In a previous post post, I presented a definition of Web 2.0 as the widespread acceptance and use of technology that allows continually changing or active communication. The main points of the post were:

• The most important aspect of Web 2.0 is not the technology itself, but rather the new culture of free and open communication that comes about because of technology.
• The old era of caveat emptor (let the buyer beware) that was supported through biased and untrustworthy advertising is past.
• Web 2.0 technology has birthed a new era of caveat venditor (let the seller beware) since consumers are now able to communicate freely amongst themselves and provide unbiased feedback on sellers' claims. Amazon.com is a prime example.

How can Web 2.0 help your business?

From a marketing perspective, the questions are simple:

1. How can Web 2.0 help us reach more prospects,
2. deliver a more effective message and
3. decrease our message cost?

Is your business Web 2.0 compatible?

Again, the most vital element to success is not the technology itself, but rather the real value your business presently offers consumers. For those businesses who meet this criteria, Web 2.0 technology is tailor made to effectively assist in achieving the marketing goals mentioned above.

Bear with me as I give yet another Web 2.0 analogy. If I buy this 2006 ADR3 race car for $85k, its got the technological capability to win races. However, just because I buy the car does not make me competitive with professional drivers. Assuming I could con my way into entering a professional race, it would soon become apparent, when I crashed and burned on the first corner, that I was an amateur. The technology would do me little good if I did not posses the real ability to utilize its potential.

Likewise, the benefit that Web 2.0 technology can bring is directly proportional to some more fundamental aspects of your business, such as:

• Do your current customers (not you, your employees, or executives) consider the products you offer to be truly unique and superior solutions?
• Do you receive a significant portion of new business through referrals?
• Is it easy for your prospects to understand your unique value proposition?
• Is the leader of your business dedicated to establishing a front facing culture of transparency, honesty and direct communication with customers? 
• Do your employees understand and embrace this vision?

This by no means is a comprehensive list, but hopefully you get the idea. The more "yes" answers you can give to these types of questions the more potential your business has for excelling by implementing Web 2.0 technology and tactics.

For a more detailed look at how Web 2.0 technology can help you achieve your marketing goals you may want to check out our "Helping you achieve your goals" page.

Labels: Marketing-Communication, New-Media-Marketing, Web-2.0

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Posted by Douglas Case @ 8/01/2008 10:06:00 AM | 0 comments

Web 2.0 is a term that has proliferated rapidly over the last few years. The term has become so popular that it's now being used by about anyone for about anything (Web 2.0 Easter greeting card anyone?). For most businesses, it's not necessary to understand Web 2.0 in much technical detail. What is important to understand are the massive social and business environment changes that the Web 2.0 phenomena is driving.

Web 2.0—The Basics

Web 2.0 is simply the widespread acceptance and use of technology that allows continually changing or active communication.

As you may be aware, some of the most common Web 2.0 applications are blogs, podcasts, Content Management Systems (CMS), social networking sites and user forums. Each of these technologies can be defined within Web 2.0 depending upon how they're utilized. Technology is a prerequisite for Web 2.0, but it's the widespread acceptance and use part of the definition that really matters.

Let the Buyer Beware

The most important aspect to Web 2.0, from my perspective, is that it has sparked a grassroots revolution by consumers. The era of caveat emptor (let the buyer beware) progressively grew through the 20th century until we languished under a never ending stream of unbelievable advertising. Regardless of consumer protection laws, the reality was that we were largely forced to rely on the naturally biased advertising and promotional information provided by businesses.

The losers in this environment were of course the consumers, but also those businesses who truly did offer unique value and could not afford to carpet-bomb our televisions, magazines and mailboxes. Nor could a business offering real value do much in their advertising to show they were different, since their competitors would make the same claims.

Consumers who wanted unbiased information about a seller relied on personal referrals—the most unbiased and believable feedback available. They were limited however by the finite capacity of their own personal networks.

Let the Seller Beware

Web 2.0 has ignited a new era of caveat venditor (let the seller beware). The rapid change in the marketing environment is not due to legislation or litigation, but rather the widespread practice of consumers sharing unbiased information about a sellers product to other customers and prospects.

A simple example can be seen with books. Outside of our friends' recommendations, we've had to rely on the publisher's information or from the questionably neutral editorial reviews. Now, thanks to Amazon and others, we have access to a large and active community of other consumers who provide us their unbiased feedback. Of course this is not a perfect system, those with ulterior motives can post reviews but we can use common sense to evaluate the reviews collectively and form a more reliable conclusion about a product.

For example, if I were to rely on attractive cover and glowing editorial review for Deck Planner: 120 Outstanding Decks You Can Build I might convinced to buy this book. But when I look at relatively low rating by consumers and their mixed reviews, I opt for a better choice.

The important point to understand about Web 2.0 from a business perspective is that our products and services will increasingly be promoted or demoted in the marketplace by consumers, and that advertising and PR will continue to lose effectiveness. Consumers now have better choices of where to get information before making a purchase decision.

The Web 2.0 revolution is only bad news for those sellers who have gotten away with neglecting their customers. In my next post, we'll explore some of the unprecedented opportunities and strategies for businesses offering true value.

Labels: Marketing-Communication, New-Media-Marketing, Web-2.0

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Posted by Douglas Case @ 4/29/2008 09:25:00 AM | 0 comments

This is a real email I just sent to a company today. It struck me, that the challenges I faced as a prospective customer with them are typical shortfalls that companies of all sizes make in their messaging. Read through this letter to see if yours shoes start pinching. Company names and identifying terms have been changed to protect the innocent (me).

Hi,

My company has been using <a competitor's software> but are in the process of exploring other alternatives. <Your company> was recommended to me...I've been poking around your site and forum for the last half hour but I'm having a hard time finding specific info on what makes <your company> different and better than <your specific competitors>. So far I've seen a lot of great features, but everything sounds pretty much the same as the aforementioned competitors.

I'm not suggesting that <your company> is the same, based on the referral I'm optimistic that you are better. I just asking if you can articulate to me the reasons why? Can you have one of your sales people contact me with this info?

I strongly suggest too, for your own marketing benefit, that you make a clear statement on your frontage answering the question "What features-benefits make <your company> totally unique and the best choice."

You do have a generic value proposition stated that states: “We offer more flexibility, security, help, value, choices, stability, features and support. Get more with <our company>"....and that you’re <technical jargon> with more features than any other application in it’s [sic] class” This entire statement could be easily used by any of your competitors on their website...it would do you great benefit to call out the specific features and their benefits that are unique only to <your company>.

One last suggestion...your site is very feature heavy, I suggest you associate a clear benefit statement with each technical feature you list. The prominent feature button on your front page leads to your features page which lists a lot of technical features including multiple references to your “Hybrid X Core”.

Frankly, none of this means anything to me.

I am technically savvy on this topic so I understand much of what your saying but it really doesn’t mean much to me in terms of why I should go with <your company> ... I covet finding out what the unique benefit that such features as the “Hybrid X Core” bring to me.

Please know, I am a legitimate prospect and all the above is intended as constructive advice. I suspect that I am a typical prospect for your product and I'm certain you could improve your sales conversion rate with more specific "why" info prominently displayed.

I’m looking forward to hearing from your sales dept.

Labels: Marketing-Communication, New-Media-Marketing

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Posted by Douglas Case @ 7/28/2007 09:22:00 AM | 3 comments

As market-savvy corporations continue to adapt their marketing strategies to address consumer tendencies, traditional advertising outlets are feeling the crunch. Why? The answer is two fold: 1) today's consumers are more likely than ever to base their purchasing decisions on peer reference rather than advertising and 2) access to alternative media via the internet has reduced the influence and control long held by newspapers, television networks, and radio stations. Hence, the appeal traditional media outlets once held has been mitigated and the writing is on the wall for change in their advertising sales departments.

So, thinking about the future from a media outlet, what is the answer? With so many options available via the Internet, which provide current and plausibly accurate information, I'm not sure that a paid subscription is the way to go. I know that I would never pay for a subscription to a newspaper site as I can access the same information on Google News for free. And with the advertising model, think back to how many banner ads you’ve clicked on ... and on top of that, how many banner ads have actually led you to a purchase. I know for most folks, that number is minuscule if it exists at all.

To conclude, I'm hoping to solicit some honest and candid discussion on this topic. I've read several blogs and articles on this topic, and I have yet to find an adequate answer for the dilemma facing the major media outlets. Is their future dim? Or is there a solution that will drive the financial solvency of television and radio broadcasters and hard copy newspapers. As I have a genuine interest in this topic, please let me know your thoughts ... especially if you work in the mass-media industry.

Labels: New-Media-Marketing

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Posted by Erik Jon Warila @ 7/22/2007 04:47:00 PM | 2 comments

Recently I found myself isolated from the digital world for a couple hours, courtesy of Idaho Power. After a brief period of anxiety, I picked up an old book I hadn't looked at in many years—Guerrilla Marketing Weapons by Jay Conrad Levinson.

My first observation was how antiquated some of the strategies are. 1990 does not seem that long ago but from a business and marketing perspective it's a world apart in many ways. Regardless of the era, I question some of the council he provides in his promotion of advertising as "affordable" and a "necessity". The author was an advertising guy in a bygone era...can't blame him for pushing his industry.

While some of the info was off base (should I really consider promoting my business through matchbook advertising?) most of the "weapons" are still spot on. One point the author made that really resonated with me was under the heading, Identity:

A word to strike from your marketing vocabulary is image. An image is a facade, something phony...prospects come in...and learn that the company is not, indeed, what it held itself out to be in the first place. Instead, it is different—not bad, but different.. This makes the prospect unconsciously feel ripped off...because you communicated an image that had little basis in reality, only in hope. A far better i word than image is identity. An identity is automatically honest.

This timeless insight is the essence of the social revolution that New Media / Web 2.0 have brought to bear in the last 15 years and in fact it's the catalyst that established RisingLine.

In the past, many companies could trick enough people (mainly through advertising and gimmicks) to keep a sustainable level of demand generation to feed their habit. In the New Media world, consumers have the power to cut through the phony facade of images and create their own expose of each company. We see it well established already on such outlets as Amazon's star ratings and user reviews and are seeing it trickle down to even small businesses through the local business rating systems of SuperPages.com and Google. It's at an accelerate pace now that social media will continue to drive out the fakes and increase quality across the board.

It's ironic that this sage advice is given in a book promoting advertising and gimmicks. I believe the important take away is that more than ever, prominence should be given to building real quality into your product or service and developing a marketing plan to empower your customer evangelists who will be the authenticators and communicators for your marketing message. While advertising and marketing "weapons" may plan a part, their role has been significantly depreciated in today's business environment.

As a post script, I notice that on the Guerrilla Marketing website Guerrilla Marketing, New Edition is being promoted as an updated version including "strategies for the Internet."

Labels: New-Media-Marketing

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Posted by Douglas Case @ 6/27/2007 01:55:00 PM | 0 comments

A major error many sales and marketing professionals make involves confusing a market need with a market want. In fact, marketers that have been around for a while understand all products and services eventually evolve into non-discriminate commodities over time. Make no mistake; understanding the difference between a market need and a want will decide the long-term success of a firm.

So, what is the difference? Namely, a market want is an immediate response by consumers to a service or product without knowledge of a better solution. In other words, a market want is derived through a quick fix, convenient and affordable means to solving a problem or desire. Market wants exist simply because they temporarily answer consumer's expectations. An example of a market want would be a pre-industrial revolution candle that was used to light a room ... luminescence. There was no knowledge of or accessibility to a better solution, therefore the market want settled on candles for light.

Conversely, a market need addresses a higher ideal wherein innovation and customer-directed service push market wants in perpetual progression. In theory, market needs can never be fulfilled since the market is in a constant state of evolution. Additionally, Market wants are actually a very important element of addressing a market need. In other words, we should view market wants (i.e. products) as incremental steps toward satisfying the demands of the consumer. Referring back to the candle example, gas lamps and eventually the electric light bulb replaced the candle as the primary device for luminescence, therefore eliminating the primary use of a candle as a device for light. Today, the candle is used primarily for ambiance rather than luminescence.

For a more practical application of this theory, let's say your company is in the business of producing cellular telephones. Four years ago, the market want was to develop the smallest practical handheld device that was affordable and would pick up great reception. Today, with the introduction of GPS technology and devices like the Apple iPhone, the market want has evolved to include worldwide accessibility along with features such as SMS texting, GPS mapping, and Internet browsing. In fact, it could be argued that the market need is affordable instantaneous global communication through telepathic transmission ... okay, that’s getting a little Star-Trekish, I know. However, the point being that consumers may not be able to express what their true need is, therefore they settle with wants. To my point; this is where the opportunity exists for your hypothetical cellular phone company; you can assume the role of an innovative customer-oriented firm by pushing your product and service offering toward a new ideal of market satisfaction. For example, what if your company could develop a true vid-phone so you could actually view the party on the other line? It's only a matter of time and money before this technology becomes commonplace, and the first cellular phone manufacturer to do it will in effect push the market want closer to achieving the market need. Perhaps the market need is not a vid-phone, but the point is the iPhone in all its greatness will eventually be obsolete.

In conclusion, companies that focus on solving market wants will always be in a reactionary state, competing primarily on price. However, companies that focus on solving a market need however will be shaping their products and services toward answering the desires of their customers, helping to differentiate themselves from the competition while justifying a higher price per unit. In the real world, Apple is doing this with the iPhone, Target is doing it with virtually the same products as Wal-Mart, and FedEx is doing it with the same overnight delivery services as UPS and the United States Postal Service. Who’s to say your company can’t be the next Apple, Target, or FedEx?

Labels: New-Media-Marketing

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Posted by Erik Jon Warila @ 4/01/2007 05:15:00 PM | 0 comments

I'm in the process of designing a PowerPoint presentation for a major technology firm, it's entertaining to discover how the company's engineers are fixated on describing every little detail about a product. To begin my design process, I researched some internally developed presentations built by the engineers so as to gain an understanding of the product virtues ... let me just say the slides had more flying bullets than a war zone. These presentations were product-orientated smorgasbord of technical diarrhea.

Although I like to rag on engineers and their linear approach to life, companies often fall into the same mistake of focusing on product rather than market value, on top of over-messaging attributes rather than building a brand by emotionally captivating the customer by relating a solution to their need.

As Doug and I continue to learn and grow with our business, we're finding out that the customer doesn't care about how big, fancy, and powerful our product is, they only want to hear what we can do for them in terms of making their life better. Unfortunately, I've learned the hard way that my audience doesn't have the time or interest in learning why I'm so great. And who could blame them? Their lives are complicated and busy, they want to cut to the chase so I better be ready with a strong, precise message that is emotionally appealing, easy to understand, and beneficial in terms of solving a problem or issue.

Going back to the technical engineers, I'll be ingrained in a lengthy battle to shape these presentations into concise messages that actually mean something to the customer. My job is simply to communicate the three pillars customers look for in why they should consider a product; namely that it is available, easy, and affordable.

P.S. One last tip ... avoid talking above your customers' heads and boring them by using vague and uncommon terminology, your attempt to look smart will probably lose you the deal. Trust me, I’ve learned this the hard way.

Labels: Customer-Evangelism, New-Media-Marketing

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Posted by Erik Jon Warila @ 3/16/2007 11:02:00 PM | 0 comments

Despite all the negative publicity from some pundits on the effectiveness of blogging, the current trend of corporate blogging is gaining momentum. For instance, there are twice as many Fortune 500 companies blogging today as there was a year ago, and I would estimate that number to grow substantially as the need for dynamic Web applications grows.

So why is it that corporations are starting to buy into the blogging trend? I would narrow it down to these basic factors:

- The necessity to edit and update information on the Web instantaneously

- The need to reach out to and engage customers rather than passively addressing them through advertising

- The reality that consumers are more savvy today than a few years ago; and they demand relevant and up-to-date content via the Web

As the blogging phenomenon continues to evolve and progress, the realization that a blog is far more than a rant platform or a personal Web page will bring more companies into the fold. A blog is not simply a tool in which to share personal opinions, but rather a communications device that allows businesses like to reach out to and communicate with targeted audiences.

Articles of Reference:

CEO's Blogging

Fortune 500 Business Blogging Wiki

Blogging Myths

Labels: Blogging, New-Media-Marketing

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Posted by Erik Jon Warila @ 12/08/2006 01:38:00 PM | 0 comments

Here's a great interview of the marketing VP at Nokia that provides credible evidence to the bright future of new media and word of mouth marketing. Not only does this interview shed light on the huge potential power that new media offers, it also stresses that in order to utilize such grassroots efforts, a company has to offer real quality, otherwise the whole effort will backfire. This is one of the beautiful things for all of us about this new era of customer led marketing.

While new media is exciting, we here at RisingLine feel it's important not to lose balance and forget that other marketing channels still have an important role to play. It's encouraging to see that a progressive company like Nokia feels the same. It seems there are a lot of advertising agencies that totally discredit new media and grassroots marketing and the few grassroots marketing firms out there can lean to the extreme in their admonition to ditch advertising completely. While the answer as to the advertising/grassroots mix will be different for every business, as a general principle each business needs to plan their comprehensive marketing strategy with careful consideration of both.

To get you started on some fresh multichannel marketing strategy, check out the latest issue of Practical Ecommerce.

Labels: Customer-Evangelism, New-Media-Marketing

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Posted by Douglas Case @ 11/30/2006 04:54:00 PM | 2 comments

Do you want to grow your business without expensive advertising? Would you like to utilize an easy strategy to turn your best customers into your best salespeople? Are you tired of attracting poorly qualified prospects that waste your valuable time?

OK, enough of these silly rhetorical questions....any business owner or executive who just read these questions has just gone through a brief period of euphoric fantasy followed quickly by a sick feeling in their gut...knowing that it's just too good to be true. I'm here to tell you though that the positive answers to these questions are not only true they are more than likely the way in which your business is really growing now.

Here's some reality therapy:

• People don't believe advertising.
• People are sick of advertising.
• Unless you spend very big bucks, your advertising may be sending many a negative message about your company.
• The awareness your advertising creates may not convert prospects to high-value life time clients.

We're all bombarded by thousands of advertising messages each day. How many do you remember from yesterday? A more important question: Of those you remember for how many will you become a customer? For example take Geico insurance, sure we all remember their funny ads, but how many of us actually buy from them? Not many. About 7 out of every 100 auto insurance buyers.

In my 15+ year sales career I've learned that one principle is by far the powerful: people buy from those they know and trust. Like many of the most profound concepts in life, this truth is simple and intuitive yet ignored by a vast majority of sales and marketing "experts". I sat through a couple hours of stereotypical sales training recently in which the instructor counseled, "If you can't be a good actor then you can't sell." No wonder sales people have such a bad reputation! Do I really want to be sold something from someone who is acting (i.e. lying)...why should I expect that my customers want to get an acting job when they read my marketing collateral or meet my salespeople?

Traditional advertising and sales are almost always based on acting...whether through outright fake sentiment or through some entertainment gimmick like Geico does. It's so established that advertiser embellish the truth on a regular basis that we've invented the special legal word—"puffing". It doesn't sound so bad as "lying" but means the same thing. Take a look around at the advertising or packages closest to you this moment and notice how we've become desensitized to the "puffing" of advertising...do you really believe that spaghetti on the shelf is "America's Favorite Pasta"? No you don't. That's why you will typically buy it on price or otherwise only when you have credible insight into it having superior quality.

So it's really no wonder that most people instinctively don't believe either salespeople or advertising. So back to our principle, people do buy from the exact opposite of advertising and sales...they buy from sources that they know and trust. I'm sure for anyone whose familiar with RisingLine you already know the answer to advertising and sales people but we'll have to wait for my next post to conclude.

Labels: New-Media-Marketing

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Posted by Douglas Case @ 11/13/2006 09:50:00 AM | 0 comments

As I continue to peruse the Internet for great blogs, I came across one today which in my opinion epitomizes a successful blogging strategy. Annie's Homegrown products is promoted by Bernie's Blog, a social advocate Web site that is specifically targeted toward an emotionally engaged audience of progressive liberal folks. As a fairly conservative guy, I may not agree with the content on the site, but I can certainly appreciate the way this organization has used a polarizing approach in order to appeal to folks that are interested in their products.

For those of you who have read my blogs on a regular basis, you probably have noticed that one of my pet peeves is a blog which has nothing to do with the customer or their interests. The quickest way to alienate a reader is to write about things that don't interest them ... things like your corporate picnic or your strategic initiative for the year. Please understand, the actual subject matter is irrelevant, but customer interest is key.

Going back to Bernie's blog, pay attention to the content and it's easy to see how the writer(s) has masterfully leveraged connecting the product to the emotional sensitivities of their target audience. I would venture to say that in 8 of 10 cases, the typical Annie's shopper relates to this content and most likely visits the site on a regular basis.

Labels: Blogging, Customer-Evangelism, New-Media-Marketing

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Posted by Erik Jon Warila @ 11/06/2006 02:28:00 PM | 1 comments

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers," said Thomas Watson president of IBM in 1943. Of course this turned out to be wishful thinking on the part of the few who controlled that technology in that era. In 2002 Gartner consulting reported that over 1 billion personal computers had shipped since the mid 70's.

Kim Jong II

Agrees with Philadelphia Inquirer

I was reminded of this quote when I read an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer today entitled Americans are blogging a dead horse in which a journalist made a similar assertion about blogging. Her article, which reads more like the journal of a panic attack, says:

• People are sick of blogs (she backs this up with a reference to herself).
• Blogs are bad because anyone can utilize them.
• The average person is stupid and should not be allowed to convey their thoughts on blogs.
• Blogs are bad because the communication is too rich.
• People in general aren't smart enough to discern good from bad information.
• She already knows blogs are finished and slams her 10-year-old son's blog as proof.
• Don't start a blog (because you're an idiot).

One of the most bizarre statements in this article is:

When you read a blog, it's easy to forget that it's just one person in a little corner of the world. You get sucked into their universe, and the words on screen give their daily dramas a validity they might not deserve.

Hmmm. Well I can see how this is so bad...I would much rather be spoon fed refined information from the Philadelphia Inquirer instead of engaging in direct communication and having to think for myself!

The irrational comments of this journalist, many of which are completely opposite of the well documented massive growth in popularity of blogs, are really not that difficult to understand. Old-school journalists and information brokers fear greatly the change that's happening now. For obvious financial reasons they are in panicked denial that they no longer hold a monopoly in the world of communication. The last sentence of this article captures the true essence of this old-school journalist's motive, "So, please, do me a favor, don't start a blog."

Now no one will dispute that there are some weird and wacko blogs out there...a lot of them. However, "bad blogs" are a small price to pay for little things like freedom of speech and freedom of choice. Focusing on the blogs that this person perceives as low value completely misses the point—the blog phenomenon is about the decline of mass communication and advertising and the rise of targeted niche communication. Who am I to say any particular blog is no good? If I'm not that blogger's target audience, as small and insignificant as that might be, whether I like the blog or not is irrelevant. Individually we're not supposed to relate to a majority of blogs.

The cultural revolution of blogging is shaking up the world of journalists especially. The fact is, we don't need a few people to decide what information gets communicated and how. The author of this article might be better suited to take up writing for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea since they still fully subscribe to the philosophy of information control and dissemination and have been called the most censored country in the world.

Journalists of all professions should be embracing the change instead of fighting against the inevitable. The smart ones are.

Labels: Blogging, New-Media-Marketing

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Posted by Douglas Case @ 10/12/2006 08:51:00 AM | 0 comments

Why would a business pass up a virtually free way to bring in new customers? Any business owner or executive should cringe at the thought of this, but research indicates that many are letting just such an opportunity pass by.

An interesting study was just published from a web hosting company in Britain. Even though the study is from Europe, the findings are very consistent with the experiences we've had here at RisingLine.  About half of the 2,300 small to medium businesses surveyed said they really liked the idea of using a blog on their site to increase traffic, but only about 3 percent actually plan on starting a blog in the near future.  This is odd behavior given the irrefutable evidence that consumers are increasingly flocking to consult blog sites before making purchase decisions. Blogs are no longer esoteric, they have grown to number 54 million (according to Technorati), with 75,000 new ones being created each day.

It really should be a no brainier. Blogs provide an easy method for businesses to develop rapport with their current clientele and create a like-minded online community that attracts prospects that are the most desirable clientele. Blogs allow non-technical business owners and executives to take control of their website without the assistance and delay of an IT professional, and to publish more authentic (and therefore believable) content for their site visitors.

Based on this study, it seems that a large percentage of business owners do realize the benefits...at least on some level, so the question is why is such a tiny percentage actually acting on the opportunity?  The survey showed exactly what we hear everyday...the business executive has "no time" to blog. Here are the three reasons why the this excuse not to blog is lame:

1. It doesn't take that much time. You don't have to write a polished article...in fact it's often better not to. Just provide concise and valuable insight, maybe a comment on a news item, for your target client. Here's how: keep up to date on the most relevant topics using Google Alerts, write a few sentences in your own words of why a certain news item is important, and post it.
2. You'll Work smarter not harder. By spending 10 minutes each week to develop an online community of high value clients and prospects you're ROTI (Return on Time Investment) can be exponentially higher than many other low-value activities you most likely engage in. You're building a community of customer evangelists who will start driving highly qualified prospects to your business. Recycle 10 minutes of your time each week and blog! Set a reoccurring Outlook appointment to post to your blog the same time every week.
3. You'll gain a better strategic perspective for managing your business. By taking a few minutes each week to watch the trends in your industry, you'll keep on the cutting edge of your market, mature into a trusted advisor, and gain more credibility with your clientele...not just on your blog but in all your interactions with them.

Labels: Blogging, New-Media-Marketing

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Posted by Douglas Case @ 9/28/2006 04:45:00 PM | 0 comments

As I was visiting some relatives in Finland last month, I noticed that very few Nordic Web sites had incorporated blogging and New Media features at a corporate level. Blogging and podcasting have already become commonplace amongst the general population in Finland, as it has in the United States, however there is a glaring gap between most corporate Web sites and available New Media technology.

Something inherent about the Finnish society is that people adapt to technology very quickly. In fact, it is a country where you find youth text messaging live television talk show hosts from their mobile/cell phones although they're being charged to do so. Finns, and I'm supposing other Europeans, would most likely embrace companies or organizations that would open up the level of transparency in regards to products, services, and community. For instance, Nokia is Finland's most influential consumer brand, of which people proudly show off their new model phones amongst friends and family, along the same level as a car, home, or other status symbols. So as to exploit and enhance this brand power, I could certainly envision Nokia providing an interactive community where its customers could go online to chat about new product features, designs, like and dislikes, desires for future technology and so forth. Not only would this create further intimacy amongst Nokia's customer base, but also it would enhance customer evangelism while at the same time providing in-depth and basically free unsolicited market research. Plus, Nokia has already experimented with the blogosphere by sending bloggers new phone models and had phenomenal response; why shouldn't Nokia then take blogging to the next level and engage their customers? Nokia also has a few non-employed enthusiasts blogging about their products, the next step would be to envelop this community within the Nokia.com sphere to help shape the content and engage in the discussion.

So as to prove this isn't a Nokia centric blog, Fazer, Finnair, Hesburger, and Stockmann are four other Finnish companies that come to mind that could leverage new media technology and customer evangelism. In fact, no matter the firm or industry, the main ingredient for success is to identify a loyal customer base and empower enthusiastic individuals with tools like blogs and customer reviews so as to become a participative marketing and sales extension for little to no cost. Although this may appear somewhat iffy in terms of ethics, the truth is that most customer evangelists don’t want to be bought, they'll proactively solicit the virtues of a company's products and services simply because they feel an inherent personal emotional identification around the brand. In other words, the brand becomes a reflection on their personality.

In conclusion, I'd like to reiterate the old mantra to those of you who haven't heard it before ... great brands create consumer evangelists by empowering their customers to be a strategic marketing force. Companies that have succeeded, such as Apple Computers, Under Armour, and Southwest Airlines, know what makes their customers tick. If you're a marketer reading this blog, I highly encourage you to check out some articles under Google keyword search using "Customer Evangelism." One article in particular that I would recommend is the "Customer Evangelism Manifesto" by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba; it has honestly revolutionized our corporate drive at RisingLine New Media Marketing. Anyway, I hope this blog provided some helpful information. Please feel free to provide feedback or ask questions.

Labels: Blogging, New-Media-Marketing

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Posted by Erik Jon Warila @ 8/21/2006 08:27:00 AM | 0 comments

If your company is still sending out hardcopy or email newsletters to your customers, I'd like you to pause for a moment and consider how your customers actually feel about it. In fact, put yourself in their shoes for a minute ... Do you happen to appreciate, or even read for that matter, hardcopy newsletters from suppliers that are probably collecting dust on your desk? Or are you overjoyed when a company you might purchase from once or twice a year sends you an email sales pitch on a biweekly basis? If so, I commend you for being one of the few remnant holdovers from a fading era of marketing.

Speaking for myself, I'm annoyed when ever I receive unsolicited information. So much so, that I practically have to dedicate a stand-alone trash receptacle so as to circular file all the useless mail I receive from companies that I've bought from - not to mention having to shred all the "complementary checks" my credit card company keeps trying to pawn off on me - sorry, a rabbit trail.

Getting back to the point, some companies have obviously noticed that consumers are fed up with unsolicited information; you've probably realized that many firms have started to ask if you'd like "updates" sent to your email after filling out an online form. Although a good first step in lessoning the intrusion of unsolicited information, these requests for solicitation still don't account for or alleviate the horrendous amount of information overload that Americans are exposed to.

Okay, I'll get to the point ... how many email subscriptions can an individual sign up for before they're completely inundated with information? For instance, I used to have email subscriptions for Office Depot, Holiday Inn, ICR.org, Orbitz, and several others before I came to realize that what was once relevant information was now bothersome noise. Chances are, unless you're really a remnant of the old marketing era or just plain bored, you probably feel the same way I do.

So how do modern-day marketers send out non-intrusive information to their customers? A tough question for sure, but the answer may exist in the form of RSS (Really Simple Syndication), a viable media designed to deliver non-intrusive information to a targeted audience. To provide an example of RSS’ benefit, let’s say that "Customer X" enables an RSS feed through a browser, like Firefox," that will deliver keyword driven content via an aggregator or online homepage such as Google Personalized Homepage. This allows Customer X the ability to pick and choose content that is personally relevant to his/her interests. Customer X no longer has to filter through email or take the physical effort to trash hardcopy newsletters. The greatest benefit of RSS is simply time management; Customer X doesn't want you to waste his/her time, and utilizing RSS feeds and an aggregator system is a more efficient method of information sharing for both parties. In a true sense, this is actually giving Customer X the ability to choose what type of information, ahem ... advertising, they want to receive. From a corporate marketing perspective, companies such as yours can't ask for a better situation.

In conclusion, RSS and aggregator technologies are not vehicles to solve all of the world's marketing problems - content, relevance, and credibility are components which must be earned through time and effort. However, RSS and aggregators are great tools to help generate and distribute relevant content so as to build credibility.

I invite you to ask questions or provide critical feedback on this article. I'm truly interested in your opinions/thoughts regarding information distribution and RSS/aggregator technology.

Labels: New-Media-Marketing, Web-2.0

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Posted by Erik Jon Warila @ 8/14/2006 07:45:00 AM | 0 comments

How many business leaders plan on sacrificing so much of their life for a business that sticks around for a decade or two? Assuming the answer to this rhetorical question to be "few if any," then another question is begged: Why is the shelf life of most companies so short?

The best place to look is on the opposite end of the spectrum, to those companies who have created a legacy. I've been fascinated by this topic especially since recently becoming an adoring fan of Fiskars, a company founded in 1649 and on the cutting edge today of customer evangelism marketing utilizing new media (see last week's post). 

So maybe a better question to ask is, "Why  are old companies are still around?" Starting with the extreme relics like Kongo Gumi, (the Japanese construction company who was in continual operation from the year 578 until January of 2006) there is a treasure of insight available that we can directly apply to the business environment today. I'm no business history expert, but I am smart enough to deduce that most of these companies are going to be found very strong in two important suits: 1)Exploiting environmental change, and 2)Exlemplifying the marketing concept.  Inversely we can deduce that most companies, the ones with short shelf lives, are probably vulnerable to environmental change and don't adequately embrace the marketing concept.

Here's what makes this topic so provocative today—as you may be aware we've just stepped into a period of radical revolution that will be destroying the status quo of how business interacts with society. The statistics are undeniable that this change is in full gear, for example take a look at this report posted today at Information Week. 

So what's the average business to do?  Fight the trend?  Stick to the old ways that have worked (or at least kept heads above water) and hope it all goes away? It all depends on how you answered the question of "How long do you want to be in business?"  My bold prediction is that companies, large and small, who do not undergo an extreme makeover, driven by the fanatical passion of its leaders, will cease to exist, sooner or later within the 21st century. For context to my position please see our perfect storm analogy

As we enter this new era of turbulent upheaval, it's a prudent tactic to take some time and study those organizations that have weathered and prospered from these storms of change time and time again—a truly fascinating  and timely study.  I would love to hear the opinions of others on this topic, here's my invitation:

1. Pick a company from this list of oldest companies from Wikipedia, or another that you're aware of. Let's say one that's been in business at least 50 years.
2. Share your insight on why this company is still around.
3. Have your article posted on this blog with credits and links to you.

Just email me or use our contact form.

Labels: Customer-Evangelism, New-Media-Marketing

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Posted by Douglas Case @ 8/09/2006 12:14:00 PM | 0 comments

If you haven't decided whether the buzz over developing new media promotion tools, like blogs, RSS, and Podcasts is hype or reality; it's time to come out of denial. It's a brand new business world out there and as Warren Buffet might say, "It's time to get some skin in the game!"

It' not bad news though! The Internet has finally evolved to a place where unambiguous success can be achieved by those who recognize the opportunity and make a die-hard commitment to develop a radically different outlook on business, and really, on life in general.

I hate to state the obvious, but just in case we've got some readers who have missed what the Internet has already done to the business landscape, here are some quick facts from a Google query:

>>Forrester Research, Inc. estimates that 47.3 million North American households have online access and 43.9 percent have browsed online. Of the 43.9 percent, 65 percent have made purchases.

>>Time-starved consumers are regularly going to the Internet first to determine which local service company to patronize.

>>Consumers are rapidly becoming more comfortable using credit and bank cards to make purchases from security-backed virtual retailers.

>>Large corporations and governments have already mandated the use of online transactions to their downstream vendors.

But remember, that's history now

These early years of the 21st century are radically different than the "old" Internet described above. The one where people became comfortable with the stability, security, and general trustworthiness of receiving information making purchases. We have just entered a brand new era, one that is especially historic for business. Why?  Because for the first time in the industrialized world technology has aligned in a "perfect storm" with the marketing concept—the concept that businesses should make all decisions based on the needs of their customers. It's always been great concept, from when Adam Smith first wrote about it in 1776, but never realized in a macro market. Today we have the tools to make the marketing concept a achievable reality on a broad scale.

Businesses driven by real-time communication with customers (i.e. the Marketing Concept) create an almost utopian scenario—the customer's needs are best met, the business is optimized for profitability and growth, and society benefits from a net gain in opportunity from the customer and investment profit from the business.

It's the realization of a true free market economy in which the consumer has the most direct influence over the management of businesses, institutions, and organizations. It's a radical new order within society where a business' best customers can become its best salespeople. Adam Smith would be proud.

Customer Evangelism meets New Media

We here at RisingLine believe that the best strategy to achieve the Marketing Concept is customer evangelism.  Developing a customer evangelist marketing strategy insures that your business is truly focused on meeting the needs of your customers and maintaining interactive communication with them. Ultimately, customers are so pleased with the quality of your solution, that they organically become your passionate advocates.

We group the technology used to launch customer evangelism under the term "New Media." It encompasses ulta-modern Internet technology like blogs, RSS, Podcasts, and content management systems—allowing the Web to become a conduit of real time communication, collaboration, and community—creating the perfect storm of marketing strategy and technology tools.

How do I start?

Funny you should ask, we just happen to be in the business of New Media Marketing...helping clients to gain strategic insight and catch the passion of customer evangelism, then providing them optimized web tools.  So, a great place to start is our website...to to our front page and work you way through: http://risingline.com. For a great introduction to Customer Evangelism, we've posted the Customer Evangelism Manifesto by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba. To see some of the New Media technology applications, (Web Edit Content Management, Custom Blogger Blogs, Quask Forms, etc) you might like to visit our live demo site and try them out for yourself. To get a feel for the power of RSS we invite you to visit a non-profit site we sponsor, http://freeRSSdisplay.org.

We of course are ready to provide some more personalized insight through a phone call, WebEx, or visit...just let us know how we can help.

Labels: New-Media-Marketing

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Posted by Douglas Case @ 7/29/2006 09:54:00 PM | 0 comments

I know that many of you have heard my mantra on why advertising is losing effectiveness in our society, but I recently came across a New Yorker article that brought about a new dimension as to why consumers are getting burnt as a result of mass media ads. To be specific, we consumers are the ones paying for the ads we don't want to see. In fact, a good number of Fortune 500 companies allocate approximately 25% of their budget to advertising. For instance, Proctor and Gamble spent nearly $3,000,000,000 on advertising ~ and that was two years ago. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that those costs are passed along to the consumer. So, when you need to cure that scalp itch with some Head and Shoulders, just remember that a quarter of what you're paying for goes to pay for commercials you don't want to hear.

So by now you're probably asking yourself why this blog is relevant to New Media marketing. Therefore I'll get to the point ... if you're a marketing professional at your firm, think like a consumer and channel your message so as to communicate in a non-intrusive yet informative manner. In the old days, people would gather at the coffee shop to discuss life as well as business; and within their business discussions, they would give recommendations to their peers over a friendly conversation. This might have cost the consumer a nickel for a cup of joe, but they actually enjoyed the fresh roast much more than having an obnoxious guy with a beard yelling at them through a screen about how some special soap will remove grape juice stains from their grandmother's afghan. In other words, as a consumer myself, I don't mind when a friend passes a recommendation along to me because 1) I enjoy my friend's company, 2) I know my friend isn't getting paid to provide this information to me, and 3) I myself am not paying for that information.

Furthermore, today's coffee shop is virtual and the conversations are taking place, you as a marketer need to engage and infiltrate in order to build your brand from an organic level. For example, Apple is a forward-thinking company that understands this concept of transparent community, so much so that they are willing to invite criticism of their own products. Recently I visited their site to purchase a new power chord for my PowerBook G4, I was pleasantly surprised to gather information - FREE INFORMATION - that wasn't filtered by Apple that influenced my purchasing decision. I'd encourage you to visit Apple's Web store to see for yourself:

In conclusion, this New Media marketing revolution must be looked at as a win-win for both consumers and companies because it is not only reducing the communication channel while increasing intimacy, but it is also reducing costs for companies and bringing about the opportunity to lower pricing for the consumer. The only downside to this movement is that many advertisers will be looking for new careers in the near future.

Articles of Interest:

The New Pitch, Do ads still work? by Ken Auletta

Advertising Doesn't Work - Part 2. by Mike Catherall

Fixing the Ad Agency Mess - by Joseph Jaffe

Labels: New-Media-Marketing, Web-2.0

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Posted by Erik Jon Warila @ 7/20/2006 04:07:00 AM | 0 comments