about making connections in new and unique ways. While it is possible to sell products via social media (and many businesses do this), it's not the primary focus. Social media is and should be used largely as brand building. Your goal should be to remain at the top of mind of your users.

5. CHECK YOUR SPELLING, GRAMMAR AND SYNTAX
There is nothing more distracting than a business social media post that contains errors. If necessary, get someone to proofread your posts before making them public. You may not care about spelling—but your users do. This one is a simple fix at which many businesses, usually small businesses, fail.

6. CREATE A POST SCHEDULE
Unless your posts are based on events that are happening in real time (and this is a good use of social media—keeping up with things in real time), you can put together a post schedule in advance. Facebook allows you to schedule your posts in advance using their Activity Log feature. If you can make use of this, and most businesses can, do it. It keeps your social media in motion without having to dedicate resources to posting at a particular time. When creating a post schedule, look at what your users need. Is your business seasonal? Look at a calendar to see key dates when people will be most likely to be thinking about your services.

7. MORE IS NOT ALWAYS MORE
Think about the junk email you receive as a business owner. Deleting messages from the same sender multiple times a day is not only a time waster, but makes you less likely to ever consider using that vendor. The same is true with social media. You don't need to blast your message out ten times a day. A well-written, well-timed post 3 or 4 times per week can do more good for your business than a bunch of desperate messages throughout a day. In social media, it's about quality, not quantity.

8. PLAY NICE WITH THE OTHER KIDS
Never, ever insult a client on your social media feed. Never, ever complain that no one's coming in to your shop today. And if you receive any negative feedback on your social media page (which is one of the reasons why you are engaging in social media activity—you want your users to get involved), never, ever argue with them. You have the ability in a public forum to solve the problem. Recognize that you have an audience watching you. Most customers will remember the problems they had if you don't immediately make it right. It's always worth giving a little to make the customer feel they were heard. And don't take anything personally. This is business, not personal. Leave the attitude at home. And finally, no matter what, don't complain about your customers or your business on your personal social media. Once it's out in the world, you can't get it back.

Effectively managing your business social media can be a full time job. You don't have to have a presence on every single venue. Start with your customer—what do they want you to do?