digital optimism

Most marketing professionals suffer from constant information overload. At least ten must-read articles cross my path every day, while hundreds of “get-to-them-later” posts wait in my reader. Today, a few of those must-reads were “how-to” posts from industry pros that I completely disagreed with.

I do not want to undermine the value of how-to posts. These articles are valuable and without them, I’d be lost. But it’s important to remember that most of this information is not the end all, be all of corporate communication. Not only because technology is ever-changing, but because what doesn’t work for one business might actually work for another.

It’s certainly easy to follow instructions from seasoned professionals, but don’t just take the information and run with it. We cannot expect another company’s tactics to pan out perfectly for our unique business needs. I believe this lack of reflection is to blame for many initiatives failing miserably.

Thought leaders on corporate blogging tell us that quality content is king. While I do agree, some blogs simply do not write quality content. Instead, these bloggers mobilize readers to write quality content in the comments section. The Merrill Dubrow Blog is an example. This is a widely-read blog in the market research industry. Merrill is a great blogger and some of his posts are in fact helpful. However, most of them are simply fun and have little to do with market research. This strategy works for his business.

So read the how-to posts and use them as a starting point if you need one. But remember that it might not work for you or your company, and here’s where the importance of testing comes in. If you aren’t quantifying your initiatives, you are wasting time. Follow the leader to begin, but remember that your own creativity and ideas will most likely be your jackpot. As you take advice from industry veterans, question them and question whether or not their strategy fits your business goals. If you don’t do this, you will fail sooner or later.

Photo credit: vivified (Flickr)

And why wouldn’t they? It’s the equivalent of a socialite in the real world. Lately a lot of “social media strategists” have started following me on Twitter. I want to know what makes a person a “social media strategist.” What makes them different from all the others? I want to know what about you is different from Chris Brogan and Jason Falls. Every time I see it my reaction is the same- “yeah, yeah, yeah…” My advice (whether or not you care to hear it): Go with another title, if possible.

Photo credit: ogilvyprworldwide (Flickr)

I am managing the blog for the MN Chapter of the American Marketing Association, and I am excited.

…Psst- it’s not up yet, but it will be soon.

It’s an excellent opportunity for me (along with new friend/co-manager, Thusuong) to meet and learn from the professionals in our industry. But enough about that. Are you interesting and passionate about marketing? Or maybe just sort of good at it? Want to add your two cents to the MN AMA blog? Let me know. Willing to be interviewed for a post? Raise your hand. I want to get you on board.

Leave me a comment here. Call me. Pass me a note. Tweet me. Send me an e-mail, text message, smoke signal, bottle of exquisite Chilean wine; whatever you’d prefer. Just get in touch with me, and we’ll get the ball rolling.

My husband realized this tonight. That boy is smart as a whip, I tell you. I always knew this, but I didn’t realize the strange-ness until my hubby mentioned it (he’s from Chile- moved here last April). I told him we would soon no longer be Minneapolis- we’re going to be Target City.

Seriously, though- does it seem kind of “much” to anyone else that 2 out of 4 major sports venues are now going to be Target-related? At least it’s going to be TCF Stadium for the Gophers. Otherwise, that whole “Target City” thing wouldn’t seem so far-fetched.

Picture from Google Maps and digitally enhanced by yours truly.

Technically, I missed tonight’s Conversations About the Future of Advertising presentation from Kristina Halvorson – but I didn’t miss much. I caught the most important points via Twitter.

This got me thinking about the future of presentations and conferences. Are people going to be more selective with what presentations they physically attend? Are event planners going to be able to get away with charging attendees the same amounts of money in the future because of this? Anyone can join the conversations without actually showing up now, thanks to the power of Twitter and the web. I recognize that participating online is not the same as physical attendance, but it’s a pretty great substitute when you can’t make it to the show. Anyway, just some conversation fuel.

What do you think?

Photo credit: Andrew Feinberg