Blog Action Day: Water & AOC3

Blog Action Day takes place on October 15th. Today, it's about Water.  Because it's about water, it's also about AOC3, otherwise known as The Age of Conversation 3. In honor of Blog Action Day, I'd like to invite you to purchase copies of AOC3 TODAY! In so doing, you support charity:water.

Blog Action Day is truly a global experience when bloggers from around the world come together and blog about the same topic on the same day, thereby drawing intense, focused attention to a topic critical to us all.

In 2009, the topic was Climate Change [I related it to the Retail Experience, too].

In 2008, the topic was Poverty.

In 2007, the topic was The Environment.

October 15, 2010 and the topic is Water.  Why Water? As the Blog Action Day site explains:

Right now, almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water. That’s one in eight of us. 

Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of diseases and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Children are especially vulnerable, as their bodies aren't strong enough to fight diarrhea, dysentery and other illnesses. The UN predicts that one tenth of the global disease burden can be prevented simply by improving water supply and sanitation. 

But, water moves beyond just a human rights issue. It’s an environmental issue, an animal welfare issue, a sustainability issue. Water is a global issue, deserving a global conversation.

Water truly is a precious global resource that should be accessible to all.

Enter The Age of Conversation 3 [AOC3].

Proceeds from sales of The Age of Conversation 3 are donated to charity. The charity we've chosen is charity: water. As co-editor of AOC3 Gavin Heaton explains, charity:water "is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. 100% of public donations directly fund water projects.  Amazingly, just $20 can give one person clean water for 20 years. An average water project costs $5,000 and can serve 250 people with clean, safe water – so purchasing a copy of the Age of Conversation 3 really can make a difference to someone’s life!"

Learn more about why charity:water is so focused on water! It's a big deal!

In honor of Blog Action Day 2010, I invite you to purchase one or several copies of Age of Conversation 3. Proceeds from your purchase will be donated to charity:water and make a difference for those who need clean water.  Simply click on this link which will take you to Amazon to purchase Age of Conversation 3.

Thank you and Happy Blog Action Day!

How To Measure Engagement

The Content Marketing Institute series on engaging content marketing continues with How To Measure Engagement.

Previous posts included What Does Engaging Content Mean to You? and 10 Ways to Make Content More Engaging.

The following prominent content marketers contributed their perspectives to this week's question "How should marketers measure engagement?":

Barbra Gago (@barbragago)
Doug Kessler (@dougkessler)
Sarah Mitchell (@globalcopywrite)
Nate Riggs (@nateriggs)
Elizabeth Sosnow (@elizabethsosnow)
Stephanie Tilton (@stephanietilton)
Jennifer Watson (@ContextComm)
CB Whittemore (@cbwhittemore) -- me!
Keith Wiegold (@contentkeith)

Notice how many responses urge looking beyond the data to take into account the human factor.

Here is my response:

Although how you measure engagement will depend on your business goals, I believe that it’s critically important to remember that quality matters far more than quantity.

The online world offers all kinds of measures: visits, page views, subscribers, comments, etc.  So many in fact that you can lose sight of the bigger picture by focusing too much on the details.  The bigger picture takes into account that you are looking to interact and engage with people, not data.  Although the data offers perspective and insight on people and what they engage with, it is still data and doesn’t fully capture the human aspects of engagement.

For example, depending on your audience, you may find your content generates more offline interaction.  Or perhaps intense email exchanges. After two years writing a blog focused on the sights, sounds, history and community of my local neighborhood, word-of-mouth has led to two to three emails per month filled with personal stories and anecdotes – and photos.  Those exchanges are poorly captured in data, but they are powerful signs of intense engagement with an audience more comfortable with traditional forms of interaction [e.g., email] rather than blog comments.

Look for signs, both online and offline, that allow you to appreciate quality rather than than quantity and gain context for the engagement you’ve created. You’re much better off with fewer well-qualified visitors who are eager to consume your content – because it’s relevant to them – than with an army of readers bouncing off your [to them] irrelevant content. That way you can fine tune your content, strengthen the engaging qualities and possibly even capture more quantity!

What's your take on how you should be measuring engagement? I'd love to hear your response!

Connecting With Customers: Nufloors Advice

How do you go about connecting with customers, establishing relationships with them and then figuring out how to best stay in touch - particularly in categories where the replacement cycle takes years rather than days? These were some of the questions explored this past September 2010 during my visit with Canada Nufloors Group members in Kelowna, British Columbia.

[If you remember from Press Release: Nufloors Turning Flooring Customers Into Advocates, Canada Nufloors Group Inc., represents leading Canadian floor covering retailers with locations in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario.]

In addition to sharing my presentation titled "Retail Hospitality or Customer Service Before, During and After the Sale" about connecting with customers, I got to hear wise advice from Cynthia Dean, General Manager of Nufloors Coquitlam, as she shared her experiences ‘Turning Flooring Customers Into Advocates’

Here are points she addressed that particularly resonated with me.

Survey your customers.  You'll find out that you don't know what you think you know. You'll also discover that customers are passionate about you and will give feedback.

Share what you learn from customers with your entire organization. Make everyone a part of the solution. From analyzing the responses, create an action plan that you implement. Then repeat the process. Be sure to measure results. What you measure, you can manage & improve. Furthermore, the process creates a halo effect from focusing on customers on an ongoing basis.

Simple ideas are effective in delighting customers. For example, have umbrellas with Nufloors imprinted available when it rains. Then, walk your customer to her car with the umbrella deployed!

From a practical perspective, Cynthia recommended the following process for dealing with customer survey results:

• Once you get feedback, don't get overwhelmed.
• Take the easy ones first
• Stay focused on 2 or 3 to work on
• Be sure to research so you have hard data vs. gut feel
• Develop an action plan.  Tackle problems at their root cause. Make one person responsible for the action plan. Monitor progress once a month, and stay committed.

[A theme that has been coming up repeatedly lately is the importance of focusing and prioritizing.] 

Here are my presentation slides:

Retail Hospitality or Customer Service Before, During & After the Sale

View more presentations from Simple Marketing Now LLC.

Finally, several resources in case you'd like to dive deeper into the subject of Connecting With Customers.

Customer Service [aka Retail Hospitality] Articles

From Tom Peters' marvelous free resources, a document titled "The Independent Retailer Edge: 49 Points of Potential Dramatic Difference."

A Good Hug is Worth based on a presentation by Jack Mitchell, author of Hug Your Customers: The Proven Way to Personalize Sales and Achieve Astounding Results.

Businesses find benefits in giving customers the white-glove treatment.

Wharton: WOM Customers 16% More Valuable

Excerpt from The Gender Intelligent Retailer: Discover the Connection Between Women Consumers and Business Growth, by Joanne Thomas Yaccato

Statistics-Customer Service & Quality

Why Customer Service Buzz is the New Marketing

Will You Recommend This Article to a Friend?

Why Your Customers Don't Want to Talk to You

Classics on Connecting With Customers

• Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping--Updated and Revised for the Internet, the Global Consumer, and Beyond by Paco Underhill 
• Marketing to Women: How to Increase Your Share of the World's Largest Market by Marti Barletta
• You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation by Deborah Tannen

As you read through all of this, what comes to mind for connecting with customers? What have you found most successful? How do you establish relationships and develop them consistently over time?

By the way, Kelowna is as magical a place as Rob Banks led me to believe, with vineyards, orchards, mythical beings - if you look carefully in the photo, you'll catch a glimpse of the Ogopogo, cousin to LockNess and active on Facebook and Twitter, who has promised to eat me next time I visit - and unexpected encounters. It's definitely worth a visit to savor marvelous wines - we visited Ex Nihilo Vineyards, Gray Monk and Arrowleaf Cellars - and feast your eyes on brilliant scenery.

eCairn's Top 150 Social Media Marketing Blogs

If you are looking for ideas about social media marketing blogs to explore, go no further than eCairn's recently released Top 150 Social Media Marketing Blogs: Sept '10 from September 29, 2010.

I am a big fan - and user - of eCairn Conversation  [see Social Flooring Blog Index - August 2010] and have experienced firsthand the robustness of the platform. This list definitely includes the finest thinking and most engaging content related to social media marketing.

It also makes me very excited to discover that Simple Marketing Blog, launched in March of 2009 in a crowded segment of the blogosphere, ranks #87 out of the top 150 most influential social media marketing blogs that eCairn Conversation tracks.

Pretty darn cool if I say so myself!

A major Thank You to all of you for subscribing, reading, commenting and being part of what's going on here on the Simple Marketing Blog!

That said, I do hope you will explore the other social media marketing blogs listed in eCairn's Top 150 listing.

Let me know which are your favorites.

PS: I'm partial to #18 MarketingProfs Daily Fix - not just because I'm a contributor ;-) - and many others written by friends.

How To Make Content More Engaging

Last week, Content Marketing Institute asked What Does Engaging Content Mean to You?  This week CMI asks How To Make Content More Engaging.

The resulting post titled 10 Ways to Make Content More Engaging captures perspectives from 12 prominent content marketers:

Shelly Bowen (@shelbow)
Heidi Cohen (@heidicohen)
Barbra Gago (@barbragago)
Doug Kessler (@dougkessler)
Patsi Krakoff (@Patsiblogsquad)
Sarah Mitchell (@globalcopywrite)
Elise Redlin-Cook (@redlincook)
Lisa Petrilli (@LisaPetrilli)
Nate Riggs (@nateriggs)
Stephanie Tilton (@stephanietilton)
Jennifer Watson (@ContextComm)
CB Whittemore (@cbwhittemore) --- me!

Notice how often 'human' comes up.

Here's my response:

Making content more engaging requires truly understanding your audience and the world they live in.

Can you “walk in your readers’ shoes” to better understand them? Can you identify individual reader and buyer personas so you can customize the recommendations and wisdom you offer in your content? Do you know what terms they use to refer to your product or service? How is your product or service relevant to them given where they are in the buying cycle?

Making content more engaging requires careful, thoughtful and active listening so you can anticipate needs and questions and uncover patterns. The more you do so, the better you can craft uniquely engaging perspectives.

Don’t forget to check your ego and company- or product-centric notions at the door so you remain open to engaging with your readers.

What's you take on how to make content more engaging? I'd love to hear your response.

Practical Simple Marketing In The News 10/5/10

Are you ready? Here's the latest issue of Practical Simple Marketing In The News. These are links and resources shared on Twitter this past month with the tag #practicalmktr and grouped into categories.

I hope you find these resources as exciting as I do. John Cleese on creativity is a gem and I loved the "Outside In" article from Wharton. Pretty cool, too, the growing list of brands and industries successfully experimenting with social media marketing.

If you are interesting in the consumer retail experience, I've been doing something similar on Flooring The Consumer with Retail Experience links #retailexp.

Simple & Practical Marketing Data

• Surprising stats about social media usage: Gray Wave goes social http://bit.ly/cXIhjN #practicalmktr
• 5 social media trends to watch right now http://bit.ly/dnz4Gx #practicalmktr 
• Unbelievably delicious: 50 most stunning examples of data visualization & infographics http://bit.ly/cVNKXh #practicalmktr
• Not sure that I'm ready for social search. http://ow.ly/2GDqD Are you? #practicalmktr
• Older adults enthusiastically embracing social media! Pew Research Report http://bit.ly/aikjXN #practicalmktr
• More than half of web users will read blogs in 2010 http://bit.ly/cNqb5u #practicalmktr

Practical Marketing Advice

Community Relations

• From the amazing @jasonfalls "the problem w/empowering the customer" http://bit.ly/cRbIcf Check out comments, too. #practicalmktr
• Gr8 advice: smart companies don't ignore brand mentions on social networks http://bit.ly/dsz5DJ fr @MarketingProfs #practicalmktr
• Valuable reminders: 6 ways to lose customers, credibility & friends on social media http://bit.ly/a5cjxa #practicalmktr
• Wise advice: 8 strategies to help newspapers thrive http://bit.ly/b1JZB8 #practicalmktr
• RT @arikhanson: This is beautiful... RT @prtini: The 5 Cs of better blogger outreach: http://ow.ly/2FL98 #practicalmktr
• 3 Key Strategies/3 Crucial Insights 2 growing business on social web fr @LizStrauss http://bit.ly/9jjMzl #practicalmktr 
• 5 compelling reasons why yr socmed strategy isn't really a social media strategy fr @nealschaffer http://bit.ly/dlC5dg #practicalmktr

Content-Related Advice

• RT @Patsiblogsquad: 5 keys to editing your blog writing: http://bit.ly/bRLOrs CB: well said! #practicalmktr
• RT @juntajoe: Great reminder fr @JeremyVictor 2 start w/Relevant, before Remarkable content http://bit.ly/aVBJaP CB: succint #practicalmktr
• ClickZ's marvelous 10 guidelines for creating great social media content http://bit.ly/axuFvt #practicalmktr
• Don't forget PR to tell yr story: 15 types of stories for free publicity fr @elenaverlee http://bit.ly/9sEH1C #practicalmktr
• Not tb missed tips fr @marketingprofs: 3 not-so-obvious things your blog needs http://bit.ly/a4hUrE and a gem to read! #practicalmktr

Employee-Related Advice

• Transform Maslow Pyramid into Employee Pyramid & save yr company! Chip Conley shares his story| Fast Co http://bit.ly/biR9Hs #practicalmktr
• Investing in having happy employees benefits business! http://ow.ly/2GVaM #practicalmktr 
• Wonderful advice from @OutspokenMedia on how to calm employees into social media http://bit.ly/dsumNK #practicalmktr

Practical Examples & How Tos

• Hotel marketers and social media: do your research first http://bit.ly/bsZfsC #practicalmktr
• RT @mikesansone: Storefronts as Conversation Stations - Make it Count http://bit.ly/cMusKN CB: brilliant #practicalmktr & #retailexp! Nice 
• Really cool article about landing a no.1 album on itunes via socmed http://bit.ly/bw0oSL #dofunstuff #practicalmktr
• Interesting: home textile manufacturers testing social media http://bit.ly/8YdTWk #practicalmktr
• What knockoffs can teach companies about chinese markets http://bit.ly/cfTH05 #practicalmktr
• RT @AnneDGallaher: Libraries increasingly turning 2 social media 2 promote their services... http://ow.ly/2BE9o RT @royjwells #practicalmktr
• Bldng trust online via ecommerce - site reviews & 4 tips http://bit.ly/9m6Hs9 #practicalmktr
• Using Twitter for a product launch http://bit.ly/cOhrBx Have you tried any of these ideas? #practicalmktr
• Inspiring: social networks for cancer patients and families offer hope, inspiration, etc. http://bit.ly/9W9Bc3 #practicalmktr 
• What do you think of this experiment? University declares week w/o social media http://n.pr/9sSy4f #practicalmktr
• Insights on 5 winning social media campaigns to learn from via Mashable http://bit.ly/aq9qL4 #practicalmktr

Simple Marketing Inspiration

• Achieving simplicity in measurement http://bit.ly/9C6CnS Love this discussion of complexity vs. simplicity #practicalmktr
• Pushing edge of film: YouTube/Ridley Scott project, Life in a Day, is "historic global film experiment" http://bit.ly/91PbD9 #practicalmktr
• Topic near/dear to my heart: nurturing creativity http://ow.ly/2Aj0E #practicalmktr 
• John Cleese on creativity: cr8 'tortoise enclosure' regularly http://bit.ly/ccvQLm - beneficial for biz & mktng strategy #practicalmktr
• Quality vs. quantity in social media marketing: what matters more? http://bit.ly/dhF5HO #practicalmktr
• Journalism & blogger collaboration? Have U heard of TBD.com? In http://bit.ly/9RGP1G #practicalmktr
• Does yr Business share? fr @MitchJoel Is Social Media Right for every Business? http://bit.ly/9rTRsv #practicalmktr via @swoodruff 
• Leadership inspiration from Chilean Miners: http://bit.ly/dzTLRH fr @scotteblin #practicalmktr
• 10 reasons to love mobile social media fr @dberkowitz http://bit.ly/d0Q8vo #practicalmktr [note 2 self: nd 2 ck out catpaint]
• Love this: bloggers carry growing fashion industry influence http://bit.ly/a0WGxt #practicalmktr #retailexp
• Must read from Wharton: 'Outside In' strategy puts your customers ahead of your capabilities http://bit.ly/crIluf #practicalmktr
• Wonderful insights on Richard Branson [definitely an outside in biz thinker] from @MarketingProfs http://bit.ly/cTUOTN #practicalmktr

Brands Being Practical With Social Media

• RT @LarryTolpin: Social Media Skiing: Vail Combines Facebook, Gowalla, Nike+ 4 Better Experience http://tinyurl.com/3yppyo7 #practicalmktr
• Skype launches @skype4business http://bit.ly/9T97eM #practicalmktr 
• Have you heard of the Benjamin Moore Experts Exchange Facebook app? http://bit.ly/bgO9eF #practicalmktr
• How 5 brands are using Foursquare http://bit.ly/ajc4iE [note: none are retailers] #practicalmktr 
• How 12 biz solved prob & generated results using social media http://bit.ly/b0XLTy fr @ConversationAge #practicalmktr
• What's yr take on TwitterFashionweek site http://fashionweek.twitter.com/ ? For b/ground: http://bit.ly/b3F7U3 #practicalmktr
• What a fabulous social media marketing success story fr @lionbrandyarn via @JasonFalls http://bit.ly/bfSbas #practicalmktr
• Intense @Ramon_Deleon Twitter axn in: http://slidesha.re/b5sE4t & Tulsa sm info fr @partyaficionado Listen, interact, B real #practicalmktr
• Charlene Li cites Best Buy as example of company thoughtfully using social media http://bit.ly/9Hdlwr #practicalmktr
• This shld be interesting to monitor: Betsey Johnson debuts Facebook Places campaign http://bit.ly/9NdleP #retailexp #practicalmktr
• Fascinating blow-by-blow report on Home Depot v. Jetblue engaging customers on FB http://bit.ly/anFufx #practicalmktr
• Brilliant perspective on how @OscarPRGirl engages via Twitter for Oscar de la Renta. http://bit.ly/brS9wb #practicalmktr
• Marvelous descptn of 5 lessons marketers can learn from Mr. Rogers by @Sam_Ford http://bit.ly/bZpaJz #practicalmktr 
• How restaurants use Twitter including Chipotle! http://bit.ly/a0ZTBT #retailexp #practicalmktr
• Brilliant use of user-generated content to strengthen Disney brand and magic http://bit.ly/a3Zpqf #practicalmktr
• Check out @MissMisc post on Boutique Point G & how they they used social media to build their biz. http://bit.ly/a0Ysif #practicalmktr
• How Golfsmith measures social ROI/hard, soft impact http://bit.ly/a9Ecc2 #practicalmktr

Which articles did you find most interesting?

Here's a link to previous issues of Practical Simple Marketing In the News.

Thank you for reading!

Best,
C.B.

Image credit: “#PracticalMktr” Wordle by CB Whittemore

What Does Engaging Content Mean to You?

Are you interested in finding out more about B2B Content Marketing? You're in luck because Junta42 and MarketingProfs have just released research on 2010 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends. One challenge identified in the report relates to 'producing engaging content.'

To offer guidance to content marketers, Content Marketing Institute has asked its contributors to detail "what does engaging content mean to you?"

The resulting post titled "Want to Develop Engaging Content? First Step: Understand What Engaging Means" captures perspectives from 18 prominent content marketers:

Newt Barrett (@newtbarrett)
Shelly Bowen (@shelbow)
Heidi Cohen (@heidicohen)
David Drickhamer (@leanroi)
Barbra Gago (@barbragago)
Colleen Jones (@leenjones)
Doug Kessler (@dougkessler)
Patsi Krakoff (@Patsiblogsquad)
Wendy Marx (@wendymarx)
Sarah Mitchell (@globalcopywrite)
John Nawn (@perfectmeeting)
Elise Redlin-Cook (@redlincook)
Lisa Petrilli (@LisaPetrilli)
Nate Riggs (@nateriggs)
Stephanie Tilton (@stephanietilton)
Jeremy Victor (@jeremyvictor)
Jennifer Watson (@ContextComm)
CB Whittemore (@cbwhittemore)  --- Me!

The post is definitely worth reading for perspective and inspiration.   

Here's my response:

“Engaging” to me means grabbing a reader’s interest and attention, drawing him/her into reading more – because the content is incredibly relevant, informative even entertaining – and causing him/her to accord value to the content – ideally, enough value to take an action.

‘Engaging’ content has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with my audience. It requires understanding the world that my audience lives in and communicating with language and terms that genuinely resonate with my audience.

What's your take on engaging content? What does it mean to you? I'd love to hear your response.