Similar to the music, movie & publishing industries, the news industry appears to be well, done and quite over...

Just as entertainment industry is now locked in it's decades long and agonizing rebirth, and has long lost its grip over production and distribution... what makes the news industry believe it can maintain its hold over our airwaves, Facebook or Twitter feeds let alone maintain editorial control in this post-blog-o-sphere world? The "newsies" now finds themselves either colluding with their subjects or pathetically griping over lost market share to the plethora of all our other new news sources. 

In this delusional state "the press" lays licking the wounds it can no longer admit are, nor even perceive as fatal.

C'mon you good people of these inner-nets of ours. There has to be a business model, No? Perhaps these ancient old mastheads simply become the new news verification service; maybe they simply provide us a rubbery-stamp of validity, perhaps even just help us paint this din of opinion in colors that help us mix 'n match our favorite flavors to compliment the mad choices in our morning bean.

Of course this would not allow for the billion-dollar publishing houses NOR the rock-star journalist (sorry Wolf Anderson)... but maybe, just maybe there is a business model out there that can help stitch this together and aid in our cutting through the crap and put a few pennies into the pockets of the last of the very few people who, thankfully, are still out there and ready to give us "the story" - at least their sound interpretation of it.

Ideas?

I do know a little bit about content and please don't take any of this the wrong way. I do adore content. I spent the better part of my early childhood career, ages 20 through 30 and then some, creating content, building platforms and/or outlets for the dissemination of content. I have made numerous now proven to be apparently meagre attempts to package content, re-purpose content and re-vitalize content across multiple content driven channels and have on many many occasions used my own particular takes on a form of a sort of content marketing strategy, mostly for the purpose of selling… more content. 

So it may be bit odd that at a well known-to-myself risk of being labelled some sort of a curmudgeon; I've recently found myself saying somewhat nasty sounding things about content and/or this whole "content marketing strategy" again. And again, trust me I know the value of content. I applaud the creation of content and I understand the use of content as an underlay this so-called social, search and search-social marketing... Strat-ortunity? It's just... this current particular search and search-social marketing content strategy seems one dimensionally focussed. AND, the sheer and brutal loudness of the current clarion call for more and more content, well folks, it kinda frightens me, ok, at least when I'm in a more melo-dramatic mood (merely worries me on most other days).

Like any english language word said three times in a row, content, content, content quickly looses it's meaning… I mean, are we happily satisfied yet?

We were each given the tools to create our own content at birth; given the tools to publish & distribute this content of ours in a more or less unfettered by "the powers that be" fashion, a mere 20 years ago. Many of us (present company excepted) have made very good use of the unfettered-ness of content publication & distribution and have littered the world with noble notions, solid opinions, good advice and well thought out thinkenings. So many more of us have helped get these noble notions out and about by posting, re-posting and re-tweeting them on and along through each and ever channel made available to us re-twee-posters. Listen, it's not really a fear of more content; it's just "more" (and then more) content for the sake of… and it is always for the sake of, with respect to content, which has me… worried, you? no?

Really? ...you want me to tell my most cherished clients that they need to shift their focus and begin putting herculean efforts and costly time toward creating publishing & distributing content for the sake of their edge-ranked-SEO rankings? Really? Is this my new pitch? Let me show you how to cut through all the clutter by creating our own… clutter? Am I to drag them to their doom, again? Can any one of us not see the inherent trouble-sums in this? Can we not extrapolate, whip out the spreadsheets at calculate how this all ends… up (ranked).

Backtracking for backlinks…

I do get it; and in all likelihood will be swept up and into it, with a half painted on smile no less (at least on those days I'm not focussed on other things; things like actually, you know, trying to sell sh…stuff)... I already do do content; am a part of this content renaissance and have been so since (not to brag or anything), since the first days of content-upon-the-nets. It is after all our content that defines us; it is the content we create, adore, promote and re-post that ties us to the tags the labels folks use to slot us, catalog us and file us under "will work with" (when the supply of peanuts is topped up). AND perhaps I am making too much of my own content over these worries of what we are doing with all this content. I'd really rather content end up as sullied as dare I say...

Perhaps we'll continue to find ways to filter all this content maybe even one day find ways to filter without filters that demand the need for even more content, and more filters. Maybe we'll reach a happily balanced stand-off… perhaps content will not go the way of, shall I say it so obviously… email marketing. Did I just lump social-search driven optimized content in with... dare I?

If I apear to be on some slow trotting high horse here, pay no heed. I'm just exercising my right to use this content venue of mine to express concern over something I truly believe in (again I do believe in content as a major component in all this), AND to generate more of my own content. That we will "blow it" once again, I have no doubt… but we've blown it before, and here we are, again.

My only request; may I ask your politely, before committing your content to this ever faster flowing spigot; ask yourself, does this content of yours have any meaning? Does it even have the slightest fragmented bits or piece of useful purpose beyond increasing a ranking. In that brief millisecond your content obtains it's presence upon the pinnacle of the ever growing pile; will that one person who half sees it go… aha (before re-posting it)? By all means, don't sweat over the question, goodness knows, you'll have no time for that… there is more content to be made. After all...

Sigh... all that content, just to say, I'm worried, or... keep your content meaningful folks. And for those content creators who view content as something to be counted... 50


                          Coming soon... maybe next. Let me tell you a... funny (er) story.

I came across this great article on "voice" over at our good pal Anna Rydne's site this morning; it implies an important question: How do I sound? - Although the article is specifically focussed on voice talent, it begs another question; how do I sound over social?

Social is, or more importantly, should be viewed as a conversational medium; more 'story-telling' than dictating. I believe the most successful engagements are those where one can feel themselves drifting into a room with the person they are interacting with… rather than being preached to from the pamphlet. This being said, the written english language (perhaps more so than many other languages) is pretty loosey-goosey, it is fraught with pit-holes and boobie traps...

...how does one sound authoritative without out coming off as arrogant; positive withouts sounding childlike; encouraging without sounding fake or hackneyed...

I've found myself blithely adding the line "...will maintain your corporate voice." into all my proposals of late; with the full knowledge that most folks haven't once considered what they sound like when they post to their "conversations" over social.

While I cannot claim to have all the answers… let's hijack Anna's article and see how the advice on hiring voice talent for ones answering machine, corporate videos et al may apply to the place and point where one should expect to have the most significant perhaps even the most intimate interaction with one's customers:

1. Match the voice with your brand

"A voice that sounds overly energetic might not be the correct choice for a quiet professional office building. The sound of the voice should match the tone and demographics of the business."

Indeed, do you want to be humorous, carefree or sardonic when your product is say… high end stereos? Likely no more so than coming off as a know-it-all. If you've done your brand-homework, you likely know your demographic, but do you speak to them like you would in the "showroom"; OR like you would over a glass of wine, in your living room, marvelling over the fidelity of your long lost favourite jazz standards?

2. Choose a dynamic vocal range

"The vocal abilities for each person are different and many people do not have a dynamic range that could carry a very varied video production for an hour or more."

There's a "dynamic of character" at play here… perhaps this goes beyond simply voice. Are you hiring an actor? If so, is your social voice wooden and one dimensional. Is it the voice of the sales-toad who reads the pitch script line by line day after day? Does your voice have mood swings, bad days and a bias towards that "certain type" of customer that just really gets his goat up? …the trap here of course is that all conversations are being eavesdropped upon; finding a social voice with "range" yet whose banter remains attractive across a wide spectrum of buyers. I'll defer… who is your best salesman (you?), he might just be the model for this "actor" who becomes your voice. Quick, someone call Stanislavsky!

3. Look at the voice talent’s experience

"Not all voice talent is the result of professional training. Some actors have a natural ability and ear for the work." 

Maybe this person is already in your office? Perhaps it's that guy or gal whose been toiling away on your ting for ten years now; has put up with your crap but who has so thoroughly "bought in(to)" (your crap). The person most definitely must love your product/service, not be taught & sold on doing so. We're making this up as we go along here folks (at least most of us appear to be)… There is not yet a CAA agent with a tape deck and a book of head shots (that I'm aware of) (of course, I'm not aware of many things… suggestions?).

Clone yourself, or at least, that part of yourself that is the passion behind what you're doing… (Oh and, unlike some folks who shall remain un-mentioned (um, me), perhaps stick with one fewer soap box, or two… :-)

4. Check the voice talent’s availability 

"Customers will respond to that one familiar voice favorably whenever the actor is heard."

Of course, I'm available! - And, I'll work for air-fare and a plate of "the veal" most days, But I doubt you'd really want to saddle yourself with, what is does this voice of mine sound like, "sardonic jack-assed-ness" is that my tone? (Honestly, I have little clue how this voice of mine sounds most days, and that may be a 5th tip, get a 2nd opinion on your voice)…

AND, see #3 with respect to long term familiarity. This is an important (likely becoming fulltime) job... OK, hire me, and I'll hire you a voice, deal?

It's a wrap... This voice must be constantly consistent, albeit with range. This voice must love your product without being fawning and trite. It's so easy to sound fake when talking through the tippy-tapping of ones keyboard. The voice should wander into "these room" with your customer, chat, but not simply txt msg them… It's funny how something as simple as how you sound can be so incredibly un-easy, how the wrong voice can so un-easily make one cringe. You can spend millions buying copy-writing services to draft the script. The "guy", person, actor you hire to interpret and improvise this script, day in day out, on the fly, adhoc and without a net may be worth… billions. At least should be worthy of strongly considered, consideration.

At the risk of sounding melo-dramatically over the top… May the forth be with you. (Oh, and hire someone who can spell (he say's while immediately ruling himself, out.))

You know, applying for the full-time gigs on the LinkedIns really is a bit of a game. I guess it's really not that different than how it used to be, whenever that used to be, was. Truthfully though, even after well over a year, I'm not convinced there is an appropriate way to conduct a search here; playing a game while the rules are being written, a worthwhile challenge none-the-less.

I've tried four approaches which can be divided into two categories… The thoughtful, contextually relevant approach which can be subdivided into the "laboriously personal" and "insertionally relational" hardcore cover letter tactics; AND then, scatter-shot approach which takes on two easy-breezy forms… blasting out the not so cleverly crafted formulaic cover-note and the, eh, what the heck, you get NO note at all click, click send methods.

Now… Always know your market.

I do know that 90% of the applications I submit are headed directly to the assistant to the the intern whose job it is to sort through all this before passing them along to the person responsible for making sure the hiring manager has the time they need to do their job today… The HR person or… (hey there HR person, thought I'd take this moment to say, I love you; oh and you there, hiring manager, been there, I know your pain) ...I am well aware of the insta-vetting tactics required to sort through the pulp, rind and CV bombs tossed so freely by the CV tossers (such as myself). But, this is after all... social (content) and really, I make no excuses. AND… here's why.

Belabouring over a cover letter, speaking to each and every salient point in order as they appear on your three page job posting has indeed netted me some coveted traction; I've spent whole days crafting a response to describe how I understand the needs as expressed, have the experience and skill-set to contribute AND… allude to that extra special something that may be of value and up for further discussion.

Results: 3% success, 97%... in the can they go!
(obviously these results are skewed by my inability to spell and my lack of understanding of basic english grammar; two requirements they always forget to post on these damned job postings.)

Now, firing out 10, 20, 30 (I think my record is 50) one, two, three liners + my oh so cleverly canned intro to myself, in a day. You know... this gets results as well, honestly way more than 3% when the intended result is simply… a response.

And… it is this response we're after after all… response is engagement, engagement is traction and you're a lot easier to catch up to when you're sliding away from me on a sand-papered floor.

Now, I'm not talking about those responses that include "given the number of applicants we will likely…" (be pitching your application into an armageddon sized bucket of flaming red hot burning coals). I'm talking about, they "hey there now, you sound kinda interesting tell us a bit more about yourself" style responses... The response that get the preverbal foot in the door. The opportunity to reply further and seek that next response ...the opportunity to meet.

Really, all joking aside (for at least a split second). It's a tough game out here. There are thousands upon thousands of great things to be done for good people on behalf of great clients in search of good customers. There is a non-equal, over-in-abundance pile of bright and brilliantly talented folks to fill these thousand upon thousands of… jobs. So, that just makes this tough for everyone along the food chain… eh, I guess it's called work for a reason.

So I'll continue to fling my facts out in every and each of the ways I've described above; Trust me, I only apply for jobs I could envision myself doing, jobs for companies in which I could see myself contributing to in a positive fashion, but really… that I've sat and thought it through enough to spend an afternoon writing volumes proves no more or less my interest in the position I've submitted with a mere flick of the "send' button.

…and you'll never know how much I'd like to be there for you if you don't give me "traction" Furthermore, trust me, I know this traction is a precious possession, in short supply and, will you look what time it's become. TY

Inspired by a great article, CUI BONO…TO WHOSE BENEFIT? by @StaceyHood

Salient bits... "Currently, I believe that marketing is at another set of crossroads. We saw it a few years ago when social media was the darling of marketing. Now we’ve come to realize that it is just another tool to use. We also saw it recently when the talk of “content is king” was the talk of the town."

...out there and ahead, are we? 

Sadly it's almost all I'm still hearing today is that "content is (still) king" - it's just so bloody loud. Even more sadly I've been hearing and seeing these same things for, well, decades now. The ad-man grabs the shiniest "trick in the playbook" the easiest methodology and exploits it until over-exploitation renders it nearly worthless. Turns our simplicity into meaningless noise...

It seems as though and I'e gotten used to "The Ad-Man Cometh"(ing) over from time to time to over-use our craft; exploit the tools we've created incorrectly, become disillusioned, burnt out (as some say), announce our overly-precious ideas "dead" (again) and go traipsing off to find the next shiny-easy thingy we're making-over again.

But, here's the good part, of benefit (to all). These moments when they burst down our doors serve a purpose of enormously worthwhile goodness. The hype and intensity in which these tools are overused is the cauldron in which we hone our craft (and improve our tools); they force our hand and better judgement as we add ingredient after ingredient, more "spice" 'n turn up the heat 'n stir, stir... stir...

Social is not an island nor a new invention on it's own; it did not appear on the mythological vacant plains of digital a decade after the bubble bursted and last banner-ad was pushed. Social has lineage a heritage and is the direct result of the heat and the stirring of the pot we've been boiling ourselves in for... years. Oh for certain we've added new ingredients, some fresh young minds have added some fresh newish ideas but, what I'm doing right now is nothing more than a more perfected version of what I was trying to, wanting to and, well doing already... years ago.

(Your grand-daddies) Digital's ability to connect is so well documented it has become obvious. Our ability to turn connect to connection, effect behaviour... make the sale; that never has and never will come easy, AND it has been shown, if so obviously not proven that simply burying those we've connected to under a pile of message... well; you get the picture.

What works? Content, message, being connected are instrumental, and of course it's never either/or more usually both/and... but, and these are fundamental principles of mine; we ad-men, us marketing guys have never once made the sale... who has? Really, does your ad agency own the relationship with your customer? Who does? Does your customer care that you're the best or even how well you know your own shit OR does he simply want what works for him... ?

We've given you the connected, and far more than just their eye-balls... now, go out and sell your shit; you know, like you know how to... : Perhaps it's time to tell them a story rather than read them a book... perhaps.

(always evolving)

related to... ARE WE TO... SEND THEM TO THEIR DOOM… AGAIN? and loosely related to...  SPEAK TO THE SALESFORCE(.COM) TM

"... signalling another step by the massive professional network toward becoming an online content powerhouse."
                                         (click to read article at All Things D)

I'm not so certain that I (me, personally, me, as an avid and passionate Linked USER...) That is USER, not READER of Linkedin. Am I really all that happy with this development? Oh, I'm sure the ad sales team is happy, but honestly, over the last few months it has become harder and harder (OK, not really that hard) to find what it is I adore(d) about Linkedin...

For me and my daily, hourly constant USAGE of social, Linkedin has always been more than just a job board... "...move by LinkedIn to expand beyond being just a static resume service for recruiters and professionals." - Sure I scour the job posting, but just as much so to get a sense of what companies are planning by who they are looking to hire... But really, and most importantly, Linkedin is the nuance behind my contact management system.

How many times have you studied the profiles of the folks you were just about to step into a meeting with; when was the last time you didn't?

“We believe LinkedIn can be the definitive professional publishing platform — where all professionals come to consume content and where publishers come to share their content,”
                                                     LinkedIn SVP of product and user experience, Deep Nishar

Do I need another "definitive professional publishing platform"... Do I need Linkedin to consolidate all the things I'm already reading easily finding and consolidating on Scoop.it, Paper.li and Flipboard? - OR do I need a place to store and interact with... nuances?

Drama aside... the sky is not falling, and I guess Linkedin needs the revenue that this content (content, content and MORE content play) will generate; (over and above the fiddy bucks I give 'em each month). Have at it ad-boys, but I'll be gone if you bury the treasure I feel is/(was) Linkedin...

Simply the most focussed, useful, practical and tactical social site I almost cannot live without... (sniff) I hope I'm not going to miss you guys! 

First we tell 'em, "You gotta have a website"… Then we say, "you gotta keep it fresh"… Then we tell 'em your website sucks… Then we tell them, gotta be ON social, you gotta have a Facebook (page?), Twitter, Pinterest, whats NEXT?… OMG where is your blog? You don't have a blog?. Then we scream, where is your stream? If you're not there... No one will care!

Isn't this just the YELLOW PAGE inbound marketing consultant wet dream sales pitch 5 or 6 generations onward… ?

You gotta have a listing, everyone has a listing…
No one sees your listing, you have to take a quarter…
Your quarter isn't getting noticed, talk to our designer.

Everyone has a quarter, do you want to be an everyone; lets talk about a half.
A half is for the timid, is that how you want to be seen?
Take a page, show 'em you mean business!
Your page isn't being noticed… let's add more color!

The cost of doing business? If you spend it they will come?

I'm not being contrarian here, and I am in total agreement that using these marketing tools, in a fashion that softens up that hardened lead, is essential; honestly… But truly, honestly the buzz and emphasis on content marketing is getting downright worrisome. Of course our clients need to establish a presence in these forums, the arenas, streams, feeds and pin boards… but to what end. Do we really want to see a sea of disappointed, disillusioned business people floating facedown awash in the flotsam and jetsam of long forgotten social media stra… schemes? ( ...sch...rategies that could have worked)

How will they find you?
What do you say?
You got to be on it!
Right now, EVERY day!

They manufacture egg cartons…

Maybe their website really is JUST a static brochure, a leave behind, send to. The place to go if you want to know a little bit more. Maybe they don't need a damned blog; or only just need one to let the CEO wax poetically about the qualities of his business from time to time, add a little persona. Or maybe it's just a forum to let the sales guys hone their pitch from time to time (?) Maybe their Face-twit-pin feeds are paced a few clicks slower than the guy next door, but each post-tweet-pin is that much more, meaningful? Perhaps they should listen to social; a little more' listening to what their customers are saying rather than droning on and drowning oiut the voices of the folks they're listening for?

When seeking to rise above the clutter, does adding to this clutter define a strategy of any real logic?
Who owns the relationship with your customer?
That's for you to answer, but, last I looked… it wasn't the marketing department.

Who's the most social person in your organization? Build your social strategy around… that guy. No?