Internet marketing Archives - Page 2 of 18 by Mark Murnahan

Hypocrisy in Hiring Social Media Services

Many companies want a bigger, stronger, and more productive online audience. So, it makes sense to look toward the Internet when they need help, right? It seems a common answer is “no”.

It may seem strange that so many companies need and want help to market themselves better online, but yet, turn to an offline connection to help them do it. A lot of companies who are in the market to hire a consultant for their online marketing are seeking a warm handshake, meetings in-person, and looks in the eye. They are understandably cautious about this sort of service. It makes sense, but yet it doesn’t.

The topic came up in a conversation with a friend earlier today. He is excited about partnering with a company that provides social media consulting services. He gave me the web address, and said he had spoken to them about how I am able to help them with their online presence. It sounds crazy, right? The social media consulting company needs social media help.

What shook me was that he said they have more business than they can presently handle, but their online presence is miserable. How miserable? They have sent under 100 tweets on Twitter, their latest video on YouTube had under 50 views and was uploaded over a year ago, and more than I can express, it was simply atrocious! Even the big rage online marketers have been touting lately … Klout (the online influence measurement company) did not have a profile for them.

Oh, but they’re selling like mad, so it really made me question the logic. How can somebody be successful at something without a demonstrated ability to do it? Even if they can do it, how can they be taken seriously if they don’t practice what they preach? This may sound just a bit jealous, but for many years, I thought I actually had to prove that I know my business. I have been wrong, and I see similar instances all the time. I think they must just smell really good, but I’ll explain that.

This is one side of the hypocrisy, but I’m not to the good part yet … the buyer’s hypocrisy.

Smelling is Not Due Diligence … Research Is!

I certainly recognize and respect the human aspects of doing business. It feels good to look somebody in the eye, and a lot of people believe they can tell a person’s integrity from their body language. Of course, it helps if you have training in the field of psychology, or spent some time as an F.B.I. agent. Let me tell you, though, there are plenty of people who will fake anything for money … I’ve met some of them.

I’d like to point out some things I’ve learned from over a decade and a half in a line of work where I have met less than one tenth of one percent of my customers in person. It really doesn’t hold the benefit to the client that most people imagine and hope for. It actually turns out that it is a whole lot more beneficial to the seller than the buyer.

Here’s where the buyer’s perception gets screwy. Think about this for a moment: Doesn’t this seem hypocritical to imagine a company that wants to sell more online, but cannot make their own fact-based judgments online? Companies often seek the faith of their customers online, but they, themselves, do not have the faith they ask from others. They have the tools at their disposal for making rational and logical decisions, but prefer to use a less effective and less objective tool set, in their meeting room. What’s worse, it often hurts the buyer, by opening them up to whatever brand of fairy dust is being pumped into the room.

Meeting in person will not tell you if somebody knows the Internet as accurately as their demonstrated abilities online will show. In fact, it will show a whole lot less than spending some time with our old friend Google. The only thing shaking hands and talking in a meeting room will reliably prove is whether they know more about the Internet than you do. It will not prove whether they know more than your competitor, and it will not prove whether they know how to produce an appropriately targeted audience, or even a fraction of what they say. Spending time researching them online is what proves those things.

Sitting across a table will not tell you if they are a crook. Ironically, you have to look online for that! The only thing it will really tell you beyond what you can learn online, over a telephone communication, or a Skype video conference is how they smell.

I’ll just tell you right now … I smell like cigarette smoke and coffee, but I can bend a crooked online marketer over my knee and whip them like the crybaby sissy bed-wetter they are.

Rational Thinking Eludes Confused People

It may just be a little too rational for companies to seek social media services where they can actually shop and compare, and can see who has demonstrated abilities or does not. Companies are made up of people, and people are not rational and logical about things they don’t fully understand, such as social media marketing, search engine optimization, and other areas of online marketing.

I’m too deep in the online side of this equation to be objective, but I categorize this as an absurdity. It seems as hypocritical as it gets for a company to ask customers for faith in something they fear too much to embrace. My best guess is that they are just waiting for a good smelling pitch man.

What do you think? Please share your comments on the topic.

Oh, but wait … here is some bonus material.

Where Can You Find Good Marketing People, and How Will You Know?

Just when I thought I was done writing about this topic, I realized that it leaves a question open about a better way to seek an online marketing professional. I do not have all the perfect answers, because that question has a lot of possible conclusions. I’ll give you a couple thoughts that may help you.

First and foremost, consider how you arrived here. If somebody sent you here, ask them what else they know. Sure, there may be a few dummies reading my blog, but I would suggest that many of them I have encountered are pretty bright, and have a strong interest in the areas of social media marketing and/or SEO. Look at the comments here on this article and check those people out. If they have been reading for a while, they probably have some pretty good ideas about marketing online.

Of course, if you arrived because I brought you here … call me … ask questions. I am for hire! Even if I cannot help you, I’ll try to suggest a good match and avoid a costly catastrophe. I am not a good fit for everybody, and I only take on one to three clients at any given time, but I sure know a lot of quality people in my line of work.

Your best fit will depend on your needs and expectations. If you want marketing excellence, it may require more digging, and the investment will be much higher.

If you are trying to keep within a small budget, or you have a tight time frame, be sure to understand how and why it will affect you return on investment. Discuss this with any potential marketing professional you are considering. Be sure they have an acceptable answer for you.

I must suggest, just as I have previously explained about search engine optimization, many of the best marketing people are not looking for you. It is also true, in my case, and I believe many other do not enjoy the sales process of their work as well as they enjoy the work they do. So, it may be best to not expect them to do a lot of schmoozing.

In any instance, the most important factors regarding their experience and knowledge will be found online. If they are good in their line of work, they will be very easy to discover with a search for their name on Google. Look at what they are doing online. Check them out. See what others are saying about them. Read their blog … a lot! It will give you a much clearer view of their ideas and their methods.

Finding the right fit will be worth your effort. Due diligence takes patience, but it will save you a lot of money and hassles! On the other hand, a horrible mistake I see companies endure is believing that because a friend, acquaintance, or somebody in their area knows just a little about Twitter or Facebook, they are safer with that, than to risk the effort and do a little research. Maybe they really are the right one, or maybe they are not. If the way they smell is used as a primary measurement, the company gets what they deserve. It is often how companies end up with fakes like these “marketing experts”.

OK, so I’m asking again … What do you think?

Photo Credit:
NO MORE PROTESTS by hobvias sudoneighm via Flickr

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Persecution of Excellence: What Einstein Knew About Marketing

You are more excellent than you are letting on. You cannot convince me there is no more excellence within you than what you produce. You just aren’t giving it everything you can, and my guess is you are aware of it.

Excellence is challenging, and even terrifying to the majority of people, and that keeps them holding steady at “normal”. Everybody will not become excellent, or it would no longer be excellent … it would just be average. People are not all equal, but we can each do much better.

As much as people say they want to uncover their excellence, they neglect it, and they run from it when they discover how hard it will be. The efforts required for producing excellence that stands out from the crowd is enough to scare away most people. Those people include the ones you compete with every day. If you want to take that as looking on the bright side, at least you can know they aren’t giving it their best, either. Oh, but what if they ever do?

Why do people neglect or fall short of excellence? I’m going to share some ideas in terms I believe you will find useful.

One of the world’s greatest thinkers, Albert Einstein said “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” I am a fan of Einstein, and I have enjoyed his works in the field of theoretical physics. As great as his works were, I don’t think he ever said anything more true or meaningful than this statement.

Try to think of the ways you see excellence being persecuted. I see it in corporate politics, where showing excellence can be looked down upon as it makes coworkers and the boss look less valuable. Going above and beyond often creates the opposite of the expected rewards, and can harm friendships, or even get a person fired from their job. This sounds insane, to me, but I see it all the time!

I often watch excellence being torn down in marketing plans, in schools, and even in families. We live in a society that rewards being average, and marginalizes excellence. The rewards for excellence are still many orders of magnitude greater than average, but accordingly far more challenging to achieve. You cannot deny this fact, but you can overcome it, if you are committed enough.

Applying Excellence to Marketing

I’m here to talk about marketing. To get marketing right … and that means creating an optimal return on investment … excellence is required. I said “optimal” … not “acceptable”, and there is a huge difference. The problem is that excellence comes with a higher level of commitment and/or a different time frame than most people in business are willing to reach for.

Claiming a “commitment to excellence” is little more than a buzz phrase to a lot of companies. Actually doing it is quite another matter. That is partially because most people and companies do not have enough faith in their own excellence to demonstrate it in their marketing. They are too busy watching and imitating others. Even in cases where they can see it in their future, there are other huge elements in the way, like fear, torment, and ego!

I believe that everybody has a higher degree of excellence waiting to be released, but I also believe that most will never use it. In reality, it is a fortunate truth that most people do not have all that it takes to be excellent. They have the basic recipe, but they also have huge fears of the associated persecution, and that breeds apathy and other traits that are unseemly and certainly not excellent. Most will give up and stop seeking excellence, and you can use that to your advantage, if and when you choose to. Yes, beyond simple ability alone, it is a conscious choice!

One of the greatest sacrifices is that you must make vows against mediocrity, and stop accepting less than excellence.

Persecution of Excellence Observed

I would not say these things if I did not have first-hand experience to demonstrate. Here’s a dramatically shortened story of others’ attempts to squelch excellence.

I was a pretty bright kid, but my school didn’t know what to do with that. I butted heads with the teachers all the way up to my 15th birthday. Just after I turned 15, I left school for the last time and started a new company. I worked very hard, against great odds, to enhance my business excellence and my credibility in marketing. By the time I was 25, I took an early retirement. That worked for a while.

A few years later, I met my wife and went back to work building another company. It was hard work, too. We invested every last dollar we had at our disposal in that company. The first couple years were filled with 100+ hour workweeks and scrutiny from every angle.

During those first couple years, Peggy’s parents hated me. They looked at me like a “dreamer” and they simply could not understand why I was still working so hard at my job as a CEO when it cost me more than it paid me. They wanted me to go get a job working for somebody else, the way they had done. They even passed that influence on to my wife, and she began to persecute me as well.

The company was an overwhelming exercise in excellence, and we eventually proved the value of that excellence. We finally got to collect massive paychecks, and some of the persecution subsided. I recall one day when my mother-in-law came to visit. It was after we had far exceeded the top one percentile of money earners, built an amazing new home, and my wife was driving out of our new driveway in a new $70,000 car with my mother-in-law to go shopping. I asked my wife to call me if she needed more than the $50,000 credit card in her purse. That was when my mother-in-law finally came around to say “I guess you’re not such a bad son-in-law after all, Mark.”

The truth was later evident that the only manifestation of excellence she understood had been the money-rewards. She never saw excellence before that. She never realized why I had worked so hard, or even that my work had anything to do with it. To this day, she has still never recognized that the sacrifices were to achieve excellence … and not average.

In 2009, we were hit very hard by the worldwide economic collapse, and the persecution resumed in full force, and from all angles. Knowing what I learned in years past, can you imagine my response? Let’s just put it this way … I am not in the pursuit of “average”, and I never will be.

Some people will always be incapable of achieving true excellence, and others will be incapable of recognizing it. If you let that stop you, then you will settle for average.

Is it worth the sacrifices to achieve excellence? My answer is an emphatic “Yes!” Of course, that is a personal choice that each of us must make.

What do you choose?

P.S. I want to share something that I can credit, in part, for the topic of this article. It is a blog post by Janet Callaway titled “10 Great Quotes that Explain Why“.

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Why I’m Unsubscribing and Reading Fewer Blogs

I’m trimming back my blog reading, and I thought I’d share my reasons, along with some benefits I discovered. I’ve been working on this for a while, and I’ve trimmed it down to a small fraction of what my reading list once was.

As I scroll through my blog subscriptions to hand pick the ones I find most valuable, there is a nagging thought I just can’t seem to shake. It forced me to question how much of the information in blogs is simply re-worded hyperbole and borrowed thoughts picked up at another blog, versus truly unique and useful insight.

This is not a blanket insult of bloggers at all, but rather an observation, and a compliment to the ones who are doing exceptional work. We are each influenced, to some degree, by the blogs we read. That can be a very good thing, but it can also have some downsides if we are not selective. I wrote about the influences around us in a recent article titled “Social Media Self-Analysis: How Are You Being Influenced?” I think it is worth some serious consideration of how this influence can affect the topics and tone of a blog.

I used to read a lot more blogs from within my industry, but in the online marketing field, it seems that many blogs will fall into one of the four categories as follows:

A.) Preaching to the Choir
B.) Blind Leading the Blind
C.) Beating a Dead Horse
D.) Boundless Awesomeness

I have been honored to know a good share of boundlessly awesome thinkers, but “A”, “B”, and “C” groups certainly account for a majority of blogs. “A”, “B”, and “C” also seem to be the ones copying and rewording the same topics as their peers.

I still read a lot, but a lot less than I once did, and I am being more selective than ever before. It has improved the quality of my work, too. I find myself addressing more topics that others are not. It has made me more creative, and even more than ever before, the inspiration comes from my own real-world useful experiences rather than something I just read about. Here is a recent example, and it was inspired by a conversation with a friend. See “Everybody” is Not Your Target Market!.

This is the same reason I did not read any of the other books about Twitter before I wrote one myself back in 2009. I wanted my book to be uniquely mine, and not hold any reflection of somebody else’s work. The same goes for blogging, books, or other creative works.

Same Blog, Different Author

Blogs can be a great source of ideas and inspiration, but if not chosen carefully, and when relied on in place of our own unique talents, the reverse is true.

Let’s face it, there is a whole lot of the same message regurgitated a squillion different ways. Some bloggers will have a more unique and interesting slant on the same topic, but overall, I find a lot of it to be the same old thing. It made me realize that of the many blogs I read, there is a much smaller number of truly unique thinkers. Those are the blogs I will continue to read.

There you have it, the story of why I don’t read as many blogs as I used to. I have found that I am still just as in touch with my industry without reading all of that repetitive static. It lifted a burden, and it allowed me to focus on the work I am actually paid to do … and it is not reading blogs.

I enjoy thought provoking blogs that can shift my perspective or inspire new ideas. When I find one with value, I immediately subscribe and keep coming back for more. That keeps me on track with good thinking and it helps me to avoid the proliferation of repackaged hyperbole.

Can you relate to this? Do you ever trim back your reading in order to focus on quality? Do you notice those four categories I mentioned? Do you ever wonder if your blog will make it on your readers’ shortened list?

Please share your thoughts, and don’t worry, we can still be friends if you unsubscribe.

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“Everybody” is Not Your Target Market!

Even Ma and Pa Kettle Demand Good Targeting

Even Ma and Pa Kettle Demand Targeting

I spoke with a friend recently who said that his target market is “everybody”. He didn’t just say it, but he actually meant it, and even defended it. What’s astonishing to me is that he actually fancies himself an Internet marketing professional.

Now, I’m not calling my friend an idiot. There are a lot of great rocket scientists, school teachers, surgeons, firemen, and others who do not understand marketing. We cannot all know everything, and the fine details of marketing are certainly not something everybody wants or needs to understand.

My friend is in the business of building websites, but this applies to any company, of any size, in any industry.

His belief was that since “anybody” may need a website, that he didn’t want to miss any of them by segmenting his market. In his mind, I guess he just didn’t want to leave anybody out. So, he is running Google ads directed at a massive audience.

I am a marketing professional, so you can probably imagine my head exploding at this point, right? I tried to suggest targeting specific segments which had historically been good customers to him. I tried to suggest taking a careful eye toward A/B testing to discover the audience with the highest response rate. I was shot down with every point I tried to make. I guess he was feeling generous with his ad budget, but he turned me down when I suggested he just drop it in the mail to me as a gift. I mean, he is wasting money either way … why not?

Maybe you never heard this before, or maybe you just shook your head in disbelief when you heard it, but I have an extremely valuable message for you. If you believe, like my friend, that your marketing should be directed to everybody, I hope you will accept this small piece of valuable advice.

Market Segmentation is Essential to Success in Marketing

There is a basic principle of marketing that is a cornerstone of success, and that is “Everybody” is Not a Target. Not now, not ever, and not for any company of any size, in any industry! Whether it is Pepsi Cola, McDonald’s, or any other product or service, market segmentation is a foundation-level component to success of any marketing campaign. Even if you are selling water or air, there is always a good, better, and best market segment for your offering.

Perhaps I should clarify that when I say “success in marketing”, I mean return on investment (ROI). Optimal return on investment is where we measure success in marketing. There is a reason people invest in marketing, and it is to earn a higher return. If you have a positive return on investment, but it could have been a higher return, you have still wasted money. You have forgone the best alternative, which is called “opportunity cost“, and that cost is very steep!

If you are trying to market to anybody or everybody, you are missing the portion of that “everybody” who will become your most valuable assets. You will waste huge amounts of marketing resources by trying to reach an unsegmented market. Those marketing resources are precious! They include two of the most important components of business: time and money. So why would anybody waste these?

Let’s just assume for a moment that there is actually something which includes a market potential of anybody or everybody. Doesn’t it make more sense to reach the ones who are more likely to become a customer? Doesn’t it make sense to reach the ones who have a better reason to buy, or who are more appropriate for your offering? What about targeting the market of people who are actively in the market for what you offer?

There are enough reasons to segment your market to fill textbooks, but here is just one to consider: If you target the right market segment, it is far more likely to find customers who will become brand loyal and tell all of their friends.

In the case of this individual, shouldn’t he target something, rather than everything? What about new companies, companies that just changed names, merged, or are under new management? What about the people who need a website more than grandma does? If you sell $599 “economy websites”, would it make sense to spend money to reach people who need a $250,000 website … or the other way around?

I tried to use common sense to explain the importance of targeting a segment. I explained that McDonald’s knows to focus on specific targets, and if there was ever a company who could sell something to everybody, they are in the running. They target kids. They target busy people on their lunch break. They target single moms who worked all day and just can’t tolerate another dirty dish. Is it possible that they grew so large with a worldwide recognition just by marketing to everybody? No, it may look like that on the surface, but it is absolutely not the case!

If you are marketing to an audience of “everybody”, your message will suffer. It will not resonate with the person seeking to buy. It will become boring. It will also cost many times more money and effort to achieve the same result.

Are you targeting the right people, or do you still want to sell office furniture to retired people? They may buy, but the results will not be as favorable.

If you have read my blog before, you have likely noticed that my message often addresses the huge importance of targeting a market rather than shooting into the wild. I am going to add a few related links below just to make the point clear. Each of them has a message of the importance of targeting and its huge impact on return on investment.

Please share your thoughts on this topic. It may help somebody else, or it may help you!

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Applebee’s Review Explains Why Companies Should Care About Online Reviews

Do people complain differently online than they do to your face? In most cases, you bet they do! Let’s have a look at why that matters, and how you can turn bad online reviews from a frightening fact of life into a benefit. First, here’s a short and relevant story from real life. It is my online review of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar in Topeka, Kansas.

My wife and I worked very hard through the week. I am a web guy, and she is Owner / Chef of Mad Eliza’s Cakes and Confections … working hard is what we do.

After a long work week, we decided that our kitchen at home was closed for the day. Without deciding on a destination, we packed the kids in the car and headed out for dinner. As we drove down what I would describe as “restaurant row” in our town of Topeka, Kansas, we decided to go to Applebee’s. We figured it would be a quick place to eat, with something to suit everybody from ages two to 39. We had not been to an Applebee’s restaurant in a long time, but it didn’t take long to realize why.

Perhaps I would be a lot harsher if I had not waited ten days to write this, but I’ll be generous to say that they did a fine job with the ice water. As for the steak, it was absolutely without a shadow of a doubt the worst piece of meat I ever saw on a plate. It was as if Applebee’s purchasing department found the toughest cow in the pasture, put it on a treadmill for a few months to get rid of any tenderness or flavor, and waited for it to die of old age. Then they took the sick joke even further and sent it to my local Applebee’s, cooked it to a charcoal briquette and put it on my plate!

Note to Applebee’s: When a guy orders a steak “rare enough that a good veterinarian could bring it back to life”, and specifically asks for it cold, that means you don’t cook the damn thing into jerky!

That’s enough about the poor old cow … but how about that “baked” potato? It was cold … the way I asked for the steak. I could barely even cut it with the knife they gave me, and I am not exaggerating.

I hesitate to give an accurate Gordon Ramsay style critique, but mostly because I don’t want to curse that much on my blog … on a Monday. So, I made a video montage of Chef Ramsay to do the cursing at Applebee’s for me.

My wife suggested that I tell them about it, but I said … “I’m not going to be one of those people.” Of course, I followed it up by whipping out my phone, taking a photo, and saying “Nope … I’ll blog about it.” I am always looking for real-life experiences to blog about, so this opened the door to a topic of online reviews, and what could be better than a restaurant to demonstrate?

I don’t enjoy the personal confrontation, and I am not alone in this. Besides, if Applebee’s is running the kitchen that poorly, I can only imagine what kind of people are back there … and what they would do to my food if I told them they had done a bad job. Have you ever seen the movie “Waiting”? Here … watch this video “Why We Use Online Restaurant Review Sites“ to see what I mean.

Online Reviews Demonstrate How Customers Complain After They Leave

It may be easy to imagine that customers will exaggerate a complaint in an online review more than in person. There are surely instances of this, but the frightening reality is that people are often just being more forthright with their feelings of frustration.

It is easier to complain without company representation there trying to defend something that, as a customer in the heat of the moment, may seem indefensible. This holds true for both online and offline communications, but many people have come to expect less defensiveness from companies in online communications. One reason is because the company knows other people are watching, and another far worse reason is because the company is not watching.

Have you ever tried to complain to somebody who just didn’t seem to listen, or who did not give you the response you hoped for when you did complain? If you have ever encountered it, you surely know how aggravating that can feel. It is like an act of passive aggression, and it adds fuel to the fire. That is exactly how online complaints tend go, when companies are not listening. Here is the Wikipedia definition for passive–aggressive behavior:

Passive–aggressive behavior, a personality trait, is passive, sometimes obstructionist resistance to following through with expectations in interpersonal or occupational situations. It is a personality trait marked by a pervasive pattern of negative attitudes and passive, usually disavowed resistance in interpersonal or occupational situations.

It can manifest itself as learned helplessness, procrastination, stubbornness, resentment, sullenness, or deliberate/repeated failure to accomplish requested tasks for which one is (often explicitly) responsible.

Online Reviews Are Not Just for Consumers to Read

I find many instances of companies afraid to acknowledge their online reviews. I have heard people say things as absurd as “we cannot do anything about a negative review anyway” or “what if we respond to a review and people don’t like it?”

Being both a consumer, and a marketing strategist, I hope you can imagine how this makes my hair gray. What about the concern that these are customers who want to be heard, and deserve to be heard? What about the outcome if companies don’t respond … can they really somehow believe that people will like that any better?

Reviews are great for consumers. They may present their review as a compliment, as constructive criticism, or express their anger to a company where others can see it. In each case, they present opportunities for a company to come out better than before.

In some instances, a customer may just feel that their complaint is too petty to deliver in person, or they don’t feel like the outcome will be worth even the least confrontation. Of course, there is also the matter of hunting down and waiting for the right person to best direct the complaint. Have you ever waited for a manager in a store or restaurant, or waited on hold to tell your story? People really hate that, but online, there is no waiting to say your piece, and there are often other consumers there to cheer you on with a rant. This is especially the case if the company is not responding, or responds poorly.

An Upside to Bad Reviews

Even in the event of a dispute or a harsh criticism, there is a great opportunity to improve people’s opinion. Dispute resolution provides many chances to let people see your company in a completely new light. If you handle online reviews well, the opportunity for gain is even greater than offline communication. Then again, so is the loss … so it is important to get this right! Give it some thought before you react. Consider how others may feel. Whatever you do, don’t bury your head in the sand and act like you never saw it. That is pathetic, and that’s will just add fuel to an already destructive fire.

Try to look at it this way: Complaints are a customer’s way of giving you a chance to regain their faith and make them happy. Ignoring them is not the right answer.

I have just one more thing to add, before I leave you to write your comments and share this with others. Here is a closer look at that disgusting steak and potato that Applebee’s served. It does not quite look like the one in their menu.

Steak from Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar, Topeka, Kansas

Addendum:

At the “brilliant” urging of a commenter, Lori Smart, I decided to add a copy of my receipt from this visit to Applebee’s. After all, as she said, “there is no record at the location’s management that you were even a customer there”. Here is that record, complete with the server’s name.

Here is a photo of my three kids across the table from my horrid Applebee’s steak. After seeing that nasty piece of meat, my dear little Madeline had to force a smile through the fear. 😀

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