Core Messaging: The Foundation for Everything

By Mark Evans in Advertising/Marketing, Social Media 1 Comment Tags: , ,

One of the more interesting aspects of my consulting business over the past few months has been the growing number of core messaging projects. It is being driven, in part, by companies taking a look at their Web sites, and discovering what they’re saying to the world isn’t as strong or well-articulated as it should be.

Another twist on my core messaging business has been how some projects have started after being approached by companies interested in using social media. Soon after we begin to discuss their social media needs, it becomes obvious they need to do core messaging so they can figure out what to say to the world using social media.

The importance of core messaging has everything to do with how it’s the foundation of many of corporate activities – social media, advertising, marketing, business development, sales, communications and presentations. With well-defined core messaging, a company has a focused and consistent message every employee can confidently recite.

When PodCamp Toronto started accepting idea for panels, I jumped at the opportunity to do a presentation on the value of core messaging. With a growing number of core messaging clients and several blog posts under my belt, it is a subject that is consuming a lot of my attention and interest.

The presentation is focused on the importance of core messaging, what happens without effective core messaging, and how companies cam start the core messaging process. While the slides probably don’t convey all the details, a key element is thinking out of the box to develop core messaging and/or get third-party perspective to get a fresh or new approach.

Here’s a few links to my other posts on core messaging:
- Without core messaging, you’re DOA
- The Growing Importance of Messaging

PodCamp Toronto: Core Messaging Presentation

You Can’t Put Marketing Lipstick on a Pig

By Mark Evans in Advertising/Marketing, Social Media 1 Comment Tags: , , ,

There are some blog posts that state the obvious so well. A case in point is Union Square Ventures’ Fred Wilson’s post on marketing, which he caps off by proclaiming that:

“Marketing is for companies who have sucky products. If you build something that is amazing (think Flipboard or Instagram or Instapaper) people will adopt it because it is amazing. And you won’t have to do much marketing, at least at the start.”

Aside from Wilson’s stature within the tech community and the fact people tend to listen to the money guys, the post has captured so much attention because it reveals a truth no one really talks about: if a service or product sucks, it doesn’t matter how much marketing a company does. In other words, you can’t put lipstick on a pig.

Unfortunately, there are far too many pigs within the online world. The biggest cause of the “pig problem” is there low barriers to entry and how excited people get about new and shiny things. Building a new online service takes nothing more than an idea – not even a good one- and some developers – not even good ones. In no time at all, you’ve got a service that you think the world wants or needs.

Truth be told, most of these services have no or little interest. At best, they might be features within a product that solves a problem or creates new opportunities to delight. Nevertheless, entrepreneurs toil away at trying to convince the world they’ve built a better mousetrap and, in the process, spend a lot of effort and dollars on marketing activity such as public relations, search engine optimization, social media, AdWords and events littered with swag.

Sadly, these efforts are for naught because they can’t hide the fact their service or product has no appeal and/or isn’t wanted to needed.

When I talk to clients about marketing and social media, one thing I make abundantly clear is at the end of the day, their product or service has to be great or needed. It has to solve a problem or do something new or different in a way that consumers easily discover and embrace. Without a solid foundation, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to build PR, marketing or sales programs on top of it.

It’s the reason that I often talk entrepreneurs away from using a PR agency as a way to attract attention until they gain some customer traction. Without success, start-ups risk being just another company with a quasi-interesting idea as opposed to being something that actually has interested and engaged customers, which is a big difference.

Wilson’s post should be required reading because of its “truthiness”.

The Value of Organic SEO

By Mark Evans in Google 1 Comment Tags: , , ,

Search is a funny game; whenever you’ve figured out all the rules, they change them on you….or, at least, Google likes to change the rules just to keep everything interesting.

The latest switch-a-roo happened this week when Google unveiled a new algorithmic improvement that impacts nearly 12% of its search results. In the scheme of things, this is major change that will no doubt disappoint many people who no longer rank among the top results.

Given the power and importance of search, it is fascinating to see how Google can be so nonchalant in not only upgrading its algorithm but how it impacts the digital presence of so many companies.

In my consulting business, search rankings are not surprisingly something that’s important to every client. At some point, they get around to “SEO” and what can be done to make sure they at least rank on the first page. I’m not an SEO practitioner but I suggest the best way to approach search is to focus on organic SEO rather than looking to somehow game the system.

This means a few things, including the value of having a corporate blog given how Google loves the kind of fresh content that blogs generate. As well, blogs can be a valuable tool to attract inbound links, which is at the core of how Google’s PageRank algorithm works.

As someone who believes that content is king, I believe strong content is among the powerful SEO tools because it has the potential to attract attention and, as important, continues to work for you on a long-term basis.

Another important consideration for SEO is making sure your Web site is properly meta-tagged. It means having the most appropriate and relevant keywords embedded into the “guts” of your Web site so that when search engine spider it, they extract words that best reflect the products or services you offer.

There are lots of organic search tools and tricks that can and should be embraced as a way to make sure that your Web site is as search-friendly as possible. These are things you can control so it makes sense to be as pro-active as possible.

For people looking to do more, there thousands of SEO experts happy to come to your rescue for price. But before doing that, make sure you organic SEO efforts have been maximized.

Without Core Messaging, You’re DOA

By Mark Evans in Main Page 1 Comment Tags: , , ,

Over the past few months, I have been doing a lot of core messaging work. It’s intellectually challenging and very interesting but it’s also an intense process because the end result can be elusive and take time to pin down.

But at the end of the day, strong core messaging is critical for every company, particularly start-ups looking to establish themselves within noisy or competitive markets. Effective core messaging provides the foundation for pretty much everything a company does to operate their business – PR, business development, marketing, sales, social media, et al.

Not having clear and well-articulated core messaging means not having a well-defined focus about what you do, the value consumers get from using your products or services, and why anyone should care. Without core messaging, you’re at a competitive disadvantage because consumers will not get a good sense of why they need what you’re selling, and how you offer more or better value than the competition.

Given this situation, the strange part is how badly many companies do when it comes to core messaging. For all the effort put into sales and marketing, their core messaging is unclear, scattered and confusing. Not only is it difficult to tell what they offer but it misses a key element – something I describe as the “What’s in for me?” question that consumers ask when considering a purchase. If you’re unable to provide this answer quickly and clearly, you’re doomed.

Without realizing it, I’ve really been doing core messaging for years. As a technology reporter, a key part of my job was interviewing executives about their companies, strategies and products. Then, I would craft a story with a particular angle that I found interesting. The story emerged after spending time reviewing my notes to discover the “nuggets” from marketing-speak that many companies embrace that lets them talk without saying anything.

These days, I go through the same process with clients. I gather a lot of information, ask a lot of questions, pore through their Webs sites and marketing collateral and focus on the needs of target audiences to get a strong sense of who they are, what they and why anyone would care.

Sometimes, the core messaging is obscured or buried so it’s just a matter of dusting it off or giving it a little love. Sometimes, there’s no core message at all, which means starting from scratch.

At the end of the process, I deliver a core messaging “boilerplate” that spells out the who, what and the why I should care. It’s a short document but it gives a company a foundation upon which to layer on other activities such as Web site content, marketing collateral, presentations, sales documents and social media.

Today, I’ll be doing a presentation at MaRS about how start-ups need to look at marketing. Not surprisingly, core messaging is at the top of list because I think many companies focus more on making sure they’ve got it nailed rather than spending their time adding yet another feature or widget to their product or service. But without solid core message, you’re really just spinning your wheels.

Why I Still Love Blogging

By Mark Evans in Blogs, Social Media 14 Comments Tags: , , , ,

When I started blogging in 2004, it was cool, exciting and popular. Everyone was talking about blogs, commenting on blogs and starting blogs. The love-fest was not a surprise given how blogs gave people a new, user-friendly platform to reach a global audience about any interest or topic.

Fast-forward seven years (wow!) and blogs are a solid part of the landscape but far from sexy or cool. If social media is a dance, blogs are the nice but bespectacled girl/boy standing in the corner while the cool kids (Facebook, Twitter and YouTube) are wildly partying in the middle of the dance floor.

A story in the New York Times talks about how interest among young people in blogs is declining because it is easier to find an audience on Facebook and Twitter. Other reasons for not blogging include being too busy to write post, the lack of readers and the fact blogs don’t help them keep in touch with friends and family.

These are legitimate issues. Blogs can be challenging to write because they need lots of ideas, enthusiasm and, ideally, the ability to write well and quickly. And it can be difficult to attract an audience given the competition. Blogs may not also be the best social tools, compared with Twitter and Facebook.

Nevertheless, I’m still convinced blogs are an important and viable part of the social media landscape even though they may not be sexy. Perhaps the most compelling reason why blogs are still alive and well is they provide people and companies with an excellent platform to discuss ideas, provide commentary and perspective, and establish though leadership. These are things that are difficult to achieve using Facebook or Twitter.

The biggest reason I blog here and a couple of other places (Twitterrati and Sysomos), is I enjoy writing them. I like being able to explore and share my ideas. Whether it’s an audience of 10 or 1,000, it really doesn’t matter. Blogging also made it a snap to walk away from career as a newspaper reporter because I still had a way to deliver my ideas.

Sure, I would like more readers because I think my blog offers solid value and perspective. But blog readership is a tricky beast because quality doesn’t always rule the day. If readership is the main criteria for writing a blog, you will likely be disappointed. Instead, you need to focus on quality rather than quantity.

The other key reason for blogging is it is a great way to support my digital marketing consulting business. When potential clients are deciding whether to spend money on you, they need to be comfortable that it’s the right decision. Despite the economic rebound, companies are still being careful with their spending. My blog, hopefully, shows them my insight, ideas, approach and commitment in a way that Twitter and Facebook could never do.

For me, a blog is a terrific marketing vehicle because it’s user-friendly for people not into Facebook and Twitter. For the most part, my target audience aren’t people into Twitter and Facebook. They’re people running businesses but they’re comfortable reading a blog because it’s a Web site on steroids. For them, blogs are a good way to quickly get a snapshot of who I am and what I do.

I often tell people that blogs are dinner while Facebook and Twitter are desert. Everyone loves dessert because it’s sweet and sexy. This is particularly relevant when it comes to children, who will rush through dinner or not eat it at all because they’re so excited about dessert. In a way, their behaviour about dessert explains their interest in blogs.

Twitter’s Battle for Control of its API

By Mark Evans in Social Media 5 Comments Tags: , , ,

Update: Twitter has restored UberTwitter’s API access after a strange weekend. Twitter said UberTwitter’s owner, UberMedia, had agreed to remedy” some violations. Makes you think maybe the two sides should have talked before Twitter slammed shut the API door.

There are lots of puzzling things about Twitter. For example, why it has taken it so long for it to embrace a business model, and why it rebuffed the idea of contextual advertising even though it is the way that online services make money.

One of the other strange aspects about Twitter was its laissez-faire approach towards its API. Like many companies, Twitter created an API that other companies were allowed to use to build services that supported the main platform. This policy has created a wonderfully diverse and rich ecosystem with thousands of services. This has helped Twitter become a global phenomena that providers with a buffet of options and features.

The problem for Twitter is it has become of a victim of its own success. The ability of developers to embrace the API to build not only features but businesses has massively overshadowed Twitter’s own efforts. While Twitter was busy raising venture capital and pouring millions of dollars into its infrastructure, the army of developers has been aggressively working away to do things that, in hindsight, Twitter should have been doing themselves.

The other problem for Twitter is it failed to manage the API. It allowed the horse to escape the barn. While, it charged some companies to access the API, there didn’t appear to be a program in place that would balance the need to let developers use the API with Twitter’s need to control it and, as important, make money.

What this is means it you’ve got companies such as TweetDeck, HootSuite and UberMedia that have built services with millions of users, and they are now starting to hammer down on generating revenue.

All of a sudden, Twitter has recognized that while it has to stay home on a Saturday night and clean up, everyone else is out having a good time. Judging by a flurry of “policy violations” that have caused some Twitter-related services to be shut down, Twitter now seems to be saying that enough is enough.

The big question is whether it’s too late for Twitter to take control of the API. Has it waited too long to take action, or can Twitter’s new, tough stand take hold? The tricky part for Twitter is balancing the need to keep the health of its API ecosystem while driving revenue from developers who are building viable businesses.

This may mean Twitter has get tough to take control. The suspension of services such as UberTwitter for “policy violations” could be a necessary evil if Twitter wants to make it clear the rules of engagement for its API are being reestablished. This could cause a lot of pain and bad publicity but, in many respects, Twitter has no choice.

It has come to the point where Twitter has to do something bold and necessary, or do nothing at all. It either needs to take control of the API and create a revenue stream, or stopping fooling around with “policy violations”.

Personally, the only logical option is leveraging the API has the business model, along with contextual advertising. The API is the gasoline that’s fuelling an amazing ecosystem. Twitter needs to support and monetize it so it creates a win-win scenario for everyone.

For more on Twitter’s API struggles, check out this interesting Q&A on Quora about why Twitter suspended UberTwitter. It features an answer from UberMedia CEO Bill Gross.

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