Marketer's Lab

The Twitter Experiment

I've been less than wildly enthusiastic about the practical marketing applications for Twitter. In marketing circles this might come off as "unenlightened" or "old-school", I like to think of it more as appropriately skeptical.  In truth, while I've done a ton of reading and exploration on Twitter, I hadn't taken the plunge and signed up for an account.  Finally I've taken the two minutes to sign up for an account and I'm off and tweeting.

Without question, time is my most valuable resource.  I have little patience for anything that consumes time and doesn't really provide value of some sort.  Don't get me wrong, I don't have every moment of my day scheduled and aligned with a project, but I am without question stingy with my time.  My biggest concern entering into Twitterland is the amount of time I'll need to spend to realize any value.  I fully understand the social media dynamic of contributing to the collective to ultimately get something back, this is where I anticipate the greatest time commitment, even 140 characters at a time.

I like to "begin with the end in mind" on any project, I think I'll be more successful with Twitter if I stay focused on just a couple simple goals:

- Finding like-minded marketers - The work we're doing at Upshot Institute and the topics I'm focused on with Marketer's Lab, both rely on an ongoing interaction with tech-interested marketers.  I'd like to use Twitter to find other marketers interested in these same topics. 

- Learn more about marketing technology - There's an amazing universe of brilliant people out there, I'd like to tap into some of that genius and use Twitter to connect with the people shaping the marketing technology space. 

I feel compelled to say "yes, I know I must contribute to the dialogue and I know it's not just what I'll get out of it".  You're welcome Social Media militants.  I have to say I'm excited about some of the early interactions and optimistic about what might be possible.  As a close, if anyone reading has suggestions for good resources on best practices for marketing via Twitter, would love to see them.  Keep you posted, follow me if you like...

Upshot Update - Marketing SuperPlatform Summit

Upshot Institute has been a labor of love for the last year or so.  During that time I've had some fantastic interaction with marketers, marketing technology vendors and a variety of technologists and big thinkers.  The focus of all this interaction has been to shape a suite of resources that can help marketers better understand and utilize marketing technology.    

Today, I am incredibly excited to share the first set of these resources coming online with the launch of our Marketing SuperPlatform Summit. This summit is the beginning of a series that will feature industry experts covering a wide variety of significant marketing technology topics.  You can read the full press release on the Marketing SuperPlatform Summit here, and see what we have planned in terms of future summits here.  Additional summits topics include landing page optimization, mobile marketing, web video, community marketing and approximately another 10 events through the end of 2009.   

Another new Upshot Institute feature we are quietly previewing is our marketing technology resource portal.  Proper disclaimers in effect here, the resource portal is just coming online, it's in preview mode as we work with content providers to load and organize the information.  Beyond the preview period the resource portal will have hundreds of white papers and other resources.  If you're interested in publishing content to the portal, just click here and submit your content.

The Marketing SuperPlatform Summit features a great lineup of speakers and a really interesting combination of insights and practical guidance.  Worth the time to watch the presentations.  Let us know what you think and if you like what you see, tell a friend or 100.   

 

Half-full with a twist please...

I like to think of myself as an optimist.  Not a Pollyanna, but someone who can look at most situations and find something positive.  These days with all the economic doom and gloom it's tough to see much to get excited about out there, even for me.  2009 is shaping up to be awfully tough, especially if you make your living as a marketing professional. 

Despite what the economists are saying, a new year always gives me a little rush based on a clean slate and the excitement of all the possibilities.  Over the Holidays, out of the daily fray a little, I've been thinking about the big ideas and strategies likely to shape marketing in 2009.

Thinning the herd - Let's face it, we all know of companies with seriously flawed business models, poor management and questionable business strategy (i.e. all US car companies).  These kinds of companies could benefit from hitting the reset button and making some dramatic changes, even if they're painful in the near-term.  Marketing organizations can benefit from some pruning from time to time, even if you think you're already lean and mean.  Do you have programs running that just haven't moved the meter or agency partners that may have become a bit complacent?  Whether or not you completely cut things, the notion of evaluating and trimming makes sense.  

Forced focus - With less to spend, the details of active programs and their performance will get a level of attention they may not have had in a while.  Diving into response rates, conversion performance and the myriad of other details will only improve your programs.  Make the most of what you've got.

Power to the product - Inferior products will struggle.  Stating the obvious?  Maybe?  During boom times, marginal products are able to survive as consumers are often less discerning or more likely to consider convenience or other factors over product quality.  When times get tough, the longevity and quality of products becomes significantly more important.  If you have a high-quality product, this could be a great time to make some market gains, if you are on the other end of the continuum, brace yourself. 

Brand power - Similar to the product dynamics I mentioned above, when things are tough consumers (I am using the term consumer to mean anyone buying anything from anyone) tend to go to the brands they trust and like.  This is the time to trade on the trust you have developed over the years and whatever you do don't damage those relationships.   

Technology is the secret sauce - Maybe not a secret, but marketers who have the strongest grasp of all enabling marketing technologies will have a huge advantage.  Staying sharp on marketing technology is no small feat.  There are literally thousands of marketing technology vendors offering a dizzying array of solutions ranging from widgets to full marketing automation platforms.  As a shameless plug, this is the reason we have launched Upshot Institute, and will be relaunching later this month. 

2009 is going to be a rocky ride but the eternal optimist in me sees some big opportunities for marketers who can tap into the powerful forces set in motion by the down economy.  Half-empty or half-full?  No question which way I see it.

The New Online Personalization

The term personalization bothers me a little, maybe because it's one of those terms that's been hijacked by so many marketing technology vendors and used to describe too many disparate features.  Feels like it's been rendered a little vague.  Regardless, the term does still at least convey an idea that's becoming much more important to marketers at companies of any size. 

George Hadjiyanis at Valtira does a great job describing how the approach to personalization has become very multi-dimensional.  I'm going to let this Upshot Studios podcast do most of the talking on this, great information on this rapidly evolving topic.

Behold Upshot Institute

After months of hard work, rework, and plenty of late nights, Upshot Institute has gone from a great idea, to pseudo pre-launch to now a full-fledged, honest to goodness killer marketing resource.  If you're a marketing professional looking to stay sharp on marketing technology, Upshot Institute is for you. 

Behind the scenes at Upshot Institute are yours truly, my business partner Steve Gollob and a handful of free agent types working with us on development/production/etc.  The common bond is a commitment to providing marketers practical insights on what we consider to be the new tools of the trade. 

Upshot Institute is the result of one of those ideas that just wouldn't go away coming together with an opportunity to work with Steve, who shares both my passion for geeky, marketing technology stuff and the desire to build an organization that provides something truly unique and valuable. 

What does Upshot Institute provide for marketers?  A resource center that includes a huge vendor directory and hundreds of white papers, an ongoing series of podcasts and webcasts, and Upshot Institute research reports that address the marketing technology topics top of mind for most marketers. 

Head on over to Upshot Institute, explore a little and please let us know what you think.