Don Roy, Ph.D.

How to Fan the Flames of Content Creation

Content marketing may be the new black in 2014, but efforts to develop a content strategy can be derailed by a single obstacle: The equivalent of “writer’s block.” This obstacle is an affliction experienced by many businesses and individuals struggling to execute a programmatic approach to delivering content to their audiences. One has to look no further than inconsistent frequency of content posts in social media or on a brand’s website to recognize that a gap between strategy and execution plagues many marketers. I’ve been there, and if you are tasked with creating content you probably have been there, too. However, a recent article posted by Writtent, a content publisher, provides two valuable pieces of advice on how to stay energized and be a prolific content creator. The article featured an interview with C.C. Chapman, a marketing expert and author of the book Content Rules.

Be Passionate or Be Quiet

One reason content creators lose their edge on publishing consistently is that they can occasionally burn out or at least hit a dry spell for coming up with new ideas. When Chapman was asked what to do if one loses passion for content creation. His answer was straightforward: “If you have no passion for what you are creating then stop.” He describes carrying out content strategy as “a long and ongoing road.” Content marketing is not a flavor of the month proposition; Chapman says you must always be creating content or be willing to hire someone who will do it for you. You must be all in- be passionate or be quiet- your desire to share ideas and information should drive you to be a content marketer, not tasks on a To Do list.

Listen Before You Speak

If you struggle with creating content, do not decide to be quiet just yet. Chapman offers advice on how to fan the flames of content creation. We must first be content consumers in order to be productive content creators. How do we adopt a content consumption mindset? Chapman describes his approach: “I read books, magazines and posts every day. I watch all sorts of video, look at photos and constantly try to get outside and experience the world around me.” This advice sounds similar to what is practiced by high performing salespeople- they are exceptional listeners. Great salespeople are not the ones who could sell ice to Eskimos. Instead, great salespeople actively learn from the world around them, whether it is gathering intelligence on competition, market trends, or customers’ needs. Then, they match their product’s capabilities to deliver value to buyers. Same goes for being a great content marketer- learn from the world around you to gather inputs for crafting content that is useful to your target audience.

Commit to Consume

I saw a friend remark on Facebook recently that “social media is easy when you have something to say.” While that may be a bit of an oversimplification, I think the statement fits the idea that committing to be a content consumer can make you a better content creator. When we allow ourselves to be exposed to more stimuli, the result will be that we are better at “connecting the dots” in the world around us and in turn, creating content based on our interpretation of the stimuli.

Google+ is Worthless… or Invaluable

If you are like most people, perhaps the last thing you need to do in your professional life is join another social networking website. I can clearly recall having plenty of work to do that consumed my work days before the Internet and social networks became commonplace in our lives. Just as marketers began to grasp how popular channels like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter might be incorporated into marketing strategy, along comes Google+. The network launched in 2011 and today has more than 500 million users, second only to Facebook.

Striving for Acceptance

Despite its impressive audience reach, Google+ has struggled to gain traction as a relevant social network in terms of audience engagement. If you do not hold Google+ in the same regard as more popular social nets, you are not alone. Here are two takes on Google+ found via a quick Twitter search:

“I’m looking at Google+ today. I know nothing about it though.” – @thejc3

“If social networks were high school students:
Twitter: Jock
Instagram: Snob
Google+: Geek
Facebook: Obnoxious freshman” – @kasondrare_

My use of Google+ has not been consistent to this point. For me, Google+ is like that new shirt you buy, hang in your closet, then proceed to forget that you own it. Occasionally, you will come across it and realize just how long it has been since you used it. But, as I learn more about Google+ I am striving to not let it get buried in my social media closet.

Put Google+ in Your Toolkit

Certain social nets become the “in” place to be- think Instagram, Vine, or Snapchat. Google+ lacks the cache of cooler social sites, but do you want your social media existence to be cool or effective? Google+ holds promise as a marketing channel, particularly in the B2B space. Why should you consider adding Google+ to your social media marketing toolkit?

It’s Google– We can stop right here and you have all the reason needed to work on building a presence in Google+. It is described as an added social layer on top of existing Google products, namely the Google search engine and YouTube.
Google+ Content Influences Google Search Rankings– Related to point #1, your Google+ profile and content influence rankings in search results for your company, brand, or name. For more about this benefit, read this article from Search Engine Land.
Longer form content– Unlike content limitations such as 140-character max of Twitter, Google+ posts can be used to provide more in-depth information or knowledge sharing.
Community building opportunities– Google+ makes it easy for people with shared interests to gather using the Circles feature. Another Google+ feature that holds great promise for marketers is Google Hangouts, which allow you and up to nine others engage in conversation via video, much like Skype. Client meetings, internal discussions, and small audience presentations are three possibilities for Hangouts. For more insight into Google Hangouts, read this article that gives 10 tips on how to use.

Is Google+ for You?

It is safe to state that Google+ will not become the next Facebook. Despite the fact that it is a Google product, it does not have the attraction of a Facebook for use as a connector with friends and family. But, because it is a Google product, Google+ holds great promise for finding and being found, two valuable benefits in business.

Are you a Google+ user, in particular for business purposes? If yes, what has been your experience been with Google+? Do you plan to use Google+ more in 2014? Less? Are you still asking “What is Google+?” Share your thoughts.

Buyer Personas versus Target Markets- What’s the Difference?

If you have done any reading lately on how to effectively implement content marketing and social media into your marketing strategy, you have likely come across the concept of buyer personas. In fact, understanding and clearly defining buyer personas is widely considered to be the first step to successfully engaging customers and leads via digital marketing. But if this talk about buyer personas is foreign, you may be wondering how personas relate to a cornerstone element of marketing strategy- your target market. Let’s delve into this issue by comparing personas and target market along certain key characteristics.

First, Some Definitions

Before going any further, defining buyer persona and target market is a logical starting point:

Buyer persona- Research-based archetypal (modeled) representations of who buyers are, what they are trying to accomplish, what goals drive their behavior, how they think, how they buy, and why they make buying decisions, where they buy as well as when buyers decide to buy. (Source: Tony Zambito)

Target market- The particular segment of a total population on which the seller focuses its expertise to satisfy that submarket in order to accomplish its profit objective. (Source: American Marketing Association)

Both concepts pertain to customers, but the similarities pretty much end there.

What’s the Difference?

The concepts of buyer persona and target market represent two different approaches for identifying potential customers and using insights gleaned to devise marketing campaigns to reach them. Below are five characteristics along which personas and targets are compared:

Characteristic	Buyer Persona	Target Market
Scope	Individual	Aggregation
Focus	Persons (Buyer, customer, or user)	Likely buyers
Influencers	“Life characters” (e.g., family, friends, colleagues)	Other targets (e.g., aspirational groups)
Data Points	Personal story lines (Priorities, successes, obstacles faced)	Descriptive traits (demographics psychographics, and behaviors)
Marketing Focus	Gathering and understanding buyers’ stories in their own words	Capturing historical data, trendspotting, and customer research

Buyer personas get to the heart of the marketing concept: Satisfying needs and wants. The research required to gather insights into the who, what, why, when, and where of their lives allows for a clearer view of the audience a business is attempting to serve. Why? A persona distills the crowd down to individual customer types. In contrast, target marketing historically has focused on aggregation- how to logically group together people or firms with similar characteristics that are our most likely buyers.

The difference in scope between buyer persona and target market is the most significant difference between the two concepts because it accounts for the contrast in the other four characteristics identified in the table above. It is no coincidence that the term buyer persona contains the word “person;” the characteristics of a buyer persona all relate to the person with whom you desire to engage in a relationship with your brand.

Don’t Discard Target Marketing

The purpose of this discussion is not to ask you to choose between buyer persona and target marketing as the tool of choice when formulating marketing strategy.Personas and target markets should play complementary roles in managing customer relationships. Target marketing is useful because it is a first step in reducing the population of potential buyers to smaller pools of the most likely buyers and users of your products or services. The need remains to drill down deeper to understand each segment you serve and in turn, how to respond to them via product design, distribution strategy, and brand communications.Creating buyer personas meets that need, providing clarity that can equip you to better serve current customers and successfully attract new ones.

Focus on Telling, not Selling in 2014

The new year is a time when many people and organizations establish goals. What accomplishments or improvements do you want to realize in the next twelve months? Some goals are very specific, often accompanied by a quantitatively measurable target and time period (e.g., lose 10 pounds by May 1). Other goals are less refined but provide needed direction. It is the latter type of goal that comes into play when considering how to frame your marketing efforts. I read a very timely article by Daniel Newman, author of The Millennial CEO, titled “2014: The Year of the Brand Influencer.” Newman’s article offers two useful takeaways as we venture in 2014:

1. Influence the Influencers

2. Tell, don’t sell

Market for Influence

Newman laments that traditional mass media communication is largely ineffective for creating desired results (i.e., sales and increased brand equity), yet many firms continue to throw their money at these channels. The attraction of mass media historically has been extensive reach. However, Newman points out that a majority of consumers believe that a smaller, more engaged community is better for creating influence than a larger, less engaged one. In other words, think quality of interactions rather than quantity of exposure when it comes to marketing. An example of a tool that can be used to foster quality interaction is a blog. It is designed for two-way communication, and it is largely free of the restrictions of time and space imposed on paid media placement. Yet, too often we complain that “I don’t have time to blog.” When we say that we are in effect saying “I don’t have time to reach out to customers and leads.” That mindset does not bode well for the long-term health of a business. View interactive channels like blogging and social media as an opportunity to allow others to spread influence on your behalf, not another task on your To Do list.

It’s not about You…

Or at least it is not about your product or company. If your marketing is still focused on features and benefits of your products or how great your company is, resolve that 2014 will be a time to shift focus outward. Use your content marketing and social media tactics to tell customers’ stories. Who are they? What are their problems? Celebrate their victories. Tell their stories. Oh, and if your products play a part in all of these pieces, that will come out. But, we are deflecting attention from us to those we serve. Similarly, tell the stories of your employees, the people who make your organization what it is. Employees that blog, tweet, or otherwise communicate on your behalf put a face on your organization with which customers can identify.

Commit to Influence

Resolve that 2014 be the year your brand becomes more influential. The secret is simple: Be useful. Being influential will come as people recognize the utility and value you offer. In turn, they will advocate on your behalf. But, you will need to commit to investing time and resources to building trust via your communications (esp. using content and social media channels).

May 2014 be your most prosperous year yet.

Content Marketing: A Tale of Two Definitions

Isn’t it interesting how different people can look at the same thing yet have significantly different perceptions. We have heard many times about “glass half-full” versus “glass half-empty” to describe people’s outlook on a situation or issue. The takeaway from the glass analogy is that what is real is what you perceive. The glass is at once half full and half empty; which half you choose to focus on is up to you.

Content as Message
This post is not about glasses of any degree of fullness, but the analogy came to mind as I read an article about the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s efforts to set industry standards for the practice of content marketing. The starting point for the AIB initiative was to establish a definition for content marketing. The definition developed is:

“Content marketing is the marketing technique creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience to provide useful, educational, or entertaining information on its own merit without a call to action.”

The IAB definition of content marketing seems to focus on the practice as being about message creation and delivery. The message can be useful, educational, or entertaining, but it better not try to do anything more than that! The condition placed at the end, “without a call to action” is interesting. It is as if the AIB wants to disassociate “content” from “marketing.” One cannot help but think about the limitations of most media advertising- many ads can inform or entertain but are incapable of motivating the audience to take action. If the AIB definition of advertising is embraced, marketers may find content marketing to be this generation’s 30-second TV commercial in terms of effectiveness in moving the sales needle.

Content as Strategy
If the AIB definition of content marketing rings a bell, it may be because you have seen a large chunk of it somewhere else… on the website of the Content Marketing Institute. When asked, “What is Content Marketing?” the CMI says:

“Content marketing is a marketing technique creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience- with the objective of driving profitable customer action.”

To say that the AIB and CMI differ on the purpose of content marketing is an understatement. The AIB suggests content marketing avoid engaging the audience in a call to action at all costs. CMI says that is exactly why you use content marketing- to motivate the audience to take some kind of action. The CMI definition acknowledges that for marketing to be effective a person ultimately has to make a decision to engage in a behavior. Otherwise, we have succeeded in informing or entertaining and nothing else. Content marketing is used strategically to prompt needed audience responses throughout the sales funnel.

A Vote for Action
It is interesting that the AIB definition of content marketing borrows heavily from the CMI definition but distances itself when it comes to expectations of audience action. A plethora of impotent marketing exists already; watering down content marketing by discouraging calls to action would only add to the problem. Please note what the CMI does not say about content marketing- it is not all about selling product. Instead, content marketing should be about the audience- their stories, their needs, and how to help them meet their needs… and not about your product. Content marketing stands to be a game changer, but not if it misses a unique opportunity to engage audiences to take action (download, subscribe, call, visit, refer, follow, and yes, even buy).

Run like a Little Girl

dotpolka via Flikr,
Creative Commons attribution

The phrase “run like a little girl” can hold unflattering meaning… particularly to little boys. But I learned today that I could benefit from running like a little girl. I began my day at the campus recreation center at my university (today is our department holiday luncheon and I needed to burn some calories before partaking of the holiday fare). During my run I observed a young couple and their daughter getting onto the track. The young girl had to be about 7 or 8-years old, probably out of school as many area counties prepared for a possible “iceageddon” in middle Tennessee. The family soon spread out around the track, each person having his or her own pace. It did not take long for me to realize the young girl knew something I did not.

Slow Down – Not
There was no way the parents would be keeping up with their daughter. The young girl ran stretches around the track at nearly a sprint, then settling into a more measured pace, and occasionally slowing to a walk. As I watched her sprint, I could not help but think to myself “Little girl- you better slow down and pace yourself.” After all, that is what I and most experienced runners do. I soon found myself admiring her energy and her being blissfully oblivious to the notion that she would somehow benefit from pacing herself. When her energy waned she slowed; when she felt energized she began sprinting again. Had she “paced herself,” she likely would not have had the same joyful experience. How do I know she had a joyful experience? The smile on her face and body language that suggested an absence of worry or fear made me admire her unorthodox running style all the more.

Pacing Ourselves is an Excuse
I went running this morning to burn calories and came away learning something that I already knew but have successfully denied to this point. The analogy of life as a marathon, not a sprint is one that resonates with me. Thus, pursuit of goals occurs in measured strides. After all, we would not want to burn out because we were running too fast, now would we? What a bunch of baloney that is. Too often, pacing ourselves is code for “I am scared of failure” or even “I am scared of success.” If we pace ourselves we can slow down so that we do not run head-on into either failure or success. Sadly, such a strategy can put us on a journey to nowhere as we work toward an outcome but get in our own way of getting there. Moreover, an obsession with pacing ourselves can deny the joys of the journey. The little girl was running hard, having fun, and not worried about her time or distance.

Resolve to Run like a Little Girl
The sight of the little girl running around the track will hopefully stick in my memory for a long time. I need to run like her, not necessarily on the track but in terms of how I approach projects, personal growth, and relationships. It is time to shed excuses and proclamations of “pacing myself” and allow myself to grow without self-imposed constraints.

Seizing Big Opportunities in Small Business Saturday

The weekend after Thanksgiving shopping period has evolved into distinctly branded days that are crucial to retailers’ success, not only during the holiday season but impacting their profitability for the year. Of course, Black Friday started it all, a frenzy of sales and deals that have many shoppers standing in lines for hours and rolling out of bed in the wee hours of Friday morning to begin Christmas shopping in earnest. Black Friday is creeping into Thursday as retailers battle for customers and attention. For those of us who find Black Friday shopping too crowded and stressful, we have a safe haven: Cyber Monday. Online retailers found the cure to the shopping hangover that is Black Friday- more deals that can be had conveniently via computer, tablet, or phone.

The newest branded entrant into the Thanksgiving weekend shopping fest is Small Business Saturday. American Express established this event in 2010 to support local, independent merchants upon whom shoppers relied long before the days of big box retailers. Small Business Saturday is not a publicity gimmick; it has the marketing muscle of American Express and other firms with a stake in small business success including USPS, Constant Contact, Twitter, Foursquare, and FedEx. In 2012, it was estimated that $5.5 billion in spending occurred on Small Business Saturday.

Not All Buy In
One might think that participation in Small Business Saturday would be a no-brainer for merchants. After all, there are no costs and marketing of the event is being done largely by American Express and its Small Business Saturday partners. While many small businesses have aligned their marketing with Small Business Saturday, a surprising number of local businesses have not. According to a study sponsored by Constant Contact, just over one-third of small businesses surveyed indicated they had participated in one of the three previous Small Business Saturdays. What about the other two-thirds of business that have not participated?

52% of businesses that have not participated in the past do not plan to participate this year
36% said they would not get new business from the event

The majority of small business have not bought into Small Business Saturday. What will it take to win some of the skeptics over?

Sales Now, Customers Later

Among the B2C small businesses planning to participate in Small Business Saturday, the benefits expected have immediate payoff:

The greatest benefit for small businesses of participating in Small Business Saturday is that it is a rare occasion in which they can ride the coattails of the marketing resources of American Express and its partners. Individual businesses will undoubtedly devise marketing efforts of their own in concert with the Small Business Saturday theme, but awareness for the event will be funded by someone else.

The short run benefits of increased awareness, new customers, and a sales boost are strong motivators to participate. But, perhaps the greatest payoff will not be felt during the busy shopping season. One of the most significant findings in the Constant Contact survey was that among businesses participating in Small Business Saturday, 52% indicated that some of their new customers acquired through the event went on to become loyal, repeat buyers. If there is a 50-50 chance that I could gain new customers by aligning with someone else’s promotion, I would be inclined to take that chance.

Let’s be realistic- Small Business Saturday will not permanently alter the shopping behavior of large numbers of consumers conditioned to “think big” and who look to chain retailers to meet their needs. However, American Express is to be commended for establishing Small Business Saturday to take a stand for the independent businesses that operate in our local communities.

What the Arctic Monkeys Taught Me about Branding

About a month ago, I treated my two oldest sons (24 and 17) to concert tickets to see one of their favorite alternative rock bands, the Arctic Monkeys. As the concert date approached, I realized this experience was going to be interesting for me. We would be seeing the band in a venue with no seats, and I knew they would like to get as close as possible. Counting the time in line outside the venue, waiting for the show to begin, and the concert itself, I spent nearly five consecutive hours standing up that evening while trying to co-exist with throngs of young fans crowding around. Not only did I survive the show, but I had a great time even though I was not very familiar with the band’s music.

If You Like Your Coffee Hot…
As I listened to songs from the band’s new album, AM, the lyrics of one song grabbed my attention.It is the track “I Wanna Be Yours.” It is a ballad, somewhat of a change of pace from the high energy packed into most Arctic Monkeys songs. One line from the song stopped me in my tracks. I cannot help but see connections between seemingly unrelated things like a ballad and branding, but this line had powerful parallel meaning for me. The line is innocent enough, almost hokey- “If you like your coffee hot, let me be your coffee pot.” But as I thought about the meaning of that line, I did not envision a guy longing for the company of a girl (or vice versa). Instead, I was reminded of what it means to create a brand that adds value by being in service to others… keeping their coffee hot, if you will.

…Let Me be Your Coffee Pot
Personal branding has gained favor as a strategy for managing one’s professional identity and career trajectory. One of the myths of personal branding is that it entails constant communication or demonstration of your expertise, particularly through social media channels. In reality, a great brand (personal or corporate) is one that adds value to others through service, leadership, mentoring, or coaching. It is not so much what you know, but what you do for others that positively impacts whether a brand prospers or wallows in medocrity. In my role as a college professor, the coffee pot imagery means to me that I serve as a mentor and advocate for my students as they sift through possible paths that ultimately lead to their career choices. I need to help “keep their coffee hot” as they progress through their studies and prepare to embark on their professional careers.

Be a coffee pot for someone-open yourself to keeping the coffee hot as you do your part to equip others to succeed. Below is a video of the Arctic Monkey performing an acoustic version of “I Wanna Be Yours.” Enjoy.

The Quest for Authenticity

We often hear or read personal branding advocates exhorting us to “be authentic.” I’m fine with that- after all, what is the alternative? To be unauthentic, a fraud, a phony? Given a choice, being authentic aligns better with my personal values and I suspect will be better for the health of my personal brand. Convincing us of the importance of authenticity is one thing; understanding the attributes that comprise your brand’s authenticity is a more challenging endeavor.

What Authenticity Means

How do you know when you have found the purpose that drives your personal brand? You know purpose when you are able to observe consistent behaviors and actions in your interactions with others. That consistency also plays out in terms of being the same person across different life contexts- home, school, work, social situations- you cannot nor need not turn your brand on and off depending on your environment. This state of consistency is authenticity, which has been described as a “moral inner voice” that develops from our experiences. Authenticity is an admired characteristic in corporate brands and personal brands because when we encounter authentic brands we can be assured that “what we see is what we get.” An authentic brand does not hide its true character behind mission statements or slogans; actions follow beliefs.

Finding Your Authenticity

So, what does it really mean to be authentic? How do you develop that moral inner voice to align daily performance with your principles? Some personal branding advocates mistakenly equate authenticity with “being ourselves.” That works as long as who you are is who you want to be! In contrast, Seth Godin believes authenticity is based on doing what you promise, not “being who you are.” Thus, we can shape our authenticity by what we promise and how we follow through on our promises. Being who you are suggests a certain level of helplessness or inability to control authenticity, which is not the case. Marc Ecko, the pharmacy school dropout turned fashion entrepreneur, has built a billion dollar business in part through a focus on brand authenticity. Ecko has three criteria for assessing the authenticity of his personal brand:

How truthful am I to myself and others
The emotional impact that can be made on others through actions
How flexible I am to change.

Don’t subscribe to the notion that your brand authenticity is predetermined based on “you being you.” You have a voice in defining the authentic you. It requires deliberate thought to ask questions like those raised by Marc Ecko and make promises on professional and personal levels. It also requires actions to answer the questions and follow through on the promises.

What does being authentic mean to you when it comes to personal branding? Share your take on authenticity.

What is Your Why?

There is no shortage of advice on how to build a personal brand. Many experts tout the importance of a communication platform and using it to build a community and nurture relationships. But, if your focus on branding begins there, you have made the same mistake many product brands commit. Great brands are just that because they know something about themselves that permeates everything they believe, feel, say, and do. They understand their purpose and are able to articulate it throughout their business operations.

On a personal level, if you cannot state your purpose, how can you build a meaningful brand? It would be like taking a car trip from Florida to California without a map. You may get there eventually, but it would be a trip full of uncertainty and be less meaningful than if you had a clearly mapped journey.

The Purpose of Purpose

Purpose defines your core, the foundation of all that you believe, feel, and do. Values are the guiding force of your core. They serve as your belief system and operating principles that influence choices made, attitudes held, and actions taken. Widely admired corporate brands tend to have very distinct values that are not only communicated through mission statements and marketing campaigns, but they affect all business decisions made. An example of a brand heavily influenced by its values is Patagonia, known for its high quality outdoor clothing and gear. Patagonia’s mission statement leaves little doubt about the company’s values:

Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.

The company’s values reflect the personal values of the band of climbers who founded Patagonia. That reflection extends to seemingly routine business decisions about lighting systems for stores and dyes used in clothing, with concern about the environmental impact of these and other practices factoring into how the company is run.

Answer the Unasked Question

Your personal brand should be built on a core foundation of values just like Patagonia. Interestingly, many brands do not follow this guideline. Business and leadership expert Simon Sinek suggests that brands are comprised of the answers to three questions:

1. Why – What is our purpose?

2. How – What is our point of difference or capabilities that create value?

3. What – Can you state the product category or industry in which you compete?

Sinek maintains that many brands can easily answer the “what” and “how” questions, but they are less clear on the answer to the “why” question. Thus, these brands are essentially working backwards; they go through the motions to compete but are unclear as to the purpose of their existence.

Answer the “why” question first so that your values and beliefs can rightfully exert their influence on how your position yourself to add value in your chosen field as well as what you do to create value in an industry or category. And, it will bring clarity to how you should proceed to follow the abundant advice on how to communicate and promote your personal brand.