Amy Peveto
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Generating fabulous content that gets my clients found online. Lead capture and nurture techniques. SEM and SEO. Implementation, integration, and use of Drupal and HubSpot content management systems.
@ginidietrich I must disagree, at least a little, on this point. Study after study shows that Americans are working longer hours than ever, and that it's affecting stress levels and illnesses. Yes, social media and marketing can be fun, but at what point do we need to start worrying about always being "on"? I don't want to hold a webinar at 9pm, because that's when I'm at home with my family. And it's great if lots of people are commenting on my posts at 5:00am — but does that mean I have to be awake to respond? People are impatient on social media, and want a faster response. Does this mean I have to be awake at 5:00am to respond to comments, be available all day for my clients who work business hours, and then stay awake to do a webinar from 9:00-11:00pm?There can be difficulties/disadvantages to always being connected. Sometimes it feels less like being connected and more like *having to be connected all the time.*
"Trend surfing" doesn't apply to just products. It can affect your editorial calendar, the kind of whitepapers and webinars you create, the events you attend, the people you interview, and so forth.
@HowieSPM We've had a similar problem at our company; if a client doesn't understand the value of blogging, it's impossible to convince them to pay what it takes to have that content written. Fortunately things are changing, but it's been a slow slog.
@jeanniecw I'm excited about Google Glasses, but those will alter yet again the social and marketing landscape. It'll be nothing if not interesting, that's for sure. :)
@PaulBiedermann Agreed. I just hope everyone gets on the bandwagon sooner rather than later!
Great article! I love that the tips you mention can apply to both mobile app and mobile web design. Mobile users behave so differently, it's important to cater to them just as you would a person who walks into your store or calls you or visits your site on a desktop.
I think the idea of integrating traditional and social marketing is great — if it's done *right*. The best example is the QR code. Most people don't know what it is, and even those who do use them are often disappointed because the code takes them to a homepage that has nothing to do with the ad or offer they saw in a commercial/on a poster/etc.
And since a lot of companies still aren't on the content bandwagon, there's often no real calls to action to lead people from traditional to social. Yes, Wheat Thins puts their Facebook icon/link on commercials, but there's no CTA. Why should I go there? What kind of conversations am I supposed to have? What's in it for me?
It seems to me that a lot of businesses haven't wrapped their minds around social media yet; so how are we going to convince them to spend money on traditional advertising that sends prospects to a social media site that's under-utilized and full of sales pitches?
Ahem. Mini-rant aside, I really like this article. It's a great way to show people that it's poor strategy to lean on just traditional or just social. There needs to be an interdependence, a way to get every member of your audience you can to visit your site and interact and become a fan and a customer. Thanks for sharing these!
I think a lot of businesses never get to the crisis planning point because they feel like they're drowning in all the other "stuff" they should be doing (social media, blogging, building their brand, and on and on). It can be hard to plan for a possible future event when they're just trying to keep their heads above water today.
This can't be an excuse, however. In this increasingly social and connected world, having a crisis plan in place is, well, critical.
I want to print this post (and Gini's comment) out and staple it on every tree, lamp post, and bill board in town.
Hopping into "the next big thing" is something that a lot of businesses do, usually to their detriment. Everyone else may be using X social media, but you have to stop and consider whether it's best for you and/or your business. Answering this question involves the points you mention in your article, as well as working out a strategy for using that platform.
Excellent points all around, Ken. Thanks for sharing!
I think something a lot of people miss is that customer service doesn't start as something grandiose — it starts as going the extra mile for a single customer. It's how you treat each individual that makes up your "customer service."
I agree with all these tips, but I think #1 is the most crucial. It's frustrating to all parties if one person is constantly having to go to the other with follow-up questions. Spell out what you want.
As for what I could add: Don't delegate responsibility and withhold authority. If you give a person a job to do, but don't let others know, or don't give that person the authority they need to accomplish the task, the whole thing will fail. Fewer things are more irritating than being given a job and no authority with which to get it done.
@jacksvalentine @KenMueller I agree with you, Nean. We work hard on our company website, but when someone asks what I do, I don't say, "Go check out our website!" and refuse to say anything else. Even if I'm unsure of my sales pitch, I try to say something meaningful.Her being unsure of herself makes me less confident in what she's doing. :)
I'm not a reader of the NYT, but I really like the idea of checking out the photos they share on Tumblr. I think a lot of history buffs (amateur and not) will have a lot of fun with it.
I just can't imagine a business owner who isn't chomping at the bit to talk all about their business. Maybe "Anne" isn't comfortable with feeling like a salesperson, or isn't confident that the business will be a success...so she was being hesitant.
Not that I'm excusing her. You should definitely feel comfortable talking about your business over the phone, on social media, *and* in person.
Huge applause to point #4. That's something that I need to do more often.
@KenMueller I'm definitely not advocating cutting corners (that's how you end up with terrible stuff). Striving for excellence is wonderful, and is a great chance to stretch, learn, and do better. But we can't let fear of not reaching perfection prevent us from trying. :)
This is a tough one. On one hand I totally agree — we should always be striving to do better. But this idea brings up bigger issues.
I've read article after article that shows that Americans work more hours than anyone else. They have longer days, take fewer vacations, and many are still unable to reach "the American dream" of owning a home or whatever their goals are. We're among the most stressed people on the planet, partly because of the idea that we always need to do and be better (which many people associate with doing more, although the two aren't necessarily the same).
Also, and it hurts to say it, but sometimes "adequate" is just fine, or may even be as high as we can go with something. In recent weeks I keep coming back to the saying, "Don't let 'perfect' be the enemy of 'good.' " It's great to reach for an ideal, but sometimes that ideal is unattainable, for whatever reason. But we can't let that get in the way of doing *something* that is good, or even "adequate."
Good food for thought, Ken. Thanks for sharing.
karyn_ellis Agreed. Automatic playing of just about anything is irritating, and makes me leave the site quickly. :)
I'm not certain you can do this, but if it's possible to auto-play an embedded video...don't. :) Not only will visitors miss part or all of the video, it's irritating to have to scroll around (or click between tabs) to find and pause something that's making noise.
I totally agree about the video transcript. You don't necessarily have to transcribe the whole thing, but you should hit the high points.