Just a few weeks ago I was writing about this as the future. Just a little refining and it becomes awesome. Think about shop fittings, newspapers delivered wirelessly, clothing....
Discuss.
Since finishing the new book I’ve been thinking about how a smaller organisation can get its act together.
A great marketing strategy isn’t just about getting all the elements of the marketing mix ‘right’. As marketers never tire of telling you – it’s more complicated, deeper than that.
But complication means problems.
For a small organisation, like an SME or a charity, execution of a marketing plan is where it all happens. Because of the limited resources to hand, the basic tasks of a marketing plan can seem overwhelming and, importantly, take valuable people away from running other vital operations.
There is, in fact, a related problem for larger companies. How do they communicate what must be done – internally and to others such as agencies – in order to allocate sufficient resources?
One reason this struck me forcibly as I finished the book, and then discussed this with Nick, was that the ‘new marketing’ demanded by the web and other converging technologies gives us even less room for manoeuvre.
Even more than ever, marketing is something you have to do now and every day. And it all has to work together, day after day.
Great small organisations know and do this. Larger organisations often struggle.
So as I wrote about online promotion and the maintenance of an online brand, I emphasised ‘consistency’ and ‘integration’.
Consistency. When everything you say and do refers to your core values.
Integration. When everything you do links to everything else you do.
Since then, Nick and I have been discussing a marketing strategy ‘mantra’ that could remind us of what the rules are. I’ll go into all this at greater length in the next few posts but for now I’ll just leave you to consider…
Insight, purpose, truth & beauty.
Thanks to my brother for sending this. Have a look; it's interesting from two perspectives.
One is that the Republicans (and media) are clearly using the same formulae to try and unsettle potential Democrat voters (remember a small proportion of the electorate decide the outcome by shifting from one party to another).
It's also interesting that this video is edited in such a way that it's difficult to note anything other than that fact - the same phrases crop up - sometimes the context is obscure...who is saying what about whom.
One thing is clear, some (ignorant) people see it as their job, or their right, to spread disinformation for their own ends. Take the assertion that 'Hussein' or attending a Muslim school makes Barack Obama a Muslim... that's basically distorting the truth.
Or lying.
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...possibly from the Big Guy upstairs
I was due to change my PC yesterday - had it all organised. But then the old one died - it wouldn't boot up and the Windows CD couldn't resolve the problem without a lot of knowledge from me - or from the thousands of pages of online help (via the other, home, computer).
So I played around with my new phone to get emails...it worked up to a point. I could set up some email accounts (I have about six) but not all...because I can't remember all the settings and passwords.
I managed to send the following to this blog, which some of you might have seen...
"Not so amazing, but when the hard drive on your PC goes kaput (the day before you're due to take delivery of a new one) you realise the value of a back-up. Now, when did I last back-up, and where did I put it. By the way I have nearly 100 passwords... what are the chances I'll recover them all?"
...but it came along with several paragraphs of cr*p from Vodafone and my mobile number in big bold letters... not great for a blog entry.
Anyway, the point is. I did have my passwords stored in passwordsafe which is free (and therefore mentioned in the new book!) and I'd backed up the data to a small Newman drive (specifically a NM-0703 20gb drive) along with a copy of dmailer which enabled me to use another PC almost as if it were my own. I carry these around with me pretty much all the time.
Credit where credit's due...I haven't lost everything.
I only mention all this to remind you (and me) to back-up your data every couple of days or so AND to recommend that you have a few other devices to help.
I should get my new PC up and running tomorrow and then I'm probably going to go out and buy a terabyte of disk storage for my home network...
With the recent release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Woolworths was promoting all Indiana Jones toys and since it is my 9 year-old's birthday (on Monday, if you want to send a card) we were aiming to buy him the Lego/Indiana Jones PSP game shown here.
A couple of days had passed. Yet the posters and shelf edges were still there announcing the FREE WATCH offer. I took a photo (on my phone).
One of the principles of my new book is that a small business, online, has to be honest. Does that also apply to big companies?
Getting found online - via your blog, twitter feed, facebook profile etc is all about being connected.
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I had a look at this site from the BBC following up their season of programmes on the 'white working classes'.
As always there's a lot to think about. Looking at the issues is thought provoking, but I can't help thinking that the debate is framed in slightly the wrong way. I don't want to get too deep into this (too much else on my plate at the moment...deadlines looming!) but I wonder how many people really have as part of their identity that they are 'white' or, indeed, working (or any other) class. I think our understanding of community is far richer than that. However, as with all market research, if you ask people if they are 'oppressed' or badly served, they'll construct appropriate answers.
Actually thing that most struck me about the site was the 'spectrum' gizmo you can see here.
It's a strange old thing that allows you to explore the responses to some research on attitudes to race and immigration. The physics of the particles moving around is quite nicely done (I also like the brain and visual thesaurus which has a similar fluidity), but...and this is the thing that made me stop and wonder...what does it actually show that couldn't be shown in a less flashy format?
Aesthetically, I was drawn to it, but it just doesn't give me a better understanding of the issues. A pity.
I just visted the Ideal Home Show. There didn't seem to be many people there.
I defy any parent not to smile at this clip from metacafe...
Laughing Babies -
...sometimes that's all the web is about - sharing a good feeling.
(BTW, I bet the child on the left of frame is going to be the comedian or writer; the others are a great audience but s/he's just watching.)
I've often said that children are 'learning machines' and I think learning to laugh is one of the greatest lessons but not a great as learning to accept being laughed at, occasionally.
...hot sausage and custard! [Shurely shome mishtake. Ed.]
I like food. If I was more confident I'd show you a photo to prove it. I haven't got the guts...well, I have actually.
Anyway, Lee Kennedy's latest post reminded me of the issues around food I often discuss with Nick, my co-author. I was telling Nick about Michael Pollan's book In Defence of Food [it's in our book store] which sets out a few simple rules about eating. Rules like; eat only foods your mother would recognise; never eat things if you don't know what the ingredients are; shop mainly from the outside edges of the supermarket floor. They make some intuitive sense.
My point has always been that some of the ingredients in food are there for the benefit of the manufacturers and retailers and not the consumer. Ingredients that make the product last long enough to be transported hundred (thousands) of miles and to sit on a shelf and in a cupboard enable the supply chain to be standardised. It's, perhaps, an example of McDonaldization.
Economics is wierd isn't it?
If we talk about recession and try and guard against it, we precipitate it. If everybody dismissed the idea of recession and spent well then...
Will Hutton, who I respect, often talks about the need for government to intervene in the market economy. His comments often attract vitriol for, it seems, daring to suggest that the market may not always work.
Well, I'm pretty clear that the Market works. But the capital letter is there to denote a particular market which dominates out thinking - it even dominates the thinking of politicians on the left.
I've just been reading Bourdieu on politics (chapter 8 of his book Distinction) and what struck me most of all was the emphasis he puts on being able to talk of politics.
Bourdieu points out, in brief, that many people are excluded from having an opinion, or from expressing anything other than the dominant 'logic' of politics, because of their position. Those who are least equipped (largely through education) who are in a dominated position often feel unable to give a response to even an apparently simple question.
Moreover, political questions use the language of politics expressly to exclude; they are expressed in abtract, technical language in expectation of understanding only by those 'qualified'.
The kinds of questions people feel able to respond to vary, often correlating with their 'distance' from the domestic, personal experience.
Questions of economics, which are essentially political, are often disguised as apolitical (appeals to 'common sense' are a dead giveaway!) but also have significant personal ramifications.
One might want the economy to slow down, but you certainly don't want it to result in your house being worth less than you owe on your mortgage.
That we can entertain this possibility, without being struck by the peculiar logic of this 'market' says much about its pervasiveness. How can a company (a mortgage lender) assume no risk (that is to say, a predictale and predicted, therefore accounted-for risk turned into an overhead) whilst individuals (borrowers) assume complete responsibility for the loss (they cannot spread their risk)? The simple answer is; those are the rules of the game.
Occasionally, however, it is interesting to step outside of the game and consider what is just.
I might suggest that it is unjust that landlords can keep properties empty whilst people cannot afford to rent or buy a home. For that matter, it would seem unjust that people must impoverish themselves to have a basic necessity - a permanent dwelling.
The nature of the Market is that it will always arbitrate between competing sources of profit pursued by those with stocks of economic capital. But is is also in the nature of markets that they do not run smoothly and that generating (big) winners inevitably generates (a lot of small) losers.
Even those who see recession as inevitable must agree that for people to lose their homes as a result can, and perhaps should, be ameliorated. That requires intervention on the side of justice, not just to support the myth of the market. And that demands that we acknowledge the voices of those who are unable to speak because they are not shareholders - they are only bit players in the market game.
...New Year's resolutions?
Well, most people make them around the 31st...towards midnight and into the early hours of the 1st. I also heard that you stand a better chance of keeping your resolutions when you're not under pressure.
I have only made one resolution; to write more [I can hear the groans]. It's not enough to resolve to give something up (although I do need to lose a few pounds, take more exercise and so on) I think you probably have to do something positive. Lee Kennedy's blog made me think even more - look at his latest post via the link on the right.
As I've got a deadline to meet, writing about what small businesses can do with web 2.0 (any stories you want to share - email me) and there are at least two other projects I need to make progress on this year I simply bhave to get on and do it. I also, like millions of others need to keep up to date with my blog and facebook etc etc etc - the brilliant Hugh Macleod seems to have it taped - reading his blog linked here is also a good idea.
Need some suggestions to liven up your new year?
Get involved in something. A charity, a campaign, local planning, a club.
For example, in the US you could support Barack Obama - which involves actually registering to vote and voting. If you're in the UK you could also make sure you can vote here. Who knows we might get a candidate worth voting for - in fact if the 40% who didn't vote got behind a say, the Liberal Democrats, they'd stroll into Downing Street. It wouldn't even matter that you don't support them, it would just shake things up.
Also joining any group is a challenge to your preconceptions and forces you to be more tolerant. For example 'everyone who goes to church is a do-goody, holier-than-thou kind of person' - or 'all those people in the theatre club will be arty, luvvie types'. They won't be.
Spend more time shopping. Seriously. Just spend a few seconds looking at the labels of the food products you buy and make a more informed judgement - look how many of the ingredients are in there for the benefit of the manufacturers (long shelf life, keeps the thing stuck together, or to keep it looking the right colour - don't believe me? Check it out). How many of the ingredients are what you set out to buy?
Work out how much your car costs. Oooh, that's harsh. The thing is you can do this in numerous ways but you have to include the purchase cost and running costs. If you paid $10,000 for it last year and sell it this year for $5,000 then it's cost you about $100 a week (plus the running costs). Then you can work out your carbon emissions and offset them!
Of course, I'm not necessarily doing all these things myself....
Best wishes for Christmas and a happy New Year.(Click for the full 'effect'!)Philip Holden & Nick Wilde
Technorati Profile
I know for many of you this only goes to show how far behind the curve I am. But now I'm getting into this stuff I have to sign up for everything to see how it works...then I can write about how it works.
Thos who are already 'in' will know the above leads to a Technorati profile where I can now start to promote the blog....doesn't it?
Time will tell.
Virtually Free Marketing: Harnessing the Power of the Web for Your Small Business
by Philip R. Holden
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