Insights and Ingenuity

I read a comment in Twitterverse today, something like “Will blogging supplant traditional journalism?” and thought that was an interesting and intriguing question. I’m not qualified to be a journalist or news writer (sheepskin notwithstanding), but I love blogging. I love writing posts for my blog, reading the blogs of others, adding comments to blogs. I love bookmarking blogs and comparing bloggers’ positions on the same issue. I know why I blog (and Twitter and network); do you?

When consulting with folks about their marketing plans, it’s important to reinforce distinctions between campaign-type tactics and deep-rooted programs. It’s possible that the group may not have consciously evaluated the efforts as distinct, and yet there are clear differences that must be understood and internalized.

By interviewing women from over the world, McKinsey has gathered data that informed the creation of a development model called Centered Leadership. This model seeks to neutralize certain gender obstacles that traditionally face career-oriented women and instead leverage a woman’s innate character traits to an advantage.

Personal politics not withstanding, most anyone (breathing) could agree that there is a tremendous amount of advertising, promotion, community-building, and marketing in this years’ campaign trails, on state and federal levels. The accusatory tone of much of the messaging, coupled with the 360 degree cocooning of every man, woman, and child borders on insincere and untrustworthy. Once elected, do politicos ever attack issues with the same ferver with which they attack each other? Do they continue to take as much care (read: send me as much mail) to communicate with me, once in office?

If you’re still working your arms around what it looks like to participate in social media, how a blog here hooks into a Tweet there which results in a post there, then maybe you need to head to Toys R Us and spend a few bucks on a can of…

It’s easy to get stuck in the daily grind when you’re trying to get through the day’s gamut of meetings, emails, calls, reports, and deliverables. But there will never be any time like the present to incorporate progressive planning and betterment-type initiatives into your list of To-Do’s. If you don’t, you risk never getting There because you’ll likely still be treading water Here.

The market opportunity, in these turbulent times, is to find credible, non-threatening ways to educate companies and brands about the benefits and rewards that social media and search marketing programs deliver. If we’re careful to avoid the snake oil or used car salesperson heavy-handed image, then savvy Web strategists can successfully educate their potential partners and initiate new relationships.

There’s a story to be told by your brand, and you’re inviting me into the dialogue with your Web content. You want to share, not shout. There can be an implied level of friendship in Web content that can’t easily be crafted in other media. Use the Web content to strike and maintain a level of intimacy that can endure.

In this era of “push” vs. “pull” marketing–I’d go one further with the word relationships–how do professionals discern between channels, tactics, and specialties? Or are we all putting a different dress on the same doll: reaching consumers in a highly personal and discerning way via the Web? Whatever you call it, the messages must ring true in order to stand a chance.

We’re bloggers, marketers, strategists–we like to think, write, talk, and read. So when asked to remove all the fluff and pretty language we might normally use to communicate, and simply express our position on the idea of Connection, are we able to do it? Read to find out my response to Liz Strauss’s challenge.

Consistent experiences are critical for building a strong brand. Repeated experience is a conduit for relationship-building: there are either strong connection points or weak and fractured ones. View the list of suggestions from an integrated on/off line perspective, because consumers become involved with your brand holistically (they don’t segregate, so neither should you).

Do you participate in the UGC conversation? Do you bring original, new thought, or fresh perspective on established ideas? Do you share all your media, your good finds? Let’s consider how all the elements come together result in a tighter profile, organic growth, and personal brand sizzle.