To address her concern, I immediately donned my strategic marketing hat.  Some would say that when you have a hammer, everything is a nail…

Helping prospects recognize they need what you have to offer

My first observation was that the prospects probably didn’t recognize how much they might benefit from the program (the second of nine potential obstacles to a sale).  Else, they would have expressed more interest in similar programs. This could have been for any of the following reasons.

They may not have recognized that:

• They have the problem the solution purports to addresses–or believe their current solution is adequate,
• The solution is relevant to their situation
• The source of the solution was credible and/or
• The proffered solution would resolve the problem,

We approached these reservations one at a time.  First, we determined that it was likely that many of the small business owners did not already have a solution for “reaping the benefits of a diverse workforce”.

We based this assumption on the fact that most companies hire “people like them”, and most business owners tend to turn to their peers for advice.  We believed that the target audience would agree with our conclusion. So, we looked for ways to persuade them that the program would be relevant.

Stepping into prospective buyers’ shoes

To do so, we tried to step into their shoes.

To anticipate their concerns, we asked ourselves two questions.  The first was, “What might come to prospects’ minds when they thought about diversity?”.  Then, we asked, “What was most important to them right now?”

We guessed that most people think of diversity in terms of differences in race, sex, age, or national origin.  Yet, the term has broader implications.  It can also refer to a host of other populations that share common circumstances that differ from our own.

We anticipated that what would make the program relevant to a group of small business owners was examples of how a “diverse workforce” would significantly affect the success of their businesses.  Luckily, we had recently encountered a few great examples.

Buying from those we know and trust may not always be the best approach: a personal example

Recently, I decided to migrate my website to a modern platform–and began looking for potential vendors .  Some of the “usual suspects”, recommended by my colleagues, prepared proposals that addressed a number of my stated  requirements such as maintaining the “look and feel” of my current site.  Nevertheless, a number offered alternative designs despite the fact that I had indicated this was neither a need or a preference.

That said, at the heart of my requirements was a need for strategic guidance.  I indicated this by stressing the importance of ease of maintenance and ease of upgrading the site–to accommodate future unknown requirements.

I began to fully recognize my need for strategic guidance,  when the bids that came in had little in common.  At that point, I began to search the web and social media for resolution to the disparities.

My research surfaced only one company that focused on strategic issues–and provided numerous examples of its capabilities in this area–and that company was located overseas.  Given the sample size, I’m not sure if this company had a different perspective because it was located in another country or if this was an individual difference. Nevertheless, it was interesting to me that no US firm popped up in the couple hours I spent searching the web and social media.

Credible sources help raise awareness of value:  additional examples

There are more influential sources that we could draw on to demonstrate relevance. One is Jeff Howe, the author of the bestseller Crowdsourcing.  He  notes (on page 152 of his book) that it  takes a diverse group to devise innovative approaches to challenging problems.

Another came from panelists at last week’s conference on the future of marketing. In discussing what it takes to develop successful products, they advocated building cross-functional teams composed of marketers, developers, and designers.

Their rationale was that when professionals work in functional silos, they tend to approach problems in much the same way they did in the past. They noted that companies only come up with market-disrupting solutions when employees work in teams that can view situations from multiple angles.

Strategic marketing is a never-ending process

I felt we had come up with some great ideas for helping prospective attendees recognize how they would benefit from the program.  At the core, was demonstrating how diversity can help companies achieve competitive advantage.

Now, “all” that was required was to summarize the above “arguments” in concise compelling copy and move to the third of nine potential obstacles to a sale–creating the sense of urgency that would render our prospects “ready to buy”.

Whether you’re a small business or a strategic marketing consultant, assemble a diverse team

What struck me as ironic, when considering all of the above, is that the very reason we often don’t recognize the need for products and services–that might benefit us–is that these products and services are a) unfamiliar,  b) don’t seem relevant because we don’t have examples of how people like us have benefited from them and/or c) are not recommended by the people “like us” that we know and trust.  Perhaps we need to involve a more diverse team in our buying process.

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One of the issues our team has been trying to address is, “How do you attract and retain new community members—when these prospective members start out with little in common with current members?”

Luckily for me, I attended a social media breakfast in Boston(#15) this morning. There, Communispace CEO, Diane Hessan, was the last speaker at an event entitled “SMB15: The Power and Peril of Online Communities.

If anyone has deep insights into the power and perils of online communities, it’s Diane Hessan. Her team at Communispace has been building online communities for ten years.

Today, Communispace hosts vibrant communities for some of the biggest brands in the US—companies like GlaxoSmithKline, HP, and Hallmark. This morning, however, Diane told us that her company didn’t achieve success overnight.

As Diane began to speak about lessons learned, I quickly realized that my client could learn a lot from her experience. Yes, my client’s community is a conventional offline community. Yet, I believe many of the same principles that the SMB15 speakers presented will apply.

Online communities are like cocktail parties

One of the speakers likened an online community to a cocktail party. As with a cocktail party, the success of a community depends on a lot of effort on someone’s part.

This effort includes welcoming guests when they arrive, encouraging them to stay by introducing them to others, including them in the conversation, and giving them a great experience so that they come back again.

In short, as the first speaker, Bryan Person, Social Media Evangelist at LiveWorld pointed out, it takes a great host to throw a great party. He then remarked that in an online community, the host is the community manager.

Community managers play an important role in on-line communities

Up next, Rachel Happe, Principal at Community Roundtable, spoke about the important role the community manager plays in building a strong community. Both Rachel and Diane suggested hiring an event manager for this role.

Just as at a party, this person needs to set the tone. Online or offline, it’s important that this individual engage with other members of the community directly.

People are attracted by other people. Diane said that just as you’re asking community members to share their thoughts, ideas and/or experiences, it is important for community managers to also reveal a little bit about themselves.

Social glue binds on-line communities

Another related concept is “social glue”. Social glue is what holds communities together, and keeps participants coming back. Diane noted that the more involved people are in the community, the stronger the social glue.

The key to involvement over time, therefore, cannot fall to the community manager alone. Instead, community managers need to stimulate conversations between members.

For some communities, these conversations come about quite naturally. As an example, Diane referenced one airline’s frequent fliers. These road warriors spend all their time on planes–so the airline and the passengers’ travel experiences are top of mind.

It’s much harder to build a social community around brands that are central to peoples’ lives. Diane described the challenges a toothpaste company faced when trying to build the strong ties among their members.

Since most people spend relatively little time thinking about brushing their teeth, it was unlikely that they would bond over their brushing experiences. Hence, the community manager encouraged conversations by reaching out to a subgroup of young mothers.

The community manager then engaged these women in conversations about their family lives. As Diane explained, dividing a large disparate community into subgroups makes it easier to nurture the “social glue” it takes to hold a community together.

Building on-line communities takes patience and sustained efforts

One of the cautions that Rachel offered, and Diane reinforced, is that communities take a long time—and sustained effort–to build. In Rachel’s experience, it’s not uncommon to see relatively low flat participation for a long time.

Sometimes, there are spikes when a community manager initiates an effective campaign. Yet, the overall trend is still flat–until the community reaches a critical point. Then, if everything goes right, growth will accelerate.

Would be community builders, such as my client, therefore should prepare to make a sustained effort for a long period of time before things take off. My sense was that that time period can be a year or longer.

Listening is an underrated marketing strategy

The need to sustain one’s efforts throughout brings me to the next point. Diane quipped that “listening is an underrated marketing strategy”.

Communities are a great way to learn about what matters most to members. On the other hand, once you set the expectation that you care about what others think, it’s important to follow through. If you don’t sustain your efforts, and respond to their recommendations, you’ll just alienate your community.

When you do listen, however, it pays dividends. Diane told us about the first time one of Communispace’s early clients experienced a spike in traffic. The SWAT team–that Diane assigned to figure out what created such a high level of engagement—identified critical success factors and what Communispace and its client could do to achieve even better outcomes in the future.

Case Example: Millenials and Gen Xers

Toward the end of her presentation, Diane provided some specific case examples. My ears perked up when she began discussing the experiences that Charles Schwab had when it first tried to attract younger investors.

I began to listen very hard, when as an aside, she mentioned the difficulties that financial service companies, and for that matter health care providers, face in getting social media communications approved.

This was of particular interest to me because this is something my health care clients and financial service  clients worry about a lot. It is also one of the questions that my colleague, Robert DeSimone, of Medicomm Inc., and I are currently querying medical device companies about in our survey about medical device companies’ use of social media–but I digress.

Diane quickly reviewed what Charles Schwab and Communispace learned when they set out to attract millenials and Gen Xers. For one thing, terms such as “retirement” and “no load funds”–which are part of the vernacular for baby boomers–mean little to the next generations. Retirement is far away. Since, as it turned out, most young people use checking accounts as their primary investment vehicle, “no load” was not a term with which they were familiar.

Different communities require different marketing tactics

Communispace and Schwab also learned that communicating with young people is fundamentally different. This population is “always on” from the very moment they awake in the morning. Moreover, the technology of choice is likely to be a mobile phone.

Once again, “listening” paid dividends. Schwab introduced a high-interest checking account that was a great success.

What does this all mean for would be community builders?

What does all of this mean for my client? It appears that if they want to attract individuals from a younger generation, they may have to do things differently—and it may take a lot of time.

On the other hand, if they are patient, invest in applying some of the best practices the SMB#15 speakers recommended, and sustain their efforts, they have the potential to attract and retain the prospective members they most want.

Social Media Breakfast: Go directly to the source

Thanks so much to Bob Collins, who hosts Social Media Breakfasts in the Boston area, event sponsors LiveWorld and Communispace, and the speakers that made this a fantastic event. This is just a taste of what they served at breakfast. You may want to check out hashtag #SMB15 on Twitter to get all the details

Interested in learning more about how you can use social media for maximum impact?

Download the social media primer to explore ways that social media can add value to your company and its prospects.  Or, check our social media services.

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The reason? When readers are ready, the blogs will still be there. And that’s the power of on-line content.

Blog statistics track traffic and level of interest

I know this from direct experience. According to the statistics my blog collects, a lot of visitors find my blog posts weeks or even months after I originally publish. Most of these latecomers find my site when searching for information on a particular subject. Many stick around long enough to read several other posts. A smaller, but significant, number subscribe so they can receive future posts.

Social media is word of mouth on steroids

Rich content attracts visitors. Visitors that like the content recommend it to others by clicking on social media widgets such as Digg, Delicious, Technorati, and StumbleUpon.

The social media widgets in turn link back to the posts that the readers found valuable. As the links accumulate, search engine rankings rise. Higher search engine rankings then attract even more readers and more links and so it goes.

New media distribution channels drive new business model for Public TV

The value of rich content was reinforced by Jonathan Abbott, WGBH CEO and President when he spoke at the Boston Club earlier this month. In response to a question about how new content distribution models were affecting public television’s business model, he shared the following observations.

According to Abbott, now that multiple channels are available, users prefer to receive content when and how it’s most convenient for them. Rather than viewing a TV show live, many will prefer to access it from a computer the following month—or even several years later. Others will prefer to download it to their IPOD so they can watch it anywhere, any time.

Abbott believes therefore that content is not only more valuable to viewers; it’s also more valuable to sponsors. When he visits sponsors, he reminds them that their messages will reach far greater audiences now that the station offers multiple formats—especially since these other formats will persist for years rather than just a few minutes.

Social media ROI

It is this quality that causes social media fans to argue that blogs, and other online content, promise a far greater return on investment than ephemeral marketing campaigns such as print advertising, direct postal mail, or even email newsletters that readers discard soon after they receive them. Conversely, the return on investment of rich online content accelerates over time as more and more viewers recommend it to others.

Marketing strategy still trumps tactics

Nevertheless, with as with all marketing, the strategy is more important than the tactics. Your blog can help you gain visibility and raise frequent visitors’ awareness of all you have to offer. But, if they’re not the right people—all your efforts may be for naught. On the other hand, your sales will soar–along with your search engine rankings—if you know who you need to reach and what they value most.

So, as with all marketing campaigns, start there.  Need help with your blog strategy?  Please contact us.

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When it comes to marketing, it’s all about frequency and consistency

At about the same time, I realized that much of my business was coming from an organization that I had quit three years earlier because it didn’t meet any of these criteria. On the other hand, what this organization did provide was weekly contact with the same group of people. Because we met often, there was time for each of us to get to learn a lot about each other and our businesses. Because we formed deeper relationships, it was easy to stay in touch after we left the group. As a consequence of ongoing contact, many of the members of this group ultimately became clients and/or referral sources.

Making the most of professional organization memberships

Based on these experiences, I decided that I needed a new approach to make the most of my professional organization memberships. Here’s what I did and why.

First, I sought out organizations that met frequently (more than once a month) to ensure the ongoing contact that I had become convinced led to increased business. Because I wanted to balance work and professional life, I tried to find organizations that met during the day rather than in the evenings. I identified two organizations that met these qualifications.

One was an industry organization that also met several of my other criteria. It helped me keep abreast of trends in one of the three industries I serve. It also had a subgroup that enabled me to increase my knowledge in my area of specialty. And, it provided access to likely clients and/or referral sources. Even though it was expensive, I joined it because it offered most of what I was seeking from professional organizations.

The second organization was a cross industry organization that offered women leaders connection, access, and professional development. I joined this organization because I hoped it would attract others who were committed to helping each other advance in our careers—even though it was unlikely to add to my industry knowledge or technical expertise.

In both cases, I became involved in sub-committees, as well as attending organization-wide meetings, to ensure that I was meeting with the same group of people on a regular basis. I also sought out ways to become more visible through speaking engagements and by volunteering to organize or staff events.

Rounding out the portfolio

While joining these two organizations achieved my primary objectives of ongoing contact with the same group of people, and balancing my work and professional lives, it did not address all my objectives. I still needed to participate in other professional organizations to keep abreast of trends in the other two industries I serve, cultivate contacts with specialized expertise that I could tap for client projects, and build credibility as an expert in my field.

I joined a third organization in a different industry after they asked me to join their board—and a fourth for their member directory. To meet the remainder of my objectives, I attend and/or speak at meetings selectively based on the content, time commitment, and fit with my schedule. Similarly, I contribute articles to some of their newsletters.

Measuring results takes time

A year later, I believe that I’m on the right track but it will take several years to be sure—as it takes time to develop meaningful relationships. That said, I have already attracted new business from each of the organizations I decided to join—and I definitely have a better work/life balance.

What are your marketing objectives for professional organizations? How do you measure success? What questions do you have about getting a better return on the investment you’re making in those organizations to which you already belong?

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