A picture is worth a thousand words. We’ve all been told that since we could speak. But, what if you turned it around. Have you ever wondered what our thousands of words actually portray?
Let’s take a look…
I write – sometimes all day, every day – everything from ad copy to outlines for annual reports to blog posts, comments, and tweets. But not until I started reading did I learn that the words could be saying more than what was being read.
Are the words you’re using really portraying your message?
Wordle is a great visual tool to see if the actual words you’re using are communicating your story. Or are you using words that confuse and distract from the overall picture?
Try this. Have Wordle crawl your latest marketing piece. It’s easy, just cut and paste the copy into their Web site. Or if you have an RSS feed, just paste that into the space provided. It’s eye opening.
Here are a couple of examples: (Click on the thumbnails to view larger images)
Over the past several days I’ve been having conversations with my fellow Twitter-ers about the aspect of Corporate Social Media and its role in this new world of communications and brand extension. Many of them, as I, agree that the ease and accessibility of social media tools are making the conversations quicker, more direct and rewarding. But as soon as I started asking about corporate branding in social media, the conversations turned quite serious.
I asked a simple question to a select few that I thought would have the position and backgrounds to give honest, insightful answers.
“So, What’s your “position” on 3rd party twitterers? (i.e.- hiring someone to tweet & track on behalf of your company?) Ethical? No?“
The responses (35 in all) received from that question were pretty clear. In no uncertain terms would “posing” or “positioning” in social media be accepted. Transparency is key.
Microblogging professional, Mike Templeton‘s(on Twitter as @miketempleton & @microblink) answer was indicative of the overall tone of the mini-survey.
“…people like to know who it is. If you say you work for them (liaison), that’s ok”
And another social media stud,Andy Brudtkuhl, (on Twitter as @abrudtkuhl & @48web) says that “…as long as they maintain a consistent message…“ the ethics question should be a mute point.
So, with that, I want YOU to sound off. When you’re on FaceBook, YouTube, Twitter or any number of social media venues, do you expect real corporate/brand connections (i.e. – @Starbucks, or @TheHomeDepot) Are those actually Starbucks / Home Depot employees? Are they a marketing firm hired to “Brand” those companies into the social media stream? Heck, check out @DisneyWorld, @DisneyLand, and @Mickey_Mouse — I bet Walt and Mickey are curious about that, hum?
What is your position on Corporate Social Media? Are there issues that concern you about integrating brand (further) into our online conversations? How about ethics and transparency? Do companies have a greater responsibility for truth when utilizing these tools? More than Joe-surfer?
AND NOW, THE POLL RESULTS (poll ended 11/26/08):
Thank you all for taking part in the poll. Please check back for more!
It’s not that I condone listening to others talk while in restaurants (guilty). Nor do I condone wiretapping or spying (no comment). But when developing marketing plans or strategy for clients, I like to get as much information – fill in the who’s what’s where’s why’s and how’s – BEFORE I make a conclusion or a pitch. I prefer to have these questions answered as thoroughly as possible BEFORE I walk into a client’s office and make promises… How about you?
So, let’s ask five simple questions:
Who are your customers? What is your customer passionate about? Where can you find those passionate customers? Why are those customers passionate (or not passionate) about your brand? How can you make the passion grow?
Now, take a look at a screen shot of a simple feed I created for Caribou Coffee.
(click to see a bigger image)
How many of the above questions were answered? All of them. And that was just a couple days of a Twitter Search feed. Imagine if your company really put the effort into social media monitoring.
Like the Boy Scout’s motto: “Be Prepared.” Sounds logical, right? So, why is there so much resistance from companies to get involved with Social Media?
Eavesdropping has its advantages. Food for thought.
Steve Woodruff over at Sticky Figure recently posted the story of “A Boy and his Legos.” It’s a sweet, simple tale of a boy who, on his 7th birthday, receives a cool new box of Legos that, once assembled, is supposed to be one of those exciting and intricate “outer-space thingamajig’s.” But when the box was opened, the boy and his parents find that there are bags of precious blocks missing!
I can see it. In seconds, and with innocent passion and excitement, the birthday wrapping is obliterated with a flurry of glee and breathless expectation. The laminated and embossed photos on the box virtually promise of hours – if not a lifetime – of excitement and imaginative adventures in outer space. And emblazoned on the box, no smaller than 3” square, is the big, red, “Lego®” logo – promising quality, creativity and adventure for everyone. But as the box top is flung over the coffee table onto the sleeping dog, the contents – or lack thereof – holds nothing but disappointment.
What a heartbreaking experience.
So, say you’re the parents of that little boy. What do you do?
1) Apologize to your sobbing son and chalk it up to another flub of the commercial marketing machine.
2) Take the box back to Super-Mega Mart and hope they’ll take an opened box return?
3) Apologize (again) to your sobbing son and write a scathing post on your blog, Twitter and Plurk about the negative experience, comment on toy / consumer blogs and forums about how Lego’s piracy scarred your son and how he’ll never be an architect or fighter pilot because of the experience?!?
4) Create a consumer action group and file a class action lawsuit against Lego®?
5) Call Lego® and ask for replacement packets or a new box altogether?
Let’s say you work at Lego® and this problem confronts you. How do you handle it?
1) Ignore it. The box has shipped and there’s nothing you can do about it?
2) Provide the customer a claim ticket and refer them to Super-Mega Mart for return/replacement procedures?
3) Offer a discount on the purchase of a future Lego® product?
4) Offer a replacement package at cost, including shipping and handling?
5) Overnight the replacement box with additional Lego® swag and an apology letter addressed to the boy?
This is one situation where TRUE Branding(Truthful, Relevant, Unique, Engaging) is tested. Lego® has a simple choice to make. And that choice will be based on their policies, procedures, culture, mission and commitment to their customers… Their Brand.
A picture is worth a thousand words. We’ve all been told that since we could speak. But, what if you turned it around. Have you ever wondered what our thousands of words actually portray?
