Category: Marketing

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Harnessing the Disruptive Power of the Tribe


Following my last blog post, I have been thinking about online tribes and how the tribal nature of social media, and wondering if online tribes really have that much power. One of my clients refers to the navel gazing on Twitter, and I know that my own social media efforts tend to keep me in a circle of like-minded tribe members, which doesn’t necessarily engender fresh thinking, or fresh contacts that can build your brand.

Then I saw this video by cultural thinker Seth Godin on TED about the power of the tribes we lead. Godin’s argument is that all of us have a mission, whether we acknowledge it or not, to change the world around us. He also argues that we are on the cusp of changing the way ideas are exchanged. All of us are in positions of leadership, and the power of the Web and social networking plays a huge role here.

Godin’s argument is that you change the world through connections. We all belong to different tribes, and you can seek out like-minded tribe members, and when the tribe becomes big enough, you suddenly have a movement. The Obama election campaign is a prime example. This may have been the first presidential election won via the web because it became a tribal movement. The trick is to find the true believers who will carry your message to the next set of believers, and suddenly it goes viral.

So once again, it’s about expressing your passion and finding a way to express that passion to your tribe, so they can carry the word. Suddenly, my insular world of like-minded network connections takes on a greater importance. If you can find a way to lead them, you can effect change.

As a PR professional, I was particularly interested in Godin’s diagram of what drives change. It starts with telling a story. The story lets you connect with the tribe, from which you can lead a movement and effect change. But it all starts with a story, which is something that PR professionals traditionally do well.

So the power of social media is in the potential to build a tribe. The question is if you are up to the challenge to become a tribal leader.

Check out the video and post comments on what you think.

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The Tribal Connection of Social Media

Recently I have been working on a new product launch for FaceTime Communications profiling their new Unified Security Gateway 4, which includes a number of new security and compliance features to secure and archive social media conversations in the enterprise. This forum is not a place for a client pitch, but there are aspects of the problem that USG 4 solves that are worth noting, because they highlight the real value of social networking.

The problem that all organizations face is that their IT departments are losing control of network access to social media. Employees are accessing Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, you-name-it.com from their work computers. Okay, that’s not really new, but how they are using these tools has been changing. Although some malingerers are playing Farmville or posting family photos on company time, more professionals are turning to public social media tools because they are the best way to reach prospective customer, partners, and coworkers. Even in heavily regulated industries, like banking and financial services, more users are ignoring the compliance risks (which are considerable) of using uncontrolled social media sites to connect with their customers.

Why would you “waste” company time on Facbook and Twitter? The answer is simple, because that’s where their customers are.

FaceTime’s CEO Kailash Ambwani points out that social media is tribal by nature. People tend to gravitate to locations where they can hang out with their peers; with people like themselves who share a connection. That connection can be common interests, a shared neighborhood, and even a shared level of education and income. So if I am promoting a new portfolio package or real estate opportunity to you, Mr. Facebook Follower, then I want you to tell all your friends, because chances are they will be just as interested because they share the same traits, including values and income. You all belong to the same tribe.

I had an interesting conversation with a client in a strategy meeting yesterday. We were talking about using social media as a means to sell regional services, in this case bank products. His argument was that you wouldn’t use Facebook or Twitter to sell to a regional market, like a town or neighborhood, because the Web is global. That argument fails to acknowledge the phenomenon of social media tribes. People will connect with others in their neighborhood or region because they are part of the tribe.  Hence emergence of services like Yelp! and the success of regional businesses who have followers on Twitter and Facebook, like the Korean BBQ Taco Truck who has 64,000 people following his movements around Los Angeles on Twitter.

So when you are thinking about your social media marketing strategy, don’t underestimate the power of the Tribe. Think global, but tweet locally! Your neighbors are surely watching.

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Web Marketing is About Creating Links to Your Passions


I am inspired by Catherine Mohr. Of course, you probably have not heard of Catherine Mohr. She is a self-professed “geek” who designs surgical robots by day and worries about the environment and building a green house in her spare time. I first encountered Catherine Mohr through a TED presentation, where she talked about her environmental concerns and her desire to build a green house. Like most people of my generation, I am concerned about the environment, so I watched the video and thought, “Wow! there’s some very insightful stuff here.”

Now here is where things get interesting and the Web comes into play. I decided I wanted to learn more about this medical technologist/environmentalist/geek, so I “Googled” her. What I uncovered was a rich online persona, including a LinkedIn profile, Facebook profile, and other online tidbits that would tell me more about this woman and her passions. And then I ran across a KALW-FM interview. KALW is one of my favorite Bay Area NPR affiliates, and I was intrigued to see she had been interviewed for the Crosscurrents news program. Now I had a chance to hear the professional side of Catherine Mohr, and learn more about surgical spiders and her other passion, developing surgical robots that can go where no human surgeon can.

And I knew I wanted to blog about this woman because what she is doing is interesting and important. My stepdaughter has taught me a lot about environmentalism and eco-responsibility, and Mohr’s green construction presentation was quite thought-provoking. And the geekier aspects of designing surgical robots appealed to my own inner geek. But what would make Catherine Mohr a suitable topic for a blog about public relations and online marketing?

The answer, of course, was the way that I discovered her and the effective way she has built an online brand that provides a fairly complete portrait that spans both her personal and professional personas. Whether she intended it or not, Catherine Mohr had created an integrated marketing campaign that builds awareness for her personal and professional passions, and drives awareness for Intuitive Surgical and the DaVinci Surgical System. If I hadn’t run across her TED presentation on green building practice I would never have uncovered Intuitive Surgical.

The threaded connections of the Web are diverse and deep, and the blog entry you post today could help promote your latest professional triumph, or lead to your last online embarrassment. So be proactive and be positive. Understand that every move you make online reflects not only on you, but your employer, your family, and everyone to whom you are connected. If you understand the power of the web, you can tap it to build connections and a personal brand that will follow you and promote your passions, no matter what they are.

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Before You Ask for Service, Show Me The Green

Erin go bragh! It’s Saint Patrick’s Day, which means we are all wearing green and dishing out the blarney. And one of the ongoing bits of blarney that continues to amuse me is the prospective clients who offer promises of untold riches and recognition, but no money. I sometimes think of these prospects as being like Popeye’s pal Wimpy, “I will gladly pay you Tuesday, for a promotion program today.” Today is a day to remember that it’s all about the green.

I use service providers all the time, and I respect what they do, and the fees that they charge. Whether they are doctors, lawyers, accountants, or Indian chiefs, you discuss their fees in advance and come to an understanding – you pay for their services. Even if you ultimately feel their service was inferior, if they fulfilled their contract, they need to be paid.

Which is why it constantly perplexes me when people approach me and offer a piece of the gate or to share in the profits. I’ve had two such offers in two weeks. Clearly, the power of public relations and online marketing is proven, otherwise these types of companies wouldn’t seek out marketing communications assistance, no matter what the price. Naturally, you don’t want to overcharge for your services, but you also can’t work for free.

So stop offering us a piece of your dream or promises of riches to come (assuming you get your funding, or the sales team meets their quota, or the market doesn’t tank, or there isn’t some form of fire, flood, or pestilence). Be prepared to pay a fair rate for quality work. If you are concerned about quality or performance, then check the references. In today’s online world you can learn almost anything about a prospective contractor. Use your resources, and trust your instincts. That’ s what I do before taking on a new client – I check them out to make sure they are worth representing. (Oh, yes, this game is played both ways.)

If you need professional help to market your company or products, then prepare to pay the going rate. You wouldn’t ask a doctor to discount his fees, especially if he is getting ready to conduct surgery. So why trust your marcomm campaign to a hack for hire? Find the right resource and pay the fee. That’s the best way to assure you get quality attention and service.

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Freelance is Another Word for Nothin’ Left to Lose

I saw a blog post last week from Marc Hausman, The Strategic Guy, about getting hip to sales. As a serial flack-for-hire who returns to consulting every few years, I understand the appeal of being your own boss and putting your own blood, sweat and tears into your job. As Marc points out, and as I hear consistently from the career coaches I interact with at NETSHARE, one of my clients who specializes in executive career management, the future of employment is in the work, not in the job. Companies are increasingly renting talent as consultants rather than hiring it, not only because of the cost savings but because it makes the best and the brightest available to deal with their immediate problems.

And with the economic downturn, I have seen a flood seasoned professionals turn to consulting as a means to pay the bills. When the going gets tough and full-time jobs become scarce, creative executives rent their skills, at ths same time cultivating the connections they are looking for to land their next full-time gig. In the short-term, this means a glut on the consulting market, so rates adjust and work becomes harder to find.

For those of us in PR and marketing who love our work, selling ourselves is an ongoing challenge. If you have a small consulting practice (read, party of one), then you are primarily focused on client service and getting the job done, which means business development too often takes a back seat. You need to make time to build your own marketing program.

Build your marketing network. Use LinkedIn. Talk to your clients. (I get some of my best leads from existing clients.) Work the trade shows. Get yourself out there. Practice your own social media strategy, even though it’s hard to find the time to market your own services when you are working so hard for your clients.

And in these times, Marc offers some sage advice about going about building your own business. You not only have to sell what you know, but you have to find buyers willing to pay for your services.  PR professionals, like freelance writers (since there are as many or more unemployed journalists as unemployed marketing professionals), tend to take the low bids in a tough market to get work coming in the door. It doesn’t take long until accepting those low bids starts to yield negative returns. It gets harder to make a livable wage because you are competing with the lowest common denominator.

When bidding for contract work you need to not only find someone with the cash to pay the freight, but you need to stand firm on your rates. Sure, running your own business gives you the freedom to accept and turn down the work you want, and to set the rates and terms you want. However, discounting your services to land a contract that may offer bigger bucks later never works. Once you come in as the low bidder, you will never be able to sell your services for a premium, even when you know you are worth it.

Don’t fall into the trap that many consultants indulge in – underselling yourself. There never is a payoff later, and those discounted or worse, free contracts seldom bring in new business. Loss leader contracts are just that, a loss, so stand your ground and stand behind your rates. And if you are using your network appropriately, you’ll know if your rates are out of line with the market.

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Using Online Video: If You Film It, Will They Come?

I have been working on a video project for a client for some time now. The client had an opportunity to reach an influential part of its niche market through a proprietary video channel, so we set up a weekly video shoot to repackage the clients’ research and produce three-minute videos to post to the vertical channel. Research shows that videos have a very high impact on SEO and, when used properly, can have a huge impact on web visibility.

Although we have been refining the quality of our web video productions and the content, we haven’t been able to get the viewership we want from YouTube, or our vertical video outlet. So it’s time to regroup and rethink our video strategy as an extension of our conventional social media program.

This particular client has limited staff and resources (well, who doesn’t), and they service a very conservative market. Therefore they have been slow to adopt social media as part of their marketing program (despite my nagging). However, this new video program provides an ideal opportunity to jump-start their social media program, offering high-quality and informative content to targeted followers through multiple online channels.And there are some serious SEO advantages when you use video in the right way. I recently ran across an interesting presentation by Mark Robertson, CEO of ReelSEO, on how to optimize video for online search. Mark offers some interesting points. I’ve reposted his webinar presentation here for your edification.

“Reel” Video Search Engine Optimization Webinar by ReelSEO

So what are the next steps for my client’s video program? Well, I plan to take some of Mark’s tips to heart and use our video productions as a focal point for our social media outreach. I do believe that video can be a great asset to any online marketing program, if you have great content and can use it properly. The challenge is to know when and how to apply it.

How do you use video to promote your brand or your client’s brand? I’d like to know.

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How Powerful is Social Media? Ask Mr. Splashy Pants

So how powerful is the Web and social media? Ask Alexis Ohanian, one of the cofounders of Reddit, who recently spoke at a TED talk in India about how Greenpeace used social media to both name a whale they wanted to use as a symbol of their cause, and at the same time got the Japanese government to make concessions.

This is a great example of both the power of the Web to promote a cause, but the need to let go of your message (something we have blogged about earlier this month). For viral marketing to work, you have to let the virus spread and not try to contain it.

Check out this short video from TED.com. I think you’ll be impressed.

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Santa Claus Offers Marketing Tips For A Tough Economy

Although this clip is from 2008, it’s even more relevant today. Here is a little holiday fun and inspiration from Old Saint Nick for all those good girls and boys who have been working so hard at online marketing, branding, and public relations in 2009. Here’s hoping we all have a more prosperous 2010.

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Has Facebook Arrived As a New Mass Medium?

Building a social media strategy for clients is like building any other PR program – you target your message to the outlets that matter to your audience and your objectives. So where you want to build social media buzz helps you identify where you get the most value, whether it is with your professional contacts on LinkedIn, or through vertical outlets such as IT Toolbox or BankInnovation.net. Of course, there are those mainstream media outlets where all clients crave coverage, such as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. It looks like Facebook is starting to develop the same regulation as the “must have” social media site for any social media strategy.

A recent survey by Anderson Analytics revealed that Facebook has become the coolest place on the web for college students, despite the fact it is continues to grow in popularity with their parents. The Anderson Analytics 2009-2010 GenX2Z American College Student Survey conducted this fall shows that 82 percent of college men and 90 percent of college women ranked Facebook as “cool,” and  other social media sites including MySpace were ranked as “lame” by comparison. Consider the growing number of adult users migrating to Facebook, including these college students’ parents and even grandparents, and you have a bona fide phenomenon.

“Once a trend goes mainstream, it often gradually loses its ‘cool’ factor among young people, and they move on to the next ‘big thing,’” said Tom H.C. Anderson, managing partner of Anderson Analytics. “Our data indicate this is not the case with Facebook.”

The same survey revealed that college students are participating less in blogs (down 5 percent from 2008) and discussion boards (down 8 percent), which bodes well for microblogging. Twitter continues to grow, although growth has flattened a bit in recent months.

What’s also interesting is we are seeing a media convergence on Facebook. The survey shows that 70 percent of college students had watched entire television episodes or feature film streamed online. In fact, for the first time a streaming media site, Hulu.com, ranked in the top 10 sites in the survey. And there is a natural symbiosis between Facebook and streaming media sites like Hulu and YouTube. There is a Hulu widget on Facebook and popular shows, like the Simpsons and Family Guy, are streamed on Hulu with fan pages on Facebook. The convergence is organic.

And popular brands who “get it” and understand how to engage are seeing a boost from Facebook. In the Anderson Analytics study, both McDonalds and Coca-Cola ranged first among college students, and they also had more Facebook fans than their number two competitors. (Coke’s Facebook fans outnumber Pepsi twenty to one.)

What this survey reveals is that social media in general and Facebook in particular have become a real marketing force, not just to reach college students but for all ages. Extending your marketing program with a social media presence is a cost-effective and sure-fire way to expand your brand footprint.

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There’s Bias in Analyst Reports? I am Shocked!

If you have visited this blog before, you may recall a posting in October that profiled the lawsuit filed by ZL Technologies against Gartner Group. In the original lawsuit, ZL technologies challenged the validity of Gartner’s Magic Quadrant methodology (which ultimately resulted in poor rankings for ZL’s product).

Well, this week I received an update from ZL Technologies. (They must have added me to a mailing list based on my blog post – gosh, does that make me a journalist? More likely it makes me a pawn in SL Technologies’ misguided marketing efforts, but I digress.) Apparently, ZL has amended its lawsuit, arguing that Gartner’s research is based on more opinion than fact. In earlier court testimony, Gartner alleges that its Magic Quadrant reports are opinions not based upon fact, although their marketing materials indicates that the opinion is actually based on a body of facts. This from the cover note from ZL Technologies that I received this week:

“While this case is focused on ZL’s dispute with Gartner over the erroneous statements in Gartner’s publications, the issues here also implicate Gartner’s larger business model. Gartner plainly admits that it attempts to leverage value from its largest clients, many of whom are also vendors covered in the company’s research. ZL’s legal filings describe how that business model causes Gartner to favor those large companies at the expense of identifying the best technologies, thus misleading not just the vendors who are inaccurately reviewed by Gartner, but the consumers who base their IT purchasing decisions on Gartner’s biased research.”

So, basically, the lawsuit is alleging bias based on the size (and presumably the spend) of Gartner’s clients.

Well, duh!

This is not a new challenge. One of the lessons that I have learned working in trade publishing, both as an editor and as a PR professional, is that money can’t buy me love, but it can buy me access!

If my client is a major advertiser with a publication, I know that it usually is easier to get a hearing with the editorial staff. The same is true with analysts. I have represented a number of smaller clients who don’t buy market research. I set them up with very successful analyst meetings, and more often than not the technology gets included in the next report. However, the quality of the coverage will be better if you have access.

And let’s face it, the big vendors get access because they pay for the privilege. If I am a Gartner subscriber, then I can contact the analysts when I need an opinion or when I want input on a new product. That’s what the subscription is for. And because it is a paid engagement, the analyst will learn more about your company, its strategy, and its products because that’s why you pay him. Whether it’s intentional or not, access tends to promote bias – the fact that analysts have more contact with and insight about paying clients probably means that those clients will get better treatment in reports. It’s human nature.

So does that mean if you can’t pay to play, you don’t play at all? Of course not. Analyst research continues to provide an invaluable service to the marketplace. However, the analysts’ role is changing. I recently attended a Forrester Research discussion about predictions for the market in 2010. One of the insights that came to light was that more and more technology buyers are turning to social networking to find new IT solutions. They are going to LinkedIn and their peer networks asking about the best enterprise proxy servers or how to deal with cloud computing. There was a time when the first place these buyers would go was to their friendly neighborhood research analyst to get their take on the market. Now the analysts are becoming market validators more than predictors. The social media networks are providing information on the latest trends, and the analysts are handicapping the players.

So what does all this say for the ZL Technologies lawsuit? Although the lawsuit is alleging research bias, the real issue is how much power Gartner has in making or breaking sales in a specified market. Is this lawsuit just sour grapes on ZL’s part because they didn’t get the ranking they wanted? Probably. Gartner uses a number of factors in handicapping vendors in any market, including how deep their pockets are (i.e. will they be around tomorrow to service what they sell), and how good their marketing and sales strategy is (which helps assure they will be around to service what they sell). That’s part of the reason that it’s hard for start-ups to rate well in analyst comparison reports, no matter how innovative their technology.

So from the e-mail I received this week, it strikes me that ZL is using this lawsuit as a focal point for its marketing program. I am sure they are getting a lot of attention from the lawsuit, but I doubt that they are selling much e-mail archiving software as a result.