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What will you be doing 3 weeks from today? I know!

March 8, 2008

You are going to be buying a copy of Age of Conversation from Amazon.com to support the Social Media Bum Rush!

We have finally overcome the litany of issues plaguing the retail distribution of The Age of Conversation –and are now planning an Age of Conversation Bum Rush. That’s right, we want to bring this ground-breaking work to a wider audience and have now made it available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other quality retail book selling sites.

But wait! Don’t rush out just yet to purchase your copy. Hold off until March 29. Here’s why … Chris Wilson has set out a plan of action designed to push the Age of Conversation up the best seller charts. Here’s how it works …

Plan of Action for March 29, 2008 …

Here’s the plan of attack, thanks to Chris. We need everyone’s help to make this a success. Remember, not only do you get a copy of a great book, but the children of Variety’s LifeLine literally get the gift of life.

The idea is to generate as many touch points around the web as possible so that it will be hard not to spot the Age of Conversation activity.

Buy the Book & send others to buy the book. This is the number 1 call to action, because this is where we want to see the most impact. NOTE: Please buy 1 copy at a time because Amazon counts bulk orders once, and please use this affiliate link, which will help us in tracking sales. Remember, all the proceeds from the book sales and referrals will go to charity. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1847992994?ie=UTF8&tag= drewmclellan-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325& creativeASIN=1847992994
Blog About It – Make sure you have a prominent link to the Amazon listing so that readers can easily purchase the book. (Remember to use the affiliate link above. All of these earnings will go to charity as well.)
Twitter Commentary – Join Gavin, Chris and I as we give a Bum Rush play-by-play on Twitter. (Follow us: @Freshpeel, @DrewMcLellan, @servantofchaos) We also ask that everyone saying anything about the Bum Rush to use the code #AOC so that it can be picked up by Twemes.com
Trackback or Comment on the post that Chris leaves on March 29, at 12am CST, so that everyone can follow the conversation and help promote exposure on social sites (Digg, StumbleUpon, Del.icio.us, etc.)
Digg the posts listed on Chris’ site and send emails and shouts to friends requesting Diggs.
Stumble the posts listed & tell friends to do the same.
Bookmark your posts on Del.icio.us
Add your post to other social media outlets ( Technorati, Ma.gnolia, Furl, BlinkList, Newsvine, Facebook, etc.)
Send an Old Fashioned email to your friends about the Bum Rush for AoC.
Keep talking – Get on ooVoo, iChat, Aim, or where ever you like to talk, and start talking.

What you can do right now …

Spread the word – Surely you are connected to people outside of your marketing cronies. Start talking … hence the word “conversation” in the title of the book.
Add the Join the Rush Badge to your Blog or Web page. (Just copy and paste the HTML code below.)
<a href="http://freshpeel.com/2008/03/AOC_BumRush_March/"><img src="http://www.freshpeel.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/AOC_banner.jpg" alt="Join the Age of Conversation Bum Rush on March 29th" /></a>
Blog about It – Make sure everyone gets the word that the Bum Rush is on…and we need their help.
Create a podcast or video and upload to Youtube or other streaming video site (Maybe David Brazeal or Anna Farmery can do a special edition?).
Add your Reviews and tags on Amazon – Right now the Amazon page looks a little naked. Help fill it up!
Join the Facebook Group – This is a great way to connect with all of the AOC writers and fans. You can join the group here.
Become an AOC Fan on Facebook – Show your love for AOC. Yet another awesome way to connect with AOC writers and fans. Join AOC fan page here.
Add AOC to Wikipedia – Any experts on Wikipedia guidlines? Made to Stick is a good example of what can be included.

We need your help to make this work. Basically, buy everyone buying a copy on March 29th, we will push Age of Conversation up Amazon’s charts, which will get other people’s attention and hopefully encourage them to buy. Wouldn’t it be cool if Age was the #1 selling book on Amazon that day?

Please help us make this day a huge success for Age and for the kids of Variety.

Need to raise your prices? Here’s how.

March 6, 2008

I know, it’s crazy talk. Or is it?

Raise your prices when we might be facing a recession? But for some organizations, it’s just smart business. Or maybe it is necessary business. Cost of goods may be on the rise, or labor might be costing you more.

Or you might know/believe that consumers respond differently to higher end pricing than they do to lower priced items.

Whatever the reason, there’s a right way and a wrong way to raise your prices. The truth of the matter is in the life cycle of most businesses, prices need to be raised.

Whether you are a law firm that charges by the hour or a manufacturer who sells widgets – your cost of goods is likely to rise. So, your prices need to as well.

Raising prices can also raise the ire of your clients. Depending on the maturity of your business, your customer base, the percentage of increase you’d like to make – there are several ways to accomplish your goal without losing or upsetting clientele.

The most common way to raise prices is to just do it across the board and then send a sincere letter to your customers like "over the past 10 years, ABC Plumbing has worked hard to hold our prices steady. We’re proud of the fact that we’ll be able to contain our price increase to a very modest 2%…" Common, but not without some potential for push back.

Sometimes it is the most common way because it’s the only way. But, how else might you get the increase you want without incurring the wrath of existing customers?

How about charging extra for special privileges? Access to a customer hot-line that skips the on hold queue or upgrades in shipping or turnaround time. Today, one of the most valuable assets for most people is time. If you can save them time, they often will gladly pay extra.

Another way of looking at your pricing is market segments. A business traveler who needs to be in Pittsburgh on Wednesday and back on Thursday will pay more for a plane ticket than a Grandma planning a visit to her family. You probably have similar segments within your customer base.

No matter how you handle a price increase, one element is critical. Be upfront and demonstrate value. Your clients don’t begrudge you making a profit. They just want to get a value for their dollar. Price increases can be a win/win if you think them through and handle them correctly.

Here’s some heartening news. Some research suggests that people like you better if you’re more expensive!

The buying continuum

March 3, 2008

Like all human behaviors, there are stages that lead up to someone actually buying something. We call it the Buying Continuum. This is a critical tool for understanding how to best communicate with your target audience.

The five stages of the Buying Continuum are: Unaware, Aware, Trial, Repeat and Recommend.

Unaware: This is the stage where your potential buyer has no idea that you even exist. They’ve never heard of you. Your goal is to get on their radar screen. Editorial coverage and blogging are great marketing tools to use with these buyers.

Aware: Now your potential buyer has an inkling of your company. You goal is to get them intrigued enough to care. Then, they’ll listen. Ads in targeted publications, your website and contests are effective at this stage.

Trial: Now, they’re on the cusp. They’re willing to give your service or product a try. You just need to give them that nudge. Direct mail, testimonials, and advertising will help get them to cross the line.

Repeat: They’ve tried you. You want them to do it again. At this stage, you want to let them know you won’t forget them and just chase new clients. This is a great stage to launch customer perks/clubs and specialized newsletters.

Referral: This is the Holy Grail for marketers. This is when your customers are out doing your job – selling your product or service. They are creating buzz, word of mouth marketing for you. You want to talk to them regularly. Make them feel like an insider.

Knowing where potential buyers are at in the Buying Continuum can help you decide which marketing tactics to use. Since you probably (hopefully) have potential buyers in all stages of the continuum – be sure you have the right media mix to reach them all.

Download your own, full-sized buying continuum chart, courtesy of MMG!

Bounce!

February 29, 2008

We’ve all heard it….you learn more from failures than success. Failure builds character. Blah, blah.

So I was interested to see what Barry Moltz had to say on the subject in his new book, Bounce! Barry surprised me by getting right to the heart, saying "sometimes failure just stinks." Amen, brother.

His point is that both success and failures are a natural part of a business cycle. The trick is having processes in place to weather the failure…so you can bounce! In the book, Moltz describes the ten business building bands for true business confidence.

Here are a few of my favorites from among the 10:

Humility — using humility to right size our egos.
In failure, give up the shame — we actually make our failures worse by being shamed by them and letting that shame dictate how we react and recover.
Create a measurement system of your own — it’s not about the money. What should it be about for you?
Value action — get off your duff and do something.

There’s no business book hype in Bounce! He dishes out the straight scoop with some great stories, easy to understand principles and thought-provoking questions.

This book is honest, sometimes brutally so, debunks the "just pick yourself up and learn from your mistakes" cheerleading and offers some real tools for surviving and bouncing back from the inevitable bumps in the road. A very pragmatic, practical read.

I’ve got a free copy of Bounce! for one lucky reader. If you’re interested…shoot me an e-mail with Bounce! in the subject line and I’ll do a blind drawing. (Which actually wouldn’t be much worse than if I drew with my eyes open!).

Whether you win the free one or have to click on the link above to buy a copy — this is a refreshingly honest and insightful book. Well worth the read.

Update: People are asking for a deadline, so I will take entries for the drawing through Sunday, March 2nd and award the book on Monday, March 3rd.

Are you having a little trouble selling the cow?

February 29, 2008

Could it be that you’re giving away too much milk? We’ve all heard the expression, "no one will buy the cow if you keep giving away the milk." At MMG, we are huge proponents of giving away what you sell for free. We call is sampling. When you don’t sell a tangible product, there’s nothing for the potential customer to evaluate. They can’t look at your expertise. They can’t smell your knowledge.

So you have to demonstrate it. The best, easiest and most effective way to do that is to give it away.

To a point. One of the traps that many service providers fall into is that they struggle with drawing the line and knowing when enough freebies have been given and it’s time to move the relationship to client status.

We’re having a very lively discussion over at Marketing Profs Daily Fix about how to balance wanting to share your expertise and yet still be a smart business person.

I guarantee you’ll find a take away or two in the comments section. Lots of people sharing their experiences and methods. It’s good stuff. Come over and join in.

The difference is our people? Seriously….duh!

February 28, 2008

I recently saw an ad with the tagline "the difference is our people!" It doesn’t matter what business it was for because many businesses claim this as their unique point of difference. No offense to all of the businesses that think this is what makes them stand out from their competition – but duh.

Everyone claims that they have great people, ergo great customer service. And the truth is…most of them do. To break through the marketplace, we need to be about more than good customer service.

Why? Don’t people want good service? Sure. But they also expect it. It’s a duh. A given. If you don’t provide good customer service, you’re not going to keep their business. Don’t you think most businesses are hustling to serve their customer? That’s not a brand – it is a cost of doing business. An expectation.

Another popular duh is competency. Companies will tout their expertise as though their competitors are completely incompetent. The reality is that’s just not true. To create marketing materials or ads that claim "we’re good at what we do" is a waste of resources.

Again – your consumer assumes you are qualified to do your job. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be even under consideration. Skill-level or competency is a show me message, not a tell me. It’s a little like honesty. If someone has to keep telling you that they’re honest, pretty soon you wonder why they are making such a big deal about it.

So why do companies rely on "duh" level taglines or promises? Because it’s easy. It doesn’t require digging deeper to find out what really does set them apart from their competition.

Double-check yourself. Are you taking the easy way out and making a duh promise?

Keep Arun in your thoughts and prayers

February 27, 2008

We talk a lot about conversation, community and sharing in the blogosphere. We see evidence of it every day. Gavin’s friends, CK’s Momma Tree, The Frozen Pea Fund. $11,000+ to Variety (Age of Conversation). And so many more.

One of the bloggers who has come to embody those virtues for me is Arun Rajagopal. He’s one of the first to raise his hand to help with any project or to support any blogger. He loves shining the spotlight on others’ efforts while downplaying his own contributions.

He’s a a smart marketer. A generous community member. And a friend.

So, I was so sad to hear that he lost his mom this week.

As you’d expect the community quickly rose up to create a support network. We can’t be at his side as much as we’d like to, but we can show that we care.

We’ve created a place where everyone can leave him a thought, prayer or just let him know that you’re thinking of him and sending your warmth. Please join us and remind him just how mighty and giving this community is.

Perfection Paralysis

February 25, 2008

I would guess we’ve all witnessed it. A business owner or marketing decision maker who can’t pull the trigger when it comes to marketing tactics.

Something about the piece (be it a website, brochure or direct mail piece, etc.) is off for them. Often, they can’t even tell you what’s off, just that something is. "it’s just not quite right," they’ll say with a rueful smile. And so the team tries again — revision after revision.

What was that sound? It was the window of opportunity slamming shut. In many cases, the piece never gets completed and marketing dollars slowly swirl down the drain.

And your prospects and customers wonder why you’re ignoring them.

Pretty darn good trumps perfect every time, if it means you get to market faster (or at all) with your message.

Next time you feel your team (or yourself) begin to stall a project because perfection paralysis is taking hold, ask yourself these questions:

Does it clearly communicate our key message? (no more than 2-3)
Does it offer some response opportunity? (website, e-mail, phone number, etc.)
Does it protect and respect our brand promise and look/feel?
Is it error-free? (typos, grammar etc.)

If you can answer yes to all 4 — give yourself 24 hours to futz with it if you want and then get it out the door.

Perfect or not.

Viral video — are you the expert?

February 22, 2008

It started with a simple question. Do you viral video?

Let’s wrap up our discussion on the phenomenon of viral video and its many purposes.

We’ve culled through the stats that show the rapid rise of viral video viewing, we’ve talked about how some companies are using the medium to just get in front of as many people as possible and we’ve also looked at the educational aspects of the medium. In the last installment, we also talked about how some are using video simply to be heard over the din of marketing messages.

One of the other applications/goals that seems ideally suited for video is demonstrating an expertise. While writing a white paper for your website or even sharing your PowerPoint slides will allow you to share your expertise, it lacks the emotional connection that a video can give you.

Matt Dickman, from Fleishman-Hillard, has really established himself as a social media tools expert by producing a series of videos in which he dissects a particular application or site. In the example below, he introduces his subscribers to Utterz.

The beauty of what Matt has done is that he’s become our tour guide. He makes his audience comfortable with the new tools. He explains them in language that everyone can understand and he takes the time to lay some groundwork before he dives in.

With his series approach, we also make the assumption that he knows a lot about ALL the web-based tools out there. Does he? I don’t know, but he’d sure be one of the first I would ask. He’s proven to me that he’s an expert in this field.

How could you use viral video to spotlight your expertise in a way that’s both compelling and something people would want to pass onto their friends/peers?

How could you use viral video to showcase your skills if you wanted to be the on-air talent? How about if you didn’t?

Other posts in this series:
Do you viral video?
Viral video – are you looking for a lot of eyes?
Viral video — are you trying to educate?
Viral video – are you trying to be heard over the noise?
Viral video — are you establishing yourself as an expert?

Is it work or play…and what’s the cost?

February 22, 2008

Three converging thoughts/conversations:

A recent post on this blog about how our work/personal lives are becoming more blended
An on-going e-mail conversation with KG (Kristin Gorski) about the pressures of trying to keep up coupled with her post about our muses
Greg Verdino‘s pot stirring post, asking if we’re fooling ourselves with social media tools

I’d love it if you’d take a few minutes and check out out the posts referenced in #1 and #3. Then, read the post mentioned in #2.

What are the pros and cons of being "plugged in?" What do we gain? What do we pay? For you, personally and professionally — how does it weigh out?

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