Just because you are a master of getting people on your site doesn’t mean they will want to buy from you or hire you. Customers (either B2C or B2B) want (and expect) more than just a “sales pitch” and One-way conversation of you telling them how great you are.

The post “One-way” Conversations With Your Customer Never Work…“Two-way” Give You Market Dominance first appeared on WOM10.

To start, it’s important to understand the difference between building “Brand Awareness” and “Solidifying your Brand” when it comes to establishing a Brand Strategy. Often times I see these two becoming comingled which can end up leading to “Brand Erosion” for a business. Seeing this doesn’t happen is one of the key responsibilities of a leader (CEO or Business Owner)…not the responsibility of marketing or sales or any other silo inside your organization.

Building “Brand Awareness” is about introducing new people (potential customers) to your brand…allowing them to see that you exist in the marketplace. It is an attraction strategy…one filled with education and excitement for a potential customer. It is about sharing with them something within your business that can help them improve their lives (or business) they didn’t know about before. It’s getting the word out to an audience you know you can help. It is NOT about FREE.

To me, FREE is a “lazy marketing” way of building Brand Awareness. It’s easy…offer anything of value for FREE and you will attract people like a magnet. This isn’t rocket science or strategic marketing…it’s just easy and doesn’t take a lot of expertise. Do we really need a marketing department to do this for us?

There are 5 key issues with offering FREE that can ultimately result in BRAND EROSION…

1. It does not guarantee any further purchases…just because someone checks you out on one of your free offers doesn’t mean they will ever come back and pay for your products in the future. The hope of every marketer is for the customer to see such an incredible product or experience they will want to come back and spend their money…most customers don’t. Unless your experience rocks their world and is something they will want more of, products usually don’t bring them back…they can find similar products at a lower price somewhere else. This is the commodity world of today where customers can find as good or better products at lower prices.
2. It’s giving away margin/profitability which impacts other areas and products…your product or service wasn’t free for you to create or acquire so anything above free means you are giving away valuable margin and profitability. When you do this, you have to “cover it” by either increasing prices on other products/services or lower the margins on your top products/services. Both of these are bad ideas from the standpoint of both the economics of your business and your Brand. And the customer keeps on expecting this over and over again…continually lowering profitability over time.
3. It attracts “bottom feeders” to your business, not your desired customers…the majority of time Free does not attract your desired “Customer Personas”…the ones you really want to get more of…it attracts those simply looking for cheap/FREE deals. This can become a HUGE PROBLEM for your Brand when you consider the ramifications. If you attract the “wrong customer personas” by offering free stuff, then your “desired customer personas” will start to assume they aren’t the type of customers your business is trying to serve since you are catering (targeting) to these other personas. This has a “double negative” implication because you end up with more of the wrong personas while losing more of the desired personas. This ultimately can CHANGE YOUR BRAND from what you want to something you don’t want very quickly. Many businesses end up in this situation and never have a clue how they got there. This is one of the prime reasons businesses end up having a lot of the wrong personas as the majority of their customer base.
4. It tells your customers who paid for something else they were ripped off…if you were a customer of a business that was offering FREE offers to others (not you) it would make you feel like you were either not important or being taken advantage of by the company. It sends a loud and clear message to your existing customers that they are funding the free customers because they are the ones paying. This never ends well. The best customers wonder why this is the case and get more and more upset when they see others getting free offers and they keep paying premium pricing. Banks are experts at this “bait and switch” strategy of luring you in with free and then charging you a fortune in fees while they continue to offer FREE to the “new customers only” instead of the ones they have already acquired. This is a great strategy if you want to turn your business into a commodity and competing on price…but very damaging to your brand strategy.
5. It lowers your brand value in the mind of potential (desirable) customers…similar to number 4 above, offering FREE sends a very clear message to your potential “desirable” customers that this may not be the right business for them to buy from because you cater to a different audience with your free offers. It has ramifications in your products, services, and customer experiences. Here’s a simple example…you sell purses that cost $500 and you offer smaller purses for free to new customers…with the intent to attract more customers. When your potential (desirable) customers see this, they immediately feel the value of the brand has been lowered and that your purse really isn’t worth the $500 they would have paid for it so they move to another brand with higher brand value. You end up attracting more of the lower end customers and never attracting the higher end desirable customers.

There are other impacts of FREE…these are ones I feel are the most detrimental to a BRAND and to your BUSINESS.

But here’s the OPPORTUNITY for those who understand this and decide NOT TO PLAY in the business game of FREE. To start, simply do EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE of the 5 issues I listed above…go in a different direction and DON’T OFFER FREE. Tell marketing they are being lazy. Ask them to be creative and innovative in “telling your story” and targeted to your “desired personas”. Let your potential and existing customers know without a doubt how you can help make their lives/businesses better by using your products and services.

Your leadership team should agree to offer only top products and services for your desired personas AND make a commitment to create a CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE that is incredibly amazing and will unquestionably demonstrate you are OBSESSED OVER YOUR DESIRED CUSTOMERS. If leadership commits to making this happen, you will not only keep the desired customer personas you have but start to attract others who are just like them…desirable new customers.

This strategy will help you to start weeding out the non-desirable customers you have picked up along the way since they will start seeing what you offer (products, services, and customer experience) really isn’t for them and they should move on to another business…hopefully your competitors. Let your competitors deal with these less desirable customer personas while you attract more of the right customer personas.

When leadership (CEO or Business Owner) creates this BRAND STRATEGY and directs marketing (and other groups) to find creative and innovative ways to deliver and communicate this message, you can be back in control of the brand you desire instead of one that is dictated by your non-desirable audience. This allows you to change the game, set yourself apart, and be differentiated in your customer’s eyes. This is a BRAND STRATEGY that STOPS BRAND EROSION and allows you to BUILD THE BRAND YOU WANT.

The post “FREE” is the Ultimate Brand Erosion Strategy…5 Reasons and an Opportunity first appeared on WOM10.

There are a ton of cake mixes on any grocery or specialty store shelf…and they all make virtually the same cake. For your taste, some might be a little creamier or richer or lighter or more colorful but they are still delivering one thing…a cake. They are simply the commodity in the customer experience of a birthday or another event.

The next time you are at a birthday party and they serve a homemade cake (which is getting more rare in today’s world where everyone has less time) stop and ask the person who baked it which brand of cake mix they used. They may remember and if they do, ask them WHY they chose that brand. The answer should further confirm for you that this is definitely a commodity with very little differentiation to the customer.

Today, unless your product is something over the top incredibly different and unique, it is a commodity. It is the EXPERIENCE that causes them to talk about you, your product/service, your employees, or your company. In the example of the cake mix, this isn’t what gets talked about. Sure, the cake is tasty…they are all tasty…but it isn’t what will get talked about, raved about, or shared on social media channels. It is the experience the cake was used for that gets remembered and talked about…the birthday party or anniversary or retirement party or some other special occasion. The cake might get an honorable mention but not the main stage…the main stage is reserved for the experience of how it made you feel and the emotions you felt when you were part of the event.

And just to clarify, when someone does happen to talk about the cake, it is usually about how awesome the cake was decorated or how special they made it look for the recipient. It is the emotion that was created by the decorating that caused the cake to get talked about, not the actual cake or cake mix. But you already know this and as you are reading I’m sure you are saying this is exactly what happens when you go to an event.

SO WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU ARE THE CAKE MIX COMPANY TO SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM THE OTHER 50 COMMODITY CAKE MIXES AND DIFFERENTIATE YOURSELF?

What could you do as the cake company that takes a “commodity” product called the cake mix and turns it into a differentiated product? The first thing to realize is that it isn’t the recipient (the person with the birthday) that is your target audience…at least not initially. If you want your product to stand out you have to give an incredible experience to the person responsible for the cake (the person baking the cake). THEY are the ones you want to differentiate your experience with so they can’t wait to talk about you when the birthday group raves about their cake. This is a very key point many companies miss along the way…who is the targeted audience for your experience? While it is usually more than one person, it has to start with someone who will be the “catalyst” to talk about the experience.

Put yourself in the position of the cake mix company and ask yourself how you (the company) can help the person making the cake (the first level recipient of your experience) have an awesome experience. Much of this is going to revolve around some type of “CONTENT” since you don’t generally interact face-to-face with the consumer. It is sold through a grocery store so they control the buying experience. But once they get the cake mix home, this is where you get to take control.

WHAT IF…

• The cake mix was interactive…there was a simple link in the beginning of the instructions that went to a video showing step by step exactly what to do and what it was supposed to look like along the way
• The cake mix had video or print about simple things you could do to “enhance” the cake mix to give it special flavoring or texture or something special
• You gave a link to a Pinterest page that showed an entire library of examples of how they could make the cake look spectacular and for whatever occasion
• On the Pinterest page, there was a link to another video with easy to use instructions on how to make this spectacular cake
• There was a “Chat” line or an 800 line you could call immediately if you had any questions at all and they could help you through making the cake the way you wanted
• …you offered many other ways to HELP YOUR CUSTOMER deliver the best cake they have ever made????

Would the customer now say, “WOW, this was incredibly helpful and no other cake mix company has ever done anything close to this for me…I have complete confidence in my ability to make an awesome cake with them by my side and readily available to help me.” They would most likely not only be happy with you but look at you in a COMPLETELY DIFFERENTIATED WAY.

Now what happens when they deliver the cake to the recipient and the party…they have a much higher probability of raving about you, the simple cake mix company than they ever would have before.  Now when someone asks them how did they make such an awesome and incredible cake, they are probably going to say, “Thank you…this was so easy and the XYZ Cake Mix Company was amazing…they helped me every step of the way and gave me some incredible ideas about how to make it taste awesome and even complete instructions on how to decorate it so it looked professional…I couldn’t have done it without them.”

This is how WORD-OF-MOUTH happens…this is how you take a commodity product and turn it into a memorable experience…one they will talk about…one they will share…one they will remember…one that is REMARKABLE!

Can you translate this into your own company or nonprofit or church or professional services firm or anything else that produces or sells a commodity product? How can you use the lessons of the simple “cake mix company” to help your own cake mix stand out? How can you turn your own products/services that have been commoditized by your competition into something special like the cake mix company could do with flour, sugar, eggs, and water?

This is the perfect time to create a strategy…a differentiated strategy…that focuses on being creative and innovative in the TYPE OF EXPERIENCE YOU COULD DELIVER TO YOUR CUSTOMERS. Now is the time for you to throw away all the reasons why the competition is winning and why you have to keep cutting prices and why you can’t seem to get the margins you want and CHANGE THE GAME. If a cake mix company can make it happen, I bet you can as well. If you’re stuck, shoot me a message and I’ll help you get “unstuck” and moving forward…everyone who has the vision and desire and passion can deliver a truly remarkable and awesome cake!!

The post The “Cake Mix” isn’t the Customer Experience…YOU ARE first appeared on WOM10.

Most leaders and companies focus on three primary areas to beat out their competition…PRICE, FEATURES, and SELECTION. To effectively compete and win (some of the time), they feel the need to lower prices or offer some additional features on their products/services the others don’t or add some new products/services to the list they already have. These all can work…for a short period of time. Then a competitor comes in and “one-ups” you in these areas and you are back to square one…only to repeat the cycle and try to do it again.

This is exhausting, discouraging, and expensive…and usually doesn’t lead to where you wanted to go in the first place…being different. This is playing the COMMODITY game, which is very difficult (if not impossible) to win in the long term. Competitors keep changing places and the only ones that benefit are the customers purchasing these products/services. They win because prices drop and deals get sweeter…but unfortunately THEY AREN’T LOYAL to you or any of your competitors…they are “loyal to the deal.”

In today’s fast moving, “low barrier to entry” world, this trend continues until some new company comes in with something completely different and hits all the companies in the industry hard. They have a completely new model for the product or service and they can pull a big chunk of your customers away…immediately. This collapses many companies in today’s world…they have gotten so “lean and competitive” that they can’t sustain a major blow like this…so they close their doors.

BUT THERE IS ANOTHER WAY TO PLAY THIS GAME…AND WIN!

Starting today, think 180…180 degrees. Think completely opposite of what your competitors are doing. Think of what your competitors do that your customers don’t like…and do that. Think about what causes your customers to be upset, what costs them time, what frustrates them…and do the opposite. Think about blowing up your model to do something that you know the CUSTOMER WILL LOVE instead of just trading customers back and forth because of the latest “deal of the day.” This is what THINKING 180 gives you…a competitive advantage your competitors can’t match…because it’s opposite of what they do.

Here’s a great example and story to illustrate the point. It was told by Jason Fried, Founder & CEO at Basecamp about his experience with a hotel, Hotel Drisco, in San Francisco. I would encourage you to read the entire post he made about his experience…he does and awesome job talking about his experience and how the Hotel Drisco figured out the “180 way of thinking” about their business. How they took a basic commodity…a hotel experience…and turned it into a memorable experience for their guests.

In case you don’t have time to read the entire post, here are some highlights…

“When I walked in the place felt historic and cozy. Wood paneled walls, classic human scale lobby, some comfortable creaks in the floor, and a wonderfully polite but never in your face staff. They understood the art of service.

I get to the room. First thing I notice is that the windows are cracked open a bit. It’s a lovely warm spring day?—?I’m sure it was intentional. A gentle cross-breeze whispering welcome. It’s the kind of thing I’d do at home if the weather was nice outside.

There are some booklets on the table. I pop one open and turn to this page: 6 bottles of complimentary water. Now… When you’re a paying few hundred bucks for a room you might expect free water, but as anyone who’s stayed in a hotel lately knows, there’s plenty of bottled water around but it usually wears a $5 or $7 price tag. So a hotel that doesn’t play games and try to nickel and dime you on water feels like a very special place indeed. And not just a bottle or two, but six, and they’re placed conveniently in a few different areas so one is always near by. Thoughtful.

I paid roughly the same room rate at a Marriott recently, and there wasn’t any fruit unless I wanted to order the $15 fruit plate from room service. And they were also happy to sell me bottled water at $5/pop, too.

The Drisco didn’t slip a bill. Instead they left a little bag on the door handle. We know you’re leaving, so here’s a few things that might help. A TSA-approved bag, a microfiber cloth to clean glasses or electronics, and some mints. Probably cost the hotel a buck or two max. Absolutely worth it.

I was left with this impression: The Drisco was on my side. I recommend this place whole-heartedly.”

And not only did he have an awesome experience, he TALKED ABOUT IT to thousands! He was so impressed that he took the time to write about it on Medium and tell everyone about it in person and on social media channels. This was marketing for the Hotel Drisco that cost nothing…zero dollars…no ads, no flyers, no e-mail campaigns…just WORD-OF-MOUTH from an incredibly trusted and respected customer.

Hotel Drisco gets 180 thinking…do you? Could this work for your business? I think it can work for every business on the planet. You just have to get your head around it and change the way you have been thinking. Believe me, it isn’t easy…leaders struggle with this every day and it is one of my missions to help them see the other side of this mountain…how to get to 180 THINKING. If you have gotten excited about this at all…we should talk…you have taken the first step to doing 180 thinking…CONGRATULATIONS!

The post Think 180…your Business will STAND OUT…like Hotel Drisco first appeared on WOM10.

When I talk to customers and get feedback on a business, one of the most frequent comments I get back is, “I don’t really understand what they are saying so sometimes it’s hard to make a decision to buy.” What this is really saying is that we aren’t communicating in “customer language”…the language our customers understand. And it isn’t rocket science to figure out that when someone doesn’t understand what you are saying, they will have a very hard time justifying why they should buy from you.

One thing I have observed from being a Strategic Advisor and Consultant to business leaders over the years is that if it’s too complicated or convoluted, they abort…they just stall until you go away. I learned this early on in my career when I was at Arthur Andersen. I specifically remember a particular presentation our team was giving to a $100M manufacturing company Owner and his team.

It was for a sizable project that would engage us for at least a year to help them rebuild their business strategy, get closer to their customers, and improve their business processes…an ideal project. We had lots of really detailed presentation slides (very different from what I present today) and PowerPoint was smoking that afternoon. Everyone was on their game and presented what they could contribute and how they fulfill their role to help the company.

At the end of the presentation, I asked the Business Owner what he thought. What he said changed my life that day and changed the way I vowed to operate going forward. It was one of those guiding principles I follow to this day because it is so “spot on” and accurate. He said to us…

“Thank you for the presentation, I can see you went to a lot of work putting all this together for us. I have just two comments for you right now that we might want to think about a bit more before we make any decisions. I only understood about 20% of what you said and I consider myself to be a pretty smart guy. You were speaking in a ‘language’ I didn’t really understand through most of the presentation. It looked impressive and very technical so I presume you know what you are doing, but I didn’t get it. My second comment is pretty simple…it looks really expensive. And since I didn’t really understand most of it, it is hard for me to determine if this is an appropriate fee or not. Perhaps we can translate this into something I can understand and we can revisit it again. I like things ‘dirt simple’ and find that when I get things to that level, my customers really understand what I can do for them. Maybe we can try this again after you have applied the ‘dirt simple’ test to your information.”

WOW…shot down because of one simple issue…LANGUAGE. He didn’t get it…he didn’t understand the words, terms, or how it was being put together to help him and his business. We weren’t communicating in a language he understood so he couldn’t effectively analyze the proposal and the fees. He was completely accurate and it hit me like a punch in the stomach. He was right…and I knew it right after he said it to me and the team. We came back with a much more straight forward presentation…about half the PowerPoint slides and really easy to understand. I still don’t think it was “dirt simple” in hindsight but considerably better. He hired us…and I won’t ever forget that moment.

Today I live by the “dirt simple” rule. He taught me then what I have heard and seen a hundred times or more when talking to business leaders…if it isn’t in my LANGUAGE then I can’t understand it and translate it to my business. When I talk to leaders, they tell me they reject the majority of proposals because they just seem “too complex and complicated” for what they want to do in their business…they simply don’t understand them well enough to commit funds and resources.

It isn’t that the consultants (or employees) aren’t good at what they do…they are usually very qualified…they just can’t translate what they do into the language of their customers. So they get rejected for reasons they never understand…reasons such as price, timing, and other nonsensical issues. They had a great solution…the customer just didn’t understand it or what they were really saying.

You might be asking why they don’t ask the consultants to clarify what they are saying since they don’t fully understand it…they don’t. And the biggest reason is because no one wants to look stupid…like they don’t get it. No one wants to ask the “dumb question” (we learned this early on in school). People like to look like they get it and are smart. If they ask a simple question like, “I don’t get it, can you explain it again,” it would be make them appear as it they weren’t as smart as the consultant thinks they are…so they just come up with some reason to reject it until they can find someone who can explain it in simpler terms.

I share this story so you can translate it to your own business…your own customers. Ask yourself (and your teams) if you are making the same mistake I did 20 years ago…sounding so sophisticated, complex, and knowledgeable so they would hire me because of these reasons. They don’t…they want your message in their language and “dirt simple” so they can translate it easily. If you follow the path of complexity the customer doesn’t translate all the wonderful things you can do for them…they will not understand the language you are using.

It’s like speaking French when your customer speaks English. They will only understand a few things and will ignore the rest…usually the best parts. Figure out the “language” of your customers and how you need to communicate so you are both speaking the same language. Test it out early on…share some insights and stories and see if they respond favorably. ASK THEM key questions and listen to both what and how they are sharing their answers. Ask more and LISTEN MORE and you will begin to hear the “language” they use and how they want you to present all the wonderful things you can do to help them.

Incorporate this “language” and approach into everything you do and discuss it with them. If you communicate in their language, you will learn more than any of your competitors. And when you know more about your customers…the deep and good stuff…you win. Having this depth of information and how to speak their “language” gets you into the secret passages others can’t reach. Whether you are in a transaction retail business or a sophisticated B2B organization, this works and helps you differentiate. It helps you create a much stronger customer experience because they feel like you are truly OBSESSING OVER YOUR CUSTOMERS since you are willing to listen and learn. This makes you and your company something special to them and someone they want to do business with…and they tell others!

The post What “Language” Do You Use When Speaking to your CUSTOMERS? first appeared on WOM10.

Blogging is dead…a phrase that has been going around for as long as I can remember since I started my business over 8 years ago…and it’s still going around.

Lots of reasons people think blogging is dead…here are just a few…

• Takes too much time to read
• Little value in some of the “pimping” blogs (those selling products disguised as being helpful)
• Self-centered ranting with little value
• Extreme views trying to gain attention but again, no value
• Things move too fast to spend reading blogs
• Lots of other social channels to get information quickly

You might have some of your own or have heard others from your colleagues. And I don’t disagree with most of these items on the list above…

But three key questions keep coming back to haunt us…

1. Where does our audience go to get “the story” in more than 140 characters or short bursts?
2. How does our audience “get to know us” and what we are passionate about?
3. Where can our audience get our deepest insights and knowledge that can truly “help” them?

Content Marketing…the new phrase for today that is designed to help answer these three questions. It is hot and it is coming at us like a Tsunami from every direction. Why? Because all the other crap being thrown at us by companies on all the social channels isn’t working…it isn’t getting our attention…it isn’t causing us to take action…it isn’t helping and it isn’t working.

In reality…content marketing is “blogging reincarnated”…blogging with a different name associated with it…a new name on the same solution. The same problem exists today that has been around from the beginning time when it comes to marketing…companies trying to connect with their audience to sell them stuff. We thought social media would be the holy grail…it isn’t and won’t be for the way most companies use it. But it works famously well for those using it the way it was designed. What’s missing?

VALUABLE, HELPFUL, INSIGHTFUL, THOUGHT PROVOKING CONTENT…the stuff those who are connected to their audiences write in their blogs.

You don’t have to call it Blogging…you can call it Content Marketing if you feel better about it. But in the end, it is blogging reincarnated with a different name and different package attempting to do the same thing blogging was originally designed to do…HELP YOU DO BETTER AT WHAT YOU DO BEST!

The post Blogging “Reincarnated” first appeared on WOM10.

But first, I need to find the “X” to get rid of the pop-up ad.

Then the content…finally…I’m excited to learn more.

As I read I realize this is really an overview of the topic…I already understand the concepts. I continue to read and still not real meat, no real story, no real in-depth insights, opinions, research, stories, or value.

I quickly skim the rest of the post and get to the bottom.

Then it comes into focus…they want me to buy something or go somewhere on their site where they are selling some product or service. Now I see the whole picture. I just wasted my time to be sold…only in a very unsuspecting, unprofessional, and manipulative way.

I leave…unsubscribe…never to come back and be tricked again.

I’m gone.

If any of this sounds like you or your company, “Don’t be that Guy/Girl/Company.” It will erode your credibility, trust, and opportunity to really have a meaningful relationship with that person…possibly forever. The internet is very unforgiving today, unlike in the past few years. People know how to get rid of you and leave…and most likely, never come back.

Don’t listen to the people selling pop-up ads…we all hate them and we all immediately look for the “X” or the “Close” button. Don’t sell me in your content. If you want to sell me, be up front and tell me so if I am interested I at least have opted in to read it. Trickery, manipulation, being sneaky doesn’t work…not today…not ever. Be trustworthy…it’s worth its weight in gold!

The post Don’t be “That Guy/Girl/Company” first appeared on WOM10.

If you are in marketing or use social media marketing in your B2B business, you are probably pretty familiar with the new tsunami that has taken over…CONTENT MARKETING. Great concept and great value…but is it now being ruined by marketers?

At the core of “Content Marketing” is the “story”…the way to take your content and turn it into something someone in your audience will actually read. It takes the boring data and information from your industry and brings it to life through a story of some kind. Not only does this make total sense but it is what humans enjoy reading. Stories started for us when we were newborns and have continued all the way through our lives. Granted, higher education believes in more facts and data than stories but even this is changing in some institutions.

Now that traditional marketing is virtually gone…or at least on a steep downward trajectory, marketers have turned…in mass…to social channels to try and get their message across. Many still use “traditional techniques” overlaid onto “social channels” but that is a topic for many more blog posts on why this is completely ineffective. Others have taken to telling stories to improve the “readability” of their content. Great idea…but is it being properly executed? Now we are getting inundated with “stories”…some of which are interesting…many of which are wolves dressed up in sheep clothing…simply a different way of selling.

Trying to “sell” and “market” through a story isn’t what the audience neither wants nor expects. They want to read a story that “HELPS” them in some way in whatever they are doing. When this gets transformed into a “marketing pitch”, no matter how subtle, it diminishes the value of the content. And the customer/audience sees this…they aren’t stupid. They came to read something that is going to help them in whatever they do…not listen to your advertisement. This is still “pimping your product/service” and it is still “PUSH marketing.” We can call it by a different name, like “content marketing”, but it is still the same old recipe of pushing what you do and why your audience should buy it.

True “Story Telling” and true “Content Marketing” is designed to HELP YOUR AUDIENCE…that’s it…nothing more. And if you help your audience, they in turn will help you. They will share it with their 1000 other connections. They will personally tell others how great it is…and on social channels. They will “advocate” for you. They will “SELL FOR YOU”…but you have to give them a chance. This is true “PULL Marketing” and at the core of what “Story Telling” and “Content Marketing” is designed to accomplish.

Leave it to marketers to find a way to take something great and ruin it by turning it into another “push” tool and drive their audience away. When will they get that this isn’t the answer…especially not in the highly connected, customer centric, word-of-mouth world we live in today. It doesn’t work…in fact it causes more damage to your brand than doing nothing. If you are doing this…STOP…you will do your brand and your customers/audience a huge favor!! Time to re-think your “Content Marketing” strategy and do an honest evaluation of whether it is “HELPING” your audience or “SELLING” to your audience…this should be your new guide to building your brand.

The post Have Marketers now RUINED “Story Telling” for B2B? first appeared on WOM10.

Take, for example, the normal Business Owner started or came into their business because of this very reason – they were passionate about what they were offering.  It’s still there – just not shared freely with their current and prospective audiences.  When I consult with companies, I don’t hunt down the brightest and smartest people in the company.  Nope, I look for those with the most passion. They are the only ones that can truly answer the “Why” question…

When you are in the business I am in – helping companies build an integrated “Engagement Strategy” – this is the key ingredient.  Without it, the company’s path of least resistance will be promoting themselves, talking about how great they are, “pimping” their products and services, and doing a host of other activities that actually drive their desired audience away from them on both the social and non-social channels.

I leave you with one question to answer for yourself and you decide.  If you interact with a company where you feel their people and leadership isn’t passionate about what they do and why they exist, “Is there any reason to build a relationship and not think of them as a commodity and beat them up on price?” Don’t think so. And one final note – people don’t spread Word-of-Mouth about you when they don’t feel you are passionate about what you do…

The post “Passion” is way too UNDERESTIMATED… first appeared on WOM10.

If you look at the numbers they discussed in the article, they say the number of blogging companies has dropped over the past year – as much as 13% from 50% and only 23% of the Fortune 500 companies had a blog in 2011.  They also cite the statistic blogging dropped a whopping 2% in the 18 – 33 year old age group.  But perhaps what was most interesting, is after they cited all these statistics, they said, “Blogging requires more investment.  You need content regularly.  And you need to think about the risk of blogging, accepting comments, liability issues, and defamation,” says Ganim Barnes, a professor at Dartmouth.  They also added, “It’s a tool and content you own, which was a big benefit.”

When we dig a little deeper…the examples they cite are primarily B2C rather than B2B, but that’s OK.  However, after all this talk of people aborting blogging, Lou Hoffman, CEO of The Hoffman Agency said something profound, “Many corporate blogs fail to attract readers because they exist solely to pitch products and are badly written! Companies don’t understand that the content on the blog shouldn’t be “about me” – such information tends to be dull.”  AMEN.  I couldn’t have said it better myself.

In a world where there is more and stronger competition, pressure on prices, fewer customers, increased operating costs in all areas, wouldn’t you want to find a way to DIFFERENTIATE yourself and become more MEMORABLE than your competition?  As a business strategist, this is the first thing I explore with a company.  Having a blog that “helps your customers” instead of “Pimping your products” is a HUGE differentiator today!  Being able to have a “dialog” on your blog with customers and others who are interested in how you can help them solve their own issues and problems makes more sense today than ever before.  Companies saying they want to “turn off” blogs because they don’t want to deal with comments is just like telling your customers to stop talking to you and let you shove your information at them instead.  Your customers are asking to have a dialog with you when you are not in front of them and talk in front of the world…what if they are saying great things about you???

My advice, STOP BLOGGING if you are set on wanting to “Push” content and “Pimp” yourself or your company!  Lou was exactly right, why would anyone want to read more advertising being thrown at them over many “channels” (social media tools) when they didn’t really care about your brochure the first time? We need to get over ourselves.  The customer doesn’t want to hear this from us.  What they want to hear is how we can “HELP” them be better at what they do.  I you can help them do this, they will “PULL” you, your content, and your blog into their world and THANK YOU for it! Anything else will fail – regardless of which tool you use.  So I completely agree, if you are going to “Pimp” over the airwaves, don’t bother.  And you might as well not write a blog because it is just more work producing something that won’t get read, so stop blogging!

If you decide you want to HELP your audience and give them content and stories and perspectives to grow their business, then the blog is absolutely, positively the best social media tool to communicate this to your audience.  And if you’re still on the fence, just consider this final thought.  Considering all the social media tools available to a business today, if your customer wanted to SHARE something with a prospective customer, would you rather have them share a bunch of stories you have written that would help their business or 140 characters? Answer the question from your own perspective, “what would YOU want to get?” I think you just found the answer to whether or not you should blog…

The post USA Today suggests a choice…”Easy” or a “Relationship” first appeared on WOM10.