The Secret Diary of a Bonafide Marketing Genius

Dear Diary,
Yesterday’s #unfiltered Lunch & Learn at Radius was the best yet! We tackled some of the thorniest questions around the topic of social marketing (my new fav way to describe the Thing Formerly Known as Social Media) over incredible food and a near-perfect bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The Genius was pleased!

In fact, the questions raised and discussions shared were so juicy, that I thought I’d share a few tidbits here. In no particular order…

1. What advice do you have for brands just starting out on Facebook?

Tip #1: Know the platform.
Seriously. The best brands on Facebook are the ones that genuinely know and “get” the platform.

If you haven’t already done so, set up a profile. Invite some friends. Check out some of the popular applications. Snoop. Yes, snoop.
continue reading »

Dear Diary,

Hard to believe it has been a whole year since I first suggested that ready or not, the social media train is leaving the f**king station (remember that? Ah, sweet nostalgia…). Since then, the train seems to have only accelerated. Now, the fastest growing demographic on Facebook is over the age of 35, Oprah’s on Twitter, and the Leader of the Free World was able to mobilize a grass roots movement that rewrote history.

Not too shabby for a little ole train.

Anyway, I thought it was high time to revisit some of the data in the original What the F**k is Social Media preso and to add a few more f-bombs pearls of wisdom.

The only problem with sharing the presentation with you, Diary, is this: I may be a bonafide marketing genius, but apparently I am not a WordPress genius, as evidenced by the fact that I can’t figure out how to embed my latest, greatest masterpiece here for you to enjoy.

*sigh*

So for now, I’ll have to just leave a link here and hope that you’re curious enough to click it.

We shall see, Diary. We shall see.

Dear Diary,

In November of 2007, the marketing Genius whom you know and love (MOI!) wrote an entry entitled Search vs. Social Media Smackdown, Round 2 in which I made, in my oh-so-humble opinion, a very compelling case for taking one’s SEM blinders off and dipping a brave little toe into the murky waters of social media.

At the time, of course I was unequivocally sick of search engine marketing with it’s CPCs and CPAs and various other annoying acronyms [blech!]. While I still find the acronyms and the tediousness of setting up and managing a successful search campaign quite excruciating, I have amended my view on which tactic wins “the smackdown”. In fact, I am now 150% certain that the two are not mortal enemies… but soul mates!

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Dear Diary,

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of speaking at Social Media Breakfast #14 on the timely topic of “Social Media Overload.” I’ll admit, I was tempted to call my presentation “What the F**K is Social Media Overload?” —but as a marketing genius, I decided it’s best not to play the One Trick Pony card.

I’m sorry you missed it, Diary. It was a spankin’ good time. And since I’d hate for you to feel left out, I’m posting the “transcript” below. Enjoy!

***
BEGIN TRANSCRIPT!

Has this ever happened to you?

Or someone you love?

One minute, they’re quietly updating their Twitter status… checking out their friend’s baby shower pictures on Flickr… or taking one of those fun “which celebrity boyfriend would you be” quizzes on Facebook… when suddenly they see a Tweet about a must-see YouTube video and BAM!, just like that, their head explodes.

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by kalandrakas

Dear Diary,

Is it me or does it seem odd that while 88% of marketers are using social media to “promote their brands” and “engage with consumers”, 2/3 don’t have a clue what the f*#! that means??? continue reading »

And neither will a really fat media budget… but we’ll get to that…

Two days after returning from the AdAge Digital Conference, I’m still stuck on the Earned vs. Paid Media discussion that kicked off the event. continue reading »

by daniel arnold!

Just got out of the morning session of AdAge Digital Conference where Union Square Ventures’ Fred Wilson discussed the idea that it’s time we start investing in “earned media” in addition to the good ole fashioned paid variety. Then he shared this point of comparison:

Two ad spots during the Superbowl cost roughly $4MM continue reading »

by murplej@ne - under deconstruction

I guess this is “old news,” as the data I’m about to share comes from a 2007 IBM Global Business Services study (aptly titled “The end of advertising as we know it”)—but perhaps that makes it even more compelling. Here goes:

71% of the 2400 consumers surveyed across five countries said they spend >2 hours/day on the Internet—not including continue reading »

A lot of folks still don’t “get” Twitter. [And Twitter, meanwhile, still doesn't "get" revenue... but that's another story.] But personally, the Genius L.O.V.E.S. it.

Crowd-sourcing, networking, buzz marketing, and pure entertainment are the top 4 reasons that I personally heart the #1 micro-blogging tool. Here’s another one:

True story.

Earlier this week, I discovered a very nice, comprehensive deck put together by the folks at Ogilvy [I know, surprised me, too!] called Twitter for Business. You might also want to check out this post for some excellent tips on getting personal value out of Twitter; and this post on how not to let corporate lawyers f**k up a good Twitter thang.

Unless you plan to go off the grid sometime soon, I wholeheartedly suggest you take the time to at least edu-macate yourself. And if/when you do start tweetin’, be sure to say hello.

[slideshare id=745515&doc=ogilvypr360ditwitterwebinar-1226501475706032-9&w=425]

In the past, I’ve been more than a little outspoken about the potential impact of social media as a marketing and brand-building tool. And I’ve taken my fair share of abuse from traditional marketers who’ve accused me of being stupid, drunk, insane, or all of the above (love you guys!)—but I stood my ground.

Today, I’m here to tell you not to throw the baby out with the bath water.

First of all, babies don’t like that.

Second, while the value and impact of social media as a tool for connecting with current and prospective customers continues to gain momentum (and validation!), there’s still something to be said for taking a strategic, integrated approach to building and maintaining your brand.

The truth? Some tools are better than others. For some audiences. And some products. Sometimes.

And sometimes you won’t know which marketing program will get you the best result—until you’ve tried and either failed or succeeded.

Products change. Times change. People change. Technology changes. Your job? Keep on your toes and always, always be improving.

But Genius, do you still think traditional advertising is f**ked?

Yes. And no.

Yes, it’s under threat like never before.

No, it’s not going to go away completely. Rather, it will EVOLVE. So, get ready.

My point? There aint no silver bullets, people. If you’re looking for the Holy Grail of Marketing, stop. Social Media is awesome, but it’s not going to cure cancer. And it aint going to save you from recession-induced “downsizing” if you don’t know your marketing basics from your butt crack.

So let’s review. The Basics (Genius-Style):

• Know your audience. Don’t assume, because we all know what happens when you ass-u-me. Actually get to know them. Social media is an excellent tool for that, by the way!
• Set clear, measurable goals. “Generate more revenue” is not a measurable goal. Just sayin’.
• Be strategic first; tactical second. If this statement makes no sense to you, go to amazon.com and buy yourself a copy of Marketing for Dummies. Please.
• Don’t think “marketing”; think “entertainment”. Think “value”. We’re over-saturated,  over-multi-tasked, and over-tired of being marketed to. The only chance in hell you stand of making an impact through marketing is by weaving real value into the marketing itself. Entertainment value, competitive value, social value, functional value, expressive value… any or all of the above will do.
• Plan. Yes, plan! In writing! So other native-speakers can understand it! YAY!
• Test. Live and breathe data. If it works—do it again. Do it bigger, better, faster. If it doesn’t—cut bait.
• Never, ever, EVER sacrifice design. Don’t even get me started on this one.
• Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Just try not to make the same old ones.
• Give people something to talk about. Often.

Don’t get me wrong: I love social media. I’d rather give up chocolate than Twitter. I can hardly restrain myself from getting on my soapbox when the question, “What the f**k is social media?” is asked.

At the same time, I don’t believe in “One Size Fits All” marketing. And as a Genius—and a female one at that—you KNOW I’m always right.

At least we agree on something.