Content marketing is starting to take shape. More and more companies are designating funds, people and time for real, timely, relevant and needed content their audiences desire. But what is that content and where can it be found.
Well known industry blogs that I will not name but know who they are talk about going out and finding the types of content that is relevant to their audiences. In order to that, you must listen to your fans. Given the great advancements in social analytics and offline advocacy, this has turned into a somewhat easy task.
But nonetheless, even after you figure out what your audience wants, companies think it is a walk in the park to produce this so-called amazing content. After all, it is this "amazing content" that will drive fans to your website.
But what happens if your 1% (those of you in the industry know what I mean), do not fully represent your entire fan base? That means you are gambling a huge portion of your time and money on chance that the 1% represents your audience as a whole.
Eve more disturbing what happens if your fans ask for something you just can't produce. What if they want article in Pinterest, yet you don't even run your own Pinterest page? What happens if they wants stats on the ROI of your last "successful" social media plan and yet, that information can not be made public? What do you do then?
I am willing to bet the company would find other experts on Pinterest and share it with their fans. But that doesn't really make you the expert now does it.
My point is that great content does not grow on trees. Blogs out there that say just produce relevant content your fans desire and you will make some dough are not accurately describing the actions a company must take to get the job done.
I don't have the answer just yet, but until, I won't be the one going out and saying to do it before saying how to do it.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
"Driving" Engagement; Or Is It?
One industry that continues to invest more and more into social engagement is the automobile business. Even with manufacturers investing a larger percentage of their budgets on social, how many can actually it is paying dividends to their ROI.
Honda, who recently won WOMMA's and the Chicago Automobile Trade Association (CATA) Driving Engagement Award for their "Honda Loves You Back" campaign, had a terrific idea that undoubtedly creative so much online buzz. In case you missed here, take a look.
The campaign, which featured the band Monsters Calling Home, who actually filmed an entire music video in their car. Honda showed their love by organizing a live show on the Jimmy Kimmel show.
As you can, this is a terrific idea. The video has over 1.4 Million views, but how many people saw this video and said, "Wow, Honda did that. I am going to buy one."
No I don't have access to their social media team or their sales team, but I truly wonder how they measured their ROI for this campaign. Did it lead to actual car sales?
If car companies are saying these types of campaigns are providing such dividends, shouldn't they share that with the public?
What do you think?
Honda, who recently won WOMMA's and the Chicago Automobile Trade Association (CATA) Driving Engagement Award for their "Honda Loves You Back" campaign, had a terrific idea that undoubtedly creative so much online buzz. In case you missed here, take a look.
The campaign, which featured the band Monsters Calling Home, who actually filmed an entire music video in their car. Honda showed their love by organizing a live show on the Jimmy Kimmel show.
As you can, this is a terrific idea. The video has over 1.4 Million views, but how many people saw this video and said, "Wow, Honda did that. I am going to buy one."
No I don't have access to their social media team or their sales team, but I truly wonder how they measured their ROI for this campaign. Did it lead to actual car sales?
If car companies are saying these types of campaigns are providing such dividends, shouldn't they share that with the public?
What do you think?
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Selling: Do You Believe in It?
Today, I had the opportunity to leave the office for lunch and meet with a potential new member. Even if it wen badly, at least I was getting a free lunch out of it.
So JM and I met AW to talk about a potential WOMMA speaking gig. Anyone who knows me knows I hate selling. I was never trained to do it. It is not the popular profession in my family. I don't particularly enjoy talking so needless to say it does not fit my persona.
While JM took the lead in explaining all the great benefits of WOMMA, I sat there and admired the work she was doing. JM is just like me. She hates selling. Membership and marketing stay away from the sales jardon and sales conversation. Nonetheless, we let our passion for the brand bleed through.
Both of us truly believe in the power of word of mouth and the idea of what WOMMA stands for. Even if you are not a trained salesman, or women, when you believe in the brand, the conversation naturally flows. Instead of talking numbers and dues, you talk about instances, opportunities and people. You talk about the stuff people truly care about.
In certain instances, the brand just sells itself. Tobacco comes to mind. But, when the brand can't just sell itself, or even if you don't have anything tangible the lead can hold, you have to do the work at it. Believing in that brand makes the work seem like any other conversation,
So JM and I met AW to talk about a potential WOMMA speaking gig. Anyone who knows me knows I hate selling. I was never trained to do it. It is not the popular profession in my family. I don't particularly enjoy talking so needless to say it does not fit my persona.
While JM took the lead in explaining all the great benefits of WOMMA, I sat there and admired the work she was doing. JM is just like me. She hates selling. Membership and marketing stay away from the sales jardon and sales conversation. Nonetheless, we let our passion for the brand bleed through.
Both of us truly believe in the power of word of mouth and the idea of what WOMMA stands for. Even if you are not a trained salesman, or women, when you believe in the brand, the conversation naturally flows. Instead of talking numbers and dues, you talk about instances, opportunities and people. You talk about the stuff people truly care about.
In certain instances, the brand just sells itself. Tobacco comes to mind. But, when the brand can't just sell itself, or even if you don't have anything tangible the lead can hold, you have to do the work at it. Believing in that brand makes the work seem like any other conversation,
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Hello World
If you want to be a professional writer, it can't be all work and no play. This blog will be the play.
The blog will consist of; lessons I learn living in Chicago, stories I see and hear as a blog editor and marketing coordinator at the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, rules I feel need to be fixed or questioned, and just everyday happenings like riding the train or eating lunch.
To be honest, it may not be worthwhile to the avid reader, but this is my platform and I intent to use it.
Today, I want to talk about networking.
No matter where you are in your career, networking is a necessity As I have learned at WOMMA, people trust their friends and family over anyone else. Any opportunity one has to meet and greet someone new should take advantage of it. Even if they are not in your industry, there is no telling what you can learn.
Today, I met with JH who left Edelman, the biggest PR firm in the world, to brew his own beer. JH also likes to write. He is even writing a novel. Despite having a decent job, he left to do what his heart desired. Therefore, tonight, I learned that appearances do not mean everything.
You would think a writer would love working at a PR firm, let alone Edelman. However, the agency life is not for everyone. Even if you are a writer at an agency, that doesn't mean you will get to show your creativity. That doesn't mean you will get to express yourself the way you desire. That doesn't mean you will get to do the writing you want to. HENCE, appearances are not everything.
Maybe agency life is different than we think.
The blog will consist of; lessons I learn living in Chicago, stories I see and hear as a blog editor and marketing coordinator at the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, rules I feel need to be fixed or questioned, and just everyday happenings like riding the train or eating lunch.
To be honest, it may not be worthwhile to the avid reader, but this is my platform and I intent to use it.
Today, I want to talk about networking.
No matter where you are in your career, networking is a necessity As I have learned at WOMMA, people trust their friends and family over anyone else. Any opportunity one has to meet and greet someone new should take advantage of it. Even if they are not in your industry, there is no telling what you can learn.
Today, I met with JH who left Edelman, the biggest PR firm in the world, to brew his own beer. JH also likes to write. He is even writing a novel. Despite having a decent job, he left to do what his heart desired. Therefore, tonight, I learned that appearances do not mean everything.
You would think a writer would love working at a PR firm, let alone Edelman. However, the agency life is not for everyone. Even if you are a writer at an agency, that doesn't mean you will get to show your creativity. That doesn't mean you will get to express yourself the way you desire. That doesn't mean you will get to do the writing you want to. HENCE, appearances are not everything.
Maybe agency life is different than we think.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Our Great Accomplishment
To all recent graduates,
As I sit in my living room, piling around all the job ads I should be applying to, I have been thinking about the mentality of a job seeker. As many of us know way too well, this is not the best of economic times. Whether you are still searching for the right opportunity, took a decent job just to move away from home, barely making rent or even working for your dream employer, the same mentality applies.
Recent graduates have forgotten about the work we have done. Many of us, who have recently graduated from a four-year university, are forgetting about what we have accomplished. Whether you went to the University of Illinois, Montana, West Virginia or Judson, you did the work to get out of there alive. You had those all-night study sessions cramming a semesters’ worth of material into your brain. You sat through those boring lectures that counted towards your attendance grade. You went into office hours trying to get help on that lesson you learned last week. You did it all.
Now, since some have graduated and have yet to find that perfect fit somewhere, we forget about everything we have done. Graduating college is no small feet. Just because we are not where we thought we would be, doesn’t mean we are failures. I know from first hand experience that I have felt like a failure in these last couple of months. I then ask myself; why am I failure? I know I have done all I can to land that great writing job I know I deserve. I know I got through college, met new people, branched out and did things I never thought I could. I am sure everyone had great accomplishments during those four amazing years that they never even dreamed of.
What I am trying to say is that no matter where you are in life, you can’t forget what you have achieved. Just because you are not where you want to be now doesn’t mean you won’t get there. Failure is defined as an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful. None of us are that. I think everyone needed to be reminded of this.
Thanks for listening.
As I sit in my living room, piling around all the job ads I should be applying to, I have been thinking about the mentality of a job seeker. As many of us know way too well, this is not the best of economic times. Whether you are still searching for the right opportunity, took a decent job just to move away from home, barely making rent or even working for your dream employer, the same mentality applies.
Recent graduates have forgotten about the work we have done. Many of us, who have recently graduated from a four-year university, are forgetting about what we have accomplished. Whether you went to the University of Illinois, Montana, West Virginia or Judson, you did the work to get out of there alive. You had those all-night study sessions cramming a semesters’ worth of material into your brain. You sat through those boring lectures that counted towards your attendance grade. You went into office hours trying to get help on that lesson you learned last week. You did it all.
Now, since some have graduated and have yet to find that perfect fit somewhere, we forget about everything we have done. Graduating college is no small feet. Just because we are not where we thought we would be, doesn’t mean we are failures. I know from first hand experience that I have felt like a failure in these last couple of months. I then ask myself; why am I failure? I know I have done all I can to land that great writing job I know I deserve. I know I got through college, met new people, branched out and did things I never thought I could. I am sure everyone had great accomplishments during those four amazing years that they never even dreamed of.
What I am trying to say is that no matter where you are in life, you can’t forget what you have achieved. Just because you are not where you want to be now doesn’t mean you won’t get there. Failure is defined as an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful. None of us are that. I think everyone needed to be reminded of this.
Thanks for listening.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The gift of sports and the ESPYS
Every year, I look forward to July, not for fireworks, but for the ESPY awards. The Golden Globes of sports recaps the year with drama, comedy, shock and inspiration. It reminds us why we love sports in the first place. It makes us appreciate what a team has accomplished, not only for themselves, not only for their owners, not only for their city, but for an entire world.
The three moments that stood out to me tonight dealt with the unfortunate circumstance between former Detroit pitcher Armando Galarraga and umpire Jim Joyce, the Thomas family forgiving the Becker family, and of course the Jimmy V award.
For those of you who don't know, Armando Galarraga was throwing a perfect game with only one batter left. He forced a groundball and covered the bag just like a pitcher is supposed to. It was a close call, but when you saw it live, you knew he was safe. Instant replay confirmed the 27th out. However, Jim Joyce called it like he saw, just how he always has; safe.
Everyone, including Joyce, after he watched a replay, knew he was out. Later on, before leaving the ballpark, Joyce went up to Galarraga to personally apologize. Galarraga, who would have gone down in the record books, humbly accepted the apology.
Joyce later said I took a perfect game away form that kid and there is nothing I can do.
The next day, Joyce was at homeplate where he accepted the lineup cards from each team. I bet you would never guess who would bring out the card for the Tigers. Armando Galarraga came out of the dugout and the first thing he did was pat Joyce on the back. They then had a hearty handshake, the kind of shake that men have.
These are the kinds of heroes that youngsters should look up. Not because of their talents or fame, but for their character, sportsmanship and respect they showed for one another. Imagine doing something in your profession that only a couple dozen people have done, ever. Imagine having that feeling of greatness and accomplishment tingle throughout your body and all of a sudden; gone. That's what went through the mind of Galarraga. Yet, he was able to put all that aside, the fame, the history, the glory, and forgive the man that took it all away. That is the hero we should all look up to.
What about Joyce? To be able to live up to your mistake and announce it before the entire nation, takes a lot of guts. How many of you out there have ever made a mistake at work? I am willing to bet 99.9 percent of you say you have. When umpires make mistakes, they get yelled at by thousands of screaming fans. But that wasn't enough for Joyce. He was criticized and put in the spotlight for the weeks to come in newspapers across the country. We are all human. But the people who live up their mistakes, realize what they have done and accept the outcome are the truest humans of them all. Joyce, just like Galarraga, is the kind of hero we should look up to.
Later on, I will write about my other two moments from tonight.
The three moments that stood out to me tonight dealt with the unfortunate circumstance between former Detroit pitcher Armando Galarraga and umpire Jim Joyce, the Thomas family forgiving the Becker family, and of course the Jimmy V award.
For those of you who don't know, Armando Galarraga was throwing a perfect game with only one batter left. He forced a groundball and covered the bag just like a pitcher is supposed to. It was a close call, but when you saw it live, you knew he was safe. Instant replay confirmed the 27th out. However, Jim Joyce called it like he saw, just how he always has; safe.
Everyone, including Joyce, after he watched a replay, knew he was out. Later on, before leaving the ballpark, Joyce went up to Galarraga to personally apologize. Galarraga, who would have gone down in the record books, humbly accepted the apology.
Joyce later said I took a perfect game away form that kid and there is nothing I can do.
The next day, Joyce was at homeplate where he accepted the lineup cards from each team. I bet you would never guess who would bring out the card for the Tigers. Armando Galarraga came out of the dugout and the first thing he did was pat Joyce on the back. They then had a hearty handshake, the kind of shake that men have.
These are the kinds of heroes that youngsters should look up. Not because of their talents or fame, but for their character, sportsmanship and respect they showed for one another. Imagine doing something in your profession that only a couple dozen people have done, ever. Imagine having that feeling of greatness and accomplishment tingle throughout your body and all of a sudden; gone. That's what went through the mind of Galarraga. Yet, he was able to put all that aside, the fame, the history, the glory, and forgive the man that took it all away. That is the hero we should all look up to.
What about Joyce? To be able to live up to your mistake and announce it before the entire nation, takes a lot of guts. How many of you out there have ever made a mistake at work? I am willing to bet 99.9 percent of you say you have. When umpires make mistakes, they get yelled at by thousands of screaming fans. But that wasn't enough for Joyce. He was criticized and put in the spotlight for the weeks to come in newspapers across the country. We are all human. But the people who live up their mistakes, realize what they have done and accept the outcome are the truest humans of them all. Joyce, just like Galarraga, is the kind of hero we should look up to.
Later on, I will write about my other two moments from tonight.
Friday, July 9, 2010
The streak continue
Hello loyal readers,
Long time no talk. At the request of another die hard Sox fan, JA, I stopped writing for a little due to their recent hot streak. Well, the consecutive win streak ended, at a game I was at the by the way. However, like any good team, when one streaks ends, another begins.
The Sox in the last month have been displaying traits I haven't seen since 2005.
No. 1 - Hustle and Defense.
This team wants to win. On a any groundball, base hit, line drive or pop out, these team hustles. Many players in this league, hello All-Star Hanley Ramirez, do not run out groundballs or go all out for pop outs in foul territory. The Sox are not these kind of team. Next time you watch a game, watch how hard Alexei Ramirez runs out a routine out. The bullet tries to be out every single ball. When he is robbed of a call, he lets the umpire know it. You know what? That is the passion that drives a successful team. How about defense? Midway through last season, numerous critics said Ramirez could not make it as a major league shortstop. People said he lacked focus. Look at him now. He is arguably the best defensive shortstop in the AL. Ramirez is arguably the Sox MVP for the first half of the season.
No. 2 - Starting Pitching
Anyone who saw the '05 Sox can not tell me this last month doesn't remind you of that rotation. Even with Peavy out for the season, which I called by the way when he went a complete game in Washington three weeks ago, these starters can pitch. The man leading the way is the supposed No. 5 starter Freddy Garcia. I heard an interesting comment on the 670 The Score today. A team's 5th starter is supposed to eat up as many innings as possible. They are not to be judged by their record. When it comes to the south side, every pitcher is judged by their record or ERA. Garcia has the third best ERA among Sox starters and has almost equaled the total innings of Floyd and Peavy, who have both pitched in one more game than Garcia. This rotation is finally starting to show what we all hoped for last winter.
No. 3 - Bullpen
This bullpen is flat out the best in baseball. Let's start with my man, All-Star Matt Thornton. This guy dominates, and I mean dominates the AL with essentially one pitch. Guys go up there expecting and seeing a fastball, yet still miss it. Occasionally he will fool you with a curve or slider, but once you expect that, there is no way you are catching up the 98 MPH heat. How about offseason acquisition JJ Putz? He has been nothing short of spectacular. When Jenks came out, he and Thornton proved they could handle closer responsibilities. His ERA is 1.64. Yeah, that's pretty good. And how about converted infielder Sergio Santos? This guy just seems like a winner and has shown it on the mound. You can't tell me he wouldn't be an eighth inning guys on numerous teams in the MLB. Let's finish with our big closer Bobby Jenks. The season did not start off great. Later on, White Sox reliable beat writer Joe Cowley reported that Jenks was disappointed with how he was being treated by the fans. You know how to solve that Bobby? Go out and pitch. Don't quote me on this, but I think he has converted his last 20 save opportunities and has only blown ONE save. I will take that any day.
Overall, this is a team that can succeed. So go ahead Miguel Cabrera, try to catch up to a Matt Thornton fastball. Ron Gardenhire, try to out coach Ozzie and the best pitching coach in the league Don Cooper. The second half of baseball is going to start heating up, but I am confident our South Siders will be able to stay cool come October.
Long time no talk. At the request of another die hard Sox fan, JA, I stopped writing for a little due to their recent hot streak. Well, the consecutive win streak ended, at a game I was at the by the way. However, like any good team, when one streaks ends, another begins.
The Sox in the last month have been displaying traits I haven't seen since 2005.
No. 1 - Hustle and Defense.
This team wants to win. On a any groundball, base hit, line drive or pop out, these team hustles. Many players in this league, hello All-Star Hanley Ramirez, do not run out groundballs or go all out for pop outs in foul territory. The Sox are not these kind of team. Next time you watch a game, watch how hard Alexei Ramirez runs out a routine out. The bullet tries to be out every single ball. When he is robbed of a call, he lets the umpire know it. You know what? That is the passion that drives a successful team. How about defense? Midway through last season, numerous critics said Ramirez could not make it as a major league shortstop. People said he lacked focus. Look at him now. He is arguably the best defensive shortstop in the AL. Ramirez is arguably the Sox MVP for the first half of the season.
No. 2 - Starting Pitching
Anyone who saw the '05 Sox can not tell me this last month doesn't remind you of that rotation. Even with Peavy out for the season, which I called by the way when he went a complete game in Washington three weeks ago, these starters can pitch. The man leading the way is the supposed No. 5 starter Freddy Garcia. I heard an interesting comment on the 670 The Score today. A team's 5th starter is supposed to eat up as many innings as possible. They are not to be judged by their record. When it comes to the south side, every pitcher is judged by their record or ERA. Garcia has the third best ERA among Sox starters and has almost equaled the total innings of Floyd and Peavy, who have both pitched in one more game than Garcia. This rotation is finally starting to show what we all hoped for last winter.
No. 3 - Bullpen
This bullpen is flat out the best in baseball. Let's start with my man, All-Star Matt Thornton. This guy dominates, and I mean dominates the AL with essentially one pitch. Guys go up there expecting and seeing a fastball, yet still miss it. Occasionally he will fool you with a curve or slider, but once you expect that, there is no way you are catching up the 98 MPH heat. How about offseason acquisition JJ Putz? He has been nothing short of spectacular. When Jenks came out, he and Thornton proved they could handle closer responsibilities. His ERA is 1.64. Yeah, that's pretty good. And how about converted infielder Sergio Santos? This guy just seems like a winner and has shown it on the mound. You can't tell me he wouldn't be an eighth inning guys on numerous teams in the MLB. Let's finish with our big closer Bobby Jenks. The season did not start off great. Later on, White Sox reliable beat writer Joe Cowley reported that Jenks was disappointed with how he was being treated by the fans. You know how to solve that Bobby? Go out and pitch. Don't quote me on this, but I think he has converted his last 20 save opportunities and has only blown ONE save. I will take that any day.
Overall, this is a team that can succeed. So go ahead Miguel Cabrera, try to catch up to a Matt Thornton fastball. Ron Gardenhire, try to out coach Ozzie and the best pitching coach in the league Don Cooper. The second half of baseball is going to start heating up, but I am confident our South Siders will be able to stay cool come October.
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