Passion Archives - Page 11 of 25 - McLellan Marketing Group

David Reich: Is Blogging Losing Steam?

November 26, 2007

Is blogging losing steam? Or maybe the better question is – Are bloggers losing steam?

Over the past several weeks I've noticed a number of posts and I've heard talk, online and off, about blogging overkill, causing some of us to be less active in the blogosphere. I've felt it myself somewhat, as my business has thankfully been very busy lately. That, coupled with personal commitments including being involved in a major election in my town, has taken my time and attention away from the web. But it seems to be not just me.

When I first began blogging back in February, I felt the need to post something new almost every day, following the example set by my mentor CK and some other blogs I'd been following, including this one. What a rush I felt when I'd get comments, especially if the comments were from bloggers I'd been reading, like Drew, Lewis, Gavin and Cam. And comments coming not just from around the nation, but from around the world. It spurred me to write even more. And my wife was feeling like a computer widow.

It's been interesting to see how some posts generate lots of comments and discussion, while others just sit there, unanswered. After my first posts that drew a blank, I wondered, "What did I do wrong?" But then I saw comments come in days or even weeks later. And I also realized that some posts are fairly complete, answering their own questions and leaving little room for discussion other than, perhaps, a polite comment like "Good post."

I've watched my daily readership grow, and I got picked up on some feeds, so I know that – comments or not – I'm not just talking to myself. I'm not on Mack's Viral Garden Top 25 list, but my Technorati authority has gone up and people are reading.

The first time I got jammed with work and let my blog go unchanged for four or five days, I felt terribly guilty, like I was playing hookey from school or sneaking out of work to go to the beach. But I was busy, and I guess nothing struck me at the moment as something worth writing about.

Around that time, I had coffee with Transmission Marketer Mark Goren, who was visiting from Montreal. He said he was having similar feelings and felt pressure to post more often. I told him, it's better to take a break for a few days than put up drivel just for the sake of having a fresh post. If I don't have something useful to say, I'd rather say nothing, I said.

So when I got busy in September, I took my own advice. I didn't post as often. I don't think my blog suffered and perhaps my readers appreciated the break, instead of being served mindless chatter.

I'm realizing that we're all busy and we're pulled in many directions – work, family, friends, hobbies and even relaxing. And some bloggers have migrated over to newer social media, exploring places like Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. They're still out there having discussions, but on other channels.

Steve Rubel wrote at Micro Persuasion a few weeks ago about Web 2.0 overkill and how the pioneering spirit he felt a few years back is giving way to the smell of money — cashing in. Hey, if the guys who developed Facebook and the others can reap big rewards for their efforts and their smarts, good for them. Many of us newbies still feel like pioneers, though. We are in the minority. Among my public relations peers and even among my marketing friends, I'm still a pioneer to them, plying what they see as the uncharted waters of blogging.

But there's definitely an undercurrent of talk about blogging losing steam. Some have posted about it, and a quick check around will turn up a number of once-active blogs that have slowed down or have gone silent for weeks at a time.

What do I make of this? I can only speak for myself and speculate, at best, about how others might feel. I still love this blogging stuff. It continues to give me the chance to write in my own voice about things that interest me and ideas and issues I'd like to share with others. The feedback, the camaraderie, and some new friendships that I'm sure will last have been rewarding and inspiring.

Posting every day? I don't feel the pressure now because I realize – call it, perhaps, blogger maturity – that it's better to wait till you have something of value to say than to say anything just to hear yourself talk. If I'm not as active all the time, it's just lack of time, not lack of interest.

So I don't think blogging is losing steam. Some who have been doing it for a while may be growing tired or bored, but there are still hundreds of new voices coming on line every day, and more conversations are popping up in other online venues besides blogs. As businesses learn how to utilize the blogosphere, blogging activity will continue to grow.

Losing steam? Hardly. It's full steam ahead for blogging.

Drew's Note: David Reich started Reich Communications in 1991 and blogs at My 2 Cents. He's worked for clients like RJR Nabisco, Gulf Oil, General Electric, and many more. When Age of Conversation broke, David was the guy who got us all the media play. Not only is he good…but he's most definitely one of the good guys.

Cam Beck: The Magic of Childhood

November 22, 2007

At first glance, the mission of Disney seems too simplistic to be useful. They create happiness. Perhaps it is simplistic, but simplicity is often the tool geniuses use to break down seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Although growing up is always fraught with both common and unique difficulties, for most, the word "childhood" conjures memories of carefree, sweet innocence and unconditional love. This is true even though not everyone had a great childhood.

While we were children, many times our ignorance about the ways of the world caused us to consider our minuscule problems to be all-consuming.

However, that w as before we were burdened with the curse of experience, which taught us how many responsibilities come with the freedom we craved. Foggy hindsight allows us to look at our childhoods more favorably than they were.

Who would know this better than Walt Disney himself? To say Walt's dad, Elias, grew up hard would be an understatement. And though I've not read anything to suggest that he, like his father before him, broke a fiddle on Walt's head for trying to sneak off to play at a dance, it is clear that his frequently unemployed father had little tolerance for whimsical activities typically associated with the young – and with Disney World.

How can this be?

What gives us the ability to look back at — if not our childhoods — at least the myth of our childhoods so affectionately is the capacity kids seem to have for persistent imagination. To children, make-believe isn't a state of mind; it is a way of life. The magic of childhood Walt Disney sought to harness might rightly be called the magic of symbolic and selective nostalgia.

Genius Principle #1
The first real genius in the mission is the illusion it reveals: Disney can no more create happiness than they can count the number of angels dancing on the head of a needle. They instead must rely on people's willingness to be led to happiness.

To get there, Disney relies on two self-evident truths.

Truth #1
No one can make happy those who have not granted permission first.

Truth #2
People want to be happy.

They want to occasionally shed the heavy shell, let down the guard life has taught them to keep, and feel as – not just children – but as they believe children should feel. They give themselves permission to make-believe, and they give Disney permission to deliver the experience that convinces them that magic is real. What's more, they'll pay through the nose for it.

Disney doesn't take advantage of this desire, though. Whereas other "theme" parks nickel and dime patrons through concessions and extras, Disney's are quite reasonable by comparison.

Genius Principle #2
The second genius in Disney's mission is that the delivery of value – call it "the happiness quotient" — beyond what is paid for keeps on giving to the visitors for years after the experience.

It's a value that patrons of the parks and resorts give back to Disney a hundredfold by telling the stories of their visit to friends, family, and even complete strangers in the right circumstances.

Even if they are never afforded an opportunity to return, they can still spread the message by remembering and reminiscing the joyfulness of their visit.

Walt Disney's greatest success was his ability to take a flawed idealism about childhood and deliver a vision for an extraordinary experience that would make people believe in the magic and basic goodness they believed in as kids.

It's a simple message, but one that has carried one of the world's great brands through all sorts of national and global turmoil.

Going Head-to-Head with Disney
Should your mission be so different? Your goal as someone who provides a product or service should be to either make people happy, provide people comfort, or both. The rest is details over the where, when, and how.

Perhaps you don't have the resources available to Disney. Very few do.

That doesn't mean you can't deliver on the simple promise to make people happy.

You might be surprised at what you can accomplish with a smile and the insatiable desire to get others to do it, too.

Drew's Note: Cam Beck works at Click Here and blogs at ChaosScenario. He's about as straight a shooter as you'll ever meet and his posts are rarely just about marketing. They typically take you to a much deeper place. Like Greg and Gavin before him…he's one of the good guys!

Greg Verdino: Love Your Haters!

November 20, 2007

I've discovered a surefire way to get a room full of marketers to go quiet. Just bring up the notion of reaching out and bonding with the consumers that hate their brand the most. Just a few weeks ago, I suggested this very thing to a client. You could hear a pin drop in that room.

Now, I've written about the notion of "loving your haters" at my own blog and to me it seems like a no brainer. You seek out the people who are your most vocal detractors and you listen — and I mean really listen — to all the reasons they don't like you and how they think you might improve. You engage them directly, show them why you do things the way you do them, and make them full fledged partners in helping you turn around. You actually implement some of the things that they'd like to see.

At a minimum, you get some great ideas for how you can make your business better. Beyond that, you might even earn yourself some new customers, committed fans who feel like they were part of the solution.

After all, isn't that why people complain in the first place? Not simply to let you know you've let them down but also to prod you along the path toward better business. Right?
I admit that I live inside the social media "echo chamber" where any conversation — even disagreement (maybe disagreement most of all) — is good conversation. And I'll also admit that, out there in the real world, not every detractor has your best interests in mind; some people really do want to see you go down. But if someone has taken the time to let you know that you've let them down — by calling your customer support line, by writing a letter, by complaining to their sales rep or (increasingly) by writing a negative blog post, uploading a video to YouTube or starting a negative thread in an online forum — isn't that exactly the kind of person you should engage?

McDonalds did this very thing earlier this year, when they put together a small panel of health- conscious moms and asked them to provide their unvarnished feedback about the restaurant and its menu choices. Was this a risky move? You bet — after getting a bit of an inside look at McDonalds any one of these moms could have walked away with a worse impression of the brand, and gone on to tell their entire network of (real world and online) friends about it. But one look at the women's public and (to my knowledge) unedited journals show that the gamble paid off. That's some pretty powerful marketing, if you ask me.

And here's the thing — you don't need to be a Fortune 100 company to do this kind of thing. I'd bet that any business — no matter how small — can find five or six unhappy customers or (even better) former customers who left after a bad experience. Find them. Make contact. Bring them in. Let them know what you're doing and why. But most importantly, get them to talk about what they would do differently and how they think their recommended changes would benefit your current customers — and win you new ones.
What's the alternative? Let the feedback get worse and worse until you have a real problem on your hands? Sure, I suppose that could work…

So think about it — what are some of the ways your company can partner with its biggest critics to have real, positive impact on your business? And if anyone out there is already headed down this path, I'd love to hear your stories – I'm sure Drew would too.

Drew's Note: Greg Verdino is Chief Strategy Officer for Crayon and writes his own blog as well. Greg's blog is a great place to keep track of trends in media and marketing, especially in the arena of new media and marketing disruption. He's an in demand speaker and all around great guy.

I still wish I had written this

November 14, 2007

Very early in my blogging life, long before you began to read what I had to say…I discovered one of the finest, most precise bits of copywriting that I have ever seen. I've decided that I needed to bring it back around, because I really want to share it with you.

It is the best of copywriting…both form and function supporting the core message.

Selfishly, as a writer, I also love that it clearly demonstrates that memorable copy is not accidental. This is a work of art.

I felt a surge of both admiration and envy when I saw this. Stick with it for the entire two minutes. The twist is worth the wait.

I hope we all aspire to be this good at something!

Good is good enough?

November 12, 2007

Unless you are a very rare organization, someone else out there sells what you sell. Insurance, an education, a widget, wisdom & insights, a phone. There is no such thing as a totally unique product or service any more.

Let's assume your product is good. And so is your competition's. Taking your product to the next notch — very good should mean you could sell more, right?

Wrong. Unless you create a whole new product, a slight improvement isn't going to move market share. (It may make you more profitable though!) We are surrounded by me-too products and companies. Can you even think of a product or service that is unique?

Product performance marketing isn't enough anymore. So, now what?

If we can't sell based on our product and we don't want to sell on price, what's left? Your brand. The buying experience. That's the only place left for differentiation. You need to look for and recognize your exceptional difference. And, you need to make every contact with you be a memorable experience.

A marketer's job is to help the potential client make an emotional connection to your company, product or service. This requires a well-planned, consistent, repetitive branding strategy that is aimed at specific prospects.

How's your branding strategy? Is it working throughout your entire organization, not just in your ads or on your website? Is it something every employee can understand, explain and actually believe?

The Marketing Minute made the grade!

November 7, 2007

I’m always astonished at the amount of time some bloggers generously pour into providing resources for their readers.

Mack Collier has created the top 25 marketing blogs and now John Crickett over at Business Opportunities and Ideas has created the top 100 Business blogs list.

I’m proud to say that this blog is #25 on John’s list. More important…John has compiled an amazing list of resources for all of us. Even if you just explore one a day, you’ll have quite the adventure!

The blogs are listed in order of their Technorati rankings (T), their Alexa rankings (A) are show as well. The rankings are correct at the time of posting.

1. Business Opportunities Weblog T: 12 A: 16,213
2. Copy Blogger T: 36 A: 7,825
3. Seth Godin T: 47 A: 10,314
4. MicroPersuasion T: 169 A: 33,643
5. How To Change The World T: 180 A: 14,709
6. Duct Tape Marketing T: 215 A: 31,714
7. Freelance Switch T: 312 A: 10,638
8. A VC T: 1,226 A: 27,737
9. Rough Type T: 1,253 A: 69,429
10. Successful Blog T: 1,432 A: 44,935
11. Small Business Canada T: 1,517 A: N/A
12. David Allen, Getting Things Done T: 1,549 A: 53,592
13. Springwise T: 1,913 A: 23,858
14. Small Biz Trends T: 2,155 A: 63,364
15. Fast Company T: 2,310 A: 12,141
16. Instigator Blog T: 2,477 A: 58,816
17. Occam’s Razor T: 2,548 A: 45,541
18. Smart Wealthy Rich T: 2,879 A: 79,415
19. eMoms At Home T: 3,443 A: 27,125
20. Escape from Cubicle Nation T: 3,467 A: 202,751
21. The Marketing Technology Blog T: 3,496 A: 47,038
22. Business Pundit T: 3,724 A: 114,669
23. The Engaging Brand T: 4,404 A: 433,644
24. Influential Marketing Blog T: 4,779 A: 98,886
25. Drew McLellan – The Marketing Minute T: 4,820 A: 129,669
26. The Digerati Life T: 4,873 A: 53,353
27. Success From The Nest T: 4,908 A: 95,008
28. Business Blog Consulting T: 5,186 A:237,901
29. Church Of The Customer T: 5,576 A: 250,201
30. Todd And T: 5,643 A: 161, 019
31. Net Business Blog T: 5,936 A: 36,107
32. Don Dodge on The Next Big Thing T: 6,583 A: 92,784
33. Bootstrapper T: 7,497 A: 50,304
34. About.com Entrepreneurs T: 7,797 A: N/A
35. Blogtrepreneur T: 7,897 A: 53,011
36. Branding & Marketing T: 8,200 A: 710,326
37. Simplenomics T: 10,252 A:288,753
38. Freelance Folder T: 10,543 A: 63,590
39. HELLO, My Name Is Blog T: 11,395 A: 422,218
40. Self Made Minds T: 11,704 A: 39,719
41. Sox First T: 12,894 A: 994,161
42. Young Go Getter T: 14,239 A: 45,373
43. Trust Matters T: 15,462 A: 58,403
44. Small Biz Survival T: A: 18,074 A: 875,069
45. The Personal MBA T: 19,207 A: 142,649
46. The Entrepreneurial Mind T: 21,958, A: 155,166
47. Blog Business World T: 23,025 A: 252,405
48. Working At Home On The Internet T: 23,247 A: 423,900
49. Biz Informer T: 24,631 A: 904,745
50. EmpowerWomenNow T: 25,837 A: 117,085
51. Biz Plan Hacks T: 27,048 A: 1,335,732
52. CreateBusinessGrowth T: 32,949 A:197,290
53. Business Opportunities and Ideas T: 33,205 A: 282,805
54. The KISS Business T: 35,496 A: 621,082
55. Startup Spark T: 35,747 A: 386,949
56. Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing Blog T: 41,092 A: 467,418
57. MindPetals T: 41,714 A: 128,487
58. Marketing Deviant T: 43,764 A: 281,072
59. Go Big Network T: 44,842 A: 25,303
60. Cool Business Ideas T: 49,679 A: 187,126
61. Neville’s Financial Blog T: 52,048 A: 140,296
62. Atlantic Canada’s Small Business Blog :T 52,589 A: 795,253
63. College Startu p T: 53,143 A: 184,398
64. Reflections Of A Biz Driven Life T: 79,365 A: 361,398
65. Branding Blog T: 93,462 A: 1,110,518
66. Carnival Of The Capitalists T: 93,462 A: 1,897,375
67. Young Entrepreneur T: 104,933 A: 26,491
68. Marketing Genius T: 132,066 A: 2,222,119
69. Better For Business T: 137,774 A: 590,797
70. The Small Business Blog T: 140,824 A: 577,490
71. Focused Mind T: 162,356 A: 520,971
72. Small Business Tips T: 166,367 A: 74,005
73. Lifes Perspective T: 194,358 A: 179,801
74. Business Opportunities Blog T: 199,700 A: 832,678
75. The Savvy Entrepreneur T: 224,227 A: 391,147
76. Egg Marketing Blog T: 231,062 A: 740,867
77. The Franchise King Blog T: 273,240 A: 520,732
78. Small Business Entrepreneur T: 317,977 A: 883,094
79. The Great Startup Game T: 331,293 A: 421,492
80. Work At Home Start Up Guide T: 345,597 A: 1,190,178
81. Dorm Room Biz T: 360,865 A: 957,072
82. Startup Blog T: 377,609 A: 2,552,189
83. Open Innovators T: 395,824 A: 1,230,257
84. Get Entrepreneurial T: 437,475 A: 446,085
85. Bplans Blog T: 437,475 A: 1,373,525
86. Stuff4Restaurants T: 461,534 A: 298,982
87. Canadian Entrepreneur T: 484,461 A: 237,901
88. Strategize T: 487,964 A: 2,856,731
89. The Marketing Spot T: 587,893 A: 2,550,840
90. The Ravings Of A Mad Entrepreneurial Scientist T: 587,893 A: 566,836
91. More Than We Know T: 871,446 A: 2,964,420
92. Solo Entrepreneur T: 1,212,405 A: 471,491
93. Stuff4Business T: 1,391,575 A: 298,982
94. Consultant Journal T: 4,262,598 A: 667,342
95. Startup Addict Musings T: 4,446,976 A: 1,03390,690
96. Edith Yeung T: 8,911,336 A: 125,290
97. Boostrap Me T: 8,911,336 A: 550,348
98. The Selling Sherpa T: Not Listed A: 772,292
99. BizzBangBuzz T: Not Listed A: 1,484,797
100. The Freestyle Entrepreneur T: Not Listed A: 1,519,518

Enjoy the bounty!

Age of Conversation: Three months later

October 29, 2007

A little over 3 months ago, we launched Age of Conversation with our fingers crossed. We came screaming out of the gate.

103 authors, most of whom have never looked each other in the eyes. From 10 different countries. Working together for a common vision — to publish a book they could be proud of and raise money for the world’s children.

So, how are we doing so far?

In the 90+ days since our launch, together we have raised $10,380.81! (That’s 1,351 books)

That’s the good news. The bad news is that 98% of those sales took place in the first 60 days.

It’s time to prove that we know how to market. The holidays are coming and Age of Conversation would make a great gift for clients, business partners, family or friends.

We’ve got a couple ideas up our sleeve but would love to get some from you too. How can we get AoC back on the radar screen and on everyone’s wish list this holiday season?

Could we raise another $10,000 in the next 90 days?

Grow or die. How’s that for simple?

October 21, 2007

A business cannot remain stagnant for long. You either grow or you wither up and die. Now remember that grow doesn’t necessarily mean you get bigger. Maybe you just get more efficient and more profitable. But somewhere, there needs to be growth.

Bob Bloom (former US Chairman and CEO of Publicis Worldwide) has created a free e-book called Bloom on Growth. In the e-book, he’s pulled some money quotes out of his new book, The Inside Advantage, which will be available in early November.

Here’s my favorite. Probably because I’ve been preaching this for eons.

“You can deliberately influence your customer’s entire experience with your firm or you can simply let it happen.”

We all know this is true. We feel it when we walk into an Apple Store or fly Southwest. So why do you think most businesses do not do this for their own business?

Is it too hard?
Too expensive?
Too time consuming?
Do they not know how?

What do you think?

Join us for breakfast and some branding tomorrow?

October 2, 2007

As you know, we MMGers are passionate about branding. So much so that we want to share it with the business world. That’s why two years ago, we started hosting our monthly Branding Breakfast.

October’s Branding Breakfast is tomorrow. Other than the fact that it’s at the crack of dawn — it’s a good time. You can enjoy a hot breakfast and a lively discussion about branding and how it could be applied to your business.

Here are the particulars:

Wednesday, October 3rd (7:30 am – 8:30 am)
Workforce Development Office
430 East Grand
Downtown Des Moines

We hope you can join in the fun!

My next cover? Rolling Stone.

September 28, 2007

I've always thought of myself as cover boy material. But I was okay with starting small. Not any more!

Thanks to Age of Conversation and Arun Rajagopal, Gavin Heaton and I have hit the big time! Stealing straight from Arun's announcement:

We are the cover story of the Dubai-based Khaleej Times ‘Weekend’ magazine today! What an awesome way to celebrate ‘AOC’. KT’s feature writer Pratibha Umashankar pulled out all the stops to write ‘Mind Blogging’, a brilliant story on ‘AOC’ that also explores the following questions:
o What are the advantages of blogging?
o The implications of ‘blooking’ both commercially and from a readership point of view vis-à-vis conventional publishing
o The future of blogging and citizen journalism
o Implications of blogging in terms of news value

Several of the other AoC authors are also shown, holding their copy of the book.

The lesson? Never ever underestimate the power of collaboration and the spirit of giving first. Thanks to all the AoC authors and especially Arun for making this possible. Hopefully it means we will break a new milestone for our Variety donation!

What do you think I should wear for the Rolling Stone's cover shoot?

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