communication « Be Innovation

When you Fake Innovation…

February 10, 2009

When you fake innovation, you let everyone down. For whatever it is worth, an enterprise must decide for themselves what they want to be. And then once that decision is made, build yourself around it. That means hiring and firing the right people, changing the way you communicate both internally and externally, and executing. If you are okay being an average organization that does not take big risks and rides on the coattails of success, that’s fine. Just don’t fake it.

Major League Baseball is faking it. They were looking for mass appeal, so they turned a blind eye to rampant abuse of performance enhancing drugs for a long time. When they finally decided to deal with it, it wasn’t an internal decision. Their hand was forced by the media and other external factors. But even at that point, they had the chance to turn things around.

They tested and “perfected” a new random drug testing policy that was actually quite lenient, much more so than other professional sports. They revised it many times, made it more strict, publicized it, and executed it. Their message all along was that they were cleaning up baseball, making it great again. At least that was their message to us, the fans and media.

Internally, no one got fired for failing to do their jobs. And an investigation that should have been quick and to the point, is still ongoing. Then, when most of the dust had settled, and fans of the game finally felt like things were back to normal…A-Rod. Curt Schilling I think says what I mean best in his blog post. Why is A-Rod left out to dry? Who leaked this information? Why are some names still not released to the public?

This is not a blog about Major League Baseball. But from this example, it is clear that an organization (your company?) must have a clear vision for what they are trying to do. And now, more than ever before, you must communicate and execute on that vision in the public eye. You can’t get by with telling one story and doing something else, you’ll get called out on it. The negative PR from “lying” about your goals, your vision, your ideals and your strategy is too much to handle in a connected world.

You have to be the real thing. People will acknowledge you for it, respect you for it, and thank you for it (success!!). What do you think?

Leave a Comment » | anti-innovation | Tagged: Arod, communication, Failure, innovation, MLB | Permalink
Posted by Zach Heller

Where is Our News Going?

January 19, 2009

Seth Godin will have you believe that major media companies are on the way out. But is that really the case?

I would argue the opposite, though I add a warning that if these companies do not innovate in the way they obtain and dispense information, they’re dead. I think that, in the area of news, these major corporate networks are still best situated to develop their technology and deliver information to the public in new and relevant ways.

Why Major News Organization Can Still Win

Access – these organizations have the credibility and network skills to get inside information. They can access people at the highest levels, in all parts of the world, and deliver the most up to date information from anywhere.
Money – Established corporate networks have the resources needed to overhaul their technology. It’s true that they need to re-evaluate their real time and web efforts, but they have the ability to do that. Find the value that your readers are looking for and give it to them, no questions asked.
Loyalty – People are less loyal these days to brands or companies because “shopping around” has become much easier. However, when it comes to news and other important information, there is a credibility factor that is difficult to get around. People are not as comfortable getting news from lesser known blogs or other online sources.

What They Need to Do

Personalization – The web and other mobile technologies have allowed people to customize the information they get, and how they see it. Make it easy for readers to sign up for alerts in certain areas, and give them the information how they ask for it.
Email – Utilize email systems to let people get the news they want when they want it. All the stories you run should be available in email format, and people should not have to ask for them more than once.
Social Media – Twitter and other social networks have become valuable resources for providing and passing along important news as it breaks. There is no reason that a news service cannot tap into that “real time” power and use it. Learn how to capitalize on these systems and incorporate them into your strategy.
Blogs, blog readers, and bookmarking – Stories need to be passed from person to person to spread. Newsworthy is a term that now applies to something that deserves to be relayed on to friends. Incorporate blogging and social bookmarking tools to your website to give people the option to spread the best stories. This builds brand awareness and keeps you relevant.
Feedback – Reach out for and pay attention to your readers’ opinions. This can be on a story by story basis or feedback on your services in general. Listen to people because if there is anything that the social web has taught us, it’s that we all have something to say.

The major thing that these corporate news services and media companies have to acknowledge is that the old way of doing things no longer works. Evaluate where your information is coming from and how it is getting out. Learn that people want access to the information they are interested in, no fluff, and they want it free. Give that to them and then rebuild accordingly. It’s time to fight for your readers our die.

4 Comments | change, Corporations | Tagged: blogs, communication, Information, news, social media, web 2.0 | Permalink
Posted by Zach Heller

Hire a Social Media Manager and Start Talking

January 15, 2009

Why would a company need to hire someone whose job it is to manage social media? To me, the answer to that question is obvious. And if you know anything about the social web, you probably agree. The problem is that the majority of companies out there don’t know as much as we do, because they are either out of touch or just don’t care.

The emerging world of social media offers networks like Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. It offers an endless array of blogs and other sources for news and opinions. It offers the sharing of information, videos, pictures, thoughts, and ideas. This is where people are talking. This is where people are learning about new things. And this is where you need to be.

But you can’t do it by yourself. There are too many areas that you need to be aware of and on top of at all times. And there are too many resources out there to help you to ignore.

Step 1: Evaluate the Social Media landscape and find out where you fit in. As Marc Meyer (twitter.com/Marc_Meyer) says, not every company or customer may be a fit. In addition, not every company needs to be involved in every aspect of social media. But there are areas you can capitalize on, whether you use it for customer service, contests and promotions, ideas, or brand building. The key is to understand it.

Step 2: Define your customer from a social media perspective. Are your existing customers using social media, and in what way? Are there potential customers on the social web that present an opportunity? The better you understand your customers’ habits on the web, the more you will understand how to reach them.

Step 3: Spend the money. The reason I say to hire someone whose primary job it is to manage your social media efforts is twofold. One, you want to give them control to communicate, interact, and adapt on their own. Two, for brand building, one clear message across social media channels is important. As “SMcuter” (twitter.com/SMcuter) would say, too many cooks in the kitchen leads to inconsistency and poorly laid out plans.

Seth Godin reminds us that if no one is talking about you, you’re boring. But the truth is, you can start the conversation. And you can take part in the conversation. This is as true for large corporations like Microsoft and IBM as it is for local businesses like clothing stores and restaurants.

Hire someone who understands the web, someone with vision and creativity. It takes a combination of different backgrounds, such as technology and marketing. It’s a new job role, and one that many people will be looking to fill. Give them freedom, give them a voice, and put them to work. In the end, this will be an inexpensive way to create a buzz, to build your brand, and to seek out new customers.

Do you agree?

6 Comments | Branding, web 2.0 | Tagged: Branding, business, communication, hiring, social media | Permalink
Posted by Zach Heller

Become Your Own Customer to Create Your Edge – Part 2

January 13, 2009

Last Friday I laid out the basic framework for finding your competitive advantage by viewing your industry from the customer’s point of view. To see that post, click here.

This time around, let’s go over a few ways that you can use your competitive advantage to successfully market your company. Assuming that you took some time to find the area(s) that your company goes above and beyond the competition, you’ll now want to use that information in your marketing materials. Highlight the big differences that you will use to build your success.

1. Equip your sales and customer support teams with the information they need. These are the people that interact with your customers at the most personal level, usually answering many questions and offering endless assistance. Make sure they know how to describe the advantages of choosing your company over another.

2. Don’t be afraid to reference your competition in marketing materials. Making false claims is illegal, but explaining the advantages and disadvantages of companies within an industry is not. Dominoes is doing this in their ads against Subway right now. If your service is more convenient, say it. If your products are cheaper, say it. Direct comparisons will help attract attention.

3. Build your competitive advantage into product names and descriptions. Using your website, flyers, brochures, or ads as a way of communicating, come up with many ways to answer your customers questions about your products. Direct, convincing statements like “The One Stop Shop for All Your Travel Needs” let a customer know exactly where you stand.

In addition to marketing the advantages, you should always try to build on them. Take your strengths, the things that you are good at, and improve them. Take your competitive edge to the next level and blow away the competition.

If you are the fastest at something, how can you make it even faster? It might be as simple as streamlining the sales process and cutting out a step or two. If you pride yourself on being the most user friendly, what can you add to make it even more so? Try adding some information to your site, cutting our unnecessary options, or giving the user more control over what they get.

This is when some simple brainstorming sessions with you and your employees can really pay off. Don’t discount any ideas, there is always a way to make things better. We want to hear what you have to say. What are some of the ways that you market and improve on your competitive advantage? Leave your comments below.