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September 12, 2009

What Is Twitter?

twitter-logo.pngOK...laugh. Mock me. Ridicule the title.

However, I believe the title is more relevant to B2B readers than many might expect. I was reading the #Print09 thread (Print09 is a major tradeshow in the printing industry) on Twitter earlier today, and was fascinated by how companies were using the application. Rapidly becoming a widely-accepted, if not yet mainstream, tool in the consumer marketplace, more and more B2B companies are beginning to understand the implications and potential of real-time media like Twitter.

In the print industry, you might think that companies would not be thrilled with online applications that are eroding their market. However, market leaders like HP, Kodak or Xerox realize that their businesses are increasingly about engagement with the markets they serve -- it allows them to effectively craft both messages and complete solutions that address the real-world business needs of their customers. For them, Twitter is one more way to immerse into those markets.

Equally noticable in the thread, however, was the litany of companies who were not participating in the conversations. One can only assume that the reason they were not active was they did not understand Twitter...or its value. So for them, here are some thoughts.

  • In technical terms, Twitter is a social network and micro-blogging service that allows users to share/read short (140 character max) messages posted in real time.
  • Twitter now ranks as the third most popular social networking site and is one of the top 50 global websites.
  • Twitter is the face of real-time, online communications that is changing industries as varied as advertising, journlism, public relations, retailing and philanthropy.
  • Twitter is an empowerment tool for sellers. It lets them interject messaging into markets and helps them spread those messages through customer-driven communications.
  • Twitter is an empowerment tool for buyers. It lets them keep sellers honest by permitting rapid dissemination of the truth about a product or service...good or bad.
  • Twitter is a stepping stone. The tool will evolve, but the concept is here to stay.

I believe Twitter forces marketers in every industry to rethink the nature of their communications. Which is why the Print09 thread was so interesting. You could watch old-line companies rooted in paper-based technologies leveraging a tool that could be helping hasten their demise. But more likely, you could witness those companies leveraging a tool that is building their competitive position as they evolve into the future.

Posted by jcioban at 3:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 2, 2009

Are You A Change Agent?

It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.

- Charles Darwin

As a blogger, it is easy to believe that all businesses clearly see, understand and are acting to respond to the forces that are changing how marketing is done. After all, we operate in this brave new social-media-enabled world, and recognize the value of real-time, consumer-generated content, understand conversational marketing, blah, blah, blah. 

In reality, outside the echo chamber of the marketing gurus, most business is still conducted under a host of constraints, roadblocks and assumptions. Every day, we still hear "the focus is on cost per piece", or "I've heard of Twitter", or "social media tools aren't used by our customers." Every business has its own reasons or rationale, but the result is the same -- marketing stagnation.

Today, I participated in a brainstorming session at a cash-strapped, industrial publishing company. We talked about:

  • innovative ways of applying variable data printing to reduce unit costs on targeted promotional mail
  • how to manage micro-targeting across multi-media implementations
  • tips for e-mail list optimization
  • techniques for optimizing personalized landing pages
  • examples of content re-purposing applied to personal media subscriptions

In principle, this client doesn't have the budgets for breakthrough marketing, but in fact, that was part of the session's purpose -- how can we apply technology creatively to not only drive results, but reduce cost. The participants joked about hand-stuffing invitations for local seminars...then delved back into how they might apply smarter techniques to improve performance. The attitude was "can do", not "we can't".

That is the spirit that defines a change agent. As the recession wanes, we are learning that the new economy is likely to reengineer spending patters at all levels, from individual consumers to global corporations and government entities. Some industries, like printing, will be recast, and new industries, like location-based services, will emerge. Change agents will help companies invent...or reinvent.

Darwin was right. So, are you helping your business survive?

Posted by jcioban at 5:45 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack