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The Fool on the Hill

I am going to let my blog take a left turn away from its historic business focus and settle back into observations about the mind in a relaxed and creative state and what that means to a community.

I live across the street from a lovely little park. This park was the dream of city planners somewhere (more on that later) and less than 5 years ago it was a desolate lifeless parking lot.  Now it’s a beautiful tree filled park on the banks of the Mississippi, situated in the heart of the city and a high art district.

From my balcony, I have a perfect view of the park and it’s inhabitants. It’s not large but at its center is a hill with a gentle path spiraling around it top to bottom. As I write, there are lovers resting on the side of this hill, whispering quietly. On the top of the hill are new parents with their infant child enjoying a view of the river. At its feet, kick ball and Frisbee practitioners chase moving targets and circling the perimeter are a variety of athletic bicyclers, joggers, dog walkers and gaily-dressed theatre goers.

I have a front row seat on humanity at its gentlest most serene and most intense state of daydream. These actors are fully awake but their imaginations are overflowing with visions and these are the dreams I will follow thru the summer.

From the kite flyers to the tail-gaters, the actors rehearsing to the lovers enchanting they fill my stage with the sweetest element of humanity. There is also a mystery here. I have lived alongside parks before, but this one is special. Because of my perch and 3 large dogs who need regular exercise, I experience this park at all hours of the day and night and I can tell you that the night life is as rich, peaceful and as enchanted as the daylight hours.  I intend to spend the summer contemplating this perfection and trying to unearth why this park has magic.

I would be interested in hearing your park stories too. What you see, how you feel, why it a park is different. Where you see the sun going down. Where see the world spinning ‘round.
And if you still need a digital reference, check out this post on using mobile to transform your park experience. 

Pictures of the After Life

Sometimes technology is interesting, inspiring and motivating. Other times, it just takes your breath away. This video produced by the Norrkopings VIsualization Center is one of those. I found these guys while on my pursuit of info-graphics and other edifying imagery.

The Virtual autopsy table marries peaceful inquiry to the relentless pursuit of truth. Medical imaging, in this case Dual Energy Computed Tomography, combined with data analysis and visualization creates a full volumetric description of the human body. Yikes!

This revolutionary, peaceful and useful idea came from Sweden. It is already used as a compliment to the traditional um..examination...and can be used in cultures that don't allow conventional methods.

It sets the imagination spinning how quickly an injury could be examined, identified and treated - without invasive alternatives. And just think what they could do to your suitcase!

The Virtual Autopsy Table from NorrköpingsVisualiseringscenter on Vimeo.

You Oughta Be In Pictures

The Conversation Prism by Brian Solis and Jesse Thomas

Learning Social media is like measuring Koch’s curve. It’s an infinite space within a finite space similar to our digital universe.

Digital is not only continually creating new tools, apps, channels and mediums but the way they interact in utility seems to expand them until the possibilities are endless. Add that to the always-expanding pathways that connect these mediums and agencies can find it hard to navigate ourselves, let alone map out a plan for others to navigate upon.

One thing I have found very useful are infographics that layout the digital ecosphere. Good ones are few and far between and even the leading infographic artists are having to grapple with this task.

Two of my favorite presenters in this arena are Brian Solis and David Armano.

Brian Solis is the Principal of FutureWorks, blogs at PR2.0, bub.blicio.us, and is a prolific writer.

Two of my favorite recent images of his include:

• The Social Marketing Compass reflects the value system that the brand expression can reach through various social spaces.
• The Conversation Prism (at the top of this post) charts online conversations between the people that populate communities, as well as, the networks that connect the Social Web.

David Armano writes the blog Logic + Emotion which is ranked in the top 10 media + marketing blogs according to Advertising Age. He has been cited by Forrester, The Boston Globe and BusinessWeek and has the best assembled collection of infographics on FlickR called L+E Visual Thinking Archive.

Doesn't it seem clearer already? These guys generously share there work. Now let's extend their work, find enlightenment and bring on the baked-in, info-graphic crowd sourcing. Better yet, let's bring these kaleidoscopes to life.

Change, Growth, and Beta-Meta-morphosis

Adoption rates are increasing. Forrester says that four in five adults who participate online are active socially.

Daily we face the full spectrum of interactive involvement. We cope with IE6 fixes, the on-going adoption of our company or client base and the agile competitors that leap ahead, mashing video with social connectivity, and blending the virtual and physical realms with real-time retail mobile scanning and transactions.

As we experience change and all its gyrations, we take respite and glean inspiration from the minds that are moving us forward. They allow us to collect data for the birdwatching society, watch TV on demand via Hulu, use our gsp to track friends and family or view starmaps accurately based on our longitude and latitudinal designations.

Innovation policies are strong in countries such as Finland, Japan, Germany and others -many say the United States is falling behind. But the truth is, that with crowd sourcing, innovation is being led with the strongest idea, no matter who it came from.

According to Jeffrey Howe, Crowdsourcing strips away race, sex, age, nationality and every other demographic to release ideas from any participating source. If knowledge is power then the organization, company or country that learns to harness the intellectual power of its members and then express it in usable solutions will generate future wealth and prosperity.

Sharing is in the air and it’s very exciting stuff.

With the imminent release of Google Wave, open source philosophy, and mobile adoption, these transformative leaps will continue to happen at an increasing rate.

The media diet required to keep up with these advancements is intimidating. Current stats say the average American spends 9 hours a day in front of a screen. There is much to be gained from crowdsourcing, mobile advancements and real-time fully informed decision-making.

But as we evolve don’t hesitate to let go of technology for a moment. Meditate on the growing grass, the full moon and the sleeping cat. Information is available from many sources and the ability to improvise is sourced from within the human experience. The amplification of this skill set and its integration into our culture at varied rates is the vibrant and uncertain condition in which we currently travel.

Enjoy the beta-meta ride.

Brewing the Value Stream or How To Generate Twitter Content?

You’re either on Twitter or you know you need to be .

Let’s assume that you have a Twitter account, that you’ve created some reflection of your brand identity and you understand how to follow. If not, read this.

Now, really. What do you SAY?

Whenever you’ve lost your way in the marketing maze you can always find true north with;

a)    A business objective
b)    An understanding of your market position
c)    An understanding of your audience segments

So when facing the grey haze of Twitter, start with an objective such as: (but not limited to..)

1. Increasing market share
   
2. Increasing customer retention
   
3. Growing customer relationships
   
4. Establishing a leadership position

As you well know, these in turn lead to strategy recommendations…something like'

1. Transform customers into evangelists
2. Recognize and reward your customers
   
3. Become the ‘knowledge’ provider 
   
4. Attain and promote 3rd party endorsements

These are just some starters to get your brain going, but this type of approach should look hauntingly and reassuringly familiar.

Just stick to your map and attach your strategy to the desires and preferences of your audience(s) - customers, suppliers, media, bloggers, competition, industry leaders, etc.

10 Basic Content Categories

How do you brighten their day, solve their pain and execute your strategy? What categories of content are meaningful to them, Are they:

1.     Key Insights and unique perspectives
2.     Industry research, trends, opinion polls and surveys
3.     Blogger posts and pics 
4.     Everything they wanted to know about your product but were afraid to ask…

5.     How-to’s and Self-helps

6.     Event notices and key dates
7.     Behind the scenes info
8.     Industry or Category News
9.     Reviews and referrals
10.  Personal profiles about others like them

These are broad categories and your strategist can tighten the focus depending on your audience, event or marketing objectives.  But the key is to have categories of content that are meaningful to your customer and delivered on a regular basis. You need a stream of content that reflects your brand while it meets their needs and desires.

"O.K but where does all this content come from?"

• Well you can hire this… but just in case it’s not in the budget,
  
• Once you know your categories, there are great Internet scraping tools. Start with Google Alerts on key words. Try tools like Zoomerang, Twitter Search, Addictomatic that make it easy to tune in to what’s being said in a particular category.
  
• Have departments heads provide you with relevant information in their area.
  
• Repeat the wisdom of bloggers or others on Twitter. You will be appreciated for taking the time to sort through the noise for the good kernel of information.
  
• Personal insights – make it real. Be truly reflective. Be human It will resonate. 
  
• Don't cheat, be selfish or greedy. This is a transparent medium and you will not only be busted but punished. Be open, confident and generous. It's much more attractive. 
  

How often do you “tweet”?

The jury is still out, but some stats say you should tweet at least 10 times a day. That’s once an hour 8 – 5. The posting is fast. The sourcing of content is the work. The USArmy posts less often but their content is good. Find your balance.

Tip:Use modifiers like bit.ly that reduce your links down to save character space and also allow you to track them.

RT (Retweet) posts that mention you or key members of your audience.

Engage your audience. Reply when someone mentions you or when you can provide good information.  That demonstrates that you are listening and appreciative. People love to be listened to.

Respond even when something negative happens……ok….you need a response strategy. But that’s another post.

 

Marketing Through Social Transitions

Chaos is the system reorganizing itself.

Sometimes I weary of the digital crowd talking to itself. While I’m guilty of speaking the jargon with abandon, occasionally, I feel like I’m speaking beatnik poetry from the 60’s and I need George Carlin to slap me up.

We’re learning. We’re reorganizing. We’re going from national to global and back again. We’re going from Latin to Slanguage and from physical to virtual. And still, in all fairness, the social media community is one of the most generous and responsive groups I have ever encountered - beatniks and all.

With so much opportunity and evolving complexity in the online and mobile arenas, not to mention the swings of global markets, how can you leverage your marketing experience to sort through these ever-emerging technologies and swiftly discriminate between your choices?

Not all of your customers are early adaptors – but even boomers are adapting swiftly. So as we transition we need to accommodate everyone’s communication preferences and the map has gone astral.

What learning can we carry forward? And what is net new?

Of course it starts with:
The brand. 
However you articulate your brand behaviors, identity and what you want the customer experience to be, it needs to be expressed in the online medium with the same rigor as it would offline. That seems so painfully obvious and yet... Do you remember how disjointed the offline Sears store was from the Sears catalog was from sears.com? They felt like three different companies. I think they were.

Now many have or are shifting their marketing and distribution to the online arena and some like amazon.com have always been virtual.

What should you do?
- Whatever the offline/online ratio, dedication to delivering the brand through every channel and available communications vehicle should remain paramount. Did I already say that seems painfully obvious? Some things really never change.

- Take the customers’ pain away. Can you help hockey families solve their scheduling nightmares? Or help travelers identify and solve the medical, climate and electrical needs for their trip? Providing information that leads to a cost/time saving solution or allows them to make an informed and confident purchase decision gives your brand the edge. New apps give you huge opportunities.

Customer Touchpoints. In the offline realm, P.O.P. and communications delivered through Centers of Influence dominated customer touchpoints because you knew you were engaging the customer while they were considering your category.

Now this becomes magnificently complex. With online and mobile in the mix your customer can purchase your product while riding in cab in Istanbul and with Twitter, a lightning rod of information that you did not provide, can reach them within moments.

What should you do?
- Employ a comprehensive listening strategy and be able to proactively respond, positively and with value, 24 hours a day.
- Deliver promotions, relevant content and transactions via mobile.
- Consider digital POP- If you don’t, your competition will.

The Decision Chain
The classic marketing tale is sending a box of cereal to market. It needs to survive the regional distribution and merchandising hurdles of the supermarket industry and if it does well, it ends up on the bottom shelf where ‘junior’ spots it from his seat in the bottom of the grocery cart and hollers up to mama to buy the sugary mix.

Now mom has mobile access to nutritional information, access to her social network of other mothers, and can purchase Earth’s Best Organic Oatmeal Cereal from amazon.com while she’s standing in line in SuperValu.

What should you do?
- Employ a comprehensive listening strategy and be ready to respond positively and with value, 24 hours a day.
- Have strong relationships with industry bloggers, passionate customers and present your brand P.O.V.. via blogs or other media.
- Be present and ready to deliver promotions, sales support, provide relevant content and transactions via social and mobile spaces.
- Consider digital POP

Cultural implications 

Historically we looked at Coke as the standard bearer for customer data. They knew the clothing, music, color and taste preferences of each demographic and made, packaged and promoted soft -drinks to match.

With the global reach of online and mobile technology, understanding cultural implications has gone way past discriminating between southern and eastern soda preferences. For example: Don’t try and sell unlucky phone numbers in China.

What should you do?
- Your homework. Understand the cultural context for your product or services.
- Hire a sociologist or anthropologist to help you understand the culture sensitivities of your audience.
- Be ready to adapt.

My next post will be an examination of tactics. Many of the considerations of offline communications transfer directly to online. We’ll look at similarities and the new dynamics of high-speed 24/7 access to the world of information creates for marketers.

In the meantime, get thee to a seminar. It's integral to the Listen. Learn. Adapt. strategy of survival. The online community offers lots of them and we should all be at all of them. But get to one of them anyway.