Aah sometimes a good evening with a few intelligent brains over some quality wheat beer from Belgium makes for a lot of “common sense”.
While with @1aditithakur recently at the famous Beer Cafe in Delhi, the conversation started with the shopping experience in the mall and it moved onto the limitless gyaan on branding. Finally we started discussing brand and brand names.
Your Name: how does that change the taste of the ketchup?
So we got served these potato chips with a ketchup which read Heinz. Lets say I don’t care a dime whether I am eating a Heinz OR a Kellog’s for my breakfast till the time I am liking what I am consuming. I mean just by naming my restaurant (if I open one) Mc Paritosh OR Mc Whatever will I become a super duper hit? I have this craving for a good coffee badly, Starbucks, does it tops the first thought on my mind, to be honest NO. Starbucks as a name is a no-name when it comes to coffee. Does it sound like one to you?
LG, Samsung, Honda, Maruti how do they sound like a car? Do you hear engines revving up in your ears the moment you hear these names?
I am certain about something, these names don’t drive me to buy them!
I believe spending those crucial multi million dollars on creating that ohh so amazing Brand Name is all a bogus concept. Well, yes! those ohh so cool, award winning at Cannes branding majors might disagree with me. But then they have to, isn’t it? The bread and butter comes from there!
What’s my take on this?
Its simple (not the way Ranbir Kapoor makes it dumb in his Docomo Ads). Its simple in the way that, people buy what gives them performance. So whether it is normal petrol OR some buster muster premium petrol, if my car gives me the best performance with normal, I am okay with calling normal as normal and buying it.
Brand Logo’s: I learnt this lesson from my 3 year old nephew. He bought this helicopter with a remote control but what appealed to him was not the branding which came with it and not the colors, but he got excited when he saw how fast and high the helicopter actually flew.
In my view what in reality leaves a strong recall with your consumer is your product/ service. If you are in the services industry you ought to understand the experience which your customers derive from your service. The experience is what drives him to ‘choose to buy you again’. If you are a product business then, making a Kareena bath in a bathtub with lots of soap on will not sell your soap. that’s DUMB. Your product must in all manner fulfill the promises you are making with your customers.
And the beer ended: the result
While we ended with the binging, we both (had to) agree with each other (he he) that brands must invest in places where it counts for the customer and in creating an experience. Yes, you can always be a Godrej basking in the glory of the brand re-organization drive which says that their brand is valued at a few billion dollars (I need to check the number again). But lets keep it at bay for now.
In my endeavor of establishing transparency and clarity in the, Ohh so amazing and new world of Social Media and Online Marketing, I am sure the series of posts I am doing now, will surely be an eye opener for clients.
Just sometime back, my strategy team did a search on the keywords, Social Media and India, and what we got were people who have sometime or the other in their professional lifetime, related to the Social Media industry. And since Social Media is not an age old concept, thus we started looking at the profiles of people who are currently into the profession.
To my UTTER AMAZE, the profiles, I was given were an absolute NO, if they were to handle my brand strategy not just on the internet but everywhere else. Interestingly, these people are recruited by not just the small Social Media ‘shops’ but the biggies in the business as well. Positioned highly, these guys are given fancy terms and well, the customer is sold!
Let me bring more clarity by looking at certain aspects of what my strategy team gave me, post the data analysis:
Education
Majority of these people have not done management (which I am not suggesting is necessary)
80% of them, do not have the words, Branding Consultant, Marketing, Positioning, Product life cycle, etc in their summary/ profiles
Current
The current profiles are all Social Media Strategist, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Executive
Past
There are people from BPO, from Technology, Adventure Tourism, Operations who are handling your So called Social Media Branding and Online Branding and Brand Creation and what not
Experience
Most of these people are fresh (1-3 years) of experience and are running the show
In my personal view, I completely agree that innovative thinking, creativity are needed, but is it that you will hand over your brand in the hands of someone who does NOT even understand what Brand stands for?!
This revelation by the team, surely opened my eyes towards how is the New Media industry being structured and shaping up. We are playing on chances and one of running successes.
Well, I am back from a very good trip to Bangalore. Met some old entrepreneur friends, some interesting people. Connected with some very established people and re-fueled my engine for my entrepreneurial journey ahead!
Though while on the way I connected with some online marketers on the flight back and here I am writing a piece which I have wanted to since sometime now!
Let me start by saying: Branding and Obscenity are Pretty Much the Same
Why do I say this? Well, the guy sitting right next to me looked at a book I was reading, which was about Branding and how radical concepts have changed consumer perception overtime. I was reading a few case studies and making notes, for a couple of Offline Branding Campaigns I am working on. Now suddenly this guy shoots, about how he is an Online Marketer and does handles campaigns online and how his firm has been doing lots of work.
Without an introduction, I heard him as a client, and asked queries, and he started telling me about how Google helps, SEO, PPC and SMM works. Especially SMM, which we also know by Social Media Marketing. Since I was in the Case Study mode, I posed a question:
Give me 4 solid case studies with the ROI that you have generated for the client or where you have actually gone back to the client telling him that he needed offline/ other marketing techniques as well, and how did you execute it!
And this gentleman starts discussing the best works he has done. A viral campaign, which had x number of hits…Helped a company generate these many leads online (which he had no ideas, of how much was the conversion).
Anyway, being a good listener, I patiently heard him, and then asked another question:
What is the difference between Branding and Marketing and why did some of his campaigns did not survive and what he then suggested to those clients?
I am NOT generalizing this, but I have been interacting with Online Marketers, majority of them in their late 20′s and early 30′s who have had no experience of raising a brand. Who have not seen the entire cycle, boasting about serving the Indian SME in scaling up.
I have been into the Social Media scene, since sometime now, and have struggled with the statistics, which I could really go back with, to a client and suggest him, this is where you should increase/ decrease your marketing spend and this is what you should look at diversifying.
I have NEVER heard from an Online Marketer that they have ever gone back to the client telling them, that look you product needs this, as this is what you customer is looking for on the internet
Majority of Online Marketing companies optimize campaigns according to what the clients are searching a product/ service with. Well, I challenge this thought. How do you that it was the right consumer who was searching this term which you just took from suggestions which Google Adwords provide you.
Branding – YES, Social Media helps You do Just That
Okay, so now I have my Branding lessons on. I get to know how Branding is established, online:
a page/ profile on facebook
an account on twitter
targeted Ads on blogs/ sites
ghost writing on discussion forums etc.
videos on YouTube
ppts on Slideshare
photos on flickr
And if you still cannot achieve traffic numbers, well, go and post this content on various multiple platforms which are identical, so your content will be looked upon by more and more people an chances by simple probability to achieve are higher.
Okay, so I understand probability, but I am still not convinced with this number generation method, I remarked.
I am a Social Media guy and I have a problem with how things are going in India today
Okay, so for all those, who feel I have a personal bias, I have explored the online media to a good extent and hence I write my thoughts here. Majority of bloggers, social media experts/ evangelists/ marketers, strategists, have not had any Branding experience and talk Brand all the time. I have a particular issue with this, as many a times, what they dont realize is they can grow only if their client(S) grow.
Online is the new thing – you have to get on Social Media coz DELL made 3 million dollars from twitter
This is what I have heard from every religious online marketer, I have interacted with, who is pitching to any business from technology to holiday to whatever. Coz DELL did it, hence the opportunity exists and as in India, a small company thinks, even if I can achieve 30% of this, at a low cost, well I will make decent numbers.
And what happens month on month when you go ahead with Online Marketing for your business
MONTH 1
Both the online marketing agency and the client are excited, many things happening around, online training, blogs building up, google ads, higher listing on search engines WOW
The marketer goes back and shares the numbers:
number of blogs, number of blog posts, google ads numbers, how they got the company(s) site(S) listed high on search engines on specific keywords
Month2
Create content | POST it – HOST it – Virality!
Lets do it! Pictures, PPTs, Blog posts, Videos and what not
We will post it here – there – everywhere and wallah this will happen and this
Conversations are not happening – says the client!
Lets do ghost writing
Lets do ghost profiles
Lets do ghost comments
Month3
Houston We’v got a PROBLEM
Firefighting mode
What did you till now, after a quarter?
Well, Sir, look at your brand, look at how many people came to this landing page, look at all of this. Sales will start happening soon.
Lets See – the client now is thinking of how to convert the contract into a pay for performance?
Well, and this is where problems start. Retainership goes down and performance kicks in, knowing well, you dont even know what GAP EXISTS (if any) between the following parties:
Senior management
Existing (employees and clients)
Prospective (employees and clients)
The majority of online marketers, go ahead with no such GAP analysis, and without knowing what exists in the market and what needs to be addressed, just go ahead because they have a medium to connect people with, because out of the 300 million plus people on facebook, there will always be some who will be looking for your product/ service.
Well, I have no inherent bias against anyone, but if I strongly feel, if you are not clear of something, well, dont fluke and sell, coz what you don’t realize is anyway, after 3 years, there are only the better ones, who will be having the repetitive business, because you will be out of market to which you have been marketing.
There are many Buzzwords in the Social Media industry today and each day one evangelist is harping on a new one. Much clutter gets created due to the same and hence the diluton of your Brand Equity, as each Brand is pitched these high flying Buzzwords by the marketing agencies.
Corporate Blogging though not a Buzz word, but has been so messed up that many a corporate have lost value rather than generating it. There have been instances of big corporate entities using fake blogs and many other tactics to boost up terming them as “so called social media campaigns”.
I have been LIVE blogging some of the most major corporate conferences in India since over an year now and have been approached by Corporate to support their initiatives. Am I averse to it? NO! But would I go ahead and support just about anything? NO!
Through this post, I intend to cut through the clutter which has been created and make the Corporate present to how they can successfully integrate Corporate Blogging in seamlessly in their marketing effort and with much ease!
Though these may not be the absolute latest numbers, but with respect to the industry growth, this surely is a number to reckon with, stand up and make a note of, I believe. In the current times corporations large and small are increasingly taking the “being different” and “with the times” route. Blogging has suddenly taken the mainstream route and is one of the factors in the Corporate overall marketing mix and budget.
There may be many people giving much gyan, but what I present here is the on the field reality and of my experience, hence there may still be better ideas, which I would be glad to listen to and incorporate.
What should you do before you decide on that oh! so blog!! ??
Put in black and white, your marketing objectives both in the short and the long term
Determine if blogging is a good fit for your company
An apple a day keeps the doctor away, is almost true for all, but why are you generalizing the apple with a blog in the social media space? Blog for one company may work wonders for them, for the other it may not work!
Just being cool using blogs, is already a passe! Social Media space is changing and growing at a much faster pace and is much complex. Just having a corporate blog may not be of any tangible return.
Are you ready to invest on a blog?
The last time I was sitting in this major corporate HQ, I asked them a question, are you ready to invest on a blog and well they were a bit off the track. Blogging they said is easy, we will leverage a free platform like wordpress or blogger. Well, yes, I agree, but you need to invest much focused time and energy on customizing the design of the blog as it represents your Corporate sentiment. Today blogs are as much a part of the entire corporate image as were websites sometime back!
Don’t be afraid, Create a solid strategy
Strategy for a blog? Well, YES!! For a Blog! As a corporate you may have a single blog for all your functions/ verticals or you may choose to go ahead with multiple blogs representing each of them. Now this is the first stage of your blogging strategy.
Positioning: You need to be clear in a properly documented form on the positioning that you would like to create with your blogging effort. Who are you positioning the blog to? What is your target group?
you may just create a blog to attract the best talent in the industry
you may have a focused blog on thought leadership to position yourself accordingly int he industry
Branding: the branding strategy that you intend to establish with the emerging of the blog should be clear. What campaigns (if any) would you intend to run on the blog. Would the CEO/ CFO/ Senior management participate on the blog? Are you trying to make a point?
Are you open to external content on the blog other than your own? And are you willing to be open to comments from the external environment?
Are you selling/ marketing? STOP…..Start ENGAGING!
Since Corporate blogs are generally an effort of the PR department of a company, they have a restricted vision, and hence it reflects on the way they PUSH content on the blog. PUSHing is not the key, ENGAGING is! Your content will speak for itself. If you have smartly invested into content creation, in terms of videos, pictures, etc. you will break the ice much faster with the prospective target audience.
its fairly simple, you get unsolicited calls on your cell phone. Would you refer such a company to your circle? Probably NOT, but a genuine follow up and feedback conversation at a preferred time, well yes you would and WOMM is bound to happen
Provide Value
This is one of the most crucial aspects of a successful blogging effort. VALUE creation.
why do you think would I (either your prospective employee or client) spend 5 minutes in going through things which are not adding any value to me in terms of knowing more about you or the industry? Even if I land up and stick to your blog for a couple of minutes the first time, with no VALUE I will not bookmark it for my future reference, leave aside following you on my Google reader.
Take Feedback, Build Relationships
This is one aspect of Corporate blogging which many a Corporate think of and include in their agenda, but their focus shifts from this objective to the exclusivity of presenting and design. Looks do matter, no doubts, but you need to understand that each feature of the blog would essentially be leveraged towards achieving a particular business objective!
Remember YOU are a HUMAN and the person reading yoru blog is a HUMAN too!
Many a times, the Corporate get so consumed in their vision of presenting their best foot forward and trying to arrive the best way in their client’s perception, that they lose the basic essence of the fact that WE ARE STILL HUMAN. And business is all about relationships.
Write the blog as if you are expressing yourself to your target market/ group!
Select Bloggers
Yes! I know everyone can write and that you hire the best of class human resources in your company, still blogging is an art and hence I suggest my clients to select a team of bloggers who are honed in their skills and trained further by the company. This team should essentially consist of the following people:
PR professional from the company
Group of employees trained on company’s social media./ external communication guidelines
Social Media agencies
NO, your “Corporate Blog” DOES NOT need a SINGLE VOICE
Dont be afraid and get only one person to be writing/ punching the keys for you. He/ she will have a certain perception of the company and may as well be limited in the scope. Go ahead involve people. Give them a platform to express what you want to. More hands on deck make the experience for the client all that worth it!!
This is one of the many posts that I would be doing on the correct measures and tips and tricks of the trade of blogging, not out of what people say, but what I have experienced in real time on the field. And I would not be a common voice, but I would say, it works for me!!
To devise a Corporate Blogging Strategy for your company, CONTACT ME
A lot can happen over coffee!! Yes I agree to it as would thousands of others who flock to these cafe shops each day and spend a chilled out time with their friends and folks.
Most of my informal business meetings and many a times, startups that I consult have just one thing to say: hey lets catch up at CCD (whatever place) and we will talk.
Though this post is not to promote this coffee chain in either way. What I am talking about is how the positioning of a particular franchisee of the coffee house affects sales for the franchisee.
Positioning, yes I already know it, this post is much late in todays time!
Yes, I know it is, but hold your horses.
Can a good dentist be responsible for the Cafe store’s business booming?
Good thought? Well, I am undergoing a treatment at a well known Dental Surgeon in south Delhi. Now after each sitting, I am instructed to not have anything solid or warm for at least 1-1.5 hours and have only liquids during this time. Moreover since I am numbed with anesthesia, thus for the next 3-4 hours at least I am not supposed to be eating anything.
Let me describe you how the dentist is positioned. The dentist’s clinic is on the 1st floor, facing the market entry and there is a Cafe Coffee Day at the ground floor, and with the human eye if you are standing 7-10 feet away at the ground floor, in a single vision you can both of them.
OK, GOOD, but how does that affect CCD’s business?
Well, I said hold your horses’. After every sitting when I am told to just consume cold liquids, the first thing I do is to go to the CCD and order a cold coffee. And not just me, almost each time I am at the coffee house, which is as small in size as you could think of, I see at least 5-6 people who were sharing space with me at the dentists’ a few minutes back!
In the world of Online Media
In this world of online media, proper positioning for your brand is a an ultimate necessity. Brand positioning is affected with the message that you devise for your client’s client. You need to get out of the advertising clutter and make sure that your brand has exclusive access and a good eyeball time by the intended target audience.
Since this time, I have connected with many people, from some of the best in the Internet domain to some real sharp entrepreneurs, who have given their comments on the various business models which startups and the established Internet/ Online companies are following.
Scale up or Shut Shop
Out of my interaction a couple of days back with a highly placed and successful Internet entrepreneur, a revelation jumped out, which in a way took me by surprise, as I was always present to it, but not really in the real sense of the action.
Over a cup of coffee, we discussed the following:
Is working with SME’s in India really that easy into Social Media?
Are they good paying customers?
Are they easy to grab?
Do they really have the time and resources?
How, many huge clients (some of the top companies in India and Abroad) are looking for all kinds of services into Social Media and are ready to pay for innovative and rewarding work
Now, I had this idea about how social media campaigns are made for these big fat clients, but never had someone who is doing it in real time, telling me, how much of it is true!
Thus came the BIG realization!
There are these big companies who are asking for partners in the online world, who could do some really innovative stuff. When I talk of innovation and results, I am in a way referring to the likes of Sunsilk Gang of Girls and TATA TEA Jaago Re.
But what I was not aware of was, trivial and almost commoditized offerings in Social Media as creation and seeding of content on the various Social Media channels, these BIG companies are asking for such services as well as an integral part of the offering and are paying good sums for the same.
Many small online marketing companies are offering the same set of services to their clients which represent the SME/ Startup space.
But would the business model sustain?
I am not saying NO, but surely I think its going to be very very difficult. Even if as an online marketing company your differentiation is the market that you are serving, you still have to consider that your market should be sustainable enough and you should have enough resources to crack the market. Some questions that you should answer:
How long is your sales cycle?
Do you have enough resources to hang onto your tables?
Is a low paying and yet more demanding market, the best way for you as a startup?
Moral of the story?
Am I saying that small online marketing companies would not sustain? Well, not really! But surely such companies would find it really hard to sustain. The model over a longer run is surely not sustainable. Moving up the chain and crossing over to the clientle, which is sustainable for your business, is an absolute essential.
Price war?
Not really, in my personal opinion, price is surely not a differentiating factor which smaller companies can establish and fight over. Otherwise the shark will surely eat away the smaller fish.
Finally
There is enough business around, all you need to do is create the right set of expectations with the client and deliver innovations which would help the client get a high over, through short term wins, and will also help you establish long term relationships with your high net worth client!
There already is so much of Brand Clutter out there, that reaching out to the relevant market and getting the right eyeballs for the sufficient time is becoming increasingly difficult.
In the race to make easy money, advertising platforms are becoming more and more cash unfriendly and provide not much of an option to the advertiser to really showcase the BRAND DIFFERENTIATION and ENGAGE his target audience.
ParitoshSharma.com cuts through the clutter
paritoshsharma.com announces exclusive Brand Showcase opportunities for Brands to showcase their entirety and engage and start a meaningful dialogue with their audience.
How?
Limited Advertising Space – Only TWO (2) brands at any given time
ParitoshSharma.com limits the advertising space to only two advertisers at any given time on the Home Page of the blog
No Google Ads – Only targeted and specific advertising
We dont do Google Ad’s just to earn a few bucks. We believe in creating value for the customer and help our advertisers engage their customers
How can you advertise?
Ohh, so what’s the big deal? Ad’s are given by everyone?
That’s right and that’s why ParitoshSharma.com provides you access to eyeballs as there is no Ad clutter. Only limited space with unlimited access and focused eyeballs.
Do you provide something else other than this?
Yes! We have 3 advertising packages, which can be further customized:
HORN (package 1)
Advertising Space (Banner Advertising) + 2 Blog posts about your brand/ PR/ Announcements a month + Brand pormotion on facebook and twitter by Paritosh Sharma
INR 24,999
OK (package 2)
Advertising Space (Left Sidebar Advertising) + 2 Blog posts about your brand/ PR/ Announcements a month + Brand pormotion on facebook and twitter by Paritosh Sharma
INR 16,999
PLEASE (package 3)
Advertising Space on (HORN – OK – PLEASE – The Digital Foreplay (The Freshest Dope from the Digital Advertising and Marketing Industry)) + 2 Blog posts about your brand/ PR/ Announcements a month + Brand promotion on facebook and twitter by Paritosh Sharma
INR 7,999
Since this is exclusive access and focused advertising, the brands advertising, shall be entertained only post strong brand check on social media.
I know, there aer going to be many a people who are going to rip this post off! After all for so many years banner advertising has been a proven model. People see it – People click it – and You sell!
Well, I am not here to contest or challenge. All that I want is to take your vision to a whole new space of marketing, which the marketers should look at.
During a discussion with one of my friends, this is what struck me and I call it – The WaterPond Marketing
In todays connected world, there are consumers all around you? And they are connected! Dont you forget that! Hence its possible that the person you just interacted with knows the others you are going to interact with, so you always need to project your “RIGHT SIDE”!
Now in this far and wide connected world, you cannot go to every other person and tell someone one thing and someone other the other story and want them to believe you. Other way round, they all would know what you spoke to about, to the first person as they are connected!
So you cannot go about running the same Banner Ads on all the sites, with a thought that the visitors on the site are prospects. Well, they might be and I certainly dont contest that, but you are trying to tell everyone who is already connected that this is ME and look at running these Ads for all the people on the site, which includes both the unique visitors and the Returning ones.
Its no longer smart to burn the note and push your way into the lead to reach to your customer
Your customer is anyway knowing about you from somewhere or the other and creating perceptions and taking decisions based upon the recommendations of his influential friends and known contacts.
So, essentially you are in a Pond of Water, which is filled with similar need mongers and this is the place you need to market.
So just burning your money, I dont think would make a lot of sense. Instead my advice would be, go connect and bring out the Zappos model, which simply is that every interaction is the best opportunity to delight the consumer and serve him right.
This makes the game easier and much focused and brings out the best in you each time and you dont wander around! Relating the same to the online world, I think Banner Ads and popups are making lesser of a sense today as the market dynamics and reaction levels are changing.
Have you ever thought of the fact that why things become unpopular?
While searching on this topic on the internet, I stumbled across this recent study which shows trends which define consumer behavior towards brands. The study reveals how brands become unpopular.
What triggered this thought in my mind?
Interestingly enough, what triggered this thought is a telecast I was watching on Fox History on how the concept of SuperMarkets emerged and how it has revolutionized the way people looked at buying and hence emerged brands which connected with the consumer.
“But at the same time there were brands which lost in the race, they were there, but somehow became invisible to the consumer”
While studying these trends, what I found out was that in todays fast paced times, the consumer is being hit with so many messages across each second that its normal for a human to remain with some and the rest are given the slip.
Fast and the Furious
Shopping in a retail supermarket where you have multiple choices of any given item is surely the best way to get lost.
So how do brands in these times keep up?
Well, you need to create a differentiation (No, I am not talking about a differentiation in your product) that is surely a crucial part for your product anyway, what I am reffering to is the differntiation in terms of catching hold of your consumer who has lesser time than he ever had. You need to make your brand be there with your consumer not aiming to be holding onto them, but simply make sure that you emply factors enough which give you the right place and the right time!
“Don’t try and buy the loyalty of the consumer in such a short time, get their attention“
All of this may sound pretty obvious and familiar, but I wonder why marketers have not been concentrating on just this one factor?! I fail to understand that why are brands after me in buying my loyalty. I shall become loyal to you if I get you at the right time and in time! Coz, what I am is short of time!
Paritosh Sharma speaks on Social Media and Mobile 2.0 at OMCAR 2009
I take pride in presenting my talk at OMCAR 2009, a hugely successful event which was held by OM Careers in association with TiE, Delhi at Amity University, Noida.
I am humbled by the response received by the delegates and some amazing insights from the fellow speakers.
"We thought we understood social media marketing and seo optimization fairly ok but after our one on one session realized many of the fundamental mistakes we were making plus learnt many new tools. Overall an investment I would recommend every entreprenuer to make"
- Nidhi, Founder CEO, Pinnacle Works
