At the same time that “strategy” has become a devalued word, challenged only in the business buzzword hall of shame by “empowerment”, the need for proper business strategy has become acute. Smart thinking needs to look beyond the dross usually described as strategy, and discover the real nature and value of strategy. Proper strategy is never bland or boring, It is always original, different and brave.

Every business earning much higher returns than its peers (Apple for example) has a differentiated and better strategy. Yet the trend in contemporary thinking is towards imitation and so-called operational effectiveness or excellence. Few people are inventing contrarian strategies and even fewer showing the audacity to implement them.

But these few smart thinkers will be the big winners…..which one are you?

“we need to be on the social web so that we can infect it, so that our message will go viral.”

Don’t count on it. Savvy social media citizens wash their hands all the time. Unless people – in large numbers – value and accept the content, viral campaigns have little chance of “infecting” anything…

On the social web, it’s different. Yes, you can use third-party providers. But at the same time, it’s essential that you stay involved: you are building relationships that will be associated with your brand long after your campaign has ended. Think about the campaign itself and about the end of the campaign: If their community simply “closes down”: If there is a defined end-point, tell participants upfront. If their community simply “closes down” without warning, they are likely to experience this as betrayal and will then talk about it as such.

Don’t write a cheque and walk away: get involved and stay involved. Think through the entire life cycle of your social media programs.

]]> http://www.muchmormedia.com/2012/03/28/social-media-and-the-development-of-relationships/feed/ 0 http://www.muchmormedia.com/2012/02/03/marketing-sorry-theres-no-silver-bullet/ http://www.muchmormedia.com/2012/02/03/marketing-sorry-theres-no-silver-bullet/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:54:38 +0000 Muchmor http://www.muchmormedia.com/?p=1996 Wouldn’t it be great if someone gave you a ‘how to’ book that guided you step by step through a definitive approach to solving all your marketing challenges? A simple approach that would work every time for every organization in every category – the ‘new marketing black’ for 2012.

But for every ‘how to’ guide espousing a new approach there’s always another eschewing it. The point is that if anyone ever tells you they have a silver bullet for your marketing problems, or that their approach is more measurable, more contagious, more ethical, or simply more catch-all ‘effective’ than other approaches, get out your magnifying glass!

Marketing – from promoting the latest car, to raising awareness of a little-known social issue, to making one brand of toothpaste or one financial service stand out – is more complex than many practitioners (who are usually touting a specific solution) would have you believe.

You can also forget about looking at other brands’ seemingly successful tactical marketing activities and trying to replicate them in a hit-or-miss gamble. Just because something worked once for one company in one sector, doesn’t mean it will work for anyone else – or even work again for the original business.

Here’s 12 tips to remember that may help you make the right choices when thinking about your next marketing campaign.

1. There is no marketing silver bullet
2. Take the time to understand the territory of any marketing approach you are not fully familiar with – read books for and against the new approach, consult experts, participate in workshops.
3. Marketing is matchmaking: marry the problem or opportunity you have with the most appropriate approach, which will not always be the simplest or most commonly used one.
4. Focus on the outcome you want to achieve, not what technique you want to use.
5. Any marketing technique, even advertising can help generate word of mouth (WOM)
6. The key to generating WOM is to deliver experiences that exceed expectations, because people only talk about experiences worth talking about.
7. A person’s overall experience of a brand shapes their emotional connection with that brand and comes from every touchpoint, not just product or service contact.
8. Make sure your brand’s story resonates with consumers. It will help set their expectations in the first place.
9. Don’t confuse buzz or WOM with advocacy
10. Identify and connect with your brand’s influencers.
11. Listen to your brand’s stakeholders and ignite conversations yourself via social media (though remember that noise is not the same as insight)
12. Enable key stake holders to participate in creating product and service innovations at the heart of your business.

At the end of the day, you’re only in business for as long as you create something that people need or want. Remember marketing is not all about ‘selling stuff’ it can also help you better understand your customers and what drives them to use your products and services – more importantly if the right approach is taken it can help you better understand what drives them to talk about your business. In this social-media lead world consumer advocacy is even more important and you may only get one chance to get it right…..but remember there is no silver bullet!

Need help – contact us and lets talk

These two types tend to complement each other and work together very well. You’ll often find this division in partnerships and many times the CEO is the big picture person while the COO/CFO are the details people.

But what if your role requires both strategic thinking and attention to detail? Most people are naturally more skilled at one or the other, and there are a lucky few who do both equally well. Whether you have good attention to detail or whether you can see the big picture easily and clearly is generally part of your personality. But it can also be a learned skill, if you wish to develop it. There are systems and processes that can help you override your natural tendencies when needed.

If you’re not sure which one you are take a few moments to think about whether you are more skilled at the strategic thinking or paying attention to details. While you most likely know this already, here are some points that can promote that reflection:

Typical of the Big Picture Thinker

• You can quickly see patterns in complex problems.
• You like to come up with new ideas and new projects.
• You have a low tolerance for busywork, tedious errands, and filling out forms.
• You are great at outlining what needs to be done, but filling in the details can feel exhausting.
• You may have been described as right-brained.

Typical of the Details Thinker

• You think about things in great detail and sometimes miss the big picture.
• While you are certainly smart, others may joke that you lack common sense.
• You would prefer to edit or tweak a plan than to come up with it from scratch.
• Highlighting study notes doesn’t work for you, because you end up highlighting everything.
• You may have a tendency to over-think things.
• You have excellent attention to detail.
• You may have been described as left-brained.

As for myself I’m more the typical “big picture thinker” and have successfully applied this skill set a number of times in the past. So if you’re more of a details type of person and need the help of a big picture type of guy give me a call.