Enough Already.

The social web is rife with self-appointed social media marketing experts/gurus/ninjas who deftly skirt the fact that they don’t understand Return on Investment.  Rather than educate themselves, they invent and attempt to rationalize terms like “Return on Influence”, or they crack clever one-liners like “What’s the return on your mother?”.  By all appearances, some of these people are wildly successful.  Some of them are no doubt intelligent and hard working.  Some have the cult of celebrity on their side. For others, it’s the cult of personality. Some were fortunate to be early to the space. And many… are just pretending. Caveat Emptor.

The Real Irony

The real irony – the irony missed in the cartoon above – is that you can’t expect to enjoy sustained success in business by ignoring such a basic business fundamental as ROI.  By understanding how to track and calculate the ROI of our efforts, we can make better business decisions.  We can re-invest in what works, we can re-think strategy and tactics to maximize returns and – in the worst case scenario – we can stop throwing good money after bad.  We can stop doing what isn’t working.  ROI is arguably the most important success metric.

The Debate is Over

There is no point in debating whether or not the ROI of social media programs is measurable.  Of course it is. If you need a roadmap, get to know Olivier Blanchard:  Follow him on twitter @thebrandbuilder. Read The BrandBuiler Blog, or buy his book and read it.  Likewise, there is no point in debating whether or not ROI should be measured.  Of course it should.  You’re in business.

However you want to define it:  All marketing requires investment.  And all marketing involves risk.  Successful, strategic marketing is a process that always involves experimentation, measurement and analysis and re-investment.  Successful marketing brings rewards like sustainable growth and profit, and – ultimately – results in a measurable Return on Investment.

Social Media Isn’t Free

Sure, many social media tools are free, or inexpensive – but there are real costs in simply establishing yourself in the space – let alone in developing a strategy and executing campaigns.  To succeed, you will invest (and therefore risk) very real and always limited company resources. You can establish goals and objectives.  You can research.  You can strategize.  You can plan.  You can execute to the best of your abilities and measure your progress toward your objectives and goals.  In other words, you can do alot to minimize your risks and maximize your probabilities for achieving healthy return on investment.  So do that.

And be sure to measure you’re ROI.



We’re back – to Fight Stalking

Like the Chief Content Officer (ahem) at Marketing Partners, #12for12K has been on a sort of extended hiatus.  The reasons don’t matter. What’s important is that we’re back.  And what’s more important is that we’re teaming up with Jodi’s Voice this month – to Fight Stalking – in loving memory of Jodi Sanderholm.

To learn more about Jodi, or about #12for12K’s campaign, visit 12for12k.org/jodisvoice. More posts and tweets and status updates will follow.

From the bottom of my heart – thank you.

XOJA

One exception – one photo of myself that I actually like – was taken with  my wife, Violet, at a fundraising gala for the Children’s Aid Foundation of Simcoe County – an organization I am proud to represent, as a volunteer, as Board President.  There was a kind of “get spirited off to exotic places” theme to the evening, and as each couple arrived, we were photographed with a plane in the background. It was a fun evening, for a cause that is near and dear to my heart.

Violet looked lovely in a periwinkle blue outfit that nearly matched (and certainly complimented) the colour of her eyes.  I was as close to “dashing” as I will ever get…sporting a rented tuxedo, with tie chosen to match Violet’s dress. You can’t see any of the colour… but I can.

All great photographs capture a moment in time; not just the moment, but the essence of the moment… and the essence of the people (or other subject) in them.

I’ve been receiving a number of really positive responses to the cropped version of the photo above, since I started using it as my “avatar”.  Mostly, I think, because even the cropped detail does capture my essence, and the essence of my emotional state when the photo was taken.  When one of my friends mentioned Yousuf Karsh in a comment about the photograph, I realized that – on receiving that kind of high praise – the photographer in question really shouldn’t remain a mystery.  But not just for that reason.

My friend (and photographer) Mike Guilbault isn’t just talented and skilled. He’s also not just accomplished and accredited. Nope. He’s one heckuvva (that’s Canadian, eh) nice guy – and a generous supporter of the Children’s Aid Foundation.  Mike has donated countless hours of his professional time to the CAF.  It seems that all we ever have to do is ask. And while he isn’t the sort of person who expects or even wants public acknowledgment  – he’s also the type of guy who will forgive me for this little shout out. So, thank you Mike, for everything!

If any of you ever need a terrific photographer, for any reason (personal or professional), Mike is an excellent choice – the best, really, on all levels….

• Visit Mike’s website
• Fan Mike Facebook
• Connect with Mike on Linkedin
• Follow Mike on Twitter

In October, 2008 Steve Rubel wrote “RSS Adoption at 11% and it May Be Peaking, Forrester Says” - this, despite the fact that nearly half of “interactive marketers” were using RSS at the time.

For a technology that is in so useful, so widely and so freely available… it seems inconceivable that so few people actually use it.

Are we Overlooking The Obvious?

In the age of Google, “Web2.0″ and “Social Media”, marketers are immersed in information technology.  We have to be.  It’s sink or swim.  But somehow, it would seem, we began taking our knowledge of RSS feeds and readers for granted… assuming that everyone else has kept pace with us. They haven’t.

According to Forrester’s 2008 Executive Summary:

If marketers expect to reach a critical mass of consumers by using content syndication, then they must take on the burden of education.

I think they’re right. Scratch that. After searching for video tutorials I would feel good about sharing… I know they’re right.

So, if anyone has a great video tutorial (or two) to share… I’m looking.

As always, your comments are also appreciated.

I just stumbled across the video embedded below on Kevin Fox’s Fox @ Fury blog, which if technology is of any interest, is well worth a visit and a thorough browsing.

I don’t consider myself a serious “gamer” (not by any stretch), and I don’t know what prompted me to watch this presentation – but watch it I did – and I felt compelled to share!  I think you’ll find it fascinating, thought provoking, and well worth the 20minutes or so it takes to watch from end-to-end.  Don’t be surprised if you find the speaker, game developer Jesse Schell, on a TED talk at some point in future.

As a marketer, I pay attention to what’s going on on Facebook. Or so I thought. As it turns out, I’ve had a massive blind spot: Facebook Games. I tend to view them as an annoyance, and ignore them. But according to Schell, there are more Farmville players than there are twitter users(!).  And Facebook games are turning the gaming industry’s collective head.  It certainly has Schell’s attention. He calls the phenomenon “Big, strange and terrifying… or at least unexpected”.

Other notably unexpected (and insightful) game stories discussed are Club Penguin, Wii and Wii Fit, Guitar Hero, Webkinz,  X-Box “Achievements”, and Mafia Wars. What do they have in common?  Psychological tricks… gamers are getting gamed; kids and adults alike.  I don’t want to steal any of Schell’s thunder on the subject. Watch and learn.

Once you get past the probable anger about how these games have been designed to manipulate us – to part us from our hard-earned money – I think you’ll be fascinated by the other common thread.  Every single one of these games is breaking through to reality in some interesting way. Everything is suddenly about reality, just like “Reality TV” and “Organic Food” – “Avatar” – all in reaction to being cut off from nature and self-sufficiency, according to Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want.

So where is it all heading? Watch the video and level-up. I’m certain you’ll agree the ending was worth every minute. Either way, I would love to hear your thoughts!