by Todd Hyten

Is the “land rush” phase of social media ending?

You can’t really get away from it these days. The constant proliferation of social media tools and techniques keeps chugging along.

I thought two years ago that the world of social media was still in its infancy and needed to grow and catch up with usability. I think this phase is nearing its peak. What I mean is that using social media tools and platforms has become easier (though I still have many gripes about Facebook metrics), and that ease-of-use will accelerate.

But look on the web at any producer of content and what do you see? What do you see at the top of this post? A number of different ways to promote, like, share, etc.

I can’t help but feel that all these silo-ed social media platforms are inherently … messy. And while they all contribute to “social validation” (good content gets lots of activity across many tools), does it really make an impact — to the non-marketer/end-user/reader/client?

I was talking with an old friend last night over a beer or two at The Publick House in Brookline. We kept circling back to a main point: Social media effectiveness is inherently opaque to the recipient/reader. That can’t last forever.

The proliferation of tools and platforms feels like the “land rush” phase of any technology: many businesses and solutions crowding in to every available space. At first it was first-come, first-serve. Then the market space quickly became crowded and winners emerged.

But it still feels “early phase” to me — like the beginning of the car industry. Did you know in 1920 there were more than 40 car companies — selling many different models? That did not last much beyond a decade — and we know how fast the digital world works.

As a marketer, I don’t mind this phase, and the adoption of content marketing continues to rise. But proving the effectiveness is a constant battle. I know companies such as HubSpot are addressing this (and companies like AgoraPulse specialize in Facebook metrics).

But what I’m sensing is that social media has to get beyond this silo-ed, fractured set of tools in some way. Either a clear walk-away winner emerges (not likely), or there is something on the horizon which makes all of this look … quaint. And old fashioned. Maybe it’s a pipe dream, but I sense it’s coming.

04.02.13

by Todd Hyten

Content marketing in a war zone: a true story

The idea behind content marketing is really nothing new, but it is very powerful. The idea comes in many forms, but the basic principal is the same: providing something of value helps to build trust, and trust forms the basis of any relationship.

I certainly didn’t expect to find an example of content marketing when reading about a battle zone. In Iraq.

I’d just finished Thomas E. Ricks’ book The Generals, a survey of recent American generals and their leadership styles, when I decided to read another of Ricks’ books, The Gamble, about “the surge” in Iraq.

In The Gamble, Ricks lays out the events that led to the change in strategy of the US military in Iraq that prevented Iraq from turning into a never-ending cauldron of civil war (think of Syria now). As Ricks recounts, just three years after the ousting of Saddam Hussein, the Bush administration, the Pentagon and even the generals leading the occupation in Iraq were completely rudderless an enmeshed in a fiasco.

They didn’t understand the conflict they were in (a toxic cocktail of homegrown and foreign insurgencies) and they had no strategy to “win” (much less define what “winning” meant).

Luckily, a few commanders on the ground knew they had to fight insurgency with a counterinsurgency. This meant protecting the safety of the Iraqi people first and foremost, and living among them. By forging connections with the populace, insurgents lose the “sea” they swim in. The lessons of these (very few) commanders paved the way to stability and drawdown/exit from Iraq.

Ricks recounted one of the stories, and in it I found the surprising example of content marketing. In 2006 in the Iraqi city of Ramadi, in Anbar Province, then US-Army Col. Sean McFarland’s 1st Brigade (1st Armored Division) took over military operations. He had seen counterinsurgency succeed elsewhere, and put that strategy in place in Ramadi.

At this point a new insurgency had moved in to the province, and it was making war on the local sheikhs: al Qaeda.

McFarland offered the Ramadi sheikhs the protection of US forces. And he meant it. When an allied sheikh was attacked, McFarland stormed the area. Invariably they routed al Qaeda insurgents, and soon after McFarland would work to build trust with the local community.

But how do you build trust with an entire community that isn’t going to read your newspapers, listen to radio, or even has access to electricity? Ricks recounts how one bright soldier noticed that what people did listen to were loudspeaker announcements from the local mosque.

So, a special team set up a loudspeaker post (broadcasting every day but Friday). They “broadcast” news from Al Jezeera, sports and other information — and information on local attacks by al Qaeda. The messages reinforced the goal: the American forces were saying “we can relate to you — and we have a common enemy.” Eventually, the US forces began to be seen as an allied tribe. A very, very well-armed tribe of allies.

But think of that strategy of the unit with the loudspeakers. It’s the essence of content marketing: by giving something of value (news and information), it allowed a relationship to form. It made a key connection.

And all without Twitter, or blogs, or Facebook or SEO.

03.25.13

by Todd Hyten

B2B Marketing Noir: The missing value proposition

It was barely 10 a.m. in the big city that I call home, West Squeegie, when I got my first client call of the day. I was still savoring my second cup of coffee, that black boiling-hot lifeblood of tired marketers everywhere.

I swung my cheap knock-off wingtips off the desk and picked up the receiver. On the other end was a certain Ms. Tiubie. I could tell she was a pro in the marketing biz from the smooth patter of her delivery, but I could also sense that something was wrong. I asked her to cut to the chase — why was she calling me?

“Well, it seems we … we’ve lost our value proposition. We’re not sure where it is or what it’s doing,” she said.

“Hm. When was the last time you saw your value proposition?”

“Honestly, the last time was after our company launched and our sales chief was training our sales staff. Now they don’t even know where it is. We keep growing and changing our website, but every time we look for our value proposition … it’s not there.”

I’d heard this story before. So many times I couldn’t count.

“OK, I think I can help you,” I said. I filled out my “All Points Bulletin” or “Be on the lookout” form. It goes something like this.

Description of Value Proposition of high importance: Clearly and concisely describe a company’s unique traits in its market by relying on credible, fact-based information. Should be able to speak to the company’s target client/customer and answer the questions “Why should I consider you instead of your competitors?”

Location: Usually lives on home page as a prominent headline or text and is underscored by supporting information.

I then gathered Ms. Tiubie (Beatrice) and her colleagues into a room and started the process. It goes like this:

Write a detailed description of your ideal client focusing on 10 traits of their position and authority.Then write 5 core NEEDS of that client.

List 15 traits of your company’s services or products: they must include at least 5 traits that are UNIQUE and fact-based, supported by data.

Do any of your UNIQUE traits address the NEEDS of your client in any way? If not … start over with the UNIQUE traits again or the NEEDS. Redo both lists if necessary.

Once you have matched at least 2 pairs of UNIQUE traits and NEEDS, finalize the value proposition process by asking this question: What are the top 5 ANXIETIES that would prevent my ideal client buying our product? Be honest. Put yourself in the shoes of your client or customer.

Next: Write a headline with at least 1 pair of matched UNIQUE traits that address an ideal clients’ NEEDS. Then ask yourself how you can address the top anxieties.

Addressing needs without addressing anxieties is pointless in Web marketing. Your Website and company, to any new prospect or client, needs to overcome a very high hurdle of distrust specifically because it is on the Web and therefore NOT personal and tangible.

I’ll give you a great example of a value proposition that works. Here’s the home page of the web hosting company Bluehost.

Do you see the value proposition? It’s “Over 20,000 New Customers a Month & Hosting Millions of Domains!” Why is this a great value proposition? Think of the need of the ideal customer for a web hosting company — it’s actually almost the same as the top anxiety: “I need something stable and reliable — Is this hosting company stable and reliable?”

Because a hosting company that’s not stable and reliable isn’t worth it at any price. So the headline does contain two main pieces of credible, fact-based information: “20,000 new customers a month” and “hosting millions of domains.” So where’s the UNIQUE aspect? It’s the number 20,000 … it’s very specific. It also, I think, unconsciously speaks to steady growth.

Now look at the supporting text supporting the Call to Action (Sign Up Now). It is a mixture of points addressing NEEDS while also addressing ANXIETIES. Words like “unlimited” are also powerful and better than words like “free.”

After a million cups of bitter, hot, depraved coffee, Ms. Tiubie and her team had come up with their own set of unique traits that addressed needs and anxieties. Suddenly, as if by magic, their value proposition appeared. There were lots of hugs and “hail fellow-well-met” back slapping.

I said goodbye to Ms. Tiubie and went back to my office. I threw my knock-off wingtips on the desk and started to make out my invoice. Somewhere down in an alley I could hear a street musician sawing away on a violin doing a half-decent job of playing “We’ll Meet Again”… The other sounds of West Squeegie drifted up to my open window melding into an urban coda at sunset — traffic sounds, heels on pavement, sirens in the distance and the half-forgotten lyrics of the song drifting over all …

We’ll meet again
Don’t know where
Don’t know when
But I know we’ll meet again
Some sunny day
Keep smiling through
Just like you always do
‘Till the blue skies
Drive the dark clouds far away

I filled out the invoice, closing out the day.

Subject: Lost Value Proposition

Client: B. Tiubie

Status: Case solved.