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    Best Ideas Of The Week

    Friday, December 18th, 2009
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    Friday seems like a good time to reflect.

    That’s what this new feature on the Matterhorn blog is about.  Pat and I are online a lot, of course.  And we stumble on some pretty cool stuff throughout the course of a week.welsh landscape- richard0

    There’s a lot of things that we see that we’d like to write whole posts about.  So we do.  But other things don’t fit for one reason or another (usually a time shortage).  That’s what the Best Ideas Of The Week is for.

    Enjoy…

    “This I Believe” is an amazing series of short radio essays from people across the spectrum of American life, many famous, some not.  Here’s one by movie and TV producer Brian Grazer about leaving your comfort zone.  And surfing.

    One of our favorite thinkers and marketers, Seth Godin released an ebook called “What Matters Now”.  It’s available for free download, and is the kind of thing you really want to share with as many people as you can.

    We’re big believers in quality content, partly because of Joe Pulizzi (@JuntaJoe on Twitter).   He’s been writing about how to use content strategically for a long time on his blog.  This week, he posted a list of 100 predictions for 2010 on content marketing and social media.  These are thoughts from some of the best and brightest; it’s well worth a look.

    If you’re an iphone user, you probably need the type-’n-walk app.  Amazing that this didn’t come out earlier.

    18 minutes well spent is a big deal in the age of the internet two-point-whatever.  Robert Ballard, an oceanic explorer with too many discoveries to name, gives a fascinating talk about the new age of ocean exploration, and how much left there is to know about 3/4 of the planet.  It’s the kind of thinking that gets you thinking.

    Finally, if you’ve never heard John Henry Faulks’ Christmas story, you owe it to yourself to gather up your loved ones and have a listen.

    Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Matterhorn.

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      Everything Is Not An Option

      Saturday, November 28th, 2009
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      There are a lot of people that could care less about tech.

      Not that there’s anything wrong with that.  You can be a terrific chef, or a kayak instructor, and you get to choose how much you want to keep up with what goes on in the digital world.Garrette- All Hooked Up

      Not so if you have run a business.  To be clear, you don’t have to be into tech, but you do have to know something about digital marketing.

      Fortunately what you have to know isn’t a ton of information.  Digital marketing pros can set up almost everything you need to run a marketing strategy from start to finish.

      Here’s a list of some ideas on the tech side that it’s good to familiarize yourself with…

      1.  Understand What’s What You should know the lingo.  Understand what your marketing team is talking about when they talk about tools.  Web browser, SEO, and server are all terms you should understand, for example.  If your team is talking over your head, ask them to bring it down.  And do your own research, too- tech terms are easy to find on the internet.

      2. Get What You Pay For Measure everything.  That’s the huge benefit of digital marketing.  If you can imagine it, you can probably track it.  So make sure you get a baseline for what your plan is doing right now, so you can see improvement (or decline) in conversions.  Not measuring your web marketing efficacy is like taking money, lighting it on fire, and flushing it down a toilet.  Or something.

      3.  Let Your Pros Be Pros It’s a good idea to participate in digital marketing even if you’re afraid of tech.  Be a part of your plan.  But understand that many times digital marketing strategy is more than the sum of its parts. Everything is not an option, so be aware of the requests you make and how they fit into your strategy.  A plan only works if you use it.

      4.  Listen Fortune 500 companies pay millions for market research.  If you’re a careful listener, you can use your digital marketing to tell you exactly what your customers are saying.  Remember that people are talking about you anyway, and you can’t control it now any more than you ever have.  You can get mad and ignore it (or worse, have an online argument) or you can use it to make your business and your digital marketing strategy better.

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      Why Does Social Media Marketing Work?

      Thursday, November 19th, 2009
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      Because people want to talk about themselves.

      More specifically, they want to talk about their experiences.  People are social animals; there’s an inherent need to share parts of ourselves with others.

      So if social media marketing is working for you, it’s because your brand has become part of someone’s experience.  You’re making it possible for a person to share something about you.hamed saber- neanderthal

      Pretty cool, huh?

      If social media marketing isn’t working for you, you’re probably talking about yourself too much.  Remember to always make it about them- ideas they can use, information they can share, places they can open up.

      They can’t do that if you’re using social media to sell them something.  That is definitely, for sure, 100% positively the way to shoot yourself in the foot.

      So don’t.  Instead, try this…

      Create Space

      Create a place where people can talk about what’s going on with them.  It could be a blog, a Facebook fan page, or a hashtag on Twitter. There are lots of possibilities. Be creative- the digital space is your play-doh.

      Create Trust

      You know how to do it, right?  Be helpful.  Be honest.  Be friendly.  Be reliable.  Use social media because you’ve got something to offer, not something to sell.  Later on, the key to getting people to buy what you’ve got will be the trust that you’ve built.

      Create An Ear

      Hey, I’m trying to keep a theme going here.  That’s just an awkward way to say listen to people.  It’s the most important ingredient in the bunch.  If you’re not listening, you’re missing the point.

      What are you creating in the social media space?

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      The Burden of Trust

      Thursday, November 5th, 2009
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      Do your customers trust you?

      The Burden of Trust

      If they’re spending so much as a penny with you, they do.

      Trust is one of the fundamental building blocks of the process which moves us from prospect to customer; Without trust, we don’t buy. Simple as that.

      There are always a series of steps in the buying cycle, and every company has a slightly different cycle.  The cycle contains attention, interest, desire etc.  Each step represents a “micro-conversion” which must take place to reach the ultimate goal – “the sale”.

      Trust is one of the hardest micro-conversions to check off the list. People, now more than ever, are increasingly distrustful of brands. This is substantiated by a variety of sources, include PEW Research which tells us that 7 people in 10 say they consult online reviews when purchasing.  I would go as far as to say that the “consulting” they’re doing is a large portion of the decision-making process of simply whether or not to trust a brand.

      People gain trust in brands in a variety of ways.  Were you helpful, honest, sincere… nice? And beyond even how to gain that trust, what to do with it once you’ve earned it?

      Earning trust is just a portion of the proverbial battle. Truth is, the real work begins after trust is earned.  That’s where the real responsibility is.

      It’s your responsibility, once you’ve earned trust, to keep your customers’ best interest at the core of everything you do within the relationship.  The old saying, “the customer is always right” is fundamentally flawed; you are often the customer… and you’re also sometimes wrong.  But when it’s your business, it’s still your duty as the trust-bearer to ensure those customers are right.

      Make them smarter. Make them understand. Teach them. Lead them in the right direction.  After all, they’re TRUSTING YOU to do that very thing.  Trust, once obtained, is the basis of all of your business relationships. Now that you’ve earned it, it’s your burden to prove the decision to give it was wise.

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      One Really Cool Thing About Digital Marketing

      Monday, November 2nd, 2009
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      As a wise man once said, we’re living in the future.

      Big parts of marketing budgets past used to go toward one thing:  production.  Paper and distribution.  Stamps.  They were fixed costs, and the companies with big resources could easily outproduce small business.living in the future

      Not so now.  There are still costs, but those two things- production and distribution- are essentially free.

      Think about creating a direct mail piece focused solely on how great your customers are.  As far as I know, that never happened.  But digitally, you’re free to devote as much space to that as you like.

      People can choose you.  If you’re content is good, you get read.  People will talk to you. It’s distribution on its head.

      What you don’t have to do is spam, or do the pre-digital version of spamming.  There’s a lot of that going on still and yet.  There always will be.

      But it’s a pretty nice time to be doing what we’re doing.

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      Why Are Nerds Good With Social Media?

      Thursday, October 29th, 2009
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      For about 20 years now, it’s been cool to be a nerd.  Kind of.

      Nerd-dom can be defined as being awkwardly enthusiastic about things that take some intelligence, imagination, and participation.  Maybe put an emphasis on “awkward”.dead giveaway

      I think this is why nerds excel at using social media.  If you’re too cool to participate, you get nothing.  If you’re not intelligent, you’re bound to be misunderstood.  If you lack imagination, you probably won’t get far using social media in the first place.

      It’s a pretty good time to be alive if you’re naturally a nerd.  You’re actually encouraged to be yourself, to be transparent, even in business.  Especially in business.

      How did that happen?  Kurt Cobain in a cardigan?  Bill Gates with a billion dollar endowment?

      Here’s my theory:  Programming and computers fall squarely into the nerd pantheon.  And you have to have those ingredients I listed earlier to really make them work for you.  As computers e became the tools that the world used to talk to one another, the language we use became an extension of those tools.

      And those characteristics that are automatically built into the language-  enthusiasm, participation, etc. are part of it.  Nerds are native speakers.

      So how does this help you in business?  I’m not positive.  My social skills have always been a bit on the awkward side (though I admit I have a great sense of humor.  If you like bad puns.)

      But I would encourage everyone to let their inner nerd out.  Especially when using social media.  Be honest, and a little weird, and human.

      Your brochure is one thing.  Social media is another.

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      What Your Digital Marketing Plan Has To Include

      Friday, October 23rd, 2009
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      The most important piece of marketing advice you’ll ever use is this:  Plan.

      It’s no longer OK to throw everything at a wall and see what sticks.  “Everything” is too big.  There are too many tools and techniques in the digital world to try.This? Or Planning...

      And there’s this:  The wall has changed.  The wall now responds.  People can interact, talk back, talk bad, and just have just about any voice they’re willing to have about you.

      So now more than ever, plan.   Here’s what your plan should include:

      -Who’s in charge.  Someone needs to own the plan.

      -A definition of success, AKA conversion.  Know what you want people to do.

      -Graphic design.  You should be able to help your designers realize your vision.

      -Written Content.  The writing needs to be integrated into the plan.

      -Photo and video assets.  Know where these are coming from before you start.

      -SEO components.  It’s always ongoing, and needs to be accounted for.

      -A firm grasp of what you’ll do and what you’re marketing company will do; you have to participate.

      -A timeline.  You need a period of time with a launch and a finish that you can use to measure your success.

      In terms of personnel, you can think of a digital marketing plan in three parts, ala the intro to The Back Of The Napkin.  Development, Content Strategy, and Design.

      You can fit everything you need for a sound plan into one of those jobs, and all of the responsibilities on the list above, as well.  The challenge is making yourself a part of the plan.

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      Did Yoda Tell Luke Everything?

      Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
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      I’m more of a Star Wars fan than a baseball fan.  Pat’s the opposite, so in that way, we’re balancing each other out.

      But I bring it up because, either way, you’ve got pretty much the perfect metaphor for anything you want to say.Do, or Do Not. There is no Try.

      And what I want to say today is this:  Be like Yoda when Luke came to begin his training.  Don’t try to shove every single detail about what it is that you do in your online reader’s face.

      The temptation is huge.  That’s one of the reasons Yoda held back some info from Luke- it was the path to the dark side.

      Whenever people, especially business owners, get a chance to tell their story in a place with no boundaries at all, it’s tempting to just put every single detail out there.

      After all, you’ve got the space.

      But here’s what you need to know: it’s boring to do that to readers.  They lose interest.  And the one person that doesn’t was already a raving fan anyway.

      Temper your information.  Space it out.  Save some for later.  Be brief.

      In other words, let the reader, like Luke, find the path themselves.  And you’re Yoda, so you know how to put someone on the path, right?

      You keep readers on the path by giving them only the information they need to continue.  Edit, and edit some more.  Use only what you need, and nothing you don’t.

      Now, who wants to put that in baseball terms?

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      No More Excuses, Okay?

      Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
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      Not long ago, Google did something really neat.

      The company was launching a new product, the Chrome web browser.  A couple people on the marketing team decided to find out:  how much did people know about what they were making?Is this you?

      The answer?  Not much.

      They made it anyway.  And they also made some information explaining what they made.

      What’s neat about it is that it pretty much erases any excuse to not know some basic technology.  If you are doing some marketing in 2009, you don’t get to have any more excuses.

      Go cold turkey.  Give it up.  It’s not okay to roll your eyes and say, “I just don’t get the internet.”  It’s time to force yourself to change.  You’re the opposite of those people in the video.

      I understand that even the word technology is intimidating to a lot of people.  But what this really is for most people is just another way to talk.

      So that’s it.  Communication.  If you want to communicate with the people who want to communicate with you, you have to learn at least a little of this.

      It’s change, and change is hard.  The only way to go is through it, so prepare yourself.

      That’s why the google example is so strong.  Because it gives a simple, quick explanation of something you need to know.

      Those explanations are everywhere now.  How does email work?  What’s a server?  How do I share documents?  And on and on…

      Now, the last time you tried to figure this out, it was hard to understand.  But the internet has come a long, long way.  Just like it’s easy to punch up one of your favorite songs any time you want, it’s easy to find out how to use technology.

      Trust me.  You need this.

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      Here’s Why You Do Business In Small Towns

      Saturday, October 10th, 2009
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      I had jury duty today.  You can insert whatever groans you want to here, but I won’t do it for you.  I thought it was fascinating.FayettevilleCourthouse

      Sure, I had a lot of other stuff to do.  And it was inconvenient.  But, so what?  I’m not much for convenience, which is part of the reason why I live where I live.

      My town has less than 1,000 people.  More people travel down our river than our roads. Most business owners around here don’t get the first thing about digital marketing.

      But I don’t care.  Here’s why:  Walking around town today, I saw no less than 15 people that I know.  I had lunch with 3 people at 3 different tables in the same restaurant.

      That’s cool.  To me, anyway.  Where I grew up, there wasn’t much of that.  And I’m not sure why.  It could just be the sheer numbers of people in metro areas, but most people go to the same places at least somewhat regularly.  So that can’t be it entirely.

      I think it’s space.  There’s more space here in the little towns.  So when people’s space comes into contact with each other, it means more.  It’s more of an event, less of a disturbance.

      It’s true in business.  If there’s one thing out there that there’s plenty of, it’s space.  Bandwidth. You’ve got to be something really big to cover it all.

      Which is why I like doing business in small towns; all I have to be is myself.

      Blog idea:  A series of posts about doing smart business in small towns.  Lake Wobegon meets Signal Vs. Noise.

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