On a whim, I decided to compare the 2012 Iowa Caucus results to the Klout scores of the individual Republican candidates, with a few “celebrities”  thrown in.

The results didn’t really surprise me, but it was a fun exercise …

Take a look:

Klout is simply a measure of online influence, not real world influence!            Of course, we already knew that.  Still it is fun to compare:

• Mitt Romney topped the list in Klout and also won in Iowa
• Mitt’s “Klout” just edges out that of B-Lister Kathy Griffin, who beat all of the other candidates:)
• Warren Buffet, despite his real world influence, trails both Kathy Griffin and all the other candidates
• Jon Huntsman, despite his “Klout” of 70, came in dead last with 1% of the Iowa caucus vote.

Next time you look at your Klout score, and feel that shallow little lift when it moves up (Yay!) or feel crestfallen when it dips (Wah!) … remember Iowa!

Do you use the Klout Chrome extension to identify influencers and use that in your marketing efforts?  More importantly, do you think brands can use to Klout drive business results in any real way?

Make my day … leave a comment! And, stop by and say hi on my facebook page, where I share marketing tips, opinions, and news. Thanks!

Note:  this is a repost of a blog written for Forbes.com

Toasts are made, friendships rekindled, new relationships sparked.

After too much food and drink, and lots of laughs,  her guests glow with good cheer … and the anticipation of next year’s party.

Goodbyes are accompanied by a sincere, “See you next year”!  And if we aren’t quite ready to leave, there’s always the after party …

Don’t Tell Me Why You Can’t/Won’t/Should … Just Do It!

Oddly enough, lots of the people who love Jeme’s party moan and groan about social networking.  I’ve been nudging one person to use Linked in for years, with no luck.  Another owns a travel agency — but mention adding a Facebook page, and she’s got a million excuses.  Chances are, we will be having the same conversation next year.

Start the New Year with stronger connections to business contacts.  

It’s so easy to deepen business connections at this time of year.  We don’t have to send an elaborate gift or host a big party — staggeringly simple steps like expressing appreciation, and being personable are all it takes to help create a holiday glow around your business!

Here are some social networking tips as we wind down the year:

Twitter:  What a nice surprise to receive a personal tweet from Mark Schaefer, author of “The Tao or Twitter” this morning.  It only takes a minute, but recognizing the personal connections you have on Twitter makes people feel great.  It’s simple to tweet someone by name, and say  ”It was great connecting with you in 2011!”  Try it!

Facebook:  This is the season for fun and engaging status updates!  Whatever your business, don’t forget to provide a peek behind the proverbial kimono and let your personality come across!  Deepening a connection is as simple as posting a great picture of holiday food or a gorgeous sunset, and bringing a smile to someone’s face.

Linked in:  This is the perfect time of year to add new linked in connections, give unsolicited recommendations, or refresh older connections with a personal message.  1) send a personal message to people you want to reconnect with or thank for their business or send a New Year’s greeting to (Note: PERSONAL, not bulk message) and 2) take an online relationships offline, by extending an invitation to meet IRL* (*In Real Life).

The Real Reason Businesses Succeed at Being Social : The Other 11 Months Of the Year

The businesses that stand out in December on social platforms do so because their holiday persona is simply an extension of what they do well the other 11 months of the year.  For instance:

• A realtor who has a great Twitter presence also delivers a trademark box of jellybeans to her clients each year, complete with handwritten note —  a reminder of the great personal service she delivers with every transaction
• A local jewelry store with a great Facebook presence also adopts a charity and hosts a December fundraiser  – clients who shop there know that they are supporting a local business that cares about the broader community
• A  fashion business owner pampers and rewards her employees for their hard work with a spa day … creating wonderful memories and increased loyalty
• A financial services provider from Maine sends gourmet treats (blueberry pancake mix!  Blueberry jam!), another reminder of his excellent “Downeast” service
• A marketing agency sends cleverly designed holiday cards and creative e-blasts — ensuring that when a recipient needs creative firepower in the New Year, their services will be top of mind.

Contrast this to the accounting firm that sends the same boring, impersonal, pre-printed card each year.  What a waste of time, money and most of all … opportunity!

Holiday Guide For Social Business Success 

My holiday guide is pretty simple:  be yourself, give thanks for the gifts of the season, and don’t suck all the air out of the room by talking about yourself.  Small personal touches mean a lot.  No great mystery!

In the last 2 weeks of this year, add social networking to the mix, to start 2012 off right!

Make my day … leave a comment! And, stop by and say hi on my facebook page, where I share marketing tips, opinions, and news. Thanks!

After hearing a wide range of reactions to the new Facebook timeline — mostly good — I’m reminded of the book Who Moved My Cheese?, by Spencer Johnson.  In this classic business fable, mice in a maze have to adapt to change … and some do better than others.

Here’s what the mice learned about change*:

1. Change Happens (They Keep Moving The Cheese)
2. Anticipate Change (Get Ready For The Cheese To Move)
3. Monitor Change (Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old)
4. Adapt To Change Quickly (The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Can Enjoy New Cheese)
5. Change (Move With The Cheese)
6. Enjoy Change! (Savor The Adventure And Enjoy The Taste Of New Cheese!)
7. Be Ready To Change Quickly And Enjoy It Again (They Keep Moving The Cheese.)

*(Recap source: Wikipedia)

Are your whiskers twitching yet?  Are you craving some cheddar?  Seriously, most of us will adapt easily to the new timeline, and grow to love it once we become used to it … only to have Facebook change things again in the unknowable future!  Yup … they’re gonna keep moving our cheese!

********************************************************************************

Since your old personal profile will disappear in a week, here are some Facts and Resources to get you rolling:

1. The new Facebook timeline is for profiles, not pages:

For now, the new Facebook Timeline is ONLY for profiles, and will not affect your business page.   The new timeline presents a great opportunity to express yourself in technicolor — but with the blurring of the lines between business and personal relationships, realize that it will be seen by both friends and business acquaintances … be smart about it!

2. You have a week to finetune the new Facebook timeline before it becomes public:

On December 21st, the new timeline turns on automatically throughout Facebook, and your old profile will be disabled.

Facebook makes it “drag and drop” easy to enable your new timeline … but in case you want a better explanation of some of the features, check out this post from the facebook development team,  this blog post from The Next Web, or this guide from Mashable.  Once you see how easy it is to change over, I bet you’re gonna love the new Facebook timeline!

3. There are many free tools to design your Facebook timeline cover photo:

There are some wonderfully creative cover photos — check out this gallery for inspiration!  For your cover photo, upload any personal photo that you like. Facebook makes cropping easy.

If you want a more graphic look, there are lots of free tools to help you find just the right image.  Try https://apps.facebook.com/timeline_covers/ … or any of these other free Facebook cover photo services with a wide range of cover photo image choices.

4.  As always, Facebook privacy controls allow you to keep updates and pictures private:

The new timeline is like a stroll down memory lane;  as you go back in time, you will come across long forgotten events and conversations.  Publicly display as much or as little information as you like.  You have total control over privacy settings, just delete or hide any old photos or updates that you care to, before making your timeline public.

Here’s a good reminder about privacy settings from Mari Smith :

 ”… You can always easily check the visibility of *any* content by the little icon: a globe means PUBLIC – anyone can see it. The little icon with two people means that content can only be seen by FRIENDS. And a little gear icon means you have set the visibility to custom (such as specific people/friend lists). NOTE: you can go back in time and retroactively change the visibility of any of your posts.”

5. Out with the old, in with the new: go create your new Facebook timeline!

 Go to: https://www.facebook.com/about/timeline.  Review past content, make desired changes, add a new profile cover photo, and voila!

Have you changed over?  What do you think about the new Facebook timeline?

Make my day … leave a comment! And, stop by and say hi on my facebook page, where I share marketing tips, opinions, and news. Thanks!

Likeable Media founder Dave Kerpen has written a book that both teaches and inspires, with instructive success stories from their client list of 200+ brands.

This book is a social media tutorial for the corner office, and a guide for the hands on practitioner.  And, each chapter ends with a summary and useful “action item” checklist.  Nice!

Some Key Themes from “Likeable Social Media”:

• Listen closely to the conversation about your brand or category:        An IBM initiative called “Listening for Leads” demonstrates the power of social listening.  The firm listened for key words and phrases and then tapped into real time conversations to present IBM as a potential solution.  Listening should be 50% of your conversation.
•  Discover the messaging that resonates with your audience, and build a relationship around that:                                                                                 It’s about knowing your customers.  For instance, “The Pampered Chef” developed a virtual gift application that allows fans to share a picture of cake on friend’s walls on their birthdays or other celebratory occasions.  How cool is that?
• Integrate your social media messaging across all your marketing efforts:                                                                                                                        Social media doesn’t exist in a silo … there are so many places to integrate your social marketing.  For instance, Mark Zuckerberg’s dad (yes, that Mark Z.) promoted his dental practice using e-mail appointment reminders that invited new patients to “get to know us better” by checking out bios on a Facebook page. Integrate!
• Use social advertising to “nano-target” your target audience: Hypertargeted advertising is a powerful way to expand your reach on social platforms.  One of the most memorable examples in the book, Dave used Facebook to “nano-target” his wife Carrie with a romantic ad on Facebook.  What a brilliant demonstration of targeted advertising … with over 800 million users, his ad smartly targeted an audience of ONE!
• If you don’t want to be invisible, be likeable:                                               Each client is unique, and there’s no “one size fits all” solution.  If there’s a common denominator for “Likeable” brands, it’s social interaction that’s engaging, relevant, and appropriate for each specific audience.

13 Creative Brand Lessons From “Likeable Social Media”

1. Stride Rite created an engaged community focused on moms and their kids (not just the shoes) –  with over 100,000 brand followers!
2. 1-800-FLOWERS delivers such buzz-worthy, exceptional customer service, they turn potentially vocal dissatisfied customers into brand evangelists.
3. Omaha Steaks engages a demographic we don’t usually identify with Facebook —   males aged 40 – 65 –  with their “Table Talk” feature
4. NYC Quits designed a Facebook page to distribute nicotine patches, and it grew legs as a virtual online support group
5. Mayor Cory Booker governs more effectively with the help of Twitter … and by developing relationships online, he landed a 100 million gift for his city
6. Raymoor and Flanigan creates brand relevance by sharing decorating advice and inspiration via photos and video
7. Mrs. Pinkelmeyer, a niche toy brand on a budget, launched using only earned media
8. Epic Change, a young non-profit, created a viral “TweetsGiving” promotion
9. Fiskars scissors created a hyperengaged community of crafters (“Fiskateers”)
10. Cumberland Farms created a low cost, high impact “free Chill Zone For a Year” promotion by understanding their teenage target audience really, really well
11. Executive Express Chiropractic , a professional practice, provides extensive social media support using social media, including a scheduling and office check-in app.
12. Neutrogena reaches hard to engage teens via their peers, to talk about acne and build credibility for the brand
13. Franklin Sports used a group offer to drive 10K fan signups for the cost of a single pair of tickets.

FREE Book Contest: Win This Book 

This book belongs on your kindle (or under your tree, or on your nightstand) … and now you can win a copy!  Here’s what to do:

1. Add your two cents about what it takes to create a  “likeable” brand on my Facebook page
2. Share this post with others on Twitter
3. Add a comment to this blog post.

I’ll randomly pick one winning commenter/sharer by midnight on Sunday, December 18^th, and ship either an actual copy, or deliver to your Kindle, the following day.

Happy social marketing, happy holidays, and happy reading!                                         

Make my day … leave a comment!  And, stop by and say hi on my facebook page, where I share marketing tips, opinions, and news.  Thanks!

According to recent studies by Comscore and Pew, only 6% of mobile phone users scan QR codes, even though 87% use their phone to access the Internet.  QR code users are more likely to be male, young to middle-age and upper income.

With such low adoption rates, what’s the fuss about QR codes, and why write about them?

Recently, I came across a remarkable video of QR code use with amazing business results:

Use of QR codes by Tesco/Korea

What can we learn from this?  This video reminds us that technology is simply an enabler; when marketers combine technology with consumer insight, it’s a win!

Guidelines for Using QR Codes

Instead of slapping a QR code on every consumer touchpoint, find situations where this technology can add real value.  Here are some examples:

1.  Support your brand:  I like this Patagonia ad for many reasons, but I especially like how it uses a QR code (bottom right) to support a call to action (take the Common Threads initiative pledge) that ties into the brand’s promise.  Nice!

2.  Provide a Rewarding Experience:  Asking someone to scan your QR code is asking them to do extra work.  Put yourself in the shoes of the user.  What’s the “payoff”?  Is it worth pulling out your phone?

Consider using a QR code to link to the following:

• valuable content (free downloads, videos, etc.)
• a special offer, coupon or gift
• a contest, instant win promotion, etc.
• to demonstrate a product or service (like a real estate tour!)
• exclusive VIP access or offer
• customer reviews at point of purchase, post sale product support, etc.
• Note:  Socialqrcode.com and Likify.net provides a QR code that you can scan to create facebook likes — a useful application in certain situations.  

QR codes are everywhere, but shouldn’t be.  If you ask consumers to use a QR code, make it worth their while.

Three QR Code Don’ts  

• Don’t link to a page that creates a poor user experience.  At the risk of stating the obvious, make sure that the URL you link to is optimized for mobile, since that’s how your user will be viewing it.
• Don’t be boring .  Engage and delight your user, or why bother?
• Don’t screw up the execution.  Test, to ensure codes are scannable in the environment where they are likely be used (no subways!)

Use QR Codes Correctly … Or a Kitten Dies!

Scott Stratten of Unmarketing explains the dangers of thoughtless QR code marketing.  He explains the problem (and the solution) better than I ever could:

The problem with QR codes

PS - This must be “Save a Kitten Month”.  The photo accompanying this post is from a recent Mike Volpe Hubspot webinar ;  according to Mike, we’d better get marketing automation right, also … or more kittens will die!

Bottom Line:  QR technology still has pretty narrow appeal — but if you create a worthwhile experience, provide an incentive, or make life easier for the end user, it can be a marketing win.

Share any examples of QR codes you love  … or, personal experiences with QR codes that were disappointing!

Make my day … leave a comment!  And, stop by and say hi on my facebook page, where I share marketing tips, opinions, and news.  Thanks!

She was extolling the personal and business benefits of spending some wonderfully unscheduled time — in her case, on a beach in Miami — to come back recharged and refreshed.

Well, I don’t have any short term vacation plans, just an endless series of deadlines!  What could I learn from her experience?   With the frenetic pace of everyday life, it’s hard to make the time to unplug.  Here’s a suggestion:

My friends, after you enjoy your family, turkey, stuffing and pie … after you appreciate and feel grateful for life’s gifts, and enjoy all that makes this holiday so special … DON’T rush back to the computer to blog/tweet/post about it.

Perhaps these thoughts touch on the improbable … but what if we all took a little extra time to stay unplugged, just the way folks did in a pre-online world?

So what if our Klout score dips!  Our followers and fans and blog readers will forgive us if we don’t stay on calendar or on message just this once.  Take time  … to think and plan, to reflect, to gain inspiration from the least likely places.

Do it, do it, do it, now.  Unplug.

The biggest reward?  We’ll all be back Monday with renewed enthusiasm.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

A business owner I know proudly unveiled his new website today.

He owns a great business, and is considered an expert in his field.

But when I clicked through to his new website, here’s what I found:

•  It’s not optimized for search engines (metadata issue)
•  There’s no keyword rich blog to build website traffic or build authority (SEO issue)
•  It’s missing an offer designed to build an email list ( lead conversion issue)
•  It’s not mobile friendly (user interface issue)
•  There’s no way to track results (no analytics, no data, no insights)

He hired a “website expert”, and most likely, thinks they did a good job.  Did they?

What’s a Leaky Roof Got To Do With Marketing Your Business?

Forget about buying a website for a minute.  Suppose your roof leaks, and you need someone to fix it.  You ask around, search online, and talk to several “roofing experts”

You get several estimates ranging from $1,500 to $15,000.  You have to choose an ”expert”.  The problem is, you don’t know anything about roofs!  All you know is that you have a leak!

I’m guessing you know as much about websites as you know about roofs.

What You Really Need:  Better Marketing, More Customers, and Sales

Today, marketing is a continuum.  How do people find your business online?  What do they do once there?  After they leave, can you continue to build a relationship leading to sales down the road?  How to get word of mouth?

Before hiring a website designer, be clear about the real problem you are trying to solve, and make sure the solution they propose can really solve it!

“An Educated Consumer is My Best Customer!”

Remember Sy Syms?   Though it sounds cheesy, I agree with his slogan.  To ensure the right business result,  we need to ask better questions:

1.  Ask around for referrals:  When it comes to online marketing, results are more important than the price tag. What’s the lifetime value of a new customer? Hopefully you’ve learned by now not to cut corners to save a few bucks.

2.  Meet to discuss your project.  Does the “expert” ask the right questions  about YOUR customers and business goals?  This website will represent your business.  Do they “get” it?

3.  Review their proposal.   Static brochure websites are a thing of the past.
How does the designer plan to accommodate SEO (search engine optimization)? What kind of CMS (content management system)? What about analytics?

Have they connected the dots through the marketing funnel, from website traffic to sales? What are their ideas for branding and messaging?  To facilitate lead capture and nurturing?  Social media integration?

4.  Assess their online marketing skills. Do they blog, write articles, or speak on digital marketing topics?  Do they have inbound marketing certification or other certifications to demonstrate their mastery? What do they do to stay current as technology and tools change?

5.  Check out their website.  Look beyond pretty designs.  How’s the branding and messaging?  Using Hubspot’s free website grader:  do they use SEO best practice, content marketing, e-marketing, a blog, and social media for their own business? If their website grade is low, ask why.

6.  Are they social marketing savvy? Have they integrated social media across their entire business?  Is there good engagement on the pages they administer?

Maybe You Need More Than a Website 

If your goal is to grow your business, you need a marketing system.  The other day, I read a great blog post by John Jantsch, where he talks about the benefits of a systematic approach for marketing success.  And anyone who knows me, knows my obsession with inbound marketing.

The point is, what do you really need?  If more customers, will a new website really accomplish that?  What will truly help you build your business?

Now, if I could just find someone to advise me about how to fix my leaky roof!

Make my day … leave a comment!  And, stop by and say hi on my facebook page, where I share marketing tips, opinions, and news.  Thanks!

In my early years, my dad handicapped racehorses.  Some girls grew up reading National Velvet; I grew up reading the morning line!

Fast forward to 2011 … Like bettors at a horse race, angel investors know that hidden in the new business pitches they hear, is a smart internet entrepreneur whose idea will pay out 100 to 1 (maybe 1000 to 1!) and become the next Facebook or Zynga; many others will fade before the finish line.

Which new media startups get the money?  At this track, there’s no odds board. It’s a crowded field, two minutes to post time, and the betting window is open.  Do VC’s bet on:

• The market-tested internet entrepreneur with a winning track record?
• The young techie, with a distinguished lineage?
• A complete unknown, who on a hunch looks “ready”?
• All three, to hedge their bets for the best chance to win the Digital Trifecta!

This flow of capital is facilitated by Plugged in Ventures, a firm that routinely brings together internet innovators, C-level executives and investors for in depth conversations and strategy sessions on digital and new media.  Part networking, part think tank, industry participants meet monthly on a range of topics spanning mobile, social media, digital content, and commerce.

( To learn more about monthly Plugged In Ventures forums, roundtables, and summits … Follow Eli Mandelbaum @pluggedinventrs or check out the website)

At the Plugged In Ventures Social Media Summit earlier this week, an impressive group of entrepreneurs and thought leaders debated two basic questions:

1. What future online experiences will consumers and businesses want, AND
2. Which future online experiences will consumers and businesses also be willing to pay for?

To succeed in this high stakes world you have to get both sides of the equation right. We can debate all we want … but in the end, the consumer picks the winners, voting with their CLICKS as well as their pocketbooks.

The roundtable discussions provided an interesting peek into where things are headed.  No one has a crystal ball … things will change in six months, and again six months after that.

Here are some notable insights:

1. Better Analytics:  remember the famous John Wannamaker quote about not knowing which 5o% of your marketing investment is working?  Now clickstream data makes the other 50% measurable.
2.  Search Meets Social: With the union of Facebook/Bing and Google/Google+ brands increasingly need social to get found
3. To win … don’t spin!  Brands need to create great content that sparks conversation and generates “shares”.  Great creative and strong execution is a huge lever – likewise, poor creative can make good ideas fall flat.
4. Budget Catch 22?  Successful social campaigns aren’t scalable, yet social budgets can’t grow without standardized purchase metrics and predictable results
5. “Put a little facebook in everything you do”. (quote from Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook) Brands need to seamlessly integrate social with all of their traditional marketing.  Applies not just to Facebook, but all social.
6. Niche, “hypervertical” communities:  growth of sites that provide individuals a place to engage their passions and give brands greater context for their content (i.e. sports, fashion, food, SMB’s, etc.).  An alternative to the current landscape of huge communities with lots of noise.
7. Untapped local brand building opportunities: Local businesses can use social for brand building and to drive conversion.  Side note: beware of destructive capacity of daily deals!

Check out the participants below.  An amazing range of entrepreneurs are finding new ways to activate consumer engagement, enable businesses to save money, and market smarter.  Which start-up captures your imagination as the next big thing in social marketing?

Panel Participants:  Social Innovation Firms

1. Adaptly:  schedules advertising across multiple networks at once. @nsethi www.adaptly.com
2. Bluefinlabs:  social TV analytics @eviltomthai  www.bluefinlabs.com
3. Consmr.com:  consumers share ratings (food and HBA categories) @ryenyc www.consmr.com
4. Crowdtap:  helps brands leverage influential communities www.crowdtap.com @brandone
5. Engage121:  social management technology (social CRM) for franchisors, dealerships and direct sellers  www.engage121.com @jackserpa
6. GetGlue:  check-in based social network for entertainment @kimbermyers www.getglue.com
7. Headliner.fm: helps bands reach more fans on Facebook, Twitter and Myspace by trading recommendations with other bands. @mikemore www.headlinerfm.com (personally know a lot of musicians who would love this one!)
8. Jun Group: distribution of advertising in social video across social networks. analytics and distribution technology @jungroup www.jungroup.com
9.   Kohort:  managagement tools for online communities  @markpeterdavis www.kohort.com
10.  Local Response:  cross-platform check-in based ad network for hyperlocal business @nihalmehta www.localresponse.com
11. Locast:   mobile app for proximity internet  www.lokast.com @bb_iojbegun
12. Postling:  social media management tool for small and medium business @nlifson www.postling.com
13. Singleplatform:  digital management software helping restaurants online   www.Singleplatform.com
14. Sitesimon:  filters content for individuals tailored to your interests:  @dkaragas www.sitesimon.com
15.  Snooth Media:  epicurean lifestyle properties combining editorial with social elements www.snoothmedia.com  @rtomko
16. Social Feet:  social referral probgram for online retailers.  @weiks www.socialfeet.com
17. Spruce Media:  Facebook ad management – reporting, analytics and yield management solution for advertisers and agencies @cphenner www.sprucemedia.com
18. Stylecaster:  womens lifestyle content based community focused on style discovery www.stylecaster.com @arisgoldberg
19. Trendrr:  management tools for real-time user experiences.  Filters the conversation for engagement www.trendrr.com  @wiredset
20. Zferral:  referral platform for businesses … crowdsourcing sales and marketing  www.zferral.com @jeff_epstein

Panel Participants: Venture Capital and Technology Services:

1. BHV Venture Capital Fund www.bhvvc.com
2. ff Venture Capital:  www.ffventure.com @dteten @john_frankel
3. High Line Venture Partners:  www.highlinevp.com @sblaustein
4. SNR Denton: international law firm with a Venture Technology practice, who hosted this event www.snrdenton.com

Panel Participants: Social Media Marketing Firms

1. Appsavvy:  leverages the relationship between brands and social activity-based advertising  www.appsavvy.com @chrisappssavvy
2. CarrotCreative:  new-media marketing agency @willhutson www.carrotcreative.com
3. Digitas:  Top global integrated brand agency @nmallin www.digitas.com
4. Likeable Media:  word of mouth marketing, helping brands leverage social media www.likeable.com  @davekerpen
5. Razorfish:  Digital agency for brands www.razorfish.com @matt_heindl
   
6. Socialbomb:  social technology firm building apps for a range of social platforms  @adamjsimon  www.socialbomb.com
7. WCG:  integrated communications agency for Healthcare, CPG and tech.  www.wcgworld.com @mattsnod @webmetricsguru
8. Zemoga:  digital innovation agency  www.zemoga.com @msmatchgirl

Make my day … leave a comment!  And, stop by and say hi on my facebook page, where I share marketing tips, opinions, and news.  Thanks!   – Rhonda

Colleges and universities do a lot of marketing directed at high school seniors and their families, trying to influence this big ticket decision.  It seems to me that a lot of their marketing effort is wasted.

What can we learn from their mistakes?

1.  Do You Stand Out?

99% of colleges use the same tactics:  a paper tsunami of letters, postcards, and brochures, all featuring happy students on leafy campuses.  Their brochures look and sound the same!

2.  Know Your Target Audience

Here’s the problem:  17 year old’s don’t consume information from snail mail — and they are mainly influenced by their peers.

Are your communication methods effective for reaching your target?

3.  Is your list up-to date?

Many engineering schools sent a special pitch to my home.  Problem:  the 15 yr. old would-be engineer is now a 17 yr. old aspiring jazz musician.

Are you working off an old list … or worse yet, not building a current one? Is your message still relevant?

4.   Create An Army of Evangelists!

Here’s what  a 17 year old pays attention to:

• whether the representative who visits his or her school is nice …
• what friends say about the school their sibling attends …
• the impressions gathered during a campus visit.

Also, you’d think a campus welcome center would be welcoming?  Not always, it turns out.

Takeaway for business: first impressions are important … and finding unique ways to create a personal connection will pay off.  It also can’t hurt to have an objective person experience all of your customer touchpoints undercover, and report back.

Your website matters

You’d be surprised how many colleges are using dated websites to market to digital natives.

Takeaway for business:  pay attention to what your website says about you:  does your stale website with lousy navigation, and dated graphics send the right message?

Updating your website and then keeping it up to date (with a blog) is just the cost of doing business.  If you haven’t updated in 2 or 3 years, it’s time to take another look.

Influencers Count … Use Them!

The college search process typically starts with a conversation with guidance counselors.  Imagine my surprise when I heard some pretty negative comments from this group about specific schools on our list.

Takeaway for business:  Creating evangelists among your influencers is key.

Put Yourself in Your Prospect’s Shoes

Here are some other suggestions:

1. Know your target!  Write a persona:  determine what message resonates, where and how your target gathers information.
2. Your prospects want to connect in real ways:  in this day and age of social media, is that so hard?
3. 3^rd party endorsements matter:  who are your decision influencers?  Investing in influencer relationships can pay big dividends.
4. Put yourself in your prospects shoes, to really understand how to reach and to move them.  Oddly enough, no one used music to reach out to my aspiring musician.

If you have a college-bound student, have you noticed any college marketing tactics that stand out as particularly effective?

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Are you scaring customers away with your words?

You know that moment … you start explaining what you do, eyes start to glaze over and customers run away screaming.

OK, I exaggerate … no one has ever run out of the room screaming … yet:)

How Well Are We  Communicating?
The problem is that the more we know, the worse we become at communicating that knowledge — we get caught up in jargon.  Chip and Dan Heath call this  “The Curse of Knowledge” .  The irony is, no one is immune — even folks who communicate for a living!  Why?  We are too close to what we know.  This is a common problem that many of us experience.

I was reminded of this recently while reading Ellie Becker’s blog.  Her post happens to be about how to explain Hubspot’s online marketing solution to potential customers.  I’ve had this same problem when I talk to clients about Inbound Marketing — it is so obvious to me, yet so hard to explain.

Examples:  Who’s Doing It Right?

When we talk about our business, do our words really resonate? We need to perfect a sound-bite about our product or service that reflects the customer’s language, and take care not to get caught up in marketing-speak.  Explain how you solve the customer’s problem … in THEIR words.

John Jantch has done this quite well over at Duct Tape Marketing …  his business name (and content) really resonates with his small business audience.  Have you coined a customer-friendly phrase or tagline that communicates instantly what you do?  Not so easy, is it?

I was at a networking meeting recently, and an image consultant named Scarlett De Bease introduced herself by saying she “helps women look thinner and taller”.  Magical words … everyone perked right up!!!

“Inbound Marketing”:  A Communications Challenge?

So … back to the problem at hand:  a customer-friendly way of explaining  “Inbound Marketing”.   If this particular topic bores you, read no further … but smart marketing minds are struggling with how to explain this over at Ellie’s blog.  Can you help?

Does language like “keyword driven content”, “SEO”, “lead nurturing” etc. resonate outside the inner circle?  Or do these terms just confuse — or worse yet, scare — the average business owner?

Here’s my best shot at being “jargon-free” :

“What’s Inbound Marketing?” Soundbite:  Inbound marketing connects all the online dots, helping your best prospects find you, and then building a relationship until they become customers.

How?  Instead of using “push” or “outbound” marketing tactics,  you create an online path for the prospective customer, using tools such as SEO, social marketing, helpful content, blogging, e-marketing, and conversion optimization.

What About Hubspot?  Hubspot’s powerful all-in-one” software helps you integrate all the pieces and provides helpful analytics to measure and improve results.

Proof?  — Hubspot’s technology is backed by over 5000 actual business case studies and the latest best practice research.

Now … how can we say that clearer, shorter, better, or be more interesting? PS – Bragging rights to anyone who comes up with a short phrase that says it even better than “Inbound Marketing”!

Make my day … leave a comment!  And, stop by and say hi on Facebook my facebook page, where I share marketing tips, opinions, and news.  Thanks!