If it does you’re probably ready [>>]]]> “This book is about a yearning and a need. It’s about finding a quiet, spacious place where the mind can wander free.” Does this quote strike a chord? Does it conjure an expansive horizon over a shimmering blue ocean and warm sand under your feet; your Blackberry or iPhone left behind?

If it does you’re probably ready for that vacation. It’s that time of year after all.

The quote is from the introduction to Hamlet’s Blackberry, Bill Power’s new book about the frenzied world of ubiquitous “screens” and constant connection that we now inhabit. I haven’t read it yet, but from the reviews and author interviews I’ve read, it seems like a perfect vacation read.

I heard about Hamlet’s Blackberry during an NPR interview with Powers a couple weeks ago. Having just gone without a mobile phone for two weeks, I had noticed an odd sense of relief. Without a connected device in my pocket, I felt free. There was nothing to check, no nagging curiosity to satiate, no distraction lingering in my thoughts. It was great. It was a bit like the “spacious place” Powers alludes to.

As Powers explained his book, he described my experience almost exactly. In Hamlet’s Blackberry, Power’s explores the “conundrum of connectedness” and how it has changed our work and personal lives, for better and worse. Powers is no Luddite and he’s not advocating that we ditch our smartphones. He admires and sees the value connectedness brings to society. But he’s aware of its downside, too.

From what I’ve read, Powers’ book is part discourse on our need to connect and communicate and part practical guide for today’s hyper-connected world. Whiling admitting to loving the technology himself, Powers suggests we embrace it with caution. “What I’m proposing here is a new digital philosophy, a way of thinking that takes into account the human need to connect outward, to answer the call of the crowd, as well as the opposite need for time and space apart. The key is to strike a balance between the two impulses,” says Powers.

Looking at our current reality and the countless screens that fill our daily lives, Powers writes, “But as we connect more and more, they’re changing the nature of everyday life, making it more frantic and rushed. And we’re losing something of great value, a way of thinking and moving through time that can be summed up in a single word: depth. Depth of thought and feeling, depth in our relationships, our work and everything we do.”

Vacation is always a prime opportunity to get away from the day to day and gain new perspective on work, life, and self. As a communications professional, you no better than anyone about the degree to which we’re now connected. If you need a book for vacation and have questioned the implications that connectedness has on your job, how you reach customers, and manage your personal life, check out Hamlet’s Blackberry. I plan to.

Nowadays, most of us probably receive text messages from someone with whom we do business; for example, a message from your [>>]]]> Much has been said about the benefits of using social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace for connecting with customers. However, there’s another much-less-touted although equally valuable vehicle for reaching customers—SMS or text-based messaging.

Nowadays, most of us probably receive text messages from someone with whom we do business; for example, a message from your bank regarding some questionable activity on an account or an appointment confirmation from your doctor. Currently, retailers have made the most use of SMS to engage their customers.

There’s a wealth of opportunity for marketers in other industries to incorporate text messaging into their communications strategy, not only to improve customer relationships but also to boost sales.

There’s no denying that mobile usage is up. In 2008 sales of mobile devices outpaced those of PCs 4-to-1. Because a majority of cell phones have text capabilities, SMS provides an ideal opportunity for communicating with your customers, especially when so many are inundated with email and may be missing your message entirely.

In its Mobile Market Survey 2009, Netsize reports on how some companies are using mobile as part of their marketing strategy to attract and keep customers:

“The vast majority of respondents (56%) currently use mobile to acquire new customers. But that will change as respondents follow through on their plans to boost customer retention and loyalty through mobile marketing (64%), streamline transactions (37%) and enable commerce and sales using a mobile device (37%).”

In addition to strengthening relationships with current customers and attracting new customers, text messaging provides a way to increase brand awareness. For example, Clorox ran a national promotion to connect its brand with Keith Urban fans by offering the chance to win a backyard BBQ with the singer.

At the end of the campaign, Clorox experienced total mobile activity of more than 300,000, and 6% of those participants opted in to ongoing Clorox brand promotions. And that’s one of the key benefits of SMS: You’re reaching your customers on their terms and at their request.

The simplicity of text-based messaging, though, creates the possibility for overexposure. You don’t want to abuse the privilege of having your customers’ permission to communicate with them. According to a recent Nielsen report, sending too many texts or not targeting them appropriately can adversely affect your ability to connect with your customers.

As with any social medium, SMS is another way to engage your customers in a conversation. As with all marketing activities, though, make sure that an SMS strategy fits in with your overall business goals.

Searching based on [>>]]]> Sure, your company has a presence on Facebook and Twitter and is probably using the social media platforms primarily for pushing public relations and marketing messages. While you’re doing all the talking, who’s listening to what your customers are saying? And not just to what they’re saying, but to how they’re saying it.

Searching based on tags and keywords is no longer enough. They tell only half the story. It’s the feelings behind what your customers are saying online that tell the real story. According to a recent New York Times article, the new search frontier is sentiment analysis.

Scout Labs, which is backed by the venture capital firm started by the CNet founder Halsey Minor, recently introduced a subscription service that allows customers to monitor blogs, news articles, online forums and social networking sites for trends in opinions about products, services or topics in the news.

In early May, the ticket marketplace StubHub used Scout Labs’ monitoring tool to identify a sudden surge of negative blog sentiment after rain delayed a Yankees-Red Sox game.

Stadium officials mistakenly told hundreds of fans that the game had been canceled, and StubHub denied fans’ requests for refunds, on the grounds that the game had actually been played. But after spotting trouble brewing online, the company offered discounts and credits to the affected fans. It is now re-evaluating its bad weather policy.

“This is a canary in a coal mine for us,” said John Whelan, StubHub’s director of customer service.”

Interpreting human sentiment may be a fledgling, inexact science today. However, there’s a rich vein of market intelligence just waiting to be mined from your customers’ opinions. And the wealth of information found in those sentiments can make your product launch or break your bottom line.

So, if you’re not looking at the feelings behind your customers’ words, perhaps you should.

Tendo was founded 10 years ago on the [>>]]]> In an excerpt of a recent interview with Josh Tyrangiel, the managing editor of Time.com explains how “long-form” journalism just does not work on the Web. Well, doh! I’m glad the lead editor of Time.com has realized this, but it’s sad that he’s making this statement in 2009.

Tendo was founded 10 years ago on the idea that the Web was changing how media was consumed, and that media executives and journalists like us, who built Web media properties early on, could help marketers use their websites to connect directly to customers by applying the best practices we had learned.

And rule No. 1 when creating content to attract and engage an audience on the Web—proven over and over again by metrics since the early days of Web media—is to remember the media you’re working in.  That means writing in short bursts and using pull-quotes and sidebars; it means creating new scannable content types that allow the reader to get to the point without the work of reading dense, text-heavy pages—or, in print magazine parlance, “long-form journalism.”

I find it both sad and fascinating that a lead editor at one of the oldest and most venerable media brands in our country is coming to this conclusion only now. Perhaps that’s why this same institution is no longer as relevant as it once was?

That’s because of a little thing called conflict [>>]]]> Last I checked, Dr. Eric Schmidt wasn’t jumping on to Google financial briefings to preach about Apple’s latest iPhone firmware update.  And last I checked, the same good doctor wasn’t running across the stage at MacWorld–or whatever events Apple’s keynoting now–arm-pumping to the chant of, “Google!  Google!  Google!”

That’s because of a little thing called conflict of interest. I come from a print journalism background, and these three words are akin to the Great Wall of China for content creation.  That’s not to say that an average marketer or businessperson has no moral code, but it can be a tapdance to do what’s best for a brand without looking like a complete shill–be it for your company, your clients, or your competing interests.

Marketing on Someone Else’s Dime

Consider Sarah Lacy, the Bay Area’s favorite female tech journalist–or, at least, one that’s been talked about a great deal since her big Facebook interview snafu in 2008.  No stranger to inserting herself into the story, Lacy writes about Facebook, of all things, in her BusinessWeek column this week.  The premise of the story is simple: Facebook employees are cashing out their shares of the company’s stock at a high enough rate as to overload the company’s $100 million share buyback program.  Simple.  Done.

Instead of pointing to similar occurrences across the tech sector and drawing some kind of parallel between the companies’ respective situations, or taking the larger spin on the effects of an economic recession on an individual’s desire to keep money close at-hand, what does Lacy do?  If you guessed, “shill for her other job,” you got it.  She references her employment as a blogger at TechCrunch, talks about the site’s awesome environment and strong financial growth, and even uses her BusinessWeek column to jokingly beg her boss, Michael Arrington, for stock options.

Talk about eating where you… well.  I’ll let you finish the metaphor.

Suffice, the entire ordeal makes Sarah look like a wide-eyed fangirl for her other paychecks.  The weight of her words loses legitimacy.  BusinessWeek looks like it has no idea how to manage its employees and, worse, is effectively sponsoring the endorsement of a competitor.

So what?

As marketer, it’s important to realize the walls in which you play.  You can’t just blast your marketing message in every  medium of interaction, otherwise your constant attempts to bring your brand to the forefront of any and all discussions will look like an official kind of astroturfing. The conflict of interest is one of you, an everyday person trying to say everyday things, versus your hidden agenda.

If you’re going to try and frame a brand within the context of a larger, topical issue, at least do it with grace. In Lacy’s case, her TechCrunch employment might be relevant as it relates to working for a startup and the subsequent issues of stock options.  The context of her blog, however, makes this relationship sound like an advertisement–not a genuine piece of insight sparked by insightful comparison, rather, one that’s arisen out of hubris.

You can talk about your brand.  You can be passionate about your brand.  You can even shill for your brand a little bit–it’s okay, everybody else does.  But crossing the line is like the difference between a martini with a twist and a straight shot of booze.  One keeps life pleasant; the other gets you hammered.  Don’t get hammered by your community because you couldn’t keep your words straight.

It’s a straightforward value proposition: The kids deliver the entertainment (a parade of little fairies, superheroes and bumblebees). The adults pay for the favor (preferably with a gooey candy bar and not a box of organic raisins—yuck).

Business can be more complicated, but in some ways it’s [>>]]]> If only all business transactions were as simple as Halloween.

It’s a straightforward value proposition: The kids deliver the entertainment (a parade of little fairies, superheroes and bumblebees). The adults pay for the favor (preferably with a gooey candy bar and not a box of organic raisins—yuck).

Business can be more complicated, but in some ways it’s the same. When the ghosts and princesses hit the sidewalk at Halloween, they’re looking to score one thing and it’s NOT healthy snacks. Adults who persist in seeing the holiday from a grown-up point-of-view quickly lose little customers. (“Don’t go there; that house always gives out granola bars!”)

Likewise, it’s easy in business to lose sight of the fact that there are differences between you and your customer. Your communication strategy should reflect an understanding of those differences to keep customers engaged and coming back for more. Here are four common mistakes and how you can avoid them.

Communication organized for internal purposes rather than customer needs

Visiting a large company’s website can be an exercise in patience and perseverance. Many are organized around internal corporate structures that mean little to the customer.

Internally, it may be important that Jack Jones is the head of ABC Division while Martha Smith runs XYZ Division, but do your customers care? No, they just want to know where to buy their widget or how to use it.

(And don’t even get me started on how communication initiatives are funded at many big companies, where divisional funding may mean the right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing.)

What to do: Don’t base your website or other communication efforts on your org chart. Organize customer communication around the needs of your customers and eliminate the inside jargon.

“Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Why would they come to your website in the first place?”

Talking to yourself rather than your target audience

It’s human nature: we communicate the way we like to be communicated to. But that may be the wrong strategy for your business.

Take a look around your office. Do you and your coworkers look like your target customer? Do you receive and process information the same way?

For example, I recently wrote about the rise of social media like MySpace and Facebook and the implications for customer communication. Do your marcom people know what message and media will break through the clutter?

This is especially challenging for mature industries, where staff may be a different generation than your target audience. This isn’t ageism; I’m not suggesting some sort of Logan’s Run-like forced retirement for everyone over the age of 35. It’s not about the age of the communicator, but understanding the audience needs.

What to do: Establish a profile of your customers and understand how they are different from you. Communicate via the channels and in the form that they want rather than what is convenient or easy for you.

Too much … everything

This is a weird thing to hear from somebody who works at a “content agency” but there is way too much content out there. Most of it does not add value, but is merely “noise” through which customers must navigate.

When your customers visit your website or interact with your communication collateral, what is the experience you want them to have? Do you provide a clear path to information? Are you quickly communicating how you can solve their problems?

Many companies employ a kitchen sink strategy to communication—let’s cram it all in there. For example, a piece of content designed to be a “400-word piece” balloons to more than 1,000 words because various stakeholders wanted to include every angle, feature, or messaging buzzword. But is that serving a customer need or an internal one?

What to do: Keep it simple! Be brutal and prune unnecessary content or jargon that does not aid the customer or target audience. Make sure that there is a clear, streamlined path toward the ultimate action you want your customer to take, be that clicking on “buy now” or, for more expensive, complex purchasing cycles, “tell me more.”

Solving your problem instead of your customers’

Like any business, your primary goal is generating more sales. Of course, your customer’s goal is something completely different. They’re looking to solve their problems. For your customer, the sale that you ring up is simply the byproduct of satisfying their particular needs.

Obvious, right?

But then why is so much customer communication built around what businesses want (the sale) rather than what customers want or need (their problem solved).

Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Why would they come to your website in the first place? If you run an office supply store, they may come looking for paper clips and just need an order form. But if you’re selling technology or a service or something more complicated, you need to address the customer needs first: educate, illuminate, build goodwill and thus move them forward in the purchase cycle.

I’m not suggesting that anyone make it difficult to find the “buy” button. Once you’ve convinced customers you can solve their problem, you want to make the sale as easy as possible. But skip the education and goodwill at your own risk.

What to do: Write down what problem(s) your product or service solves. Now look at your website. Is the solution you’re offering obvious on the highest levels of the site? Remember that your customers aren’t buying a box of widgets, they’re buying what those widgets can do for them.

In short, think about your communications in terms of the handfuls of candy you toss into plastic pumpkins each year. You may not be a candy corn type, but are you giving your customers what they want? In customer communications, as in certain candy-rich holidays, it’s important to remember this: It’s not about you.