Fly-Over Marketing

So, I listened to episode 109 of Six Pixels of Separation recently when Mitch was discussing about keeping track of all the content we all consume

(editor’s note…if you’re not listening to Six Pixels, well, you’re missing out. Start NOW!)

I sent him an email asking how he does it and he just blogged it and tagged a bunch of other people to do the same.

The reason I asked him is that I struggle with this all the time. I bounce between so many systems to manage it all that I was hoping to find something I hadn’t tried. I know, not the best way to do it, but hey…they’re smarter than I am, so maybe I’d learn something!

One thing I got out of Mitch’s post and the subsequent comments is the part that having something to do with the information plays in the process.

What I mean is that so many of them say, “I mark things I want to blog like this…things I want to discuss like this…etc.”

Part of my problem is finding posts, articles and other info that I tag, star in Google Reader, note in Google Notebook, Evernote, etc. and it just sits there. The biggest change I need to make is to actually review the information and use it for something. Rather than letting it just take up storage space, I need to review it and apply it somewhere.

So, thanks Mitch for inspiring me to revisit this and hopefully make some adjustments to my processes!

Seth has a great post today called “Which comes first (why stories matter).”

Essentially he says that if you don’t have a story, the work you do ends up being random. This random work causes “the story to be confused or bland or indifferent and it doesn’t spread.”

I couldn’t agree more. It’s basically the old adage of if you don’t know what you’re shooting for, you’ll never hit it.

This applies not only to us and how we do our work, but companies and how they are positioned. It is SO important to decide on a story, decide on what you stand for and then work in a way that portrays that story. Unarticulated priorities lead to confusion and ultimately mediocrity.

On the other hand, a clear message – or story – leads to ease in decision making.

Remember the story about Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines teaching the secret of running Southwest? He is quoted as saying, “We are THE low-fare airline. Once you understand that fact, you can make any decision about this company’s future as well as I can.” That’s dedication to the story the company wants to tell. It also makes things easier because it’s the measuring-stick you use to make any decision.

Does this match our story? No? Well, then we’re not doing it.

The problem is that so few people/companies take the time to really determine what they want their story to be and take the steps to make sure that everyone is dedicated to make that story a reality. They get so busy “doing” that they forget why they’re doing it. They just spend all day doing things to keep up that so many people never really think about why they’re doing it.

Or, their story is so vague and “all encompassing” that it’s ineffective as a measuring stick.

Find a story, a simple one (hat tip to Made to Stick) and make that the deciding factor in any decision for yourself or your business.

Technorati Tags: story, seth godin, marketing, business

Just a quick note. I just heard a commercial on the radio for an opera or some sort of vocal performance. The announcer said, “…performed by sopranos Woman A and Woman B,” but I heard, “…performed by Soprano’s Woman A and Woman B.”

I started wondering who the woman on Soprano’s was that was also a singer.

Thanks HBO

Technorati Tags: Sopranos

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If you haven’t seen it yet, go check out what they’re doing to promote the next Batman Movie.

Check out here and here.

It makes you wonder what they have planned for closer to release day!

I’m currently reading Avinash Kaushik’s EXCELLENT book, “Web Analytics an Hour a Day.” If you’re looking for a book about analytics, this is the place to start.

In the book, on page 255 he relates a story about testing they did for a Flash-based shopping cart. It’s in the chapter about testing (A/B, multivariate, etc.). He says, “…Yet when we tested it live on our website by using an A/B test, the Flash cart initially performed terribly. This was quite a shock. It turns out customers were too used to the more-complicated and ‘cumbersome’ HTML experience and not ready for an optimized cool experience.”

As I read it, this story worked its way into my brain and rattled around a bit. It made me think, “But was it still the wrong idea?”

What I’m getting at is that with anything there is a learning curve. If we see the results of a test like this and say, “Well, they are happier with the more “cumbersome” way of doing things…we’ll just keep it that way,” will we miss an opportunity? I mean, if the Flash-based is TRULY the better way to do it, don’t we do a disservice to the customer by not making the change and providing training? Sure, it may be a difficult transition, but ultimately it will be for good.

I don’t necessarily mean this is the solution for his story because a) Avinash is FAR smarter than I am and b) I’m sure he made the right choice (whatever it was). The story he related was more the catalyst for my thoughts.

My question is, how do we manage the tension between doing what we KNOW will ultimately benefit the customer and what they are comfortable with? If we simply stuck with that which made the customer comfortable, nothing new would ever happen. At what point do we look at the data and say, “Yes, I see what the customer is happier with, but I KNOW that when they learn this new way it will be better for them in the long run.”

I don’t know the answer, but it’s certainly worth pondering.

So, yesterday I get a call from my wife that the, “TV is broken.”

After a little digging, I find out that our Dish Network DVR cannot be accessed. I think to myself, “Probably a hard drive failure…it’ll probably have to be replaced.” I don’t tell her this because she’s got all sorts of tv recorded that is now lost!

So about 10 last night I call Dish Network.

We go through some diagnostics, resets, etc and figure out that it does in fact need to be replaced. The rep gets my information and says, “Ok, we’ll replace it, but there’s a $14.95 shipping charge.”

What?!?

I try to argue out of it, but end up having to pay the fee. She says if I had taken the warranty (at $5.99 per month) I wouldn’t have to pay the fee.

Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s not so much the amount as it is the principle. You see, unlike DirecTV, the equipment from Dish Network is rented. If I cancel the service, I’ll have to return the equipment…much like a cable company. My question is, if I am simply renting the equipment, why should I have to pay anything then THEIR equipment fails?

If I owned it, and the equipment was out of warranty I could understand having to pay to have the new equipment shipped. But it’s their equipment. THEIR equipment failed and now it costs me 15 bucks to replace it?

Either sell the equipment so that it’s mine and I have to pay when it goes bad, or stand by your rented equipment and pay when it fails. Make up your mind.

I meant to blog about this earlier after I read the article in the November 12th Business Week…but didn’t.

Shel Holtz blogged about it today so I thought I’d throw my two cents in.

Serena Software in San Mateo, CA have recently implemented “Facebook Fridays.” Basically every week employees are given an hour to work on their social networking profiles and connect with others. What a great idea! Shel directs us to an article by Jeremy Burton, the president of Serena in which he discusses the concept.

Rather than blocking people from using these tools, they encourage structured use. They actually treat their employees like people and agree that they need those connections with others. I’m thinking that Serena doesn’t have the same level of turnover that many other companies do.

I’ll be interested to see the results of this. I would love to hear the first story of this leading directly to some business for Serena. Not through the PR they get from this (which will certainly lead to some business) but new business that an employee brings to the company through a connection on Facebook or the like.

I’m sure it’s going to happen…just a matter of when.

Now, I know there is much debate about 1) whether the American version of The Office is good and 2) whether the British version is better.

That’s not what this is about.

If you watch the U.S. version, you know that last week’s episode involved a trip to “Schrute Farms,” a farm B&B owned by one of the characters, Dwight. During the episode, he discusses his listing on Trip Advisor.

So, today I get an email from a friend that leads me to Schrute Farms on Trip Advisor. There are already 182 comments from people who have “visited” Schrute Farms.

Now, I don’t know if NBC set this up or if a dedicated fan went to the trouble because there’s not much there that couldn’t be pulled from the story line of the show. A fan that watched closely could have put this up.

Either way, I think it’s great. NBC has done a lot to promote involvement with The Office outside of the show. They set up a “recruiting” site called Dunder Mifflin Infinity where you can “apply” to work at a branch. The branch is made up of other viewers in your geographic area and is essentially a social networking site built around the common interest of The Office.

Like I said, I don’t know if NBC set this up or if a fan did, but if NBC is NOT behind it…they need to get involved quick. Why not create “Schrute Farms” and actually link to it on the Trip Advisor site? Make a tourist attraction out of it? Sure, it would be difficult to put it together, but I have a feeling they have some bucks for it.

I think these types of extensions of various shows is the future of television. Heck, it’s the future of nearly every media. That driving people to the web to interact with other people like them will become even more common than it is today.

With the upcoming episode involving Second Life, I’ll be interested to see what they do to involve their audience.

I think NBC is doing some things right to engage their audience beyond simply putting more ads out there to watch the show.

I read this post by Seth Godin today referencing a post by Zappos from July of this year.

If you haven’t read the post he’s referring to, you have to. It’s here.

All I could say when I read it was WOW. Zappos absolutely gets it. But, I was a bit guarded until I went to the Zappos site. I didn’t find any press release or mention of this situation on their site.

This wasn’t a “stunt” by Zappos to get some press.

There was no, “Look what we did” post or press release.

This was a company caring about their customers.

This was a company realizing that business IS personal.

This was business at its finest.

Kudos Zappos.

Remember that this Sunday is “Bum Rush the Charts” for Joseph Jaffe’s new book, Join the Conversation.

He’s even set up an affiliate link that he’s promised to donate the affiliate proceeds to charity.

Here’s the link…use on Sunday!