Blog

How do you see your clients

November 6, 2009

A client of ours, E-Myth Benchmark, who does excellent work with small business leaders (including yours truly) has this philosophy about their clients:

"Our clients are much greater than they know. It's our honor to help them discover that truth about themselves."

Imagine if every time you answered the phone, shot off an e-mail or met with a client, you were filled with that attitude. How might that change the dynamics of your relationship? How would a bit of reverence change your company's culture?

I've said it before….if you can't genuinely love your clients, you should fire them. They deserve better.

Free chapter chock full of marketing “ah ha!”

November 3, 2009

I love many things about blogging and social media. But the #1 reason I love it is because it has afforded me the opportunity to meet some really wonderful, smart people.

And sometimes it feels as though we’ve known each other forever. That’s certainly true for me of Gavin Heaton, CK, Lori Magno, Luc Debaisieux and many others.

But there’s this agency guy named Jay Heyman who lives in New York City — and he and I connect in a whole different way. For some odd reason, we end up writing posts on the same subject or about the same subject on a regular basis!

Which of course means that I think he’s brilliant!

Anyway…the guy who lives inside my brain wrote a book called All You Need is a Good Idea (same name as his blog) Well, now he has written a bonus chapter which he would like the readers of his blog to have for FREE.

It’s nine pages of rapid fire ideas…no theory or set up. Just straight marketing talk. You can download it here.

Graphic courtesy of Shutterstock.com

What I’m reading (11/01/09)

November 1, 2009

Sorry I've been lax with this feature in October. It wasn't that I was not reading….but I've been on the road and at conferences just about all month and I just didn't have time to get this post built.

None the less, here's what I've been reading these past few weeks and my take on each.

Word of Mouth Marketing by Andy Sernovitz (buy it here)

If you think you've already read this book — you haven't. Andy did a revised version in early 2009 and added lots of new case studies, worksheets and even some new chapters. So don't be fooled.

With all the case studies and worksheets — if you read this book and don't walk away with a huge list of action items…shame on you. This book is built to be more of a workbook than a text book.

It's light on theory, heavy on real life examples and ideas you can implement quickly.

Bottom line: Very practical examples. Lots of idea generators. It's not rocket science…and yet most people stink at it. Read the book so you don't stink too.

The Three Laws of Performance by Steve Zaffron & Dave Logan (buy it here)

The premise of the book is that there are three laws that will always affect performance…just like the law of gravity will always have an effect on if you're heading up or down!

The three laws are:

How people perform correlates to how situations occur to them
How a situation occurs arises in languages
Future based language transforms how situations occur to people

The authors recognize that businesses and their leaders face radical shifts in the corporate climate and confront pressing organizational problems. They offer communication-based solutions called the "Three Laws of Performance" that they believe can transform companies and individual relationships. They explain how to energize and sustain your organization by using candid language, open discussion, confronting past wounds and voicing a positive future vision.

Bottom line: Superb case studies and learning. You can't skim this one…it's a bite and chew thoroughly type read.

War in the Boardroom by Al & Laura Ries (buy it here)

Al & Laura Ries are fixtures in the marketing book genre. Their newest book, War in the Boardroom is going to keep them on top of the heap.

This book looks at why left-brain management and right-brained marketing don't see eye to eye and what to do about it. As the book jacket says…management deals in reality, while marketing deals in perception. And so the battle begins.

Packed with dozens of lively, real-world examples clearly demonstrating the difference between management and marketing — and where both groups have taken their brands for better or worse. And you'll want to read their predictions about some of today's marquee brands such as Google and Amazon.

Bottom line: You'll love the examples, stories and tone of this book. I have to believe you will see both sides of the argument a little differently after reading the Ries' latest hit.

How to make time for social media: Twitter

October 31, 2009

As I traverse across the country talking about social media, whether it's with clients one-on-one or with conference attendees from a stage — the "I don't have time" mantra is a common response to the conversation.

I'm with you. I get the time crunch thing. I'm caught between that same rock and hard place. But…I have figured out some ways to create time/time savers when it comes to social media. So, I thought I would share what works for me, with the hopes that you can steal some of these ideas/tools.

I'm not saying these are the only tools out there…but these are my time savers.

Saved Searches:

One of the elements of Twitter that I think most people under-use is the ability to evesdrop on people as they talk about topics that matter to you. To help me stay in touch, I've created some saved searches in Twitter's web interface.

I just check each of the searches once every few days…and I'm always current.

Private, Group Conversations:

When most people first dig into Twitter, they think of it as a very public social media tool. While I enjoy the public banter and resource sharing, for me….about 50% of my Twitter conversations are private or to a small group of people. I can use the regular DM feature on Twitter for one-to-one conversations.

But, when I want to send those DMs to a group of people, I use Group Tweet to set up private groups.

I can post updates to everyone in the group using direct messages. When the group account receives a direct message from me, GroupTweet converts it into a tweet that all followers can see.

Because I usually want to keep those updates private so that only my group members can see them, I just created a special group account on Twitter, protected it, and use that one.

Manage followers

I actively manage and use two Twitter accounts. My personal account (@drewmclellan) and our agency's account (@mclellanmarket). And between those two accounts, I typically get 25-50 new followers each day.

I simply do not have the time, every day, to check out each follower and decide if I want to follow them back or not. And my philosophy on following is — unless they're a spammer or are really foul mouthed or only tweet in Finnish, if they follow me — I'm going to follow them back.

So I use SocialToo.com. I have it set to automatically follow everyone who follows me. Then, about once a week (typically on Sunday afternoons) I click on the following link (right under my Twitter name) and can very quickly scan the people who have been added that week. I just unfollow the spammers, foreign speakers or those who tweet in a language I cannot read…and voila, my following list is updated. It never takes me more than 15 minutes.

I also love SocialToo's survey tool. I can create a poll…and SocialToo allows me to tweet it out and then tabulates the results. Which of course, I can tweet back out.

All of Twitter at a Glance…and Pre-Scheduling Tweets

HootSuite is the key to my Twitter life. It allows me on one screen to see:

My Twitter Stream (what everyone I follow is saying)
Tweets that are talking to or about me (@drewmclellan)
Direct messages to me
Results of searches I have set up
My most recent tweets
Track the stats on my tweets (how many clicks, etc.)
Any tweets I have pending

What? What do you mean, pending tweets? I tend to be a night owl. Many times, I find something I want to share on Twitter around 1 am. None of my core followers are online at 1 am. But, if I wait until morning, I will either forget or not have enough time to tweet it. So I use HootSuite to set up a scheduled tweet for the next morning (or whenever I want it to go out).

See the box at the top of the screen shot? That's where in HootSuite, I type my tweets. I can either just click submit and it tweets immediately, or I can click on the send it later link and choose the date and time I'd like it to be tweeted. As you can see, it will also auto-shrink URLs for me.

Keeping Track of my Twitter Activity

Because I don't just use Twitter for my jollies, but it's both a business tool and I need to understand it so we can advise clients properly — I want to keep an eye on my activity and monitor how I am balancing my tweets etc.

Twitterfriends allows me to see some very useful stats like how often am I being re-tweeted and or how many replies I am sending daily.

I can also compare my Twitter stats like stickiness (mine is 17% and Problogger's is 25%, for example) to other Tweeters. There are also some maps that show relevance, link usage and some other nice tools.

I know this was a very long post for me. I'm hoping it has been so helpful that you didn't notice or didn't mind. Stay tuned…I'm working on another couple of these making time posts.

If they’ll play on your site, they’ll pay on your site

October 29, 2009

Last year, I told you about Meijer, a 180 big box store in the Midwest and the very cool promotion they unleashed on Chicago and Cincinnati around Halloween. Their headless horseman rode wild through the streets…having some fun scaring the downtown crowd.

Well this year, they've upped the ante. They've created a 3D experience where you can "put on a mask" and record a Halloween greeting. Basically, it's a digital hologram called augmented reality. (Kevin Dugan explains it better than I can.)

Using this technology and your webcam, you can record a :30 video message wearing one of the masks and altering your voice to match the mask. Then, you can e-mail it to someone, or share it on Twitter or Facebook.

Come on…you know you want to try it. Go give it a spin here.

But…this isn't just for fun. Much like Office Max's Elf Yourself success (read about their PR results here and here) this is ultimately about selling product. PR is dandy, but are we moving product?

Yes, it will. But it doesn't happen overnight. Office Max and Meijer need to wrap their arms around the idea that this is a long term strategy. (And I suspect they both have) This is not a "put out a 20% off coupon and watch them flock in" sort of an effort. This is brand building. This is buzz building. This is about creating connections.

And when someone feels an affinity or connection to your business, eventually they'll come back and buy. I've said it before but…marketing is not a sprint, it's a marathon. And both Office Max and Meijer are proving they're in it for the long haul.

Confused stock boy…or brilliant product placement?

October 27, 2009

So simple…and yet so smart.

Check out where BBDO got grocery stores to stock Campbell Soup's Chicken Noodle soup.

Sometimes you don't have to spend millions on a campaign. You just have to ask a different question.

In this case:

"Would you be willing to stock some soup in your cold meds aisle?"

Smart, smart, smart.

Why every business needs a Google account

October 25, 2009

I am pretty sure that Google will someday rule the world. And while my "less governance is better governance" belief runs through every vein…I do have to say, "hail to the king!"

Here's why your business needs to have a Google account:

Google Local Business Center (www.google.com/lbc): The LBC is a free tool that enables business owners to control the content of their business listings as they appear in Google Search and Google Maps. All you have to do is claim your listing in the LBC and go through a quick verification process to get access to the following kinds of data:

Impressions: The number of times the business listing appeared as a result on a Google.com search or Google Maps search in a given period.
Actions: The number of times people interacted with the listing; for example, the number of times they clicked through to the business' website or requested driving directions to the business.
Top search queries: Which queries led customers to the business listing; for example, are they finding the listing for a cafe by searching for "tea" or "coffee"?
Zip codes where driving directions come from: Which zip codes customers are coming from when they request directions to your location.

Google Analytics (www.google.com/analytics/): Google Analytics is a web analytics solution that gives you rich insights into your website traffic and marketing effectiveness.

Powerful, flexible and easy-to-use features now let you see and analyze your traffic data in an entirely new way. With Google Analytics, you're more prepared to write better-targeted ads, strengthen your marketing initiatives and create higher converting websites.

Google Docs (docs.google.com): is a free, Web-based word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and form application offered by Google. You can import your existing documents, spreadsheets and presentations, or create new ones from scratch. You can invite people to your documents and make changes together, at the same time.

Google Calendar (calendar.google.com):

Share your schedule- web based
Get your calendar on the go
Never forget another event again with built in reminders via email or text
Send invitations and track RSVPs
Sync with your desktop applications(Outlook, iCal and Sunbird)
Work offline

Google Mail or GMail (mail.google.com): Gmail is the Google approach to email and chat. Practically unlimited free online storage allows you to collect all your messages, and Gmail's simple but very smart interface lets you find them precisely and see them in context without effort. POP and powerful IMAP access bring Gmail to any email program or device.

And I'm not even going to get into Google Wave, AdWords, or AdSense. If you want to read more about ALL of Google's tools, check out their Google Business Solutions page.

Bottom line — no business but especially no small or local business can afford not to take advantage of Google's free tools. Don't miss out.

The speed of change

October 23, 2009

I was checking out a presentation by Frank Striefler from TBWA\CHIAT\DAY & Media Arts Lab which is really smart and thought-provoking (check it out by clicking here) and was completely wow'd by a video he included in the presentation.

Not only is it well produced, but the facts and figures will remind you to stop and appreciate what a remarkable time we're living in. The world of communications (in the broadest sense of the word) is literally changing before our eyes.

I'd love to hear which statistic or commentary struck you as the most remarkable.

The cocktail party rule of social media

October 22, 2009

I gave a presentation yesterday at the Iowa Tourism conference. I had the opportunity to speak with 200+ tourism professionals who work in museums, casinos, publishers, convention and visitors bureaus, wineries, parks, hotels and just about everything in between. (They get to hear from Scott Ginsberg tomorrow!)

In my talk on social media, I used this graphic as one of my slides and talked abut my cocktail party rule of social media.

I thought you might find it of interest as well:

Imagine we meet at a cocktail party and strike up an initial conversation. As soon as we introduce ourselves, I begin talking. And talking. And talking.

The topic? Me. And then a little bit more about me. For some variety, I then tell you some great stories….starring me.

You’d be running for cover in about 5 minutes, wouldn’t you? No matter how fascinating I am.

Social media is a lot like a cocktail party. Imagine a large room, filled with interesting people. There are many conversations happening at once. People are talking about themselves, asking questions about the other person and then a common thread is discovered. Something that both people have in common. That’s when the conversation gets very lively and a connection is made.

And yet, when some businesses foray into social media, they are still operating under the old broadcast methods of marketing and communications. I talk about me (sell) and what matters to me (selling you stuff) and pretty soon, you’re tuning out or desperately looking for the exit.

That doesn’t work at a cocktail party and it doesn’t work on Twitter, Facebook, your blog or any other social media venue either.

If you want to be a part of a community or build a community — you do it online just like you’d do it offline. You mix and mingle. You share what you have — interest, expertise, connections, and your attention.

Then, when it’s your turn to talk — they’ll actually be ready to listen.

To find your nerve, find your core

October 20, 2009

A few months ago, I received an intriguing e-mail from a guy named Steve McKee. He had an idea.

He wanted to build "a website dedicated to supporting the community of corporate professionals who want to move beyond the economic morass and return their companies to the growth path. This grass roots effort is intended to help jump start corporations and, therefore, the economy."

Each day of the 4th quarter, they would have a different guest author address the issue of how do you get back your nerve and get back to some semblance of business as usual. As you know, I've been rallying against the paralysis caused by the recession (here, here and here) for quite some time so I jumped at the opportunity.

My contribution went live today and I'd like to:

Share it with you
Get your feedback
Ask you to share it with others

Here's how I started….

When the recession hit, many companies lost their nerve. They began to second-guess their own decisions. They compromised on what they believed was right because right was too expensive. They chased after business that wasn't really a good fit — because any business was better than the potential of no business.

And they lost their way. A side effect of being lost is being scared. Sometimes being scared leads to being paralyzed. In my opinion, that's why this recession got so bad.

We got scared and we got stuck.

It's time for us to find our nerve and get ourselves out of this recession. I highly doubt there's going to be a bailout for any of us.

So how do we break loose from our fear and get some nerve? We get back to our core.

Please check out the FindYourNerve.com site to read the rest.

While you're there, check out the rest of the site. There are polls, plenty of blog posts from some very smart folks, and some eye opening facts about the recession and advertising/marketing.

Also note that this is a very savvy effort on Steve's part to promote and sell his new book, When Growth Stalls. Rally the troops around something they're passionate about and they'll do whatever it takes to get the word out. And sell some books along the way.

The site is well done, Steve's intentions are honorable and I encourage you to check out the guest posts.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com

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