Mike’s Points

No matter what we all think, blogging is still in its infancy and pretty much unheard of in many corners of the corporate management and communications world.

While B2C companies are more in-tune to blogging – due to the potential and need for reaching a larger audience – some B2B companies are not too far behind.

I’m putting together a “blogging 101″ piece for my employer and our clients. So, thought I’d share a bit of it for your consideration – and feedback.

Like advertising, blogging is not appropriate for all companies. Considerations include:
> If and how companies’ customers, prospects and purchase decision-makers use the Internet.
> Who the client is trying to reach: The general public or an automotive engineer? The size of the targeted audience pool is a consideration.
> Is the media an important audience?
> Is the audience – including media – local, regional, national or international?

One bit of caution: While a company may be appropriate due to its industry and who it wants to target, if there is no individual or group who will “champion” it, then blogging is not for them. Blogging is very personable and requires frequency. If there is no champion or regular effort, don’t waste any time, energy or budget to start blogging, whether campaign-focused (short-term), or on a continual basis.

But, why blog?
> Ease of and direct communication – many say “conversation” – with customers, prospects, decision-makers.
> Provide a personality to the company or association. In aggregate, sales people provide this through personal interaction in the marketplace. Blogging will improve that because of the ability for the marketplace to frequently read blogs – thus interacting with the client.
>Build credibility as an expert, leader, etc.
> Immediacy and flexibility of communications.
> Assist in media/public relations efforts.
> There is relatively little cost barrier.

While blogging is definitely an effective way to reach your audience(s), doing so is not for every company.

However, every company should be monitoring the blogosphere. If not, just ask Kryptonite or Sony what could happen.
– Mike

Technorati tags: blogging, marketing, corporate communications, B2C, B2B

Though it is early, I’ll be watching to see what — if anything — comes from the new Society for New Communications Research.

Looks like it was launched Oct. 31, and includes at least some well-recognized names.

Its mission is lofty and desireable:
“To investigate, develop, share and transfer in-depth and forward-facing insights resulting from our deep ongoing study, learning, and continuous mastery of new communications tools and technologies with the academic community and industry for the promotion of best practices.”

From scanning the members lists, most are in public relations and blogging, with a couple or so from the ranks of journalism and academia.

I definitely hope the SNCR is successful and bears a lot of fruit. We all will benefit from its success.

As I never feel as if I have all the answers, I do have questions:
> Will any hard-core, factual information come from SNCR’s work? (Surveys, research, etc.?)
> Will the findings be mostly ancedotal and case studies? (These are helpful, not always applicable to our own needs; whereas surveys are.)
> Will what SNCR learns be published/blogged for all to see, or sold as part of a business venture?

Yes, I am a bit skeptical. PR and communications professionals, bloggers, authors, etc. are by nature conversational. That’s great for ancedotal evidence and case studies but not as much for good, hard, practical information.

If I’m wrong down the road, I’ll admit it. If I’m right — and the SNCR falls short of its goals, then I’ll be sorry.
– Mike

Technorati tags: Society for New Communications Research

Craigslist.com has been in the news lately. Mostly due to Google Base going live, and the predictions of its focus on classified advertising and related online sites (like Craigslist.com, and eBay.com).

However, for the first time I’ve read, Craig Newmark, who established Craigslist.com in 1995, is into another venture: citizen journalism.

“Newmark, whose site gets more than a million classified ads and 1 million postings each month, told The Associated Press in May that he wants to develop a pool of ‘talented amateurs’ who could investigate scandals, cover politics and promote the most important and credible stories.

The journalists’ articles would be published on Internet sites ranging from Craigslist to individual Web logs, or blogs.

He now says his role with the news venture will be more limited.”

Now, it looks like more of a supplement to exisiting media.

So what, another news service like AP, UPI, etc.? Maybe it will be more like a wire service (more than just RSS) with news from citizen journalists and bloggers?

It’ll be interesting to see what Mr. Newmark has in store for us.
– Mike

Technorati tags: craigslist.com, Craig Newmark, Citizen Journalist

Those who get their news and information on the Internet are more likely to read traditional media, than their less-than-’net-savy brethren.

That’s at least how it is in Canada, according to a study done by the Canadian Internet Project, and reported on CyberJournalist.net.

The key findings of plus a link to the report are on CyberJournalist. According to the study, “Fifty-nine percent of Internet users cited newspapers as an important source of information, compared to 50 percent of non-users.”

As the study pointed out, “Internet users, it would seem, are simply more media-oriented than are non-users.”

Internet users are just news junkies (like me, I suppose) who use the Internet as an additional outlet to gather information, whether it be useful or useless.

However, according to the study, while Internet users see newspapers as an important source of information, they tend to spend less time reading newspapers and other traditional media.

That makes sense as there is more competition for news and media sources.

So, should more newspapers take a cue from “USA Today” and develop quicker-read stories with graphs to optimize readers’ time?

Some have, but more should.
– Mike

Technorati tags: CyberJournalist, Canadian Internet Project, Studies, Canada, News, Newspapers

CyberJournalist had this great post the other day on the “Top 10 Reasons for Reading a Newspaper.”

Okay. I’ll save you a click through by posting them here:

Top 10 Reasons for Reading a Newspaper
1. My newspaper has never crashed, gone down, or flashed animated ads at me.

2. Anywhere I travel, my newspaper goes with me. I don’t need a laptop or a wireless connection or a PDA.

3. I can read my newspaper while standing, while eating, while riding a bus, but not while driving my car, which is just as well since I should be paying attention to the road.

4. If I read a story I like, I can tear it out and save it, and not have to pay to read it 30 days later.

5. I don’t have to sign in or customize or register or remember passwords to read my newspaper. And I often enjoy articles in my newspaper on topics I wouldn’t normally think I’d be interested in.

6. My newspaper has high-resolution picutres and type on large pages that load almost instantly, making it easy to browse and enjoy.

7. My newspaper is cheap, disposable and easy to replace. If it’s lost or stolen, it’s no big deal.

8. My newspaper is not made of unrecyclable toxic materials.

9. If my newspaper makes a mistake, the correction is posted with an explanation. It’s not sneakily applied to the original story after I’ve read it.

10. I can read my newspaper sitting outside on a nice day in the sun, even if a breeze is blowing, because I know how to fold a newspaper.

My favorite? #4.
– Mike

Technorati tags: CyberJournalist, Newspapers

By way of MediaPost’s MarketingDaily e-zine, I found good information on Association of National Advertisers’ President-CEO Bob Liodice blog.

Liodice blogged about “lessons learned” from the recent seventh annual Multicultural Marketing Conference by the ANA. He has some great pointers about multicultural marketing being more than just generating good will and looking at trans-cultural programming.

However, one point that I think is of particular interest is:
“Multicultural marketing is more than just ‘targeting’ - it is about making and reinforcing an emotional connection between brands and consumers that lasts a lifetime: As media becomes more fragmented, it has become increasingly difficult to create brand loyalty – particularly among key multicultural constituencies.”

While the media becoming more fragment may be a greater challenge, it’s definitely a greater opportunity to connect with customers: To connect more closely than you could with past or traditional means of communications.

For the past several years, automakers have taken advantage of the niche or customization demands of car buyers. So, why shouldn’t marketers?

While not as simple as in years past, by using blogs, Web sites and online promotions, podcasting, traditional advertising, direct mail, public relations and a whole host of other “vehicles,” marketers and communicators can target their messages via the ways customers prefer to receive them.

Isn’t that what marketing and selling is about? Communicating your products and services in a way that demonstrates a need of your customers and prospects. They make the decision to purchase. You don’t sell. You connect the wants, needs and desires of prospects with a way to meet them.

I try to do the same in my media relations/PR work. Based on my familiarity with media and my professional experience, I develop stories and story ideas that I am confident my targeted media outlets will see value in, for their respective audiences.

Use these new and old vehicles not only to communicate, but to research your customers as well. That way, you’ll know better what your customers want.

Technology has and will continue to open up new lines of communication. So, embrace them and use them. Or, be left behind.
– Mike

Technorati tags: multicultural marketing, marketing

“BusinessWeek’s” Stephen Baker has an excellent post, essentially about the need for clear communication. Concise, if possible (which I am often guilty of not doing).

His focus is on why jargon leads to “dead-ends.”

Any writer worth his/her salt in public relations knows to leave jargon out of news releases. The same for journalists. There is a great need — usually lacking in life — for clear and simple communication. Jargon is more for spoken language.

Baker is correct in stating: “Jargon is like proprietary software in a world moving toward open-source.”

However, I don’t totally agree with:
“From universities to corporate silos, our world has developed into specialized niches, each with its own jargon. These lingos served for decades to protect people. Outsiders, after all, were far less of a threat if they couldn’t speak the language.”

Was their jargon really developed to protect them from outsiders?

Like most things, jargon develops as a way for those in that circle to concisely and even clearly communicate with each other. So, by improving the communication within their respective niches — developing jargon — they effectively alienated outsiders.

And, the growing global economy — as Baker points out — necessitates the tearing down of the jargon walls.

Clear communication. Practice it.
– Mike

Technorati tags: BusinessWeek, communication, jargon

For those who visit intentionally or find your way here by accident, thank you very much. Because of some family business I have to take care through at least mid week, I won’t be posting.
Please do tune in during the weekend or early next week.
Thank you.
– Mike

Okay, maybe it is because I to try to see things in black or white (but realize everything is really a shade of gray) that I try to label things.

The term “citizen journalist” has been bandied about in the blogosphere.

Then, I posted that “citizen columnist” would be a better term to describe bloggers.

I still think that. But, now I’ve come up with another, maybe better, more descriptive term. Or, at least an analogy of what bloggers really are.

We’re all just the online versions of talk radio hosts. Think about it. Talk show hosts:
> Give opinion.
> Give news (typically via interviews).
> Invite listener call in.

Isn’t that what blogs are all about? Original content. (Except those that primarily give links and news from elsewhere. Who needs that? I can get that information from Google or Yahoo! alerts.)
– Mike at the Mic

Technorati tags: bloggers, talk show hosts

I’ve seen a number interesting questions raised about “integrated” marketing communications. One was a question posed at Yahoo!’s Young PR Pros Group about its definition.

Another was in the November 2005 issue of Bulldog Reporter’s “Media Relations Insider.” (The “Insider” is a supplement to Bulldog’s Business and Lifestyle newsletters.) It’s a good story about how to capitalize on the “opportunity,” and comments whether an integrated agency is good or bad.

But, I’m confused.

Point #1: From the company’s perspective — whether you do in-house or agency PR, advertising, etc. — shouldn’t marketing be integrated?

If they are not, then there is no consistency in your brand, company image, product and service line, and so on. That needs to be consistent, whether a company works with one or many agencies or practitioners.

Like a lot of service professions (lawyers, accountants, etc.), there are many solo and small-firm practitioners. That’s okay, whether you are in public relations, Web design and promotion, or media buying.

For those in the “agency side,” don’t worry so much about your “turf;” worry about your clients’ success with your work at hand. You must realize that what you do has to be within the context of your clients’ overall marketing strategy.

A departmentalized agency whose account team members work together can successfully and effectively integrate many, if not all areas of a company’s marketing communications strategy. As an example, my employer (The Lauerer Markin Group) has been that way since before I started way back in 1994. (This is not an advertisement for LMG. I’m just using my employer as an example.)

My emphasis is in media relations and public relations. We also have a media buyer, graphics specialists, writers, account managers with their own communications and industry strengths.

That doesn’t mean we can do it all. We are not particularly strong in online promotion or Web design. But, we do have a very close relationship with an expert in Web design (and I’m working on the blogging end). If we didn’t have a strength where a client had a need, we would tell the client. And, we would work with whatever firm or individual it choose to ensure the total branding strategy is a part of its total marketing effort.

After an early career in journalism, I’ve been “raised” in public relations working for a full-service, integrated, whatever-you-want-to-call-us-agency. So, these questions about integration are perplexing.

Point #2: Is LMG really that different from many other firms across the country? I doubt it. Maybe it’s because I have not worked at any other firm that I’m perplexed.

But, regardless of what type of firm you work with — advertising agency, PR firm, new age media, etc. — you must understand that what you do for your clients has to be within the greater realm of their overall marketing communications efforts.

I’d very much welcome comments, insight or correction from those more experienced in branding, marketing, communications about either two points above.
– Mike

Technorati tags: integrated marketing, branding, marcom, marketing