Don't be a thought follower

Being a self-proclaimed Thought Leader isn't easy. It takes thought. And it takes leadership.

Why is it, then, that marketers are asked by managers to establish thought-leadership positions without sharing their insight into the company's original thinking on a topic?

One explanation is that the company has no original thoughts. But that seems unlikely. The more likely scenario is that the smart people who have all the new ideas are actually quite busy doing their jobs. And no one wants to bother them.

But here's a suggestion: Let's make a quick call to the person who knows the most about the so-called industry-leading idea, and ask what ONE thing customers need to know about it.

Now take this person's suggestion -- it's probably a good one -- and spin it for marketing. What pain does it alleviate? How does it work? Why is it different from everyone else's big idea? Above all, Who cares?

Then draft a short pitch for your subject matter experts -- the idea, why it needs to get out, who will listen, what action will they take, and how this will change the world.

Use the pitch in your invitation for a short interview so you can pull the thoughts from the leader's head like so much gooey brain-matter bursting from a cracked skull. Promise the interview will take less than an hour.

Prepare! Read everything you can, especially items that infringe on the new idea territory. Because if someone was there first, you can't take a leadership position on it.

Don't invite anyone to the interview who has nothing to contribute. No new ideas, not invited. No good questions, not invited. No interest other than CYA, do us a favor and stay away.

Write a solid draft and send it to the expert(s) less than 5 days after the interview. That way, everyone will remember what we talked about. And they won't have time to change their minds about it.

Set a deadline. If the reviewers don't respond after 2 reminders, tell them you're going to press (figuratively speaking) without their input. Then do it.

This actually works. And as someone I once worked for said, It's better to apologize afterward than to ask permission beforehand.

Thought leadership is not evergreen. It's a rare idea that doesn't whither on the vine or get plucked by a competitor if you wait too long to ponder it.

If marketers, managers and the experts can collaborate without wasting anyone's time, industry-leading ideas can find a voice and do some good.

Update: How much should you pay?

Here's a newsflash for companies posting writing projects on Guru.com: Payment rates for freelance writing services have NOT bottomed out. Those of us who are, in fact, "gurus" (meaning expert writers) charge rates that are commensurate with our experience.

So please, stop posting projects with a $250 budget for "10 high quality articles (450-650 words)" or -- my personal favorite -- "10 articles (500 words per article) on the topic of tonsil stones. The budget for this small writing project is $25 for 10 articles."

That's .005 cents per word.

I posted a profile on Guru.com with the mistaken impression that companies who looked there are serious about finding expert writers. At the very least, I'd get some visibility in the searchable database. But searches by employers surface vendors who pay top dollar for their accounts (fair enough).

At least the time it took to complete the basic profile made me think about where I excel, and select the writing samples to prove it.

Keys to Success from V3

I wish I had known the folks at V3 Integrated Marketing when I lived in Kansas City. Their philosophy about what makes great work possible says it all:

"Here’s what we believe are the keys to success:

• Always do great work
• Work with really smart people who know more than you do
• Give back all that you can
• Make a difference
• Have fun
• Don’t take on clients we don’t like, market products that we don’t believe in or agree to do the work if we don’t think we can be successful. (because that would make all items 1-5 all but impossible)"

The V3 "voice, vision and values" are inspiring. And Shelly Kramer's 5 tips for revamping a marketing plan are just what I need. So glad I found the V3 blog on the Forbes list of top 20 women bloggers (marketing & social media)!

A story about parrots

In the infamous Monty Python "Dead Parrot" sketch, a pet-shop clerk ignores the customer's claim that the Norwegian Blue parrot purchased just 30 minutes earlier is now undeniably dead.

It's safe to say that the parrot did not fulfill its brand promise.

What is your brand promise, and is it being fulfilled? Spin your story in a way that guarantees happy endings for your customers. Know your value proposition and deliver on it every day.

And if your parrot dies, stuff it, mount it and tell a story about it to anyone who will listen -- an Everyman's morality tale about righteousness ... and never letting another parrot pass away on your watch.

v.2 Update your status!

After a few days away, I revisited my new microsite and postcard design and found them wanting. They wanted color and space and clarity. So I took another look at the TypePad templates and found one with circles -- tying into my homepage design -- and bright colors. The layout is more airy, with a deeper banner.

In an ideal world, I'd hire a top-notch graphic designer to create a new template for Status Update, then spin off the postcards, business card, email template and other collateral. But I think the alternative is pretty OK for now. Let me know what you think!

Here's the v1 banner:

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the v2 banner:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next challenge: Think of a clever play on words about parrots ... and stories ... and branding. Hmmm.

journalism or churnalism?

How do you know if what you are reading in the newspaper is objective journalism or recycled press releases? Just plug the suspect content into the churnalism.com "churn engine" to see if it is original.

According to Media Standards Trust, an independent charity that aims to foster high standards in news media on behalf of the public:

The term ‘churnalism’ was popularised by Nick Davies in Flat Earth News, and refers to articles which are essentially press releases without much added. [Churnalism.com's] ‘churn engine’ allows you to compare press releases with articles published by national newspaper websites, and BBC News and Sky News online, to see if they might be ‘churn’.

Apparently, mass layoffs that began awhile back have left reporters scrambling to generate print column inches and online exclusive content. Using the work product of PR pros has become an accepted solution.

Good for PR. Bad for journalism.

With no relief in sight, will the bad habit called churnalism become industry-standard practice?

Social media moxie

"The mission of Moffitt Cancer Center is to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer."

From the cleaning crew to the CEO, if you're employed by Moffitt, you remember this mission and tell it to anyone who asks, according to Michelle Foley, public relations and marketing. It's probably the simplest and most memorable message in center's multimedia newsroom.

Foley gave the keynote address at the Treasure Coast Media Conference, where social media were a frequent topic of conversation. Moffitt's Facebook page is not just full of news and info posted by PR. The Comments by patients and families are mini testimonials like, "Moffitt is one of the greatest! They treat you with so much love, compassion and concern."

People who "like" the page (3,179 at this posting) also share their personal stories and give thanks to the cancer care teams that changed their lives. With updates posted at least every two days, and 15+ admins assigned to monitor and respond to comments, the content stays fresh. It also ties in to content on Moffitt's more user-friendly consumer site.

In addition to Facebook fans, Moffitt has 1,352 followers on Twitter and 4,910 channel views on YouTube. The numbers may not be big, but the positive branding makes the center's foray into social media more than worthwhile. It gives Moffitt's patients and families a voice.

Water advocates

It's been gratifying to receive so many reader inquiries about my story, "The Demand for Water," which appeared in the March 11, 2011, Wall Street Journal Special Advertising Section on Sustainable Cities. From the kudos on a job well done to a gotcha on questionable numbers, I have read and responded to every message with thanks and a nod to my client. It's all good.

Anti-social media

Today I ventured out into the world to attend an FPRA program on social media. I knew it was a bad sign when we were invited to get out our mobile phones and use them to find apps and sites. My Verizon LG flip phone was a mammoth sinking in the tar pit. And my basic plan has no text or data services. Ouch. (Verizon's iPhone rollout cannot come soon enough!)

Once I got over the humiliation of being behind the times, I opened my eyes and listened to what Hugo Ottolenghi had to say. The No. 1 takeaway was to know where your clients/customers spend time online, and engage them in meaningful dialog. Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, YouTube, Linkedin--even Wikipedia--are all venues for positive (and potentially negative) discourse.

Whether we're updating our websites, posting to blogs, sharing our status, tweeting, checking in, liking or commenting (OK, I'm tired just talking about it), we're connecting with people who are not only online but also obsessed with their cell phones (hence the shopping girl in fountain).

With 80% of Internet users engaged in groups, it seems that communicators are doomed to tag along if we are to remain relevant. So get on Facebook, get the new profile for your organization, and start using the apps and features to form groups, setup networks and get those joiners to click your Like button.

As for me, I am going to turn my cell phone sounds off and ponder the plausibility of adding a Twitter account to Linkedin. ... Nope. Not gonna happen.

the twitter tautology

Call me closed-minded. I tried twitter and found it lacking. My own tweets were sweet nothings; and tweets from the flock, mostly vapid me-too posts.

But, I now concede that tweeting can have merit. My niece convinced me in her post, Why Twitter is Worth Your Time. Turns out my nephew, Chef Paul, has garnered quite the following for his wine bar & bistro by tweeting about special menus, wine tastings, raffles and other events.

Twitter as a traffic builder makes perfect sense. But for those of us who don't have a storefront, coming up with useful, witty and wise remarks that are worthwhile reading... . It's a challenge.

Maybe I just need to take a break from writing white papers and revisit the short form. Very short.

If I take Twitter 101 (which, by the way, is 32,259 characters), I can learn how to use twitter to connect to my customers in valuable, 140-character tweets.

If a tweet is a micro-blog post, then it should follow the same rules for content creation as a blog. According to Brain Traffic's Erin Anderson, the means helping your customers accomplish a task.

So, what tasks are you trying to accomplish, and how may I help you (in 140 characters or less)?