I see some variation on this gig posting almost every day, and you probably do too. It makes me cringe. Or want to slap someone. Probably both.

Every business is out to make money, but being a cheap bastard when it comes to the marketing content your company presents to its customers is just beyond stupid. Can you get someone on board who will write for you at 0.03 per word? Yeah, sure. Absolutely.

The real question, however, is: Can you get an
established writer with all the experience and background you need, with a
proven portfolio of successful past engagements, who will write for you at 0.03
per word?

And the answer there is NO.

If your budget is tight enough that you are willing to pay only 0.03 per word for copy, you might want to think about the fact that you are probably going to end up paying much more than that for this copy over time, and that will suck. For you.

Initially, you might be surprised to find that none of the 0.03-per-word writers that respond to your posting actually have all of the expertise you asked for in your gig description. But if your budget is 0.03 per word, you’ll just have to choose from the pool of respondents you have, right?

So now you’re working with an inexperienced writer to develop copy for the make-or-break first impression that your customers get of your company. Wow, no pressure there.

OK, so the copy’s written, you roll it out on launch day, and. . .poor search results, sluggish conversion rates, and traffic stats are down around your ankles. FAIL.

So you post your gig again, and go through the same process. With the same results. Three or four more times. Oh my, you are silly, aren’t you?

Here’s the deal: When it comes to business-critical
things like making a GREAT first impression on potential customers, you’ve
gotta invest well.

Let’s say an average multi-page company site can run maybe 3,000 words, give or take a bit. Good writer or bad, that’s a big investment of time, considering research, page outlines, first/second/third drafts, etc.

And you wanna pay $90 for that. Huh.

And how many times are you willing to have to pay that same $90, only to end up with the same quality of writer you got in the first place? Hmmmmm . . .

You see, you can pay a realistic market rate ONE TIME for a really good, experienced writer who will generate the kind of copy that gets the results you need. . .or you can pay a WHOLE BUNCH of times for sub-standard copy that doesn’t do the trick.

Your choice.

So great; I want to know more. I went to their site and poked around a bit. It had lots of fabulosity around the company’s product and service offering, and benefits and business value were cited left, right, and center. But something was missing. . .

Validation. Specifically, third-party validation.

In our currently wacky economic climate, companies are scaling WAY back on spending. If an expenditure isn’t clearly and directly contributing to the bottom line, odds are it’s either been cut, or is about to be. And moreoever:

Who’s gonna just take a startup’s word for it
when it comes to an IT infrastructure purchase?

The answer there, my friends, is just about nobody.

What this startup was missing the boat on is cold, hard customer evidence. Yep, all that venture capital spent on engineering brilliance and massive advertising exposure, but not a single ringing endorsement from a happy customer to seal the deal.

Now more than ever, customers are looking for value. And nothing will help them choose one offering over another like stories of happy, happy deployments that saved boatloads of time and money, and maybe even boosted productivity through the roof.

When comes right down to it, customers are truly one of most effective forms of advertising. Whether they’re raving about a service on a company’s Facebook page, tweeting a link to the product they just deployed, or sharing their success story through a case study, customers can really make a massive impact on sales.

Got case studies? Need some? Contact us today!

Well, if you even have to ask, then I think you know the answer.

But first of all: Congratulations on using social media! So many companies are afraid to, or don’t think they have the resources for it—so anyone who is actually getting out there and doing it is already ahead of the game in my book.

Now, on to the pressing issue:

What if you’re tweeting your sweet little brains out, but nobody seems to be
sharing your brilliance with others?

This is a tough nut to crack for a lot of people and organizations, so you’re not alone. There’s really no single silver bullet (and no, I’m not talking Coors Light here—although that might make you feel a bit better about things) that can rock your world when it comes to getting RTed, but here’s a shortlist that might help you get a fire lit:

1. Are you following people who care? If you’re only following Alec Baldwin, your co-worker Nathan, and your niece Emily, you need to expand your horizons. Follow like-minded people, and they will happily RT any pertinent info you post to their followers—who might in turn begin following (and RTing) you!
2. Think graphically. Infographics are not only pretty, fun, and informative, they get RTed like CRAZY. I mean like Courtney Love-crazy. Make one. Tweet it. See what happens.
3. Keep your characters in check. Are your Tweets routinely coming in at exactly 140 characters? If so, it’s time to do some pruning. See if you can tweet at about 100 characters, in order to leave room for your followers to add comments when they RT to their peeps.
4. Is your information unique? If your tweets don’t offer an unusual twist on similar information being disseminated online, why should they bother RTing? Don’t just regurgitate the same information that everyone else posts; even when you RT someone else’s post, make it your own before you click that ‘Tweet’ button.
5. Be provocative. No matter what industry you’re in (unless maybe you’re a nun), sex sells. So think about spinning your content around a well-crafted, clever innuendo, and you might see your level of RTs, uh, rise. 

Now of course, how to succeed on Twitter is a pretty big subject, and this only barely scratches the surface. But. . .I have it on good authority that there might be a <cough, cough> spiffy WEBINAR coming up soon on this very subject.

If you’d like to be one of the first to get a heads-up on our free upcoming social media webinar, just drop us a note, and we’ll make sure to let you in on all the details as soon as they’re firmed up.

It’s the About Us page.

To say that most of them are dull would be an understatement. And before you tell me that “they-don’t-matter-because-your-web-analytics-indicate-that-nobody-goes-there-anyway,” think again. There’s also this:

Maybe nobody’s reading your About Us page because it just plain SUCKS.

Sadly, this is often the case, but it doesn’t have to be that way. When written properly, your About Us page can actually be one the most effective pre-sales tools you have.

To get your About Us page the love it deserves—and to help it work harder for your bottom line—its marching orders should be:

1. Talk about your customer upfront – Give them a reason to feel that you understand what they need, and that what you have to offer is going to help them.
2. Don’t be boring – Most About Us pages are so dry they’d go up in flames if you held a lit match to them; make sure the copy is conversational, and reflects your company’s personality and unique vibe.
3. Tell a story—but make it short – Nobody really wants get slapped in the face with your organization’s historical timeline; find a crisp, snappy way to talk about how far you’ve come using a single paragraph and engaging language.

You can also shake it up by including a sampling of your recent tweets, information on your current customers, and a link to your blog. And maybe an image or two to spice things up—just like babies, grown-up people love to see pictures of other people doing interesting things.

So in your opinion, which companies are hitting it out of the park with About Us pages, and which are barely making it to first base? Let me know in the comments below.
Wanna get in on some more hot marketing action? Come see me here.

Personal branding? Isn’t that just for celebrities like Jamie Oliver, Oprah, and Donald Trump?

Nope.

The fact is, because customer engagement is more and more often based upon personal relationships (or the impression of them) these days, even larger companies like Intel, Microsoft, and Sony are recognizing the value of personal branding.

Of course, Apple realized this value long ago through the charisma of Steve Jobs. But unfortunately, most tech firms—alas, not even Apple, anymore—simply don’t have an executive figurehead with his crazy-good natural magnetism.

So many organizations, large and small, are now looking to develop a more intimate relationship with customers via personal branding. But riddle me this, Batman:

Should personal branding be about who you want them to think
you are—or who you really are?

For the answer to this, let’s look back at those celebrities I mentioned up top. Did any of them set out in the beginning to “develop a personal brand?” Absolutely not; they were just being themselves, and the brand developed around them. Think about it:

• Jamie Oliver: Goofy and down-to-earth, cause-supporting family man
• Brand Perception: Anything branded with Jamie’s name is accepted as health-oriented, simple-to-use/do, and championing the average Joe (or Jill)

• Oprah Winfrey: Easy-to-relate-to, generous media mogul
• Brand Perception: Whatever Oprah attaches herself to is assumed to be cool and new, great for personal growth and development, and helping those in need

• Donald Trump: Arrogant, business-savvy millionaire
• Brand Perception: Products and services under the Trump umbrella are perceived as upscale, top quality, and destined for success

Have these folks fallen short of these generalized perceptions every once in a while? Of course they have—they’re human, after all. And that’s exactly what makes them relatable.

They may be wealthy and powerful, but when it comes
down to it, they’re just a flawed as we are.

And that, my friends, is exactly what makes them so successful as people—and as brands. I think the tech industry should loosen up and learn some real lessons here.

A personal brand not only makes your organization more relatable; it can also create a buzz that stuffy, by-the-book corporate brands just can’t achieve. It can draw customers to you, rather than keep them at arm’s distance. And the bottom line is that customers feel much more comfortable opening their wallets to do business when they feel they have established a personal relationship.

What do you think? What’s your fave personal brand—and why?

But this isn’t about her.

I’m here today to tell you about Khloe, why she’s the only one I can stand to watch for more than 5 minutes, and how she should be informing the way tech marketers position their brands.

I’m not kidding.

For my money, Khloe is the only one of the Kardashians who gets it when connecting with her audience. She’s real, she’s fallible, she’s OK with who she is, and she just pretty much OWNS it, dammit. And this makes her undeniably relatable, whether you’re a 14-year-old wannabe glam queen or a middle-aged couch surfer.

Now, all of the recent political controversy about whether or not “corporations are people” got me to thinking about tech brands, and how many of them could really stand a Khloe-style humanity check with respect to the way they project their corporate images.

For a long time, the tech industry was catering to the super-savvy insider who got the jargon, drank the Kool-Aid, and purchased like a demon. Today however, audiences have changed, and more and more non-tech folks are holding the purse strings.

They don’t want jargon, complex technical messaging, or even a hint of BS from a tech firm—
whether it’s a startup or an industry behemoth.

Enter Khloe.

What these firms can learn from our girl is basic, but very often overlooked:

1. Speak their language – You know who loves you and helps you pay the bills; give ‘em the straight talk they deserve, without flowery crap and made-up-to-sound-important fake words
2. Own your screw-ups – You’re a public company and they’re gonna find out anyway—be honest and demonstrate your good faith in fixing things
3. Show your human side – Reach out and react genuinely to what’s going on around you, whether it’s a global disaster, or even a competitor’s triumph

Now let’s all slip on a little black dress, jump in the limo and go kick some marketing BUTT, Khloe-style. Your customers will love you for it!

(Oh, and have you read my new article that was published on MarketingProfs today? http://bit.ly/xdcFRg)

For a lot of marketing organizations, getting great things done means staffing up for the busy months ahead. You’ve got events, campaigns, social media, and maybe even a Web refresh or two on deck, and you need to get rolling.

Now, you’d think that in a recovering economy, it would be really easy to find exactly the type of talent you’re looking for within the candidate pool. . .right? Not always.

 The fact is, finding a “right-fit” marketer, communicator, or content god(dess) can be a real bitch when almost EVERYBODY is out there trawling for a job.

All the hiring managers I know have been complaining that the hiring process is taking a lot longer these days, as they’re being inundated with hundreds (or thousands) of candidates for each open position, most of whom are either 1) massively under-qualified, 2) ridiculously over-qualified, or 3) needing relocation or sponsorship assistance that is simply no longer in their budgets. HR folks and recruiters are tearing their hair out trying to weed through the sheer numbers of candidates, looking for those 3-5 that would fit a specific role.

Brutal. But it gets worse.

While all this is going on, key marketing initiatives are getting back-burnered, re-scheduled, or simply cancelled because there’s nobody on board yet to make them happen.

So for every day your company goes without that Director, Publicist, or Content Strategist, revenue and opportunities are being lost. (See, I told you it got worse.)

However.

What if you could ride the wild wave of the hiring lifecycle, knowing that your marketing activities are actually moving forward while you search for that perfect candidate?

The solution is easy: Hire a marketing consultant who can keep your strategies rolling (or develop one if you need it) while you search for The One. Think about it:

• No office space
• No FTE salary
• No taxes
• No insurance
• No listening to water-cooler stories about their mother-in-law’s chihuahua
• No long-term commitment

Consultants. We’re not just for breakfast anymore. We’re what’s for dinner. Or something like that.

It’s Yelp.

Now, some people might not consider Yelp to be much of a social media vehicle; they see it as a younger, hipper version of Angie’s List, and in some respects, they‘re correct. But when you look deeper, you can clearly see how much value it has as a social platform—maybe even more than Facebook, truth be told.

And as with any popular social media outlet, Yelp offers businesses the opportunity to make
massive, horrifying mistakes when dealing with customers.

Know This:

1. Yelp is a public forum where consumers post their experiences with, and related opinions of, your business
2. You can’t control what people post
3. Trying to manipulate your Yelp reviews is business suicide

Recently, someone I know posted a negative review of a business on Yelp. It was a valid review, reflecting that person’s experience with the company. Several weeks later, he received a letter from the company’s attorney, firmly requesting that the negative review be removed.

What?!

Now, this business had an opportunity, and they blew it. They could have offered to correct the problem, extended a discount, or at the very least issued a sincere apology for the experience the customer had.

But instead, they went on the offensive, and offensive they certainly were. As a result, my colleague posted an update to his review, outlining the experience of receiving the attorney’s follow-up letter.

Now, this company has several other reviews from happy customers on its profile. One less-than-stellar review wasn’t going to hurt one bit. But now, thanks to their overzealous response to a single review, people researching them on Yelp will likely think twice about doing business with them.

So Get This: Yelp is indeed an important social media outlet. Don’t treat it like your own personal sandbox. The same rules of customer service that apply to your call center should also apply here.

Now let’s all get out there and have some Happy Holidays, eh?

Well, times have changed, and Marketing is no longer hanging out in bars with a Cuban cigar hanging out of the corner of its mouth. Today, Marketing is happily married—to a lovely, exotic young thing called Social Media. They got together a few years back, and despite their differences, these two crazy kids are
actually making it work!

Of course, every committed relationship creates change.
And although Marketing resisted for a while, he finally came around and learned to compromise, with fantastic results.

So what tricks did our old dog Marketing learn as a result of his relationship with that sexy vixen, Social Media? Read on. . .

4 New Truths of Marketing in the Era of Social Media

1. Go where your customers are – Don’t make them come to you—use social media to find your customers in their favorite online hangouts, figure out what they want, and determine how they want to receive it.
2. Shut up and listen – This is hard. For decades, marketers have jumped in and simply told customers what they wanted them to know, but that doesn’t work anymore. With social media, the world is your focus group, so get in there and crack yer ears open, matey—you’ll learn amazing stuff!
3. The more data, the merrier – Every “like,” “follow,” and “retweet” gives you more (and better) first-hand information about your target customer, helping you market to them more effectively–and make them happier with your offering.
4. Talk with ‘em, not at ‘em – Thanks to social media, customers today are interacting directly with brands they care about, rather than simply discussing amongst themselves. After you’ve done your listening and know what they want to talk about, jump in to chat, respond, and resolve issues. You’ll be building satisfaction and loyalty with every post!

So you see, even an unlikely pairing like old-skool Marketing and that little hottie Social Media can generate some really great stuff, and even long-term looooooooooooooove. If you want to read more posts on social media, check these badboys out:

• Going on a Bad (Tweet) Trip
• The Tweet that Never Was
• Elvis is Everywhere. You Don’t Need to Be.
• Is the Bird REALLY the Word?

All of the larger tech firms I work with have a Twitter account—usually multiple accounts, given the size and scope of their businesses. And while it may seem that these organizations are all over the Twittersphere, sharing, commenting, and announcing, you can bet that those approved corporate Twitter accounts are nearly impossible for the average employee to access.

These organizations know that the key to avoiding a social media meltdown lies in having a well laid out strategy, experienced and trusted staff manning the presence, and tight control over the accounts.

You won’t find HP, Apple, or Microsoft handing over their Twitter accounts
to a “social media intern.”

But even if you do have all those checks-and-balances in place, what should you do if the unthinkable happens, a finger slips, and something incorrect—or just plain inappropriate―gets released into the wild under your company name?

1. Don’t Panic – It’s not the end of the world!
2. Delete – First and foremost, delete the tweet in question. While it won’t stop the folks who have already seen it from sharing, it will keep the problem from escalating due to continuing access to the live posting.
3. Address – Immediately (‘cause Twitter moves fast, man!) post a retraction, correction, or apology as appropriate.
4. Clean Up – In the unlikely event that the mess created is REALLY big, follow up by pointing readers to someplace like Facebook, where a representative or team from your company can address specific issues or concerns one-to-one.