3 Digital Marketing Buzz Phrases You Must Use for 2013 Planning

Digital marketing, PR and social media practitioners (BTW, isn’t this really all one thing? That’s another post)… by November 1, you’re waist deep in 2013 planning.  To look smart and keep the corner office confused, you must be sure to use the following buzz phrases in your plan.

All kidding aside, these phrases are important.  Not because everyone at FutureM was throwing them around with annoying regularity, but because they truly represent topics and trends you need to consider immediately:

1. BIG DATA

I’m already sick of this one. This term came out of CIO/CTO circles to define data sets so freakin’ large, they were impossible to manage and use with existing database systems. It’s an IBM, Oracle thing. Now, social media types are using it to talk about using data generated from social channels to improve marketing.

What You Need To Know: CMOs are desperately looking for ROI metrics for social. Don’t focus on the data…focus on a clear objective. Most Facebook pages, for instance, lack ANY sense of purpose other than gathering likes. Determine social’s role in the marketing mix (awareness, engagement, referral traffic, etc.), integrate it into your macro effort…then decide what data will help you measure against these specific goals.

2. IDEA-DOWN PLANNING

Wow, here’s a concept… develop a Big Idea first, then figure out how to deploy it across all marketing channels.  Before you give me the “no sh*t” eye roll, think about it…most organizations are driving tactics at the channel level.  “What’s are Facebook strategy?”  “We need to get on Pinterest.”  That’s like telling a sales force that the need a phone strategy…afterall, there’s a lot of buttons on a phone.  Certainly we can use them all the sell, right?

What You Need To Know: The truth is most organizations are stuck in channel-up thinking, and therefore have a bunch of disparate messages flying aimlessly across the digisphere. Instead, come up with a Big Idea (or better, hire CBC to do it), some interesting, entertaining or valuable way to tell your story. Then think of how best to deploy it across all your paid, owned and earned channels (another buzz phase for ya).  One story, many touch points.

3. CONTENT MARKETING

Well of course, this means marketing content right?  Yeah, kinda. The truth is that consumer engagement with brands on social channels has been declining since 2009.  Why?  Because people are bored to death with brands’ “look at me” posts.  Content marketing is the buzz word for actually creating something worth sharing.

What You Need To Know: If there’s one thing the social revolution has taught us, it’s that you don’t need to spend big money to create content.  It’s also taught us that removing the financial barrier has resulted in an historically high number of people and companies pumping out bad content.  PLEASE stopt thinking about what you want to say, and start thinking about what value you can bring.  Entertain me. Inform me.  Make me feel like an insider.  Start making content that has your target at its heart, and trust me, they will find yo, like you and share it with their pals.


Splash Ultra Lounge on Kneeland Street (photo: Matt Baldelli)

Splash Ultra Lounge on Kneeland St. (Photo: Matt Baldelli)

As a Boston PR agency, folks expect us to be in the know around town…the parties, people and places that are on the A-List.  Truth be told, we entertain media as much in New York as we do in Boston. For that matter, Nantucket and Park City, too, as part of our Summer House program.  But… we do make an effort to keep up on the best places to eat, drink and do business around the Hub of the Universe.

That’s why we’re both happy and sad to see Boston.com’s list of roof decks around town.  It’s a one-stop-shop to make some of these lesser known gems even more crowded than usual this summer.

All the same, these are great spots for the right kind of business meeting, aprés office drinks or just for fun.

So…go ahead and enjoy, and don’t forget the shades.

Public relations programs have long been in vogue when money is tight. A PR agency typically can fill multiple holes in a company’s marketing team for a lot less money when compared to advertising.  So it should come as no surprise that PR is one of the first areas to make a comeback when economic conditions approve.

And improvement seems to finally be here.  In the past two weeks, Cercone Brown has received more new business inquiries than any period in recent memory.  Granted, we’ve been very fortunate during this downturn.  In fact, through hard work and creativity, CBC had one of its best years in 2009.  But that’s a subject for a different post.

If RFPs, requests for meetings and general tire kicking is any indication, client-side spending is making a comeback.  And though CBC is does not specialize in Boston PR (our clients are mostly national brands that are scattered across the USA), a many of these requests cite the Boston area as key to success.  Also interesting is the make up of the inquiries: only one is replacing an existing agency.  Several are overseas companies launching in the U.S. (China, New Zealand), and all target consumers (not B2B).

Social media is the other common theme, as expected.  But what may be surprising is that each and every company puts a premium on traditional media relations.  They want magazines, national TV, local press…the whole gamut. Seems the rumors of the death of traditional media are overstated (at least for now.)

We’ll keep you updated on how we do with these proposals.  In fact, we’ve quietly added a good number of new clients in 2010 that we’ve yet to announce (Orvis, Dr. Kracker, Green Mountain Coffee to name a few). But for now, the good news is that the spending seems to be on the uptick, and that’s great news for everyone.

Bing Vs. Google isn’t Ali-Frazier just yet. I know Google is still Google, but marketers need to pay more attention to Bing. The Microsoft search engine just completed a deal to make Tweets and Facebook status updated part of its results.

We’re not saying that Bing is replacing Google, just that the upstart (if we can actually call anything from Microsoft “upstart”) is gaining momentum.  If you want to compare the two, visit Bing Vs. Google for side-by-side comparisons.  In a cursory search, I liked the first SERP from Bing.  But… Google found newer, more relevant stuff overall.

If you want to geek out on the Bing Vs. Google comparison, check out the Search Engine Smack Down by PC World.  But no matter what you choose, keep an eye on Bing for now.

Yesterday, the FTC announced new guidelines that could have a huge impact between PR pros and bloggers.

In short, there’s two parts to watch: First is disclosure regarding advertisements, endorsements, paid endorsements, paid-in-kind endorsements, etc. The second is about accuracy of bloggers’ claims.

While the social media universe is all abuzz today, from a PR professional’s perspective these guidelines fundamentally change nothing.  You may not realize it, but we’ve always been liable on these fronts.  It’s just that most have been oblivious to the laws.  (Remember, ignorance is no excuse in the eyes of the law.)

All along when pitching bloggers (or any press, really) AND providing free product or services for review, we have been required to tell them in writing to disclose that they, in fact, received freebies.  Also, if these folks may inaccurate claims based on a pitch (even if we didn’t give them the inaccurate info.), we are responsible.

So instead of complaining about it, here’s what you should consider.  BUT, like anything else, this is my opinion based on my knowledge of the law.  You must consult your own legal counsel before creating your own policies and actions regarding social media (hows that?):

1. Create a standard disclosure statement regarding free product and the like and make it part of all your email communications.  I’m not sure if the mouse print thing is considered enough here, but it seems it should suffice.  Again, I’ll talk to our legal folks and follow up…but the point is, make it part of your standard communication, and not some last minute awkward…”Oh, hey, don’t forget to tell everyone I gave you this for free.”

2. Get a REAL social media monitoring system. I’m not talking Google alerts, guys.  You need a system like Radian6 with a dedicated staffer to monitor ALL the chatter across blogs, forums and social networks (there’s MANY more than Facebook, BTW.)  Get this alerts in real-time, and set the record straight immediately.

There were about 250 great business reasons to do this before, but maybe this is the one that gets companies to take monitoring and reporting seriously. It’s not an intern job!  Social media marketing is moving faster than most even know, and now the legal system is catching up.  If you haven’t already, you should do the same.

Beginning today you can follow all the happenings of the Outdoor Industry Rendezvous through the keyboard of CBC Partner Len Cercone.  Len will provide updates and insights from the frontline of the industry’s premier business and networking summit from San Diego.  In addition, he’ll be posting daily on this blog.

Follow Len at twitter.com/lcercone24.

As readers know, CBC has been the architect of online, PR and social media marketing programs for such outdoor industry brands as adidas, Orvis, Nalgene, Karhu, K2, Quiksilver, Timberland, Royal Robins, HIND, Sperry Top-Sider and others.  The firm has also handled many non-outdoor brands on the vanguard of online and social media marketing, including Hasbro, GMAC Insurance, Castrol GTX, Nantucket Nectars and Beneficial Financial Group.

In fact, the firm has been named a Finalist for the Best Online Campaign 2009 by the Prestigious Platinum Awards. (A case study will be posted soon!)  Check out the campaign at www.leastwastefulcities.com.

“Twitter is perfect for real-time updates from events, giving folks a quick idea of what’s happening, and what they may want to get more information on,” said Cercone.  “This is also a way to demonstrate how social media can work for outdoor companies still putting together a comprehensive strategy.”

According to our humble opinion, social media marketing should include more than Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.  It starts with a comprehensive targeting and prioritization process, is sustained with strong content, and maintained with a complete monitoring, tracking and reporting system such as Radian6.

To get your social media strategy rolling, request Cercone Brown’s latest whitepaper on social media marketing (to be published next week), send an email to info@cerconebrown.com.  The paper will cover the 7 Most Common Pitfalls of Social Media Marketing and, more importantly, how to avoid them.

It seems all the madness around social media marketing focuses on the usual suspects: Gen Y and Millennials. But lost in the shuffle is Generation X (30-43 yeas), the most often overlooked group in the eyes of social media marketers.

Last week, Forrester Research released a study that showed 59% of people in this age group are actively participating in social networks, most notably Facebook and Twitter. However, when it comes to sharing purchase recommendations digitally – the great accelerator of word-of-mouth – Gen X behaves quite differently than their younger counterparts.

The current assumption by marketers is that by providing engaging, social-media-enabled content on Facebook, Twitter and others, these networks will categorically spark viral transmission.

However, while these broadcast towers work fine for the under 30 crowd, GenXers find them too public for sharing purchase recommendations (the Holy Grail of word-of-mouth).  GenX shares their influence via more private networks, most notably via email.

Imagine that.  Email – not text, not Twitter – is the killer app for GenX.

This little revelation is important to marketers in three ways:

1. Chiclets Must Value Email: When using sharing applets (called Chiclets), it seems “more is better” rules the day.  The truth is that you should confine the choices to the top networks you target, and make sure “email to a friend” is prominently displayed.  And while you’re at it, populate that email with meta language someone will actually use and content rich with photos or video.

2. Rethink Your Email Marketing Approach: All this social media activity should result in a prospect opting into to your direct campaigns.  But don’t only send inbox-stuffers like “free shipping”, but add real content that engages your best customers and encourages them to share your brand with others, as well as offers.

3.  We Know Virtually Nothing About Social Media Marketing: This study shows that the same social network and combination of networks can be used very differently by different demographics.  We are still in the very early stages of development, and we are sure to see more patterns emerge.  Keep a close watch (or CBC will do it for you!)

As GenX moves into their 40s (some of us are there), they will become more and more the financial engine for many, many companies.  Already jaded and disinterested in most advertising, marketers will find the best success when they seamless fit into the private conversations of this age group.

A new study by TubeMogul may indicate that followers on Twitter may be more beneficial to an organization or person than friends on Facebook.  The study showed that on average, “audiences clicking on video links from Twitter watch a video 36.91% longer than viewers referred by Facebook and 49.98% longer than viewers referred by Digg.”

Now while the methodology was sound, we’re clearly making an inference on the Twitter vs. Facebook conclusion.  What’s more, any decent social media campaign will include both.  But it may suggest that because on Twitter we choose to follow interesting people, by definition we get more of the stuff we’re apt to want to see.

Consider this: on Twitter, people follow absolute strangers based on a mutual interest in subject matter. There’s no qualifications, little screening and not a big commitment on either side.  And by it’s very nature, Twitter isn’t bombarding you with Mafia Wars updates or “I Just Took the ‘What Breakfast Food Am I Quiz’ notifications.

In contrast, Facebook friends are just that: friends. It could be a business associate or high school buddy. Once you friend someone, you get it all: videos of the kids fishing, declarations that they’re off for a soy latte, and (hopefully) decent content you may want to see.

So what we may be witnessing on Twitter is the development of eco-systems of people who self-select to be part of a loose confederation of ideas on specific subjects.

Therefore, it is IMPERATIVE that companies tighten the focus of their content before they Tweet any and every little thing.  In short, don’t babble: speak clearly, intelligently and with purpose.  And of course, don’t forget to listen.

A word of caution before thinking Facebook isn’t for you: this study was for all Facebook users, and did not distinguish between Friends (individuals) and Fans (company). My guess (or at least hope!) is that if one studied the  video viewings for Fans separately, the rules of self-selection would yield more engaged results.

My shop is in the middle of launching Facebook pages for adidas, Sperry Top-Sider, Isis for Women and a few other brands that have the potential for enthusiastic followings.  As we get more and more data, we’ll post some results to see if the Fan hypothesis is playing out.

Muck Rack recently launched a new service where PR pros can pay $50 for a Tweet.  The service claims to be a conduit to reporters, so you’re paying them the same way one would use PRWeb, Business Wire or PR Newswire.

Sounds like a good idea at first, but upon further investigation it seems that of @muckrack’s 3,800 followers, very few are journalists.  However, Muck Rack does a great job of aggregating Tweets from journalists and indicating trends.  As a research tool, we love it.  As a paid service to reach journalists, not a big fan.

The reason is that unlike real press release distribution services, Twitter is a personal (remember, SOCIAL?) medium.  Building a following is a one-by-one endeavor.  True, when you get a following, you are talking to a lot of folks.  But they follow you or your client because they are interested in what’s on your mind…to get the scoop on what’s happening.  As soon as you pay someone else to write and communicate, the trust and validity of the medium is compromised.

Bottom line: if you don’t have time or ability to build a following of PR pros, or consumers for that matter, don’t use Twitter.  And don’t try to get into social media.  It’s a very hands-on, time consuming effort.  You don’t outsource it like getting your lawn mowed.

This is another indication that as communication becomes more “democratic” through social media, it does not replace good judgement OR the hard work in creating and maintaining relationships. That goes for PR pro to reporter, or company to consumer. Sadly, these new vehicles will expose more shoddy work by PR agencies…the same folks that called everyone in the news room on a petty release with the ingenious pitch: “Just wanted to make sure you got my release.”

That’s enough ranting for now.  Besides, I need to Tweet this post.

For a good review on Muck Rack, read today’s post on Bad Pitch Blog.

Social media marketing drives sales, a new study says. According to the study by Wetpaint and the Altimeter Group, “companies find correlation between brands’ social media efforts and financial performance.”

The challenge is that this study looked at the 100 most valuable brands in America.  Great.  What about the other thousands of brands that we all know and love that don’t have the money or power of Google, Microsoft and Starbuck’s…all which fared well in this gauge?

First, the study confirms that deep social media engagement with consumers through online channels correlates to better financial performance. The ENGAGEMENTdb study (www.engagementdb.com) showed significant positive financial results for the companies who measured as having the greatest breadth and depth of social media engagement.

In short: social media marketing delivers measurable ROI.

These “Social Media Mavens” on average grew company revenues by 18 percent over the last 12 months, while the least engaged companies saw revenues sink 6 percent on average over the same time period.

The good news is that it’s true that better engagement with your prospects will drive sales, and online on social media marketing will work wonders. But the real danger with this study is that many marketers will look at it this and say to social media marketing agencies like CBC: I want that! Now!

It’s like a couch potato looking at Men’s Fitness and not realizing the amount of time, dedication and hard work it takes to get AND maintain a model-perfect body.

So if this study serves as inspiration to get going on social media marketing, I’m all for it.  But a word of caution: online and social media marketing requires a great plan, a full commitment and a new mindset for marketers.  It’s not about a Facebook page or Twitter feed, which are merely parts of your infrastructure. It’s about creating content in all its forms that is valuable, entertaining and, most importantly, not available anywhere else.  Then bringing all your resources to bear to promote and maintain this communication platform.

Watch this space for a new eBook: The 7 Deadly Sins (and 7 Golden Rules) of Social Media Marketing. It should be ready in the next week or two.

Search engine optimization: as soon as you say it, it evokes the need to call some IT guy who can arcane programming like meta tags. Anything to do with this online marketing voodoo is not for you, right?  Think again.

The web has long been the first stop for information for most Americans, and for that matter, folks worldwide.  Google outpaces any network for reach and influence, and if handled correctly, connects you directly with someone looking for just what you have to offer.  You say you’ve got it covered with Google Adwords? Think again…again.

These days, if marketers and PR pros don’t fully understand natural language search engine optimization, you are dangerously out of touch (though in the vast majority, so don’t panic yet).  In short, this is the the emerging communications practice of offsite search optimization. It’s also know as SEO PR, Ambient Content, and other home-made names.  In short, it’s using RSS press releases and content to capture attention at the critical moment of search, while also boosting search rankings by securing incoming links from authoritative sites. Read more

Advertising and PR agencies like ours have changed the way we communicate, adding things like search engine marketing, social media promotions, blogging and lots of other direct-to-consumer communications. It’s to the point that literally half of our PR services have nothing to do with media relations.  In fact, it’s hard to tell where our advertising campaigns end and our PR tactics begin.  It’s all intertwined in one platform of online and offline communications.

This is great, but there’s a creeping issue of intergity as the filter of established media outlets weakens.

Consider this: last week, the Seattle Times closed, and venerable papers across the country are teetering on the edge of the abyss. And it’s not just newspapers, Best Life magazine shudders in May what I’m sure will be a series of glossy periodical closures in the next 36 months.

True, this is largely economic fallout, but there’s something more afoot as corporate self-publishing bypasses the media with RSS releases with embedded video and links, and microsites promotions become our standard form of campaigning. The balance of objectivity is in danger if becoming severely out of whack.

Good online marketers know that overly commercial messages on the Internet are useless.  But insidious spin can be even more dangerous, and not just to readers.  Nothing will kill a company faster on the Net than dishonesty.

So PR and advertising agencies turn more to RSS, microsite campaigning, social media PR and even search engine optimization, the entire profession needs to step back and take a long, cool drink of integrity.  

This new Wild West of public relations is a dangerous place. In the past, a curt “no thanks” from a journalist only hurt the ego.  As we wade directly into the waters of public opinion, the rip tide of objectivity will churn with considerably more power and wrath.

Consider this the next time you’re about to hit “post”.  We’re counting on you.

For our PR agency, the recent closing of Best Life is tough to take.  Our approach to media relations is just that: RELATIONS.  So when a group of good people that do great work lose their jobs, it just stinks.

This is the case with Best Life.  Every month, that magazine was filled with much more content than they needed to give the reader, especially these days when most are cutting back on reporting.  But Best Life put out a quality product, and did it all with honestly and a rye sense of humor.  What’s more, it seemed from the outside that they were still attracting the advertisers.

But as America changes its view of consumerism before our eyes, it’s becoming harder and harder to find a safe place in style and luxury.  And as advertisers sit on the sidelines, the collateral damage becomes real.

And in the end, we lose an effective medium to communicate with young men, already a difficult demographic to reach.

So we wish the entire staff good fortune in a time when it seems fortune is harder to come by.

This is the second of three entries on Word of Mouth techniques for PR agencies and professionals. In the last entry, I talked about the first word of mouth tool, guerilla marketing. Today, it’s the publicity stunt. Granted, one could argue that they are very similar, but in my book there is one basic, but important difference: the stunt is about media coverage, including consumer generated media.

A stunt is an unabashed and often brazen play for publicity. Again, Red Bull has a great example: the Flutag. Otherwise normal, semi-emotionally balanced folk leaping from great heights in a hilarious, self-effacing attempt to fly on contraptions of their own design. You can’t help but look, and it makes great TV.

Stunts are easy to spot: skydivers, streakers, even the ol’DJ-on-the-billboard are stunt stereotypes. But to be successful, stunts have to do more than just grab attention. They must create compelling images, a can’t miss photo op. TV and print photo editors think of what looks good on the screen or a page, and it doesn’t always need to be outrageous.

Before baseball player Johnny Damon defected from the Red Sox to the Yankees, Gillette had extensive coverage for the launch of its new razor thank to him. Johnny agreed to shave his Grizzly Adams beard in public for a local charity. Complete with attractive female barbers (it’s a man’s razor, after all), they captured the city’s attention. Johnny’s clean-shaven face looked great on the evening news, leading all to believe that the M3Power must be one helluva razor.

But the best part of stunts these days? You don’t need the traditional media to be successful. We have YouTube. Still, it’s a crowded viral world out there. To be successful, you should the same press-savvy thinking to your viral videos as (good) PR pros have for years with the Stunt.

And in a shameless plug, check out a video of a stunt my firm, CBC, did for Nantucket Nectars back in 2004 when the Red Sox won the World Series. The World’s Largest Thank You Card brought thousands together from around New England, and made it all the way to the network news. Enjoy!

Next Up: Grassroots marketing.

PR agencies spend so much time talking about PR 2.0, bloggers, online media, social media and the like, as marketers we forget that we live in the real world, too.  And often, what we do in the real world is the very fire that fuels success in online marketing and spurs word-of-mouth across it all.  

To this end, I overheard a conversation at lunch where two marketing execs were talking about what they could do to drive Word of Mouth.  Aside from the fact that they shouldn’t talk about plans in an Au Bon Pain, it was clear that these guys were confused on some of the basic tools, such as guerilla marketing, publicity stunts and grassroots programs.  The terms were jumbled together in a mashup of craziness and swag, seemingly with very little direction.  Never mind they seemed to be clueless how to translate their ideas to online or social media marketing.

For what it’s worth, I thought I’d take a shot at providing some context to the conversation.   Hey, I may be completely full of s**t; talk to 50 marketers and you may get 50 different definitions for these same words. But defining these tactical kissing cousins is the key to having a good reference point to begin a plan.

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