Greg Verdino

Writing what you know and knowing what you write

Earlier this morning, I posed a question to my Twitter community:

Here's what some of my followers had to say:

 

Mostly what you'd expect, but with a few (reasonable) dissenting opinions thrown in for good measure.

I'd love my blog readers to chime in as well, but let me add some additional context.

First, my question isn't just about Twitter -- the same could be asked of any new experience, but since Twitter is the current media darling and since I posed the question on Twitter it was a good hook to spark conversation. 

Second, because of my own frame of reference (and the focus of this blog) I was thinking mostly about the coverage of Twitter from a business and marketing perspective.  As a marketer, should you be taking your cues about if, how and when to add Twitter into your mix from someone who writes for a reputable industry publication, very well may be a solid journalist, but is basing their POV and advice on second and third hand knowledge? So while, to @seanscogin's and @jmoonah's valid points, a journalist couldn't possibly be expected (or required) to experience everything they write about first hand (drug abuse, violent crime, war, disease, tragic loss) it doesn't seem too much to ask that a media and marketing reporter actually make the time to get at least some first hand experience about new media and marketing tools before writing articles advising agency and brand people about how to think about those tools.

Third, while my question was specifically about journalists you can, of course, ask the same about practitioners. It takes the form of the commonly asked, sometimes debated, question of whether a social media consultant needs to be personally active in social media. In my opinion, the answer to that question is a resounding yes, so should the answer be any different for a reporter covering the media/marketing beat?

Finally, I should point out that - yes - my question was spurred by a piece I read this morning by an ad industry reporter who, as far as I can tell (and it isn't that hard to tell), isn't on Twitter. I won't name names; kudos to you if you can suss out who it is. :-)

Have at it, gang.

Search ads are now more clickable than ever

Like most marketers nowadays, I understand the importance of both organic and paid search as key components of the digital media plan but (confession time) I don't have even half a clue about how SEO or SEM really work -- or how to optimize either to deliver maximum results.  Sure, I know enough to hire someone who knows more than I do when my clients ask me for help with search. And I've somehow managed to dominate the first page of Google results for my own name but don't ask me to tell you how. I don't know.

But I'd like to learn more.

Enter Clickable's Max Kalehoff, an innovative program he has been spearheading to help marketers get the most out of their search initiatives, and a free e-book that presents some best-in-class thinking about search.

In Max's own words (from the Clickable blog):

When I joined Clickable in late 2007, we began assembling a team of experts dedicated to public service - to help struggling marketers succeed in search advertising. We named them "the Clickable Gurus." For over a year, they've contributed expertise directly to hundreds of marketers in popular online communities, face-to-face, and on this blog. They've indirectly helped tens of thousands of marketers by leaving a permanent record of their wisdom and teachings on the Web. Indeed, the Clickable Gurus have been one of Clickable's most valuable investments to listen and connect with the search-marketing community. As a result, we've made better products for our customers. We all thank the Gurus for their great work, including: Andrew Bernero, Hanny Hindi, Trace Johnson, Ehren Reilly and Tony Soric...

To commemorate the Clickable Gurus' debut after one year of undercover service, we've released the first anthology of their teachings... The Guru's Guide To Better Search Engine Marketing is full of practical tips and best practices that demystify search and help marketers succeed. Just like Clickable's award-winning products, the Guru's Guide is simple and accessible to beginners, yet equally valuable for advanced search-marketing professionals.

If you're all geeked-out on digital you can download the free electronic version of the Guru's Guide. If you prefer good old fashioned wood pulp, Clickable offers a $10 hard copy through LuLu.com. They're also offering free hard copies to blogger who promise to write reviews -- not the reason for this post by the way. This isn't a review and I haven't read the book yet, but if you blog and think you'd like to review it you can get the details from Max's post.

To extend a great-sounding program and promising book, they also offer online forums where you can interact with the Gurus, ask questions, get answers and add your own advice. And they're running a contest that gives search experts an opportunity to vie for their own place in Clickable's Guru gang.

And finally, like all good content marketing efforts, this one supports Clickable's own brand positioning as "a trusted advisor" that helps clients make better search marketing decisions, is bound to generate enough social media buzz to fill at least a few big plastic cups with some extra Google juice, and (the clincher) actually intriques me enough to make me want to find out what that actually means.

I hope you find The Guru's Guide useful. Feel free to drop a comment with your own thoughts.

Book 'em Verdino: announcing microMARKETING

I'm excited to announce that I've inked a deal with McGraw-Hill for the publication of my first business book, microMARKETING: A Breakthrough Approach to Building Brands by Thinking and Acting Small.

If the title alone isn't enough to clue you in, I'd like to give you an idea of the ground I'll cover in the book.  Here's a bit of how I described the book in the proposal itself:

A media revolution is underway, fueled by a micro-content phenomenon that is shifting the balance of power from mass communications to masses of communicators.  This shift plays out daily on blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Ustream and other social sites.  It’s in the notion that an otherwise normal individual can use social media and low-end technology to become a micro-celebrity with a significant following.  It’s in the viral effect that takes hold when even one online influencer (in essence a one-person media outlet) sparks a conversation that makes or breaks a brand.  It’s in the shift in behavior that is turning the smart phone into the “first screen” for Gen Y and many increasingly-mobile Gen Xers.  It’s in the shift from watching 60 minute television shows interrupted by 30-second advertisements, to watching 30-second pieces of online video content with no advertisements at all.  It’s even in the changing of our expectations of product design and retail sales, giving rise to dozens of successful small businesses and individuals (think Threadless, think Etsy, think Mimobot, think Lemonade) that can create and sell enough high quality, unique or custom merchandise at a premium to shoppers for whom choice and individuality matter more than convenience and price. 

These are exciting times, but they can also be scary times for marketers who have been trained to think that bigger is better, and for whom the excesses and successes of the past 50 or so years – big budgets for major media ad campaigns designed to sell mountains of product through big-box retailers – seem to be the only way to build a big brand.  For better or worse, the new reality is that the old way doesn’t work so well anymore. Simply put, micro-content and macro-marketing don’t mix – and trying to maintain the status quo while consumer behaviors and expectations change amounts to little more than a recipe for failure.

Enter micromarketing – a new approach to building brands, marketing products and services, and growing meaningful long-term customer (and corporate) value.  Micromarketing emphasizes relationships over reach, interactions over interruption, and the network effect over the broadcast network.  It is built upon the premise that the “next big thing” is really lots and lots of small things, and that to survive and thrive, even the biggest marketers must think and act small (make that “micro”), too. 

microMARKETING is not a "Twitter book."  Puh-leeze... In signature Verdino-style, I will aim to help marketers understand the larger trends that are driving the popularity of tools like Twitter and what the real world implications are for businesses (even if Twitter itself -- or Facebook or YouTube, for that matter -- goes away), but my focus will be aimed squarely at the big picture.  I also don't plan to trot out the same ol' tired social media case studies.  In fact, one key piece of my approach is to help large companies understand how to thrive in the era of micro-content and micro-culture by taking lessons from the people and organizations that are involved in the revolution at the grassroots level.  In other words, I'll be looking at what the biggest of big corporations should learn from "whatever experts." 

Again, from the proposal:

Over the past several years, social media has evolved from a trend to watch to an irrefutable fact of life for marketers of all sizes.  Now – before most companies have even gotten social media right – the mainstreaming of micro-content services, the ubiquity of powerful low-cost handheld technology (from Internet-ready phones to consumer-grade HD cameras) and the rise of DIY culture promise to change the rules of consumer engagement yet again.  It is important to understand how these changes impact our ability to build brands, manage customer relationships and drive sales today, and this will only become more important over the coming years as more and more consumers flock to the technologies that are powering the shift.

On the flipside, it is also important that marketers not get swept up in the hype surrounding a single tool or tactic, losing sight of the bigger implications for their businesses.  As has happened with core social media tools like blogging, podcasting and social networking (and short-lived fads like Second Life), marketers now run the risk of not seeing the forest for the trees – of jumping on the “Twitter bandwagon” with short-lived, ill-advised tactics that do little to impact their businesses.   

On the one hand, microMARKETING educates decision makers about larger trends and what they mean for companies who are looking to more effectively engage consumers through new digital channels.  On the other hand, it delivers tangible and practical case studies, stories, tips and tricks from familiar competitors (other large corporations) and unlikely sources of inspiration (micro-businesses and individual creators.)

microMARKETING is slated for a May/June 2010 release.  I need to hand in the final manuscript by mid-October.  Needless to say, I've got my work cut out for me over the next few months.

That may mean less blogging for the next few months, although I'll still try to post here at least once/week.  And you should stay tuned for periodic updates on the book, my progress and the process.  Hell, I may even ask you for some input along the way.

Finally, I'd like to thank the good folks at McGraw-Hill -- especially Donya Dickerson -- and my agent Ethan Friedman at LevelFive Media.

Good times, ahead...

The problem with paid media isn't the "paid"

This morning I searched Google for blog posts about two seemingly related phrases. 

The first search -- for "earned media" -- delivered nearly 7,000 results and every link on the first page pointed to a marketing blogger writing about the concept of unpaid media mentions, impressions or coverage (with media, in this case, including consumer generated content on social sites and elsewhere.)  Every one of the top 10 results represents a blog post written within the past 30 days, including an Ad Age Digital Next article citing a speech by the well-respected NYC venture capitalist Fred Wilson in which he advises marketers to focus more on earned media than on paid media.  Sage advice, kinda...

My second search -- for the similar phrase "earned attention" -- delivered fewer than 500 results and displayed not a single marketing blog post within the first page of links.  Digging deeper, I did find a post by Max Kalehoff in which he wrote of the central role of "earned attention" in the integrated marketing mix.  He published this particular post in 2007.

"Earned media" even has its own Wikipedia entry.  Alas, "earned attention" doesn't.

Earned media isn't a new concept, of course.  If you need a definition, it refers to any effort by which a marketer gains unpaid publicity through either mainstream outlets like television, radio or print, digital outlets like traditional web publishers, or social media outlets like blogs, communities, forums or podcasts.  These media mentions might be earned through PR or just by doing something that garners positive word-of-mouth -- but the distinguishing characteristic is that your brand appears in the media without your company writing a check to media sellers.  This stands in marked contrast to paid media marketing approaches like advertising, sponsorships and product placements.

Much of the current conversation (7,000 blog posts and one high profile speech by Fred Wilson) ponders whether the rises in social media and consumer-to-consumer influence, along with the corresponding faltering of mass advertising's effectiveness, have ushered in an age where earned media reigns supreme over paid media.

This is a fair question and one worth considering, but it also misses the mark by a mile.  Why?  Because whether you earn your media or buy it, the very concept of media (as we use it in marketing, at least) puts corporations -- rather than consumers -- at the center of the value equation.  Really, the only meaningful distinction between paid media and earned media is whether or not the marketer (or it's agency) is writing a check for the privilege of bleating its message out.  They are different ways of saying what you want to say, but they are both still ways of saying -- when what you really want is to be heard.  You don't just want to get in front of people; you actually want to get their attention.

Soooooo... marketers really need to focus not on earned media but on "earned attention." 

Although it may seem like it, I am not arguing about semantics.  Media conveys -- it delivers impressions, reach and share of voice.  If you said that media (paid, earned or otherwise) provides the means of garnering attention, I probably wouldn't argue (assuming your definition of media was broad enough to include consumer generated content.)  But even a means of gaining attention doesn't guarantee you've actually got someone's attention.

The brutal fact is that, whether your company's message found its way into media by purchase or by persuasion, it has never been easier for consumers to get the content they want without really paying attention to the corporate messages they don't.  We all TiVo past 30-second spots, flip by print ads without a glance and contract an acute case of banner blindness whenever we surf the web.  We also casually skim news stories, picking out the highlights without digesting the details -- or glaze over when the hosts of Good Morning America prattle on about some uninteresting topic or another.  In all of these instances, the media themselves (never mind the companies who have paid or earned their way into those media) have flat-out failed to earn our attention.

Attention is a scarce resource.  Far scarcer these days than media inventory or marketing budgets.  And with scarcity comes value.  Speaking as a consumer (because, of course, we are all consumers before we're marketers): if you want my attention -- even a teeny tiny slice of it, even only for a few moments -- you have got to earn it.  Period.

Does the fact that you have enough money to name a stadium or advertise during prime time get my attention?  If I'm Adweek, yes.  If I'm Joe America, probably not.  Does the fact that your PR person worked hard to get some reporter or another to sit through a briefing that resulted in a newspaper puff piece get my attention?  Not a chance.  So much for earned media.  Right? 

Earned attention isn't about paid vs unpaid.  It isn't even necessarily about where your messages appear or who served as the mouthpiece to deliver those messages.  That debate amounts to little more than sibling rivalry between ad brothers and PR sisters.  In fact, (as a consumer) I probably don't care if you buy advertising or earn coverage to reach me, provided that whatever I see or hear is meaningful and relevant to me. 

And therein lies the bottomline - I don't care...  Not "me" per se -- of course I care (about you, more than about anyone else) but normal people really and truly don't.  They are living busy, complicated lives and your marketing and communications matter very, very little in the grand scheme of things.

You earn attention by making people care -- by giving them a reason to stop what they're doing and take notice.  And you make people care by giving them something they can care about.  This could be a great product, a stand-out customer experience, a noteworthy new approach or something to talk about.  You make people care by making it all about them, by demonstrating that you cared first.

This isn't easy.  In fact, it's damn hard.  Certainly much harder than buying or earning media impressions.  But it's absolutely central to the success of your marketing efforts, because until you've earned your consumers' attention there's little chance they'll reward you with their interest, loyalty and hard earned money.

So -- ummm -- can someone explain to me why nobody seems to be talking about how marketers can earn attention instead of debating the different ways of gaining media placements?

Are you a 'middle finger marketer'?

If there's a corollary to the maxim, "there's no sound sweeter than the sound of your own name," it's probably, "there's no sight sweeter to a brand marketer than the sight of her own logo."

Earlier this week, I was traveling for business and it was the typical airline experience.  Oversold flight, not enough pillows or blankets, insufficient overhead baggage space (probably caused, at least in part, by the fear of mishandled luggage and incremental fees for checked bags) and not even a free package of peanuts for those of us crammed into coach.  But I travel enough so I'm used to it -- what can you do?  In fact, as far as travel days go, this flight was by no means atypical and I might even say the experience was better than others I've suffered through.  You with me?  OK...

So we land and I grab a cab downtown for the first meeting of the trip.  My route took me past one of the city's pro sports stadiums -- and atop the stadium's upper tier, erected in humongous light-up letters, I see the logo of this very same airline.

So I'm thinking, naming rights for a stadium probably costs somewhere in the neighborhood of a zillion dollars, all for the privilege of creating an impression with (or just impressing?) local sports fans and random drivers-by.  How is it possible that the airline can justify an advertising (sorry - sports marketing) spend of this magnitude but can't justify spending that same budget to make the customer experience better?

Seriously -- think about all the things this airline might have done for customers if they hadn't already sunk their money into stadium naming rights.  Lower fares?  Lower (or no) fees for the first checked bag?  A few more pillows?  A coach-class snack?  There are probably a dozen or more ways they might have (even ever so slightly) delivered a superior consumer experience that could get flyers talking in positive ways -- rather than griping about giant logos perched atop the cheap seats.

You've no doubt noticed that I haven't named the airline.  This post isn't even really about the airline.  It's about all of us.  If we work as client-side marketers, we've no doubt been lured at one time or another to invest a six- or seven-figure sum in a splashy sponsorship, flashy web temple or major media event.  If we're agency guys, we've no doubt recommended one (or many) of these things and ensured our clients that there is clear ROI in flushing money down the toilet.

Cuz clearly there's no ROI in spending money on the very people who spend money with you, is there?  (sarcasm intended)

Sorry people, but this is "middle finger marketing."  It's marketing at, rather than marketing for.  It's investing in the promise of new business rather than in the reality of your current clients.  It has more to do with your ego than it does with your customers.  And to your customers, it probably amounts to something akin to a tacit "screw you" -- so don't be surprised when your customers reply with, "no, screw YOU."

Am I saying that all traditional marketing is bad?  Nope.  But I am saying that, as marketers, we all need to make sure we have our priorities straight.  If times are tough for your company, they're just as tough (if not more so) for the people who do business with your company.  Instead of flipping customers the bird, you should be reaching out your hand, patting them on the back and letting them know that you're doing what you can to help

Is status status or does context count?

Having gotten annoyed one too many times by friends feeding their Twitter updates directly into their Facebook status field, devoid of relevance and context -- do I really need updates like "@twitterbuddy17 lolz for realz.;-P" cluttering up my mini-feed? -- I updated my Facebook status to vent my frustration.

An interesting debate ensued.  See below to read what some of my FB friends had to say.  What do you think?  Is status status or does context count?

Discuss social with me: 2009 Mprofs B2B Forum

The MarketingProfs Business-to-Business Forum was one of my favorite conferences of 2008.  I debuted my r u ready presentation to a roomful of marketers, met lots of great people and had tons of fantastic hallway conversations.  So this year, I'm going back for more -- but with a twist.  Rather than giving a stand-up presentation, I'll be leading a small, interactive discussion designed to give 30 or so marketers practical ideas for how to do social media marketing right and deliver real results.

This year's B2B Forum takes place on June 8th and 9th at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel, with my session happening at 11am on the 9th.  The details are still coming together, but here's what participants can expect:

What Will Social Media Do for My Business?

June 9th, 11:00am - 12:15pm

Have you been asking yourself this question?  Many b2b marketers want to get involved in social media but aren't sure where to start or what the value really is.  Join us for this interactive exchange of ideas between social media experts and attendees.  This session promises to be a lively discussion about how you can use social media to enhance your marketing programs and achieve a higher ROI.  You'll learn not only from the panel experts but from your peers facing similar challenges.

Sound interesting?  Of course it does.

You can learn more and register at the MarketingProfs site.

Obama's marketing man spits the truth

As regular readers may recall, I spoke at the American Marketing Association's Mplanet conference.  One of the event's keynoters was Larry Grisolano, a senior member of the marketing team for Barack Obama's presidential campaign.  Given that lots of industry publications and pundits have lauded the Obama campaign as the marketing story of the year, I thought you might be interested in taking a look at the AMA's lengthy video interview with Larry in which he talks about how Team Obama leveraged new marketing channels and engaged young voters, and then goes on to answer some questions submitted by a handful of bloggers. 

AMA Mplanet 2009 - Interview with Larry Grisolano from AMA Mplanet 2009 on Vimeo.

[Feed and email readers, click through to watch the video.]

Social Graces: coming to a laptop near you

Stunning images, pithy headlines, my trademark rapier-sharp wit and copious amounts of full frontal nudity.

The new, expanded version of my "Social Graces" presentation offers all of that and more.  But if you want to know what the purty pictures really mean, you've gotta hear the talk track that goes with the slides.  And if you want to hear the talk track, then you need to register for my MarketingProfs seminar, going down this Thursday (January 22nd, 2009) at noon eastern.

Just in case you can't attend -- or if you have an uncontrollable jones for instant gratification -- here are the slides I'll be speaking to.  Ooh, I'm such a tease...

Social Graces (January 2009)

[Feed and email readers, click through for the embedded slides.]

Want '09 predictions? How about 50 of them?

Yep, it's that time of year again -- time for the marketing bloggerati to polish up their crystal balls and make some bold statements about what you can expect in the coming year.  And you, faithful readers, scour the web looking for even just a few useful nuggets from your favorite bloggers and industry pundits.

Well, this year Peter Kim has done everyone the favor of gathering 2009 predictions from some of the sharpest minds in marketing and social media, and pulling them together in a single eBook that contains 50 or so clear-eyed, thought provoking ideas about what the next 12 months hold for media, marketing and the web.

As one of the contributors, I've had the opportunity to read everyone's predictions and can say for sure that you'll want to download a copy right away.  Lots and lots of good stuff -- from a great cross-section of the blogging community, representing a variety of different points of view.

If you want a flavor for what the eBook has to offer, check out these thought starters from Pete's 14 Nostadami (Pete himself contributes an intro and some takeaways rather than his own predictions.)

• "Although it is now cheaper to launch an initiative leveraging Web 2.0 technology - it requires qualified and passionate people to make them successful." - David Armano
• "You may not always start the year as a leader, but you can certainly finish it that way." - Rohit Bhargava
• "Intimacy touches emotion; emotion powers conversation." - Pete Blackshaw
• "Doors are going to close all over the social web. Why? Because the money didn't come the way people thought it would." - Chris Brogan
• "The tipping point has not only *not* been reached, but could still tilt *away* from Social Media." - Todd Defren
• "There's a lot of fixing that needs to be done." - Jason Falls
• "Dwindling budgets suddenly make low-cost social media look like the pretty girl at the ball." - Ann Handley
• "We're going to develop a set of better metrics to help guide, direct and validate 'commitment'." - Joseph Jaffe
• "The movement is rooted in a desire to have quality, not quantity, as people cocoon in the face of the economic crisis." - Charlene Li
• "After a pre-qualifying wrestling match..." - Ben McConnell
• "These will be cumulative events and interactions that will build brand loyalty for the companies that pay attention to them." - Scott Monty
• "The recession will force revenue results out of social technologies." - Jeremiah Owyang
• "Companies that focus on earning love will thrive during hard times, and kick ass when good times return." - Andy Sernovitz
• "Suddenly, being Facebook friends with your mom will seem less ridiculous than following 4,000 strangers on Twitter." - Greg Verdino

But these 14 soundbites only hint at the smart ideas contained in the full eBook -- so be sure to download the complete thang.

As for me, I'll most likely expand on some of my own predictions right here on my blog over the coming few weeks.  In the meantime, I'm sure Pete and the other authors would love to hear your feedback.  Feel free to drop a comment here or any any of the contributors' own blogs.