Marketing « 800 CEO Read

August 14, 2009

Working for Yourself

Filed under: Careers,Internet,Marketing,Personal Development — Jon @ 8:56 am

Whether you freelance, work your hobby at night, are an artist, or found yourself out of a job and are thinking hard about taking your career in your own direction, your excitement might be outweighed by trepidation. As the economy continues to rumble, many people have found themselves struggling in one of the above scenarios, and are looking for answers.

For those who have tried working for themselves as designers, writers, consultants, and other independents, it can be difficult to manage both the work itself, and the work to make the work happen. It really is a lot to take on.

For artists, many of them have spent years (and money) on learning their trade, only to be released into the world armed with incredible talent, but not a lot of business sense to put that talent to work.

However, there are success stories and case studies for both scenarios that can give everyone insight into how to get a grip on their own situation. A great source for those are the new digital bundles of Unconventional Guides we’re offering from Chris Guillebeau. Click here to read more about them. Chris has been self-employed since he started working, so he’s figured many things out throughout his career, and this is a great chance to learn from his experience. Working for yourself can be incredibly challenging, yet highly rewarding – financially and otherwise, if you approach it with the insight you’ll gain from this information.

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August 13, 2009

Social Media University Reading List

Filed under: Information Technology,Jack Covert Selects,Marketing — Todd Sattersten @ 10:48 am

I had the opportunity to speak at Social Media University – Milwaukee a few weeks ago. Some of the follow-up email has been asking for the recommended reading list I gave out during my Blogging For Success session. Here the list and some reasons these are worth your time:

Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky – This is the big idea book; it’s the one that examines social media from a sociological viewpoint with outstanding examples the reduced friction the Internet provides. Here is what we said in our Jack Covert Selects – “Technology allows more loosely formed groups to accomplish more complicated tasks to greater effect, whether sharing tips for hacking new features on iPhones or staging boycotts after complaints go unaddressed. The rules are changing and, as Shirky says, ‘What the group does with that power is a separate question.’”

Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff – There is no question that this is the book to read if you are in a corporate environment. The book was written by two analysts from Forester Research that provides a framework that executives recognize and language that fits the Fortune 500. Download an excerpt of the book to get a feel for the book. There is also a new condensed version of the book called Marketing in the Groundswell which contains a new introduction and three chapters from the original book.

Meatball Sundae by Seth Godin – Seth’s premise is pretty simple: most of the products and services are not designed to be used with the new tools and techniques that are available to marketers. The call for corporate blogs and the creation of viral videos leads to meatball sundaes. Seth wrote a great ChangeThis manifesto based on this idea called Marketing Mismatch: When New Won’t Work With Old (Riffs on Meatball Sundae). I also did a podcast with Seth when the book came out.

Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith – I am recommending this a bit on faith because the book comes out later this month. Chris is certainly one of the leading voices on social media and if you need proof go read this.

Say Everything by Scott Rosenberg – I recommended this specifically for my blogging session. Rosenberg is a journalist and writes about the evolution of blogging. He talks about the players who have shaped the medium (Heather Armstrong, Robert Scoble, Evan Williams, and Dave Winer to name just a few). It is a good book to catch up on what has been happening over the last decade. There are also excerpts from the book available on the book’s website.

The Twitter Book by Tim O’Reilly and Sarah Milstein is a simple book that teaches what you need to know about Twitter and also takes the next step providing tips for using the service to its full extent.

Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel extolls the power of connecting with your customers online. It’s not written for alpha geeks and instead describes uses language business people will understand.

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August 6, 2009

The New Rules of Marketing & P.R. – Book Review

Filed under: Advertising,Book Reviews,Marketing,Public Relations,Sales — Tags: Advertising, Book Reviews, Marketing, Public Relations, Roy, Sales, Technology — Roy @ 9:42 am

I found this review on www.blogcritics.org – it seems like a very intriguing read… especially for those of you in the P.R. world. It’s almost been a year since its publication into paperback and it would be neat to do a ‘reality check’ into if this book actually has tapped into the changing face of marketing… so, if you’ve checked this book out or will – let us know your thoughts on what is going on in your world.

Here’s what blogcritic.org thought of The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing & Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly by David Meerman Scott (Oct. 2008)

This book is definitely a must-read for those involved in the promotion and marketing of products and services. Scott does a wonderful job of covering the soup to nuts process of understanding your story, telling your story and then getting others to tell your story for you. His point is clear and hammered home, the old way of pushing your story via a general broadcast is not only expensive, but ineffective. In today’s world, where pitching a good story to the right people — focusing on the targeted few instead of the masses — is more likely to get many others talking about your story.
Focus on your buyers, not your product. How do customers relate to your product? What problem do you solve? What does Starbucks really sell?
Write in plain language, in the language of your customers. Invite them to engage in a dialogue instead of broadcasting your monologue.
I always preach similar techniques in my marketing practice. It’s not about the features of your product/service. In fact, it’s not about the product or service at all — it’s the relationship that customers have with your wares. What emotional connection — what need — does it satisfy?

If you are a fan of novels/movies then think about Cyrano de Bergerac and Roxanne. Basically, they have the same template: ugly, romantic guy vies against handsome, dumb guy for heart of beautiful girl. In the former, the hero duels with swords and in the latter he duels with tennis racquets. The point is that the template defines the emotional connection — the duel for love — and the nouns, namely the sword or the racquet are irrelevant because they are interchangeable. If we apply the principles from Meerman’s book, we’d see that it is paramount to focus on the template, not the instrument, i.e., the buyer and not the product.

The New Rules also talks about dialogue instead of monologue, engagement instead of broadcast. The Internet has made the world smaller. If I wanted to, right now, I could find someone online in another country and engage them in conversation. Even better, if I knew that they might have some interest in my product or service, by engaging them in conversation I’ve revealed that I’m a real person — I exist in the world — and that comfort can easily be translated to a stronger pitch for my wares to a potential customer or a journalist.

While reading The New Rules of Marketing and PR, think about the verbs that your customers use and the emotions that you can tap into to strengthen that connection… then get out there and do it.

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July 28, 2009

BusinessWeek's Summer Reading '09

Filed under: Careers,History and Biographies,Leadership,Lists,Marketing,Small Business,Strategy — Todd Sattersten @ 7:46 pm

We know summer is already starting to wane, but we haven’t linked to Business Week’s recommending reading for the season. Having recommended quite of few of these, we think this is a great list.

Rubies in the Orchard by Lynda Resnick with Francis Wilkinson
Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging and Outmarketing Your Competition by Guy Kawasaki
Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
Leadership in the Era of Economic Uncertainty: Managing in a Downturn by Ram Charan
The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by T.J. Stiles
How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer
The Breakthrough Company: How Everyday Companies Become Extraordinary Performers by Keith McFarland
In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules by Stacy Perman

BW also recommends a variety of podcasts including The Small Business Podcast, Get-It-Done Guy, Manager Tools, Help! My Business Sucks!, and SBA Podcasting.

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July 23, 2009

Bob's Slice of The 100 Best

Filed under: 100 Best,General Management,Marketing,Personal Development,Retail,Sales — Todd Sattersten @ 12:11 pm

Bob Adams at 27 gen has written a series of posts on books he liked from The 100 Best Business Books of All Time and how they apply to church leadership. His first post is about our book and Drucker’s Effective Executive.

His other books include:

Purple Cow – blog post / book link
Six Thinking Hats – blog post / book link
Leading Change – blog post / book link
Why We Buy – blog post (with additional here , here, and here) / book link
Little Red Book of Selling – blog post / book link

He ends his last post by saying:

That’s my quick look at “The 100 Best Business Books of All Time.” Check it out of your local library, or pick up a copy for your own library. There’s a wealth of wisdom inside from the business world that you can make applications in your world today.

Thanks Bob!

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July 8, 2009

Welcome to the Network Era – An Essay by Scott Davis

Filed under: Marketing — Todd Sattersten @ 7:43 am

Welcome to the Network Era – Shaping Brands and the Business

By Scott Davis

Nike’s view of its customers reflects the continuing Web-driven shift in our culture that has, in turn, ushered in a new era of marketing – the Network Era.

Whether it’s in establishing a soccer social networking site, its 10K Human Race or a foundation to invest in the “girl effect,” “…[we’re] not in the business of keeping media companies alive. We are in the business of connecting with customers around the world,” says Trevor Edwards, corporate vice president of global brand and category management.

Put another way, Product Director Michael Tchao states, “With Nike, you’re no longer just buying a sneaker. You are joining the largest global running club.” Shoes are its “hardware.” Ways to track progress and connect with the like-minded are its software. “It’s a very different way to connect with consumers,” he adds.

But what motivates the company hasn’t changed since Day 1: The need to get product and services into customers’ hands as effectively, efficiently and profitably as possible. It’s the underlying dynamics of getting that done that have changed. And the ability to embrace those shifting underlays is one of the hallmarks of the Visionary Marketer – who has seized the challenge to become the business’ senior executive in charge of the growth agenda.

The Network Era marks a decided shift for the marketer from control to influence. From communications to engagement and participation. From closed to open, transparent and authentic. And it’s not just customer relationships these dynamics apply to. It’s employees and peers outside of marketing. It’s shareholders. Influencers count, too – like the traditional media and bloggers, academics, and sometimes policymakers. Vendors can be figured into the network. Or peer businesses.

Managing the network opportunity for your business is no longer optional. The challenge to those who aspire to become Visionary Marketers is to understand and embrace those dynamics and make them work for the business in driving growth. Other benefits will follow, from greater and stronger brand loyalty, to an enriched, invested pool to draw upon to spur innovation, to powerful internal alliances to keep the momentum going.

From control to influence

Here’s a hard reality of today’s networked world that marketers – and management generally – have trouble with. Success demands that command and control of your brand are relinquished. It’s a fact that stretches the comfort level of traditionalists who still believe that by controlling the message and delivery vehicles, they can push the right customers to the right channels, paying the right price for the right offerings.

Today’s explosion in touchpoints disrupts that tidy old paradigm. In fact, the strong correlation between the strength of the brand and the strength of the customer’s relationship with it means the customer’s always had some level of control. Ceding some of that will not create chaos, but spur growth and loyalty.

So Adobe has found. It uses its Web site as the focal point of building and extending its brand. The end result, says Ann Lewnes, Senior Vice President of Marketing, has been greatly increased loyalty because “our customers feel they are able to shape our offerings.” Likewise, eBay and Google have created tools to allow their customers to create the kind of relationship they want with the company – enabling rather than dictating the relationship.

In this era, the network is comprised of very complex influence patterns, populated by a diverse set of stakeholders. It’s characterized by a population that’s more likely to trust fellow buyers than marketers and their messages, and makes it critical to identify what moments of truth they absolutely can’t lose control of. That recognition set Zappos’ strategy of in-house, versus outsourced, customer service. As CEO Tony Hsieh puts it, “We want people to call us. This is how to make the ‘message’ of Zappos’ brand promise stand out.”

From communications to engagement and participation

Actively participating in, engaging with and thus influencing the networks opens the business to myriad opportunities. It has the potential to create a legion of brand advocates. It opens a rich source for innovation and new ideas. It provides access to deeper insights into customer needs and satisfaction with the company (and its competitors) and the extent to which its brand will stretch to different markets or categories.

Recognition of this aspect of the Network Era led Starbucks’ CEO Howard Schultz, early in his second tenure, to launch the company’s participative network, mystarbucksidea.com. It encourages customers to engage in active dialog in offering up ideas for new go-to-market offerings, whether loyalty cards or potential partnerships. It took the company’s long-standing promise of delivering a world-class customer experience to an entirely new level.

The challenge to Visionary Marketers is to capitalize on their brand networks more effectively, for the importance of engagement and participation grows with each new technological advance. It’s pushed Procter and Gamble to alter its proven approaches to testing and awareness building around some of its most critical line extensions, relying word of mouth and buzz marketing and virtually ignoring mass media. Case in point: its new Crest Weekly Clean Intensive Cleaning Paste. Samples were sent to the 600,000 members of its “buzz marketing program for moms,” many of whom Twittered to spread the word virally. The sample was followed by a survey of the network to solicit product refinements. Internal expectations are for another blockbuster in its Crest powerhouse – driven by the network versus the traditional intensive sales force and promotional push of previous eras.

From Closed to Open, Transparent and Authentic

This last point is the natural offshoot of the others and reflects this reality: Your business and brands are already open and transparent as a function of consumer will. Successfully navigating in the Network Era – and embracing its realities – will shape whether your brand can become, stay or regain its relevance and authenticity.

Comcast is one that has been forced to think hard about this issue as a virtual monopoly with a reputation for poor customer service, which is discussed widely and often in blogs, Tweets and other social media venues. It’s taken this discontent to heart, aggressively monitoring and stepping up to build authenticity in the online environment. While Comcast can’t control the conversation, it can and does monitor it. Its Twittering cadre of customer service people, for example, attempt to step in to resolve issues that could spread virally, to influence outcomes and the conversation’s tenor – and add a layer of authenticity to its brand.

In any marketing program, vehicle or tactic, a business must analyze the opportunities inherent in its brand network to assess which aspects are most relevant to strategic success. While developing a social network may not be right for everyone, participating in the broader network is not optional, since it is being built with or without you. Those that find ways to work within these new dynamics will recharge their ability to meet the never changing imperative of driving growth.

Scott Davis is a senior partner of Prophet (www.prophet.com), a global consultancy that helps senior management create enduring market leadership and business impact. This article is based on his new book, The Shift: The Transformation of Today’s Marketers into Tomorrow’s Growth Leaders (Jossey Bass, $34.95). He can be reached at sdavis@prophet.com or follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/scottdavisshift.

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July 1, 2009

The Heart of Marketing: Book Review

Filed under: Book Reviews,General Business,Marketing,Sales — Tags: Roy — Roy @ 10:46 am

coverart I just finished reading the book The Heart of Marketing: Love Your Customers and They Will Love You Back by Judith Sherven, PhD & Jim Sniechowski, PhD. and I just thought it was what marketing books have needed for a long time…. a breath of fresh air.

Many companies in today’s business world have lost sight of what is most important to their customers and for their company internally and that is feeling the pulse of a heart beat. Actually caring about people, yes, people and not ideas, not money, not computers, etc.

People.

It’s a simple task but one that has been eroding from today’s speedy, cold world. The author’s remind the reader that behind the web site there is a company that cares and that company needs to let people know that they do. Judith and Jim target what they term soft marketing as their audience. These are companies in the service industry that typically view service before making money (therapists, counselors, etc.). They explain their need to address these companies is that most business people dealing in sales know of one way: the hard way.

The hard sell is business to business, an impersonal machine set up to make money regardless of product, service or feeling. It’s what everyone knows and what everyone feels they need to do to make the sale.

It’s not. In fact it’s far from it. Judith and Jim answer 45 great questions asked in a recent survey about putting the heart back in sales. And here’s a little secret: it’s really not just about soft marketers being able to do this. There’s cross over. I realized that even our company uses (and can use more of) their techniques to put soul into a company.

The informal way they cross the murky marketing boundaries and connect feelings to work is just a part of the book. it goes on almost like you’re listening in on a conversation between friends. They talk about their life, their passions, their work, and even down to why they picked Morgan James as their publisher. They also have free offers and web sites in the book for more information to refer to further explain their processes.

The Heart of Marketing is not an unattainable feature in sales, it’s actually a must for most businesses.

(P.S. – My favorite part of the book is what they say about ego in business – check it out!)

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June 11, 2009

Podcast with Hugh MacLeod

Filed under: Audio,Jack Covert Selects,Marketing,New Releases,Personal Development — Jon @ 1:02 pm

artist

Hugh MacLeod’s book, Ignore Everybody was released today. It was also reviewed as a Jack Covert Selects title.

I recently had a chance to talk to Hugh about the book, creativity, work, passion, and how these things all came together for him. The book reveals this as well, and is an inspiring piece of literature for those who want to pursue their creative drive, and aren’t afraid to get a little dirty in the process.

Click below to hear our conversation:

[podcast]http://media.800ceoread.com/view/9781591842590/audio/Ignore_Everybody_Interview_with_Hugh_MacLeod.mp3[/podcast]

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April 20, 2009

Extinction and Distinction

Filed under: Marketing,Publishing Industry,Strategy — Todd Sattersten @ 11:29 am

Over on the Excerpts and Essays Blog, we have two posts from Scott McKain about his new book Collapse of Distinction. The first is the problem and is called The Destroyers of Differentiation. His second piece is the solution and is titled Four Cornerstones of Distinction.

In addition to the content, the book is being marketed with distinction. This is the first of two books from Thomas Nelson released under their NelsonFree Program. As CEO Michael Hyatt said on his blog when announcing and explaining the program, “After readers purchase a book with the NelsonFree logo, they receive a code that enables them to download an audio MP3 file and several types of e-book files, including EPub, MobiPocket, and PDF.”

Thomas Nelson is the first major publisher who has linked formats to one another. This is a pilot program with Collapse of Distinction and I Will Make You An Offer You Can’t Refuse by former mob boss Michael Franzese. It will be interesting to watch this evolve. The next step would be allowing the purchase of any format to get the others, in particular the digital text to get the audio.

Kudos to McKain and Thomas Nelson for experimenting!

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April 17, 2009

Avoid Weasel Words

Filed under: Marketing — Todd Sattersten @ 4:18 pm

“Whenever you can, it is a good idea to avoid “weasel” words, the words in the copy that take away from what the headline promised…”Up to six extra hours” could literally mean as few as 10 minutes. This is not the kind of clever idea you should use to promote your Phufkel*. If you think you should ask a lawyer to tell you if your copy is legal, it probably isn’t a good idea to use it, no matter what the answer is. If you want to build a long-term business, take the higher ground.”

-Jay Heyman from All You Need is a Good Idea p180

*Phufkel is Heyman’s word for product or service

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