Trafcom News

Friday communications roundup, August 31, 2012

Happy Friday! Check out these communications-related items from the past week or so. (I’m not including the big stories that we’ve probably all seen.)

12 great business books coming out soon
My friend Mitch Joel has compiled a list of business books coming soon to a bookstore or e-reader near you.

Lessons and stats from six years of blogging
PR pro Gini Dietrich generously shares her blogging failures and successes. It was all worth it; her Spin Sucks is a must-read today.

How to use Google Hangouts for business
Have you done a Google Hangout yet? I’m finding them great for video meetings. This blog post outlines the business reasons for using this technology.

Four reasons to not autopost
I’m not a big fan of autoposting on social media platforms. That’s why I was happy to see this post. Last year I blogged about the reasons to keep your updates separate; I think my reasoning is still valid.

Seven reasons to plan extra time into your speech
I’ve always maintained that no one will complain if you finish your presentation early. Here are some more reasons to leave extra time when planning your speech.

11 keys to writing a book when you have no time to write a book
Great tips in this post; I should pay attention to them as I work on my own book!

Social media is not magic
Yes, this is my own post on this topic. Too often people believe that social media is a cure-all. It’s not!

Funniest beer commercial I’ve ever seen
It’s the start of the three-day Labour/Labor Day weekend in North America, when many will imbibe hops and barley. Here’s the only beer commercial I’ve ever laughed at. Now this is the way to communicate your brand value!

 

For more content like this, follow me on Twitter or GooglePlus.

Visit the Trafalgar Communications website for information about how we can help your organization to tell its story through traditional and new media.

Social media is not magic

Today I came across two posts that had me nodding my head in approval so vigorously that I almost gave myself a headache. In the first one, my friend Sue Horner describes how a local restaurant eked out a couple of tweets about a special fixed priced menu, then apparently didn’t communicate further with potential diners, or even those already seated in the room. The owners were probably wondering why the social media magic didn’t work, and the restaurant wasn’t packed every night.

In the second post, Stanford Smith relates a “pick your brain over coffee” meeting* where a potential client believed that social media would solve all his business problems. Smith wisely advised him that: “Social media will only make your problem worse.  You have to have a compelling product first. If you don’t, social media will only pour gas on the fire that’s burning your business down.”

Because social media and social marketing seem ubiquitous today, we’re seeing these trends (among others), in my humble opinion:

• Businesses that have not used social media to date are feeling compelled to jump on the so-called bandwagon, some without forethought or goals or ways to measure success; and
• Businesses that are using social media, but who are doing so poorly, are complaining that “social media doesn’t work.”

As someone who has been immersed in communications for more than 20 years, and in social media since 2004, I feel qualified to weigh in with this unsolicited advice:

• Social media is not magic.
• Social media will not “sell” a poorly designed service or product.
• Social media in a vacuum, not integrated with a communications or marketing plan, is likely to fail big time.
• Social media is not free; you need to dedicate time and resources.

Every few weeks I receive a call or email from someone who wants to learn to “do” social media. But when I ask about their marketing plan, they often reply: “What marketing plan?”

Yes, social media may be relatively new in the world of business. But some things do not change: You need goals, you need a plan, you need resources, and you need to make sure that all the moving parts click together.

What do YOU think? Have you ever been asked to pull a rabbit out of a social media hat?

* I must write a post about the “pick-your-brain-over coffee” meeting some time. I do believe my time is worth more than the cost of a tall caffè latte.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

For more content like this, follow me on Twitter or GooglePlus.

Visit the Trafalgar Communications website for information about how we can help your organization to tell its story through traditional and new media.

Friday communications roundup, August 24, 2012

Here are some interesting communications-related items from the past week or so. I’m not including the mega-stories that we’ve all seen.

Ten simple things you should be doing to protect your privacy
It seems that each week we read about another horrible privacy breach. Keep yourself safe.

When to cut a customer
This one’s pretty simple for me: I’m not a bank, I don’t make loans, and I don’t work with people who don’t pay their bills.

Ten B2B companies that create exceptional content
We hear it all the time: “Only consumer-facing companies can do great content.” Wrong! Learn from these B2B companies who are getting it right.

What you need to know about the new LinkedIn profile changes
Linkedin is looking a lot prettier. Be sure your profile is up to date.

What successful people do in the first hour of their workday
Hint: “Check email” is not it!

“Leaked” “official” iPhone5 video
I love the humour in this, although I have been known to take pictures of a delicious meal.

Speaking of delicious, check out my Delicious bookmarks.

How to share your story in a demo

Last night I attended  the first “Demo Night” sponsored by Silicon Halton and HalTech, and hosted by Teatro Conference and Event Centre in Milton, Ontario.

The idea was for local Halton companies to demonstrate their products or technology projects to the general public, Silicon Halton and HalTech members, angel investors, government officials and the media.

Silicon Halton is a grassroots high-tech community of people who “make a living, make meaning, and make things happen in technology in Halton Region.”  HalTech is the Regional Innovation Centre for Halton, delivering “services and programs to help Halton-based tech entrepreneurs and SME companies grow and thrive.” 

Kudos to the presenters who fearlessly stood in front of the crowd to show off their babies:

Vengeo
Salistera, who showed Canary
CSE Games, with Scoreboard (pictured above)
I Am Mpowered
Tabillo
Enable Education

For me, the networking at Demo Night was great: I caught up with folks from the local high-tech sector and got acquainted with new people, including someone from the Federal Economic Development Agency who’s doing interesting work.

As I watched the presenters, the communicator and marketer in me began to take notes on what worked and what didn’t. During my career I’ve planned, scripted and delivered many a demo and presentation. Perhaps I can share some of the things I’ve learned – sometimes painfully!

Share a story
People don’t go to a demo to read bullet points. They want to learn something, to be surprised, and to discover products, services and potential opportunities. And they may just decide to invest in you and your business.

Include yourself
If you’re part of the story of the product, be sure to share your experience with us. If you developed a reading game for kids because you’re dyslexic, tell us. Such information breathes life into your story. Even if you just joined the company as a salesperson, convey your passion!

Show, don’t tell
When you can, show us how the product works, don’t tell us. Failing that, explain the problem that the product solves, in human terms. Perhaps you can paint a “before” and “after” picture.

Details count
Light blue type on a blue slide? Can’t read it. If you’re using slides (and you don’t have to use slides), be sure they make sense and are legible.

More data is not better
Rattling off figures doesn’t dazzle the audience; instead, it might induce a headache. Sure, have all the numbers at your fingertips so you can answer questions, but don’t attempt to cram every bit of data possible into your demo. Stick to high-level benefits. Overall, you want to show us how your product or service solves a problem in the marketplace in a way that no one else can.

Do not stand there and read your slides
I can’t emphasize this enough: If you want us to read your slides, just email them to us. You are there to share the story, not to read to us.

Emphasize features over benefits
Geeks love features, but business people prefer to focus on benefits. What makes your product special? Why should anyone care?

Slow down
Most of us, including me (all too often), talk too fast. Please take your time. Breathe. Allow us the space to digest what you’re saying.

What tips would you add?

For more content like this, follow me on Twitter or GooglePlus.

Visit the Trafalgar Communications website for information about how we can help you share your story.

 

Study: CMOs less optimistic about U.S. economy; willing to spend more on marketing and social media

A recent study by the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University has found that chief marketing officers (CMOs) are less optimistic about the U.S. economy than they were six months ago. At the same time, CMOs are increasing their marketing budgets and their investment in social media, even though they struggle with integrating social media into the organization’s overall strategy. (I’m seeing this trend in my own little microcosm, by the way.)

A total of 528 CMOs responded to the CMO survey, with 86% representing a level of vice-president or above. The survey was conducted between July 17 and August 3, 2012.

See the news release here. Some of the other stats are equally interesting.

Does this survey reflect what you're seeing?

Social media worst practices?

In the latest edition of my Trafcom News Podcast, I explore social media crimes and misdemeanors, or some of the worst practices I've seen recently in the social media realm. Please hop over ot the Trafcom News Podcast page to listen and read the shownotes. Please add your thoughts.

What crimes have you seen recently?

 

Friday communications roundup, August 3, 2012

In case you missed them, here are some interesting communications-related items from the past week or so.

Talking to employees about social media guidelines

This video from KPMG is a smart way to communicate with employees about social media guidelines. I do have criticism: the use of the term “common sense.” Perhaps their employees are a homogenous group, but I think we’ve all seen plenty of examples in the corporate world where one person’s common sense equals another person’s social faux pas.

Change your Dropbox password
If you rely on Dropbox to transfer large files, or for backup purposes, be sure to change your password after a recent security breach.

Interesting Twitter stats
Brian Solis gives us some interesting numbers about Twitter users. Refer to this the next time someone tells you that “no one uses Twitter.”

Another arrow in your social media quiver
Recent research from CEO.com shows why chief executive officers should care about social media.

Pinterest for content marketing
Pinterest is not just for posting photos of food and cute babies. Marketers are learning how to use this social network to share content.

Grammar matters
I love this piece in Harvard Business Review: “Why I won’t hire people who use poor grammar.” Amen.

Content curation: Coming soon to a job description near you
Several people asked me to post the talk I did at the IABC (International Association of Business Communicators) world conference in Chicago in June. Here is a video version of my slides, with narration.

For more links, check out my Delicious bookmarks.

Happy weekend!