Stop the presses! Periscope iOS App is one to watch.

There’s a new iOS app in town, but unlike so many flash-in-the-pan social media darlings this one deserves your attention. It’s called Periscope (@periscopeco) and in just 6 weeks since launching, it is already rocketing to the top of the social media world. Here’s why it matters to you.

Periscope is a live-streaming application (how it works), which sounds kind of dry as new technologies often do. So why are Periscope weeks like dog years for everyone else, gathering outsize attention in an internet universe drowning in me-too apps?

The answer lies at the heart of story-driven marketing. Periscope’s live streaming is compelling in ways that other apps are not, because it offers two of the most precious – and difficult to create – elements of great storytelling: authenticity and drama.

AUTHENTICITY RULES

Consumers value authenticity and drama now more than ever, because our social channels are awash in emotionless, manufactured content. When audiences consume this kind of prepared corporate information, they are hyper-aware of the possibility of manipulation. Even the good stuff, content we like, often feels just a little too much like marketing.

In contrast, live-streaming offers the kind of unfiltered immediacy and intimacy that cannot be faked. You get what you get. It’s real and it’s live. It’s even better than reality TV for raw honesty, because there is no script, no manipulative director, and no editing after the fact.

The downside of this is that some of the videos will inevitably be really boring. But the upside is transparency. And in a world caked in corporate insincerity, consumers crave truthfulness – even if it is a little unvarnished at times.

PUT PERISCOPE TO WORK FOR YOU

Where should you start? Any content that lends itself to an interactive conversation is probably something to consider developing on Periscope. The best part is that this technique is freely available and will work equally well for companies both big and small. A couple of examples that jump to mind would be:

Q&A. Like the one held by Runners World just today with their Chief Running Officer, Bart Yasso, Q&A sessions are extremely effective at building loyalty and relationships. Imagine how helpful it would be if companies like Home Depot or Lowe’s answered DIY questions live, in the store, and just walked around showing what to buy and how to do things for certain projects.

Crowd-sourcing or focus groups. Now imagine how this might work for a food company like Seattle’s brand new (and drool-worthy) Rodeo Donut. Or maybe the folks at the beauty brand, Julep. Both need to develop new products regularly. Imagine how helpful it would be to get instant feedback and advice from customers on new flavors, colors or skus. It’s a trifecta of excellence: develop rapport with your audience, build a larger base, AND get invaluable customer insight.

Show what you know: My buddy (and triathlon teammate) runs a seriously terrific Seattle-area store called the Balanced Athlete that offers running gear, shoes and clinics. A live stream of even a small part of one of his clinics would be a marvelous way to raise awareness, answer questions right on the spot, and demonstrate why any runner would be better off getting fit for new sneakers there than at some faceless chain at the mall.

DON’T WAIT

These are just a few ideas, but once you start thinking about it, there are endless ways you can use the transparency and immediacy of Periscope to advance your business goals. The point is to start using Periscope RIGHT NOW, while the field is still wide open for new players and before it gets much more difficult to make an impact. And of course, don’t forget to save all that great content and upload it to YouTube, so you can re-feature it to your audience again later.

Get started now

Got any comments on using Periscope? I’d love to hear them.

Picture this

And what do the gods of Google do? They laugh. They deliver measly traffic so low it’s not even worth A/B testing your headlines. What’s a lonely content marketing director to do?

Recently Jay Baer published this excellent post explaining that in a world awash in content, SEO is more relevant than ever. True enough.

So if SEO is still essential to content marketers, how do you do it? Isn’t SEO just a moving target? Actually no. Last week, I sat down with Seattle-based SEO expert, Mark McLaren, and he filled me in on what the pros are telling their clients these days. The following is based on our conversation.

1. Content is your best SEO weapon

As Mark explains it, “There are two parts to SEO, the content part and the technical part.” That’s because Google has gotten so much better at search.

“The Panda update and the Penguin update were specifically designed to weed out the garbage and they both do a really good job. These days, you need great content. 5 years ago, that didn’t use to be the case. Google has just gotten so much better at finding people that are trying to game the SEO system. 

So if your content is good, you’re already way ahead of the hacks churning out junk, because Google is sniffing out those puppies like a K9 working for the FBI.

2. SEO is not a mystery

Every two years MOZ (formerly SEO MOZ) surveys leading search marketers and publishes their opinions on the top eighty or so factors they believe Google values most. Is this the gospel direct from Google? No, but it’s pretty damn close. Most SEO experts agree that by consistently following the top priorities on this list – at least those that are within your control, and not all are – your content will increase in rank and traffic over time.

But eighty is a lot, right? A LOT. Don’t panic. Luckily, Mark has summarized the most important ones:

3. In-Links are the key to pagerank

As Mark explains it,

“Far and away the most important thing for your pagerank is the number and quality of links pointing to your website. And your pagerank is the biggest factor in whether your post shows up on page 1 in Google search results.

There are different ways those links can be related. But the bottom line is the site with the most high quality links pointing to it wins. And high quality is key. In the old days people could get away with a lot of nonsense in terms of getting in-links but the Penguin update put an end to that.”

How do you get more links? The most obvious and natural way is by creating good content. Think of sites like The Oatmeal. Or even Buzzfeed. I know, Buzzfeed can be annoying but people love their content. It’s funny, it’s quick and it’s topical. Or even WebMD. It’s dry, but people read it because it quickly gives them the information they want. Period.

So start with great content, but be strategic too. Write about someone or some company well-known in your industry and they are highly likely to link back to you. And if you have genuinely good content it never hurts to ask.

4. When it comes to links, choose quality over quantity

Not all in-links are created equal. Google has gotten smart, so just a few in-links from highly ranked sites will help you more than thousands of links from obscure sites. This is a good thing, because it means you can focus your efforts on getting just a few quality links.

One of the easiest ways to do this Mark explains, is to focus on getting links from sites that end in .edu, .org or .gov. That’s because Google (mostly correctly) assumes that since non-profits and government sites have no economic incentive to push a particular product or service their links are less subject to manipulation.

You can take advantage of this by brainstorming ways to get those links. Are there any government or non-profit agencies that would be interested in your content? Make them your target. Ask if you can write a guest blog post, or send them links to your content and ask them to share it. Even one or two of these will go a long way to advancing your own site’s rank, thus raising the rank of ALL your content.

The bottom line: spend your precious time and money getting a few really powerful links rather than hundreds of weak ones.

5. Out-links can help, and they’re easy

Okay, so maybe it’s going to take a while to build up some quality in-links, but you can add some excellent quality out-links right now. As Mark explains, “Write posts that include a link out to an authoritative site in the first paragraph. From Google’s standpoint they aren’t going to penalize you for out-links, and it definitely increases your post’s credibility.”

6. Structure matters

Okay, here we get a little technical, but bear with me, because this stuff really matters. There are a lot of aspects to structure, but on this point Mark is emphatic, “The Title Tag is #1. It’s more important than anything else on a webpage. If you don’t get the title tag right, don’t bother.”

So what is the title tag? Basically, it’s the text Google reads first to decide what your content is about. It’s also the text that shows in blue in search results pages to tell searchers what your content is about too. Here’s what it looks like for another post I wrote:

If you use a blog publishing platform like WordPress, ask your web developer to add an SEO plug-in that allows you to edit the title tag to make it as SEO and click-friendly as possible. As long as it accurately reflects the content of your post, you should absolutely take advantage of this by using the keywords most likely to drive traffic.

7. Common language is powerful

There’s a whole science related to keywords and what people will search for, but the basic rule is this: Write in the language most commonly used by your target audience. Not in your own jargony-jargon. Not in the language you think sounds the most “professional” and corporate. Not in the words you just made up last week to describe your niche product. Just the common everyday language of your customers. Because guess what? That’s what they are Googling.

An easy way to check if the terms you are using have SEO value is Google Suggest. Here’s how: Pick a term you want your page or post to rank well for and start typing it into Google. Google immediately starts filling in some suggested terms for you. If YOUR term doesn’t show up, it’s not frequently searched. Rewrite your content to use one of the terms that does show up instead. Don’t want to? Sorry Charlie! Google doesn’t care, and neither do your searching customers. So change it.

Mark shared this excellent example: “Take “facebook marketing”. You can see in Suggest that “facebook marketing tips” appears before “facebook marketing ideas”. The suggestions don’t appear alphabetically; they appear in order of search volume, so we know that “…tips” is searched more often than “…ideas”. Nine times out of ten, it’s best to use the one that’s searched more often, especially in a title tag or heading. Note that something like “facebook marketing thoughts” doesn’t show up. So you can rule that one out.”

So there you have it. Seven powerful things you can do right now to make your outstanding content stand out. Go forth and conquer.

*photo credit: Freedigitalphotos.net

It seems everyone these days wants us to find something. Corona wants us to find our beach. Nike wants us to find our greatness. Macy’s wants us to find our magic. Expedia wants us to find our story. And now Kohl’s wants us to find our yes (huh?). So what’s behind all this searching and seeking? Why are brands from such varied sectors compelling their audiences to get out there – or look within – and find, find, find? In the case of these brand nudges towards exploration, it all starts with story.

You see, the brands that transcend the cacophony these days are doing so by connecting with their consumers on an emotional level and the communication device that awakens hearts is story. The familiar pattern of a story instantly locks into ancient, well-worn story grooves in our brains. [The neuroscience is well documented and quite fascinating. Check out this Fast Company article summarizing a research study showing that when subjects love brands more than people (!!!), story was playing cupid.]

As humans, when we spot heroes and villains out in the world, our brains whir and our hearts leap. We’ve heard this one before, but we always want to see how it ends. There will be obstacles and mentors along the way. That hero will leave their ho-hum world for a greater, life-altering experience. Clever brands tell us these tales and in the process they win us over, sometimes completely.

Which brings me back to Corona, Nike, Macy’s, Expedia and Kohl’s. Why the “find your…” zeitgeist? Are we really so utterly lost these days? Are each one of us flailing aimlessly, leading a purposeless life without our beach, our greatness, our magic, our story and our yes? Actually, these brands are tapping the oldest plot around, the hero’s journey. (All hail the master, Joseph Campbell, who documented the monomyth from ancient mythology to modern day stories.) The journey is beautifully and succinctly explained in this great TED Ed video.

In this cycle, the hero is called to adventure and eventually crosses the threshold to a special world that will change them forever. In brand journeys, YOU, the consumer, are the hero. (Hint, marketers: the consumer – not your product – is almost ALWAYS the hero, natch.)

The villain is your horribly mundane life. Imagine: No beach! No greatness! No magic! No story! No yes (wait, what?)! And who is the mentor in these tales? Ahhh…the brands. These brands descend from on high to show you the way into the light, right to the special world. “Find your…” is our call to adventure, my friends! It’s an invitation to start our journey, the beginning of our story, our “once upon a time…”

Just one little problem: I have exploration overload. Find fatigue. Discovery discontent. How can so many brands within just a few years be sounding the exact same clarion call? Don’t tagline copywriters at ad agencies triple-check for this stuff? Or maybe even watch TV themselves?? This is, at best, copycat communication and, at worst, lazy marketing. Don’t get me wrong, these brand stories can be enormously powerful. This Nike ad is one of my favorites of all time. I weep openly in this Expedia spot. Corona claimed beaches, forgodssake! And I’m shouting the dramatic benefits of storytelling from the marketing mountaintops. But hey all you “find your…” marketers, we cry “uncle”!! Find your new tagline. Please!

UPDATE: And there’s more! Find your Fit from Fitbit and Find Your Park (National Park Foundation), Find New Roads (Chevrolet). Stop the madness!

Catherine Captain is a partner at Rumble Marketing and adjunct professor teaching “Story-Based Marketing: Using the Power of Story to Achieve Business Success” at the University of Washington’s Communication Leadership Master’s program. 

Story power helps meet tough challenges

A whole lot is going wrong right now for the folks at the Takata airbag company in Japan, and my heart goes out to their PR team. While the crisis swirls around them crushing their brand reputation – and the company stock by 23%- their social team, if they have one, appears to be paralyzed, most likely by legal and compliance issues.

The hashtag #Takata is filled with negative news and retweets, especially of the story of a woman in Florida who was killed by shrapnel that was emitted by her Takata-made airbag. In the meantime the response on Twitter and elsewhere from the company has been near silence.

I’m going to assume that the Takata team is precluded from joining the conversation right now by legal constraints, so I won’t bash them on the slowness of their response, even though speed is absolutely critical in these situations. Instead, let’s look at how Takata might turn this around going forward once their hands are untied – using smart social media and storytelling. If Takata were our client today, here’s what I’d tell them.

1. Start with an apology

This one should be easy, because Japanese companies have a stellar history of heartfelt public apologies, at least once it is clear they are at fault. This time should be no exception. An excuse-free apology in personable, human language from the CEO on the company blog is job one.

2. Don’t pretend it’s all in the past

While it’s true that the production mistakes that caused this crisis date back over a decade, the consequences and the ensuing news stories are all very current. Takata has to treat this like a problem they have to deal with right now, not something they can just dismiss as a past mistake.

This means creating a specific marketing campaign that is laser-focused on rebuilding the brand trust that has been so negatively affected by this story. The campaign should include every trick in the book — video, images, text, blogs, etc. — and Takata should be prepared to spend some serious budget on getting their message out. Most importantly, every element in the campaign should deploy messaging specifically designed to rebuild confidence and communicate the company’s core mission – saving lives.

Think about it. Takata is an airbag company. Safety is what they DO. The key is to communicate that passion and remind everyone that their whole reason for being is life saving work.

3. Explain the facts, but do it with a story

When people die, no one cares about your data. So when you are ready to go public use powerful stories to evoke the data instead. For example, it’s clear that airbags save way more lives than this error has caused. A 2009 study by the NHTSA showed that over 20,000 lives had been saved by airbags in the United States alone, compared with the four that have been reported lost due to this crisis. That’s a lot of saved lives and every single one of them is an opportunity for Takata to tell the story of the overwhelming good their airbags do.

So go out and interview people who have been in car accidents. Speak to their families, children, parents, co-workers – and tell the story of what one saved life can do. Don’t ignore the tragedy, but balance the scales in the consumers’ mind with stories that are as powerful as the ones that are fueling this crisis right now.

The point is this: The beginning of this story is written, but with the right training, tools and mindset, Takata can still write the ending.

*Photo credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A week ago the Tough Mudder team brought their unique brand of muddy fun and obstacle course racing to the Seattle area. Founded in 2010, Tough Mudder Inc. has zoomed to $75 million in revenue in just 4 years with over 60 events held per year worldwide.

With growth like that, it’s worth taking a peek at what’s working to spread the Mudder Nation brand so fast.

1. CREATE BRAGGING RIGHTS

Tough Mudder saves a fortune in marketing costs by giving participants a reason to spread their brand. By completing an event you earn bragging rights to a story in which YOU are cast as the hero.

I know what you’re thinking, “Sure, but that’s easy for them. Bragging rights are inherent to an endurance sports event.”

Not true. How many triathlon brands or marathon brands can claim Tough Mudder levels of loyalty and love? How many can you even name? Maybe Boston or New York, and maybe the Ironnman in Hawaii. But that’s it. There are hundreds of companies running thousands of extremely demanding sports event all year long, and most toil in obscurity. In contrast, the Tough Mudder succeeds in turning participants into brand evangelists in a way these other events don’t.

So how do they do it? First, they reinforce their brand story – and cement loyalty to it – with language. Mudders aren’t “participants”, they are “Mudder Nation”. They don’t just get a T-shirt or that signature orange headband  – they earn citizenship into the toughest nation on earth. Beat THAT for bragging rights.

Note how using the word “nation” conveys all kinds of beneficial nuance to our understanding of the brand: loyalty, integrity, honor, fealty. This is the language of heroism and the language of belonging.

Look further and you’ll see more savvy language choices that drive brand inclusion and reinforce this heroic brand story. If you run a Mudder more than once (read: repeat customer) you become part of a “Legion”. But you can’t buy it, you have to EARN it:

This language actually treats being a repeat customer as a privilege. How’s that for smart marketing?

How can you emulate this bragging rights strategy even if you don’t electroshock your customers? Think about what your product or service does, and find ways to make it feel like a uniquely qualified or special community. A B2B SaaS tool seems pretty boring, but the folks at Hubspot pull this off quite nicely, calling anyone who works with them “Hubspotters”, and the agencies that contract with them “Partners”. Like the Tough Mudders, the Hubspot folks deploy a language of inclusion to make customers feel like they are part of a larger movement.

2. DEPOSITION THE COMPETITION

The Mudder team needs to attract their target audience away from traditional endurance events they already know and have budgeted for. A more conservative marketer might be afraid to alienate people with tough talk, but not the Mudders. They have the guts to position themselves against other endurance events like marathons – even though they know many of their target audience may have completed one.

In their fact sheet (see image below) Fact #2 is “Marathons are boring”.

Sure they could worry about whether this copy decision might cost them some marathon-loving prospects. But taking that risk ultimately reinforces their unique selling proposition (spontaneous fun over predictable tradition) and in the end entices plenty enough marathoners too. In taking a stand they make the purchase decision easier by giving the target audience an obvious reason to choose their event over the competition.

The lesson here is this: Be bold in your use of whatever sets you apart from your competitors to win more business over time.

3. BE GUTSY ABOUT MESSAGING CONSISTENCY

All too many companies water down their brand when dealing with officialdom, while the Tough Mudders stick to their guns no matter who is on the other side of the table,  For example, the Cartoon Network recently sent out this press release and video of Attorney General Eric Holder to support their anti-bullying campaign.

The message isn’t wrong per se, but coming from the Cartoon Network it could be so much stronger. Just think how much better, more powerful, and brand appropriate it would have been had they used a cartoon to tell this story!

Now contrast the Cartoon Network’s weak message with this press release from the Tough Mudder folks:

The profanity isn’t for everyone, but it is a perfect fit for their brand.

Even sponsors are not spared. Look at this copy from the Tough Mudder website page on sponsorship.

They use the page to differentiate themselves by contrasting their brand punch with the safe image other well known brands like Joann Fabrics and Bed Bath and Beyond. The message: we have balls, and our sponsors do too.

How can you use this lesson for your own company? Stay on brand in all contexts. You will attract far more attention for being recognizably consistent than by trying to be all things to all people.

4. CREATE MEANINGFUL STORIES

The Tough Mudder takes storytelling to the next level by infusing everything they do with a higher sense of purpose. The pre-race pep talk is about working together, about people struggling to overcome health crisis or battle injuries. The website encourages Mudders to raise money for Wounded Warriors, and service members are at each event cheering teams on and thanking everyone for their efforts. In stark contrast to marathons and triathlons, this race is not about how long it took or finishing first, it’s about finishing together.

Races are not timed, so everyone is free to help everyone else, whether on their own team or another – and they always do. In this way, the product and the message are in perfect harmony and as a result Mudders are free to create their own great stories.  Because as we all know, the strongest stories are ones in which humans show their best natures, putting aside the rush to the finish, and stopping to help others achieve their own greatness.

How can you create memorable stories like this for your own brand? Think about your ultimate purpose. Why does your company exist beyond just making money?  Use that noble purpose to find your own customer stories, and you will be well on your way to creating your own Mudder-like success.

All screenshots and images courtesy of ToughMudder Inc.

Stop the overuse madness

Words can be a lot like workout clothes, marvelous when you first start using them, but pretty stinky after years of overuse. After reading three emails in one day that contained the same tired hyperbole, I decided that we owe it to our readers to do better.

Now I confess to being as guilty as anyone of using at least some of these words in the past, but after years of valiant performance I believe these (and probably many others) are ready for a break. So the next time you catch yourself reaching for one of these words, how about taking a few extra minutes to come up with a fresher approach.

1. Killer. I personally love this word, but it’s been used beyond exhaustion. Let’s give it a rest, shall we?
2. Massive. You know what’s massive? The Pacific ocean. Or the amount of particulate matter floating in the galaxy. You know what’s not massive? The amount of credibility your product or service still gets when using this word in pitches.
3. Super Pumped. Unless you’re selling fitness equipment or services, this phrase is done.
4. Awesome. As an American, I am especially loathe to give up this word. After all, what’s more awesome than our god-given right as Americans to overuse the word awesome? But it’s time.
5. Secret. Please note: if you just wrote about it in a blog post, it’s probably not a secret. So let’s call a spade a spade… and not a secret.

Got any overused marketing words you’re ready to be done with? I’d love to hear ‘em!

Photo credit: Freedigitalphotos.net. Photo by Ambro.

Enjoy your beach times

This week, I tried out out the new blog posting functionality on Linked In. It’s pretty neat! I’ll come back in a a few months and let you know the business results of regularly posting there, but in the meantime, here’s a recap of what I covered in that post:

I’ve noticed that plenty of smart business folks I meet are pretty stressed about social media, and with good reason. Some feel overwhelmed by the proliferation of options, others are panicked by the idea of keeping up with the latest developments, and still more feel compelled to use social media tools, even when they feel totally unnatural.

If this sounds familiar, I’m here to say one thing: Relax.

First, while there are more options than ever, that doesn’t mean you need to use each and every one for your business. For example, if you run a B2B business selling construction grade lumber to contractors, it’s perfectly legitimate for you to decide to ignore Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest almost completely. Not that you couldn’t come up with some interesting campaigns for those platforms, but why make yourself crazy, when there are so many more efficient options for you to reach your audience? Of course you’ll want to monitor those platforms for any conversation that goes on about your brand, so you can respond if needed, but that’s a far cry from needing to come up with fresh content, building a following or posting regularly.

Instead, just pick the few platforms that can really deliver for your business and focus on them. Depending on the size and type of your business, if your blog, email marketing and Linked In are shipshape, that may be more than enough. If you’re not sure what you need, it shouldn’t cost a ton in social media consulting to find out. I often suggest starting with a solid digital audit. It’s relatively quick, affordable and will help you figure out what you really need and what you don’t.

Second, remember that no one is actually keeping up with everything. That’s right, even within the ranks of the social media gurus, people tend to specialize. There are folks who focus on Facebook, others who focus on Linked In, others still on Google+. So if even the pros are giving themselves permission to do one or two things really well, so should you. The digital audit combined with a clear understanding of your business objectives will help you identify where to put your chips quickly and efficiently.

Finally, if you don’t actually enjoy social media, chances are pretty good you aren’t going to stick with it anyway. And since consistency is essential to success, don’t try to push a square peg into a round hole. There may already be someone in your organization who loves social media and who would be delighted to take this over for you. Or maybe you have a raving fan or customer who would do cartwheels at the idea of running social for you. The point is to find an efficient way to get the work done; not to transform yourself into someone you’re not.

Social media can be a very effective piece of your marketing mix, but it’s perfectly fine to do it in a way that fits your business priorities and time constraints. So if you’re feeling a little behind the 8 ball, here’s what I suggest: make a doable plan, stick to it, and measure the results. If you’re getting the business results you need, enjoy your well-earned summer weekends off and don’t worry about the rest.

So what’s the takeaway here for managers and people who actually love work?

1. Don’t make work a job
Clearly, Marina loves her work as a video producer. Indeed, she loves it so much, she actually turned quitting into a work project! So why’d she quit? Because her boss turned her work into a job by valuing quantity of output over quality. It’s a safe bet that Marina will land right on her feet at a company that loves the work as much as she does.

2. Even an epic fail can be turned around
When the video went viral, Marina’s boss, and company, Next Media Animation, didn’t threaten to sue her, nor did they turn themselves into the focal point of the story. Instead, they let the light shine where it belonged – on Marina. Thus, they were saved from a potential PR mess. Even better, Marina has been quoted in the Daily News explaining that her boss actually paid her full salary through the month of October. That’s not just classy, it’s smart damage control.

3. Be realistic
Marina is obviously a clever gal, but a viral video like this one is like lightning in a bottle. Her new employers will be smart to do everything they can to reduce the pressure on her to deliver a repeat performance out of the box. Great talent is nurtured, not browbeaten into excellence.

4. Emotion STILL sells
Why did this video go so viral, so fast? All viral hits have an element of luck, but Marina did the one thing you absolutely must do for the win. She told a universal story in a compelling way that taps the deep-rooted psychology of nearly ever office worker. Who hasn’t wanted to give their employer a giant middle finger at some point in their career?

Marina did that, video style.

That’s me!

spied a Coke bottle through the frosty glass that read “Share a Coke with Catherine.”  Catherine!?  That’s me!  Next to my bottle were dozens of bottles of Coke and Diet Coke with various different names.  “Share a Coke with Matthew.”  “Share a Coke with Amit.”  “Share a Coke with Jade.”  My 10- and 12-year old daughters spent the next five minutes picking up, touching and turning every bottle in the case to see if their names or their BFF’s names were there.

After the momentary delight of spotting my own name – and, of course, taking a photo of my special bottle – I marveled at the sheer brilliance of this marketing effort.  Over the next couple weeks traveling around Great Britain, the kids (and, yes, even I) became obsessed with hunting for names on bottles at every shop, newsstand and airport kiosk.  As a marketer, I realized that while I don’t have Coke’s big budgets or teams of agencies,  the “Share a Coke” effort reminded me of core marketing principals that we should all revisit and emulate.

6 reminders for marketers from the “Share a Coke” campaign:

1.  Let them “touch” the product, literally or figuratively
I haven’t picked up a Coke bottle in years.  Since discovering shelves of “Share a Coke” bottles, I estimate that I’ve touched at least 50 in the past 12 days.  I have at least 7-8 photos of various bottles on my phone.  Coke gave me a reason to care, a compelling reason to seek out and interact with their product.  Whether your product is physical or virtual, aimed at consumers or targeting businesses, give your potential customers a reason to explore, to interact and to care about your product or service.  The value of the resulting brand experience cannot be overestimated.

2.  Make it viral
Naturally, I posted my “Share a Coke with Catherine” photo on Facebook along with the caption, “Why wouldn’t you?”  Within a day or two, dozens of my friends had liked the photo, way more than the norm for my typical post.  Here I was sharing a picture of a product I don’t even use with hundreds of my friends around the world.  Coke turned me into their brand ambassador.  I endorsed their product without hesitation.  How can you make your product share-worthy?  How can you create ambassadors who positively endorse your brand?

3.  Get personal
The largest brand in the world spoke directly to me.  Coke always does things big.  This time they did something tiny.  And that small feat was no small feat.  Seeing my name on a bottle (spelled correctly, no less) was a gift from Coke to me. Obviously, I didn’t find the only “Catherine” bottle on the planet – in fact, I later found a Diet Coke version in the airport – and I’m sure I wasn’t the only Catherine to take a picture of the Coke bottle with my name on it.  Yet the experience was utterly personal.   I challenge you to give an unexpected gift directly to your consumer or at least make them feel that way.

4.  Remember good old-fashioned surprise and delight
It’s Marketing 101.  Find a way to stand out from the competition.  In a world filled with constant marketing messages, even Coke gets ignored.  Normally, I walk by Coca-Cola bottles without a second glance.  They found a way to get my attention.  One might call the “Share a Coke” campaign gamification of Coke shopping, a treasure hunt where the prize is made just for me. There’s something in your product story, your brand message, your company history or your user experience that will capture the imagination of your target even for just an instant.  Find it.

5.  Make the impossible possible
I wish I knew who dreamed up the concept to put individual names on Coke bottles.  I’d like to buy that person a beer…er, Coke.  Can you imagine the faces around the table when that idea was presented?  “Hey, let’s take millions of bottles and somehow personalize them.”  Impossible!  But someone saw the potential and made it reality.  Put your crazy ideas out there early and often.  Don’t dismiss seemingly far-our ideas you hear from others.  Get creative, get excited, communicate the potential and then go make it happen.

6.  Let emotions run wild
I saved the best for last.  Brands are all about tapping into emotion.  Coke wants to own happiness.  You see the consistent theme in their other advertising and marketing.  Their current tagline is “Open Happiness.”  Certainly, seeing my name on a bottle made me happy.  Taking a photo of a bottle with my friend’s daughter’s name and texting it to her made me happy.  Going on vacation with a friend and finding both our names plus

This micro-interaction with the brand will make Helen’s day

a bottle that said “Share a Coke with Friends” made me happy.  Beyond those little happy moments, somehow it all made the world seem just a tad smaller.  Seeing all those names reminds you that you’re part of something bigger.  It reminded me of the old TV commercials where they sang “I’d like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company” while holding hands and swaying.  That little bottle worked pretty hard to get me to feel all that.  Do not…I repeat DO NOT…shy away from making an emotional connection with your consumers.  It might feel bold and it might make you uncomfortable.  If it does, it just might be exactly right.

I don’t know how the “Share a Coke” campaign is performing for Coke in the UK.  I read that when the campaign originally launched in Australia a couple summers ago sales went up 4%.  When you consider Coke’s volume, that’s nothing to sneeze at.  There’s a larger point to consider, though.  Yes, I bought some bottles I may not have otherwise due to the novelty and fun factor.  What’s more important is that Coke is top of mind for me in a way it hasn’t been in years, maybe even decades.  I can’t quantify exactly how many of my dollars will now go into Coke’s pockets, but I have a feeling they will.  Case in point — I had big plans for my “Share a Coke with Catherine” Coke and Diet Coke bottles.  I pictured them on my shelf at work, daily inspiration for me to be the best marketer I can be. Two little icons to remind me when the marketing landscape gets chaotic that I need only return to the fundamentals that make good marketing great.  And then…well, I got thirsty.  Well played, Coca-Cola, well played.

First, there is this silly post on The Social Media Examiner (which is generally a terrific blog). The post title makes it sound like you can use Facebook’s Custom Audience tool to better understand your existing email list. Sounds good, right?

Unfortunately, what the post mainly does is explain how to upload your company’s subscribed email list into Facebook, so you can send them Facebook ads. That’s right, the advice is to buy Facebook ads and target them at people who are ALREADY on your email list.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Still, I try to stay open to new ideas, so I asked a friend and colleague I respect what she thought, and she pointed me to this slightly older, and even sillier post on SEOMoz about the very same thing.

In it SEOMoz explains that uploading your list to Facebook will help you (this is their order of priority, not mine):

1. Get more Facebook followers (OMG)
2. Drive sales and conversions
3. Get newsletter sign-ups

Let’s look at  point #1, getting more followers on Facebook. Why is this such a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad idea?

Social media is supposed to (among many other things) help you build your list. Not the other way around! Anyone who tells you to pay precious marketing money to convince your email list to follow you on Facebook is letting the tail wag the dog.

(Note: This is totally different from asking your existing customers – nicely and for free – to fan you on Facebook so you can stay in touch with them there, which is a very good idea. But remember, Facebook only shows a limited number of your messages to fans, while your emails go to your entire list. Every time.)

What about their #2, drive sign ups and sales? That sounds good, but why on earth would you pay for Facebook ads when you can market to these people via permission-based email for free?

SEOMoz gives the example of a Valentine’s promo that you would only target at people who are married or in relationships. Have they checked Facebook lately? Or ever? How many people actually add that data? And how many lie?

To add icing to this cake, some of the commenters on the post actually suggest that you may get better clicks from Facebook ads than from your emails written to your subscribed list. Whoa. If you’re even thinking about Facebook ads because you think they’ll beat your emails for open rates and click-throughs, it’s time to fire your email marketing team – stat.

The data is very clear that email marketing is STILL the best way to drive sign ups and sales. And that’s just fine. Social media has its place, and replacing email is simply not one of them.

As for newsletter sign-ups, that doesn’t even make sense. By definition, people on your list have signed up for email from you, and your newsletter is part of that.

I’ll give the folks at the Social Media Examiner credit for explaining a fourth use for the tool in their post: gaining demographic insights about your list. Okay, but it would be a lot easier simply to look at your Facebook analytics and see what demographics you’ve got there. Will this be identical to your list? No, but if your brand image is consistent across all platforms (as well it should be), then you’re well on your way – without the extra work.

This kind of advice shows a painful over-reliance on Facebook. Never forget that Mark Zuckerberg runs Facebook for his own shareholders, not yours. And given the rate at which Facebook changes the goalposts, you should be looking for ways to be less reliant on it, not more. Certainly not ways that involve paying Facebook to advertise to people already on your list.

Just goes to show you that even the experts can get it wrong. The best way to  avoid getting taken is to give every new tool you are offered a traditional marketer’s gut check. If you already have a way to do something for less money, you probably don’t need it.