Susan Getgood

Today’s Roundup of Interesting Posts

February 4, 2005 by Susan Getgood

It is almost the weekend, so here’s my final round-up of articles that caught my eye this week.

Excellent advice from Dave Taylor at intuitive systems: Why successful startups never outsource their business plan

FusionBrand: Branding’s Black Hole This is a favorite topic of mind: measuring marketing and sales results. My previous comments here and definitely expect more in the coming weeks. The issue of lead tracking and ROI has circled back into my radarscope this week for many reasons.

public(MIND) — overall, an interesting blog by Hans Henrik H. Heming with a definite inclination toward issues surrounding creativity (and that’s not really the right word) but just check out his blog for a different perspective. Full disclosure: I’m also partial to Hans because he was one of the first readers to subscribe to my blog on Bloglines. Thanks Hans!!

Great post by Dan Gillmor: Where Newspapers can Start the Conversation. Gives specific examples of how newspapers can do what I talk about in my earlier post today: reach out and engage with their readers (customers).

Think of all the things we could discuss: Engaging with Customers

February 4, 2005 by Susan Getgood

If we could talk to the animals, learn their languages
Think of all the things we could discuss
If we could walk with the animals, talk with the animals,
Grunt and squeak and squawk with the animals,
And they could squeak and squawk and speak and talk to us.
— Dr. Doolittle, If I Could Talk to the Animals

In a post today at Creating Passionate Users called Users aren’t dangerous, author Kathy Sierra opens with the statement that many firms treat their customers like they have some sort of contagious disease. They do their level best to avoid coming into any contact with them. She’s absolutely right.

I have recently begun to wonder if the reason for this is that on some level many companies are afraid of their customers and what they might say. The image that comes to mind is that customers are like the animals in the zoo — we like to visit them, show that we are interested in them, give lip service to understanding what they need, throw them a few peanuts, and then go home. To actually engage with them — no way, too scary. What if they bite us?

Hence, my citation of Dr. Doolittle, who, if any of you remember the original 1960s film, was pretty much ostracized from polite society for talking to the animals. For trying to understand what they wanted. For seeing another point of view.

It’s time we all started thinking a bit more like Dr. Doolittle and a bit less like the bad guys in the film (and I can’t even remember who they were, but I can still see Rex Harrison singing to a pink conch shell, do not ask me what that means about my psychosocial development). I digress.

The point is: Let’s start talking with our customers, not just talking AT them. Let’s make it easier for our customers to talk with each other.

I think of this as shifting from a model of absolute control to one of controlled, or managed, engagement. IOW I am not proposing that companies open up everything, just what is necessary to allow participation of customers at an appropriate level.

So why DON’T we do this already?

Many companies will swear up and down that their product development teams talk to customers all the time. Conversations, surveys, etc. etc. The reality? Many, if not most, of the communications are designed not to find out what the customers really think, but to validate a decision already made. Some of those decisions are of course right, but sometimes true customer input would dictate a different approach. By then, of course, it is too late. So one reason we are afraid of our customers is they might not agree with us. Ouch. Not a good sign for future health of a business.

Our other fear? We are afraid to let customers speak freely outside of the strictly controlled confines of public relations and prepared case studies. What if they don’t like something, or say something negative, or even just wishy-washy. Well, the bad news is, your customer will find an outlet for his criticism, so isn’t it better that you are the outlet? So you can DO something about it? And funnily enough, it has been my experience that when you invite a customer to the party, even if she is disgruntled about something, the simple act of soliciting the feedback goes part way to improving the situation. Soothing the savage beast, to go back to my animal analogy.

So, how do we get over this fear? As Dr. Doolittle says, I think we just have to talk to the animals. And not just our sales and marketing teams. Product managers, developers, quality assurance, executive management, operations, support, even finance. And we have to take the conversations out of the predictable patterns, to really understand the customer’s business problem or social desire, or whatever it is that prompted them to engage with us in the first place.

This is one of the reasons I am so excited about the potential of blogs for customer engagement. In my opinion, the blog format is more suited to scaleable and active company-customer engagement than any other tool we currently have at our disposal. Nothing can beat a face-to-face conversation or telephone conversation or meaningful one-to-one e-mail exchange. But these are not scaleable, nor do they reach out to many at once. Websites are both scaleable and have reach, but they are static, so it just ain’t a conversation. Blogs combine some of the best attributes of conversations and Websites, and that’s what makes them so suited to "talking to the animals."

The Hard Life of an Action Figure in Iraq

February 2, 2005 by Susan Getgood

Thanks, Jeff Nolan for this summary post of the coverage of the most recent Iraq Atrocity, the sad kidnapping of action figure Cody. I needed a little lift, and your post was just the ticket.

EXACTLY!!! Chris Locke’s post: bloggers as migrant knowledge workers

February 2, 2005 by Susan Getgood

Chris Locke has it EXACTLY RIGHT in his post over at Chief Blogging Officer: bloggers as migrant knowledge workers You have to read the whole post, written in Locke’s unique (and fun) style, but here’s the bit that got my attention:

Instead, here’s an idea! What if companies first: paid attention to who’s writing about what, and what for, and how well; and second, picked someone who seemed to be talking to people who overlapped with some part of that company’s market?

Take an example. We can all laugh at cat sites. Ha, ha-ha. We are so above that. But look, some people really are that into cats. And at least one of these cat fanatics must write cogently enough to draw an audience of less articulate but no less enthusiastic cat fanciers. Right? Are you tracking? I know this is pretty complex stuff.

So wouldn’t it make sense for Purina Cat Chow or IAMS or one of those to underwrite such a skilled cat-o-blogger? Yes, it would. And would this person then turn into a shill for Purina or IAMS? Not if the corporate braincase had retained sufficient neural capacity to understand that such a move would alienate the very audience it wanted to impress with how blog-savvy it had become.

So what would our cat blogger change after becoming the beneficiary of such underwriting? Here’s what: NOTHING. No, she would continue just as before to chronicle the ineffable cuteness of kitties and the insufferable yet endearing aloofness of cats. And there in the upper left corner, say, of this fabulously catty blog’s pages it would say something like "Underwritten by Purina — Your Pet, Our Passion™" or somesuch.

EXACTLY!! And I’ll take it a step further. I think that under the right circumstances, a company can create an authentic blog at the intersection of its and its customers’ interests by developing the blog with its customers, and calling on its committed and articulate customers to be the blog’s writers.

What are the right circumstances? The company has to be willing to work with its happy customers to develop the blog’s "Editorial Mission" as it were and then let ‘er rip. That doesn’t mean that the company can’t also participate as a writer or respond to comments. But it DOES mean that the writers can write whatever they want on the topic, no editing by the company, no backdoor lobbying to get a writer to change his mind if something is slightly negative about the company or a product. Everything in the light of day. Takes a strong stomach to commit to this, but the companies who do this right are going to kick ass.

It’s not EITHER direct marketing OR blogs. It’s AND! — Developing marketing strategy with AND

February 1, 2005 by Susan Getgood

First item of business: As always, I have links to other articles that discuss the topic at hand at the end of the post.

Now to the promised discussion: "AND" Marketing Strategy.

As I said in my earlier post today, there is, and will continue to be, a lot of debate about the role of blogs and bloggers … in the media, in marketing strategy, inside corporations, in crisis communications etc. etc. etc. And there are a lot of great thinkers and writers in the discussions (check the links below and the ones in my earlier post today for some recent posts).

But thinking practically for a minute, what should a marketer DO? How do you build a marketing strategy that appropriately includes the newest tools and techniques. Not simply because they are the latest, greatest thing, but because they are the best choice for the situation at hand. Here’s my advice.

First, if you haven’t already, read The Cluetrain Manifesto. Not because it has all the answers, because it doesn’t. Not because everything in it is "right," because you probably won’t, and shouldn’t, agree with everything the authors say. Read Cluetrain because it asks the RIGHT QUESTIONS. It is then up to us to find our right answers. Besides, bottom line, you have to read Cluetrain because many, if not most, of your marketing peers have or will, so you need the common language. And it is a fun easy read. Just think about it: a book with a co-author who has an alter-ego named Rage-Boy is just not going to be boring!

Next, read some blogs. This is easy because if you are reading this, you are already doing it. Start with topics that interest you, professionally and personally. Then start monitoring blogs that mention your company or products, or at least cover your industry even if your firm is below the radar. But don’t do anything yet (unless of course someone starts a blog that rants about your company or products, and then you’ll need crisis communications. In which case my post here will direct you to some resources!)

Do NOT start a blog just because you think you have to, because everyone else is, because it is the hot new thing. Instead, sit down with your marketing plan. Review your objectives, and the current results against those objectives. Take the hard look at all the marketing tools you are using, against the expected and achieved results. Look at upcoming needs and be objective about the strategy you have outlined to meet them. Perhaps you have a product launch and you always do product launches in a certain way. Is it the most effective way, given the new tools at your disposal? Could a blog be more effective? Think about your product or service. Is direct response the only way to generate leads, or could building an expert reputation with your target audience effectively supplement your marketing strategy?

Your strategy and tactics arsenal probably includes the following:

Direct mail (snail, e-mail)
Advertising (print/online; brand/direct response)
Tradeshows, seminars and Webcasts
Public Relations (product and corp comm; speakers program)
Website
Collateral (printed, electronic) – brochures, white papers etc.

Does a blog really fit in this list for your business?

Before you answer the question, I suggest you organize your tactics along three main categories depending on their PRIMARY role in the marketing strategy. (And yes, there is overlap, but I am going to mostly ignore that for the moment.) This may give you an immediately clear picture of where a blog fits. Or confirm that it just doesn’t, at least not now.

Here are the categories, and how I classify things (NB: YMMV)

Lead Generation: direct mail, direct reponse advertising (print or online), tradeshows, seminars and Webcasts

Awareness/Reputation: brand advertising (print or online), public relations, some Webcasts/tradeshows

Sales Facilitation: Website, collateral. Some people may disagree with me on this one, and call these two items Awareness, but I truly believe the primary role of a Website is not to reproduce a brochure or act as a billboard for news releases. I think Websites, and to a lesser extent, all collateral, should be about providing the prospect with additional information that moves her further along the sales cycle.

Intuitively, most marketers will sense that blogs can play a strong role in awareness and reputation, but struggle with the ROI. So what’s the answer?

I don’t know, only you do.

The answer will be different for every business, and there will always be an exception that blows the generalized rules away.

However: here’s a set of guidelines that I think will be mostly true. But PLEASE don’t just take my word for it — do the analysis of your plan and test it against these guidelines.

A blog shouldn’t replace your direct response marketing. If you only have budget for direct mail, and it is working, and getting you the leads and sales you need, don’t mess with success.
A blog strategy is absolutely necessary for your PR and product marketing teams. At a minimum they should be reading, and where appropriate, responding to, blogs that mention your company and products. And not just the negative. A public thank-you to someone who says something nice about your product goes a long way.
A blog, perhaps written by a product manager or support rep, is a far better resource site for your Website than a static listing of Weblinks. It will give your Website some life, which most, alas, are sadly lacking, and help move prospects along the sales continuum as well as help build your experts’ reputations.
If you are in an industry that has a strong community, a blog may work as a lead generation vehicle. Likewise, if you are a local business that engages with your community through a blog, I absolutely believe it drives business. For most B2B marketers, however, see item one: blogs don’t replace direct mail. Ditto, for B2C marketers — they don’t replace advertising. Think about it: GM now has a C-level blog, but they aren’t pulling their TV ads, are they?
If you can do it right, a corporate blog is a terrific reputation and awareness tool. If you can’t, don’t do it. Here’s an early post I wrote on the topic. You can find discussions about corporate blogging almost daily, including at the sites I link below and in my blogroll.

If you decide to include a blog in your marketing strategy, take your time and do it right. Talk to customers, find out what they’d like to read. Talk to employees, you may find a candidate to be your blog writer that you’d never thought of, but who is passionate about the company. See item two — read other blogs in your field, try to find a space that is un/underserved by what is already out there (but don’t worry too much about this). Read the many blogs that are very specifically blogs to help people/companies get blogging. Here are a few:

Finally, remember to have some fun!

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