BLOG

The buzz around Content Marketing is building. I’ve been writing about it for over a year but I’m sensing the bandwagon is picking up speed. As with any topic in the blogosphere, a lot is being published that’s not particularly useful. Some of it is simply flirting with the truth, making fantastical claims without any real data to back them up.

What is Content Marketing?
According to Joe Pulizzi, a co-founder of the content marketing movement:

Content marketing is the art of communicating with your customers and prospects without selling. It is non-interruption marketing. Instead of pitching your products or services, you are delivering information that makes your buyer more intelligent. The essence of this content strategy is the belief that if we, as businesses, deliver consistent, ongoing valuable information to buyers, they ultimately reward us with their business and loyalty.

What does is look like?
There are three components to content marketing. As the name implies, it’s composed of original content, search engine optimisation and social media. If you’re interested in pursuing a content marketing strategy, you must consider all of them together. People have to find your website (SEO), they have to be informed, educated or entertained at your website (Content), and you have to tell them what you have and where you put it. (Social Media).

A favourite quote of mine concerning content marketing comes from The Tippingpoint Labs:

Social media boils down to the marriage of two main concepts: content and conversation. Without content, conversation is mere networking. Without conversation, content is dead. It goes nowhere.

Still not convinced?
As I was preparing for a recent presentation, I found some good statistics from HubSpot. In a report titled “The State of Inbound Marketing 2010”, they reveal interesting behaviour discovered from surveying over 230 marketing professionals.

The average cost per lead for inbound marketing techniques is about one third of other methods. In other words, you spend a lot less money and get better results than if you’re using traditional techniques like print advertising, radio spots or TV commercials.

Past success with content marketing is responsible for changing the way marketing budgets are being allocated.

What now?

Content Marketing is only going to grow in popularity as business discovers it is an effective and inexpensive marketing strategy. Start to think about how you can increase your social media activity. Consider what sort of content would be effective for your organisation. A blog is a great place to start.

Have you had success with content marketing? Share your experiences.

Related posts:

• 3 Components of Content Marketing[*]Putting Legs on your Content with RSS[*]Big News: The Content Marketing Institute Launches[*]Mandela, Beckham, Frank and . . . . You?

In a former career, I travelled the world as an international representative for a multi-national software company. I had a big quota and the expense account to match it. A lot was expected of me and, in return, I stayed in the best hotels, ate at the best restaurants and worked with some of the best people in the world. It was a luxurious backdrop to a gruelling job.

Today I dipped my toe back into that life with a cross-country business trip to Sydney, a city I haven’t visited since 1995. I’m an Australian resident now, but flying across the country sort of feels like an international journey. I was surprised at how easily it all came back: packing business clothes, flying alone, grabbing a taxi from the airport, and checking into an upmarket hotel designed for business travellers.

Changing Times
It all felt familiar until I got to my room and was greeted by a postcard on the bed. Printed on recycled paper, it told me if I wanted my sheets changed, the onus was on me to ask for the service. Couched in reasonable language, the note explained:

Together we can save millions of litres of water.

No matter where you stand on the environment, I had to marvel at this. I’m paying several hundred dollars a night for this hotel room. One of the tacit agreements about staying in a hotel described as providing “extraordinary escapes” is the extraordinary experience of having clean linens provided to you every day. While it’s not something I expect at home, at a budget hotel or in a hostel, I do expect it from a premier establishment. Why?

• Nowhere on their website, in their booking process or at check-in was I made aware of an environmental campaign.
• They’re asking me, their customer, to serve them.
• The rates they’re charging merit excessive benefit.
• The only recycled paper in the entire room was the postcard asking me to avoid clean sheets every day.

Duplicitous Message
Here’s what really bugged me. The postcard was written to make me feel like a bad person if I didn’t support this water-saving cause. While emotional appeal is the hallmark of a good marketing campaign, the reason this chafed is because they’re asking me to expect less from them to advance their own agenda. In no other way does this establishment appear to have an ecological concern. I can’t help but feel the real savings here is on operational and staffing costs for the hotel.

The Takeaway
Before you embark on an emotional appeal to your customers and prospects, ensure your message is supported by the organisational culture. I have no qualms with saving water and protecting the environment. But when I see massive amounts of fossil fuel being wasted in other parts of the hotel, the request seems out of place and self-serving.

When did you suspect a marketing ploy?

Related posts:

• BRIEF: How One Wrong Word Can Ruin Your Message[*]CSR: So What?[*]Can CSR and Marketing Coexist? I think so!

*image courtesy of Ralph Hockens at www.flickr.net

Make no mistake, this is a tale of woe. I’m dumping a long-term service provider for one reason. Their customer service pushed me over the edge.

About 9 months ago, I started having trouble with my anti-virus software. I missed the first clue something was wrong when prompted to buy more online storage. I spent $50 for the extra storage required to backup my files. I received a follow-up call from the provider checking to make sure everything was to my satisfaction. She seemed puzzled I would need more capacity since I was only operating a single email account and didn’t have a significant amount of data to backup. Alarm bells should have gone off but they didn’t. Within five weeks, I was being prompted to buy more online storage. Obviously, something was wrong.

Cut to the Chase
After months of fiddling around and risking my data, I wrote to the company. Their online form was onerous and required a massive amount of repetition. Still, I managed to get through it and received a computer generated reply. Within the hour, I had an email from customer service telling me I had to buy more storage to correct my problem. I carefully explained in my reply the storage was being gobbled and I wasn’t going to buy more.

The Beginning of an Ugly Relationship
A different person replied next. The email started:

I understand how frustrating it is to have to go through this and I regret the inconvenience that it has caused.

I appreciated the sentiment but was frustrated when I was told, again, I needed to buy more storage to correct the problem. I wrote back, again, explaining the problem. I received a prompt reply from another support person asking me to delete all my backup history and rerun my backup. I did. It still failed with a suggestion I buy more online storage. I replied to the email detailing my experience with their corrective action. I explained I was now totally exposed.

Day Two
The next day I received a reply from a different customer support person. The email started:

I understand the inconvenience you have experienced. Please be assured that I will do my best in assisting you with this issue.

I was told the program was causing problems, my case had been escalated and someone would call me in 24 to 48 hours.

Day Five
Still waiting, I wrote back saying it had been over 85 hours and my problem needed to be resolved. Later that day I got a reply from a new support person saying:

I see that we’ve had a great deal of correspondence on this issue already and I’d like to apologize for the time and energy you have expended in an attempt at resolution. I want to assure you that I recognize your frustration and am committed to helping you resolve this matter.

I was told, again, my case had been escalated and someone would call me in 24 to 48 hours.

Day Nine
I sent a terse reply saying I was furious and wanted some help. I also mentioned I was ready to cancel my account.

Later that day I received a reply from yet another support person saying:

I can imagine how frustrated you must be. I guess I would’ve felt the same as you, if this had happened to me.

It is certainly not our intension for our customers to have anything but a pleasant experience with XXXXXX.

Let me assure you that what happened in your case is not typical of XXXXXX’s level of customer service. We continue to be committed to providing you and all of our customers with the highest standards of service in the industry. I apologize, if we failed to meet your expectations.

The note goes on to say someone had tried to reach me but they had the wrong number. They quoted my number on file, which happened to be correct. They requested a convenient date and time to phone me along with a primary phone number and an alternate phone number.

I suggested a phone call between the hours of 12:00 noon and 5:00 pm would be ideal. I reminded them I lived in Western Australia. I provided two phone numbers and a request to contact me as soon as possible.

Day Ten
I get a reply from ANOTHER support person saying:

I understand the inconvenience you have experienced. Please be assured that I will do my best in assisting you with this issue.

They go on to say I could expect a phone call within 24 to 48 hours. While all the platitudes have sounded like they were written by the same person, this sentence was exactly the same one used by the Day Two support person.

Day Thirteen
My phone rings at 6:45 am. It was the promised call from the supervisor. I explained it was extremely early, I was walking out the door to an all-day conference and wouldn’t be available until the next day. I requested, again, that someone phone me between the hours of 12:00 noon and 5:00 pm

Day Seventeen
I purchase a competitive product.

Day Eighteen
My phone rings at 2:23 am. It was the promised call from the supervisor.

Where Did it All Go Wrong?

• No one owned the problem. Every communication from the company came from a different person. I certainly got the impression of being on the customer service treadmill.
• The sympathetic beginning to every reply was rendered ineffective by the broken English used in the rest of the letter.
• Every promised deadline was missed, telling me there was no sense of urgency.
• My details were correct but I was told they weren’t.
• The obvious lack of attention to international time zones is inexcusable for a product with global brand presence.

In Summary
I really liked my anti-virus software and was willing to work through a problem. I spent 20 years in the software industry and understand bugs infiltrate even the best products. I’m currently using a different anti-virus product I don’t like as much. Due to shoddy customer service, I have been left with no alternative.

The Take Away
When you pay lip service instead of providing customer service, expect to lose business even from long-term, loyal customers.

How does poor customer service provoke you?

Related Post:
Is Your Customer Service a Thinly Veiled Sales Job?

*photo courtesy of vlima.com at www.flickr.net

Are you getting the most of LinkedIn? I’m always surprised when I hear people say they need to think about opening an account on LinkedIn. I understand the reservations professional people have about creating a social media persona. When it comes to LinkedIn, the benefits far outweigh the perceived risk associated with many online tools.

Defining Feature
For those of you who don’t know, the curriculum vitae (resume) of the account holder anchors each account. LinkedIn is a professional networking tool in the purest sense. The architecture of the site ensures your experience will be relevant to you because it’s based on professional accomplishments, not pop culture or social chatter.

Fun Facts
LinkedIn is one of the grandaddies of social media, launching in May 2003. It has grown from strength to strength in the seven years since its inception.

• LinkedIn has over 70 million members.
• Membership is across more than 200 countries.
• LinkedIn supports multiple languages: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.
• More than half the accounts are from outside the USA.
• Executives from every Fortune 500 company are LinkedIn members.
• A new member joins LinkedIn every second.

Practical Application
Still not convinced? Here are some of the ways I’ve found my business benefits from LinkedIn:

1. Preserve Your Network
LinkedIn gives you the ability to establish an online repository for your business network. You never have to worry about keeping your address book up-to-date. You can throw your business card folio and Rolodex out the window.

2. Find Former Colleagues
We all plan to stay in touch when a co-worker leaves or you change jobs. It’s not always easy and a busy schedule often gets in the way of good intentions. I’ve found or been found by dozens of people I’ve lost touch with as we’ve moved companies, countries and jobs.

3. Find Good People
One of the best things I’ve ever done is use LinkedIn to find prospective business partners. Since accounts are based on a resume, it’s easy to find the people you want to meet or work with. The search function is comprehensive, allowing you to zero in on a specific location, company, school or industry. It’s no wonder recruiters view LinkedIn and social media channels as essential tools for vetting candidates.

4. Free Company Listing
LinkedIn lets you enter your company details, giving you a free listing connected to their powerful search feature.

5. Research
The Company Buzz feature keeps track of what’s being said about your specified keywords on Twitter. It’s a great way to keep your eye on the competition or track what’s being said about your own company.

6. Find Events
The Events feature will show you all the events being attended by people in your wider network. It’s a great way to keep track of what’s happening around town.

7. Get Recommendations
Word of Mouth referrals are the lifeblood of small business. I’ve yet to meet a person who didn’t appreciate having a colleague or client giving a recommendation on his or her work. LinkedIn makes it easy to request recommendations and makes it super easy to give one, too.

8. Integration with other Social Media Tools
LinkedIn is continually updating their product to provide a clearer picture of the professional qualifications of their members. Slideshare, Amazon.com, WordPress and Twitter all have useful integration features with LinkedIn.

9. Special Interest Groups
Perhaps the most powerful feature of LinkedIn is the multitude of special interest groups. These groups allow you to meet other professionals with similar interests and participate in worldwide discussions. The discussion groups also have a feature allowing for sharing of news articles. It’s a great place to stay informed, get the opinion of your peers and network with a global community of like-minded people.

My Recommendation
LinkedIn is a wonderful tool for people from any profession. Participating in LinkedIn is a low-risk proposition due to the career focus attached to the membership profiles. I consider it one of my key strategic tools for running a successful business. If you’re not already a member, I encourage you to join.

What benefits have you received from your LinkedIn activity? What features do you use the most often?

Related posts:

• Social Media: The Good News for Small Business
• 6 Reasons for Refusing LinkedIn Invitations
• BRIEF: 1 Thing to Review Before 2010

I’ve had a busy week and I’m behind in almost everything. I only managed one blog post last week, I worked the weekend so my Friday deadlines didn’t slip into the next week, and my laptop has a couple of dozen articles opened that I had intended to read, post and share. Ever had a week like that? Today I’m trying to get caught up. As I was trolling through the articles I had marked to read, I ran across a piece by Jason Fried in Inc. Magazine titled Why is Business Writing So Awful? You should read it.

I was surprised to discover in the author’s bio that Jason is a software guy. I assumed he was a copywriter because he succinctly details the problems with business writing. He has co-authored a book, so maybe that’s how he became so informed about the problems with content. Nothing he mentions is difficult to figure out and he makes a great case for original content. It’s the most entertaining piece on writing I’ve seen in ages. I read the whole thing word by word right to the end of the page. In this day of skimming, writing something people actually read is a massive achievement.

Tools of the Trade

Jason endorses the use of professional writers if your company is lacking the appropriate talent. Obviously, I love his advice, but I’ve seen plenty of marketing material written by professionals that’s just as terrible as the DIY versions. It got me thinking about what businesses can do to help themselves. I employ three techniques for everything I write to improve the readability and usefulness of my copy. Here they are:

• Use a spellchecker: It’s an obvious bit of advice but I see an alarming number of spelling errors injected into everyday business communication. It’s terrible to read an email with spelling errors in it. When I see a website, brochure, press release or any other marketing document with a spelling error in it, I immediately assume the company is sloppy, lazy, unprofessional or a combination of the three.
• Use the Gobbledygook Grader: I’ve written about this before but it’s worth repeating. Hubspot provides a free online tool to detect any jargon, clichés, overused phrases or hyperbole. It takes seconds to get an analysis and improves your writing immeasurably. I still get caught using some form of gobbledygook in nearly every first draft I submit to it.
• Read Aloud: Do you remember when you first learned to read? Your teacher instructed you to read out loud so she could hear you and help you when you struggled. Reading your own writing aloud does the same thing. You ears will find mistakes your eyes miss. I read everything I write, in a normal speaking voice, before I submit it to a customer or post it on my blog.

What you say, and how you say it, reflects on you and your company. You don’t need to be a professional writer to improve the quality of your writing efforts. Take an extra couple of minutes with all your business communication and I bet you will begin to see a difference.

Do you have any writing tips you want to share?

Related blog posts:

• 8 Website Compliments You’d Rather Not Hear
• Isn’t it Time to Ungook Your Gobbledy?