Video- From Cowpaths to Mastadons

Maybe this is Project Mayhem.

I agree that the reason we do a lot of things the way we do is that in the past it was a good idea. Now after many years, we continue to do things the same way due to inertia.

I ran into problems like this when I did consulting a few years back. Clients always wanted new systems to be redesigned to work exactly like the old ones, missing the point that the new system was better. That's why it was supposedly being put in.

We're at a crossroads right now with social media where influencers have to make a big push to ensure that a new direction is taken that uses it in new innovative ways instead of using the old cow paths to drive cars on. We have an opportunity to make marketing/pr be a conversation between a business and its audience rather than a broadcast projected at the audience.

Using Twitter as an example, I think that the corporations that follow all of the customers that follow them and follow those that talk about them; get it. They show that the customers are important and that they're listening to them. They show that what the customers say matters and have the opportunity to put a face on what is otherwise a faceless corporation. @ComcastCares is a good example.

This type of opportunity extends to blogs, videos, etc. Any corporation that has content on the internet to communicate to their audience without an easy avenue for the customers to respond and an opportunity to receive a meaningful response from the company in turn; doesn't get it.

The difficult part is how to scale something like this. Right now the amount of people that comment on twitter, blogs or videos is still small when compared with the number of people who purchase products and services. How can a company scale up this narrow one on one type of conversation to encompass the much larger number of customers that they'll have in the future? The companies that figure that out, will be paving the new way. I would love to be there to watch them do it.

Interesting stuff, Chris. "Deep Thoughts" by Jack Handy comes to mind! You're clearly not getting enough sleep -- but we appreciate the real-time sharing.

Your point about blurring the lines really resonates with me. Most companies and agencies have structured things in a very fragmented way that leads to finite thinking. Gets way too focused on the tactics rather than the big picture.

The beauty of social media is that it blows those silos apart, and will force marketers to get re-focused on the big picture. As David points out, some get it. Some don't. But they all are inexorably on that path, whether they realize it or not.

Ultimately, conversations know no boundaries. Communities are organic. Content will be free. Brands are shared. And people are not demographics.

Before the rise of social media, marketers could fool themselves into thinking that the conversations flowed in a linear way from "company" or "sales rep" to "customer" or "audience" -- conveniently ignoring all the other conversations with peers, friends, competitors, partners, media, analysts, officials, etc. that were also driving the environment. No longer. Now that the multi-point, multi-stream conversations are online and transparent, the reality of always-on marketing and true customer engagement has a chance to come into focus.

To answer your question on what a marketer's job is, while it does include raising awareness in the marketplace, to complete the picture you have to also include the "call to action." You can hand out pamphlets on the Red Cross, but that is not marketing. Doing all you can to convince the reader of the pamphlet to give to the Red Cross, that's marketing.

I wonder if companies are trying to hard to measure social media and to little in really understanding it. The effectiveness a piece of junk mail or spam can be measured by comparing the amount of messages sent versus sales made. That model, however, means that everyone who was contacted has no real power to discuss with the sender (the marketer) whether or not they liked the offering, why they did or did not buy, or even if they appreciated receiving the pitch. The marketers have been in total control of the conversation, and the consumer's only options were to listen passively or ignore.

Now, social media is being looked at by companies as a gathering ground for new markets. Basically, a new place to tell old jokes. Those who dwell in the social media realm, however, have the power to react to any contact initiated. No longer do solicitations become things casually discarded into trash like some bit of glossy junk mail. A contact made in the social media realm is an invitation to interact, to build a relationship, to get to know each other well. Its not that people don't want that relationship; in fact, we'll be seeing more and more of that as consumers are becoming aware of how their purchases effect the environment, politics, economies, etc. Social media users, however, will be demanding a bit more than that one sided approach of old.

Whenever there is a discussion of how to use social media as an effecient marketing tool, someone needs to remind the marketers that there is no banner ads on twitter, and people like it that way.

The awareness issue-

I got a copy of B & H's two volume professional video sourcebook the other day- 2 catalogs, each thicker than those old Sears catalogs, with varieties of equipment, ranging from lighting, to cameras, to microphones to software and beyond, that make online audio and video work, whether you are a TV station or an independent producer. And you could say, well, B & H already has a great website, why would I want all this paper taking up shelf space?

However, by flipping through the catalog, I was immediately struck by how many problems I didn't know I had; how many other solutions were out there to solve nagging issues I had, but wasn't sure how to solve, as well as ways to tweek, enhance and improve what I am doing well already.

This catalog brought much more awareness to me about ways to solve current and future problems than I would ever have just with google- why? Google works on a point to point search method- it escorts you into a neighborhood and lets you choose among those houses, or reformulate the search to be escorted into a new neighborhood. The catalog, in contrast, was like learning about architecture instead- it says- hey, you could choose an apartment, or a condo, or a single house or a duplex, or a yurt, and once you decide what kind of house you want, we'll take you to the neighborhoods that offer a selection of that sort of housing.
Ok, before I get too tortured in this analogy, the point is that sometimes, a broader awareness of solutions to problems, whether you have them right now, or even knew it was a problem, does more to educate your potential customers, than hoping they will be able to delineate and focus their problem enough and then hope they happen to find your solution in the neighborhood Google may direct them to.
SEO and SEM is all about putting up bigger billboards, directing Google into your neighborhood, but sometimes, the point to point search just isn't sufficient and awareness and knowing "stuff" is much more utilitarian and important.

Good stuff Chris ...

I'm in the services part of all this so my experience is more with what clients think, want, expect, are familiar with, etc ...

It's funny how much what you are talking about applies to dealing with clients in the services world. The "cowpaths" analogy fit's perfectly. The come to a new system/tool from a system/tool that they had previously been using for a number of years - expecting things work exactly the same, but give them better 'results' if you will.

We have to walk with them through the change process. Some are great at jumping right in ... others need baby steps. Either way it takes an 'expert' to help guide.

At the end of the day it's really about showing them the value. This usually entails great education and training. Once those 2 things are done the client has to really dig in - believing that they are on the right track. If they don't ... they then have the 'grass is always greener' mentality.

So at some levels this challenge exists all over the place. Having Social Media become the new 'printing press' will take time and a lot of people who do see the vision who can keep bangin' on it until the world see it!

Keep the vision :)


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http://twitter.com/franswaa

Chris,

I'm a recent fan and have subscribed to your blog. Thanks for posting the videos.

Living in rural PA, I can related to your comments about cowpaths and Boston roads. We have the same situation in PA; rolling roads in odd directions that seemingly make no sense.

You correctly dismiss this as a bad idea for cars. BUT it's a great idea for cows. Hang with me while I get to my point about marketing--

Cow paths are created when cows come together for a common purpose. They are heading to water, or to an access point for another pasture. Or coming into the barns for milking and feeding. They serve an important purpose-- important enough that the first roads used the similar strategies.

Convincing cows to go down cowpaths was done by marketers called herding dogs. Their purpose was to get the cows to go more frequently, at the right time, in the right direction, to do the right thing.

Whoever decided that whatever was a good idea for cows is a good idea for autos made a mistake. Cars need long straight paths, clear views, and safe surroundings. This is why Boston and Pennsylvania roads suffer.

The mistake would be for marketers to put cows on roads. Or autos on cow paths. Yet, we frequently want to think that everyone is a cow. Or everyone is an auto. And that the needs of one match the needs of the other. (Shotgun!)

One should not dismiss the value of cowpaths because they are bad for cars. As marketers, we need to find ways to acknowledge and honor many paths-- and to find unique ways to shepherd customers along each path to a needed solution.

@Scott - you know, that's a really great point to make. Cow's don't feel like they've done anything wrong. They probably feel great with their perspective. And there are plenty of times when cow paths are just right. If there are cows.

I also liked the idea of herd dogs as early marketers. : )

Hi Chris,
The cowpath analogy is interesting. Let's add to it the fact that when the cows took their stalls they knew where each one belonged. I grew up on a dairy farm & some of the older cows HAD to have their stall. The younger cows were much more flexible & really didn't care (and probably enjoyed stealing the other cow's feed when they were in the wrong stall for a bit). Anyway Scott has a good point that cows are creatures of habit.

Hi Chris!

This was very interesting to watch as you begin building on some the thoughts you shared. I'm looking forward to seeing how these thoughts continue to develop at the next few conferences.

-Justin Levy

Chris - you need to stop sleeping and just do video posts all night long. :-) Terrific! I like that you talk the way you write (or vice versa) - that's a hard thing to do, and you do it well.

Two points - first, I like what Whitney says about marketers who focus on solving customers' problems - even the ones they don't know they have. As a business owner, my entire existence is based on my being able to find ways to solve people's problems. That's why they pay me. To me, marketing is taking those successfully solved problems and using them as examples to other potential clients with similar
problems.

Second, regarding companies using Twitter as a marketing vehicle. I am not inclined to follow someone with a handle such as @ComcastCares, because I don't get the sense that there is a real person behind the tweets. To me, I get the sense that it's merely a team of marketing/salespeople, doing Twitter searches for someone talking about Comcast, then interjecting their sales/marketing shpeils (sp?) at appropriate moments. I'm not saying that is what Comcast in particular is doing, but I've seen other companies do it - therefore I don't trust it.

What DOES work, is when you know that there is a REAL person, with a REAL personality behind the handle. @RichardatDell comes to mind. As does @flourish (she is a producer at CNN). These are real people. Do they have the interest of marketing their business? Absolutely. But, they are interested in building a relationship with me first. Therefore, I am more inclined to trust them and listen to what they say - and maybe, just maybe, allow them to help me solve my problems.