Since my invitation to the Content Marketing World meeting in Sydney apparently got lost in the mail, I’m attending vicariously through its web site and tweets.

One speaker that caught my eye (not my ear, as I wasn’t there and still bitter) was a rep of the Australian Football League, an organization’s whose AFL Media site is being lauded as a showcase for thoughtful content marketing on a huge scale. Among his tips that might apply to any business were:

1. Storytelling is at the heart of content marketing. Your company’s story may not involve scantily clad young men running around a elliptical field, but it likely has its own points of interest that can be used to connect with others. (To find them, however, you may have to work with someone not as close to the subject as yourself.)

2. Determine your content “dead zones.” For AFL Media, those were Wednesdays, when everyone was pretty much over what happened the previous week and not yet fired up for the next. As noted, these zones will be different for every brand, but company’s should trust their analytics to ensure posting when the audience is most engaged.

3. Tell it, warts and all. As the speaker and I share a journalism background, I can understand his desire for genuine, credible news – good and bad. That said, this particular tip might be best for the largest brands that remain under the public microscope and need to tell their story their own way.

4. Try, test and discard if necessary. The gaping maw of digital media can be intimidating, but its upside is the ease with which you can change and adapt your strategy as you learn. The bottom line: Be brave. After all, you could have the next “Barney Cam” (look it up).

Forbes recently divulged the following “5 Surprising Marketing Trends for 2013.” Though the article was targeted at small businesses and entrepreneurs, there just may be something for organizations of all sizes to learn in this look ahead.

1. Smarter social media

They’re preaching to the choir here, but we agree that not all social media sources are suited to every industry. Theoretically, according to Forbes, this will be the year when small businesses “become confident and adept enough at social media integration to pick the specific platforms that make the most sense for their business.” (Hopefully, others will follow, thinking before engaging and wasting time on sometimes half-hearted efforts that produce no return.)

2. Simplicity will reign supreme

Pushed to the edge of overstimulation by bright, flashy, complicated input, consumers in 2013 supposedly will respond to marketing strategies that re not only simple in nature, but promote goods and services that serve to simplify the individual’s life, or even just their customer experience. (Fingers crossed. We know we, at least, would enjoy a rest from glitz and Gangnam.)

3. Campaign-based marketing ill take a break

According to Forbes, the problem with focusing on a tactic that involves a set group of marketing activities and processes centered on one theme is that it operates on a company-based timeline. As consumers operate in real-time, the theory goes, social media and web sites will become the primary drivers of marketing in 2013. (For our nickel, marketing campaigns often can make good sense unless they detract from, or dilute, the power of the brand.)

4. Marketing will be more tied to revenue generation

In 2013, it is envisioned, marketing’s worth will start being weighed against sales growth vs. lead generation. This could entirely change marketing’s key performance indicators, according to Forbes, and lead to more effective marketing altogether. (Music to our ears. As a business strategy company, as well as a communications firm, we’ve always measured ourselves by the impact of our work on our clients’ growth and profitability.)

5. Mobile will get its due

Based on the fact that more people purchased smartphones than PCs in 2012, Forbes sees mobile strategy as a “bigger, boler line item on every major marketer’s strategy this year.” (As in social media, the trick will be knowing when to jump in and how best to do it.)

So there you have it:  Marketing in 2013 will be smart, simple, real-time, sales-focused and available on your phone.

Easy enough, huh? Not really. But we can help. Give us a buzz and get 2013 off to a roaring start for your company

Most likely.

Do you have expertise in your industry? Do you have useful information that would appeal to clients and prospects? Can your product or service resolve a problem or challenge they face?

If the answer is “yes,” white papers can be an integral component in establishing your market leadership and drawing users to your web site to order or download them.

In that regard, here are some tips for creating effective white paper content:

– Save readers’ time by succinctly explaining a specific challenge that exists, i.e. a new regulatory mandate, and advising them how to successfully address it. You don’t have to name your own product or service – often it’s best not to – but you can show how its unique features and benefits are integral to the solution.

– The topic, in and of itself, may be boring (laws and regulations generally aren’t written to entertain), but the impact is not – or you wouldn’t be writing about it. Take the subject to the personal/corporate level with examples and just overall good writing.

– Break it up. Charts, graphs and quotes not only pull the reader through the copy but also highlight key points.

– Start with an outline, which is approved by all appropriate persons before writing begins. There are many ways to attack one subject, and opinions can vary on key points. An outline provides the writer(s) with a clear goal and manages the expectations of the client/manager.

There’s more, of course, but this is a start. If you need help initiating or maintaining a store of white papers, give us a call. We stand ready to help.

Dusting off its crystal ball, PR Daily recently made six public relations and social media predictions for 2013. They are (with our thoughts included):

1. LinkedIn is the new Facebook, and companies will increasingly recognize its marketing potential. Also, as adoption and activity on LinkedIn surge, journalists will spend more time using the platform for research, identifying sources and breaking stories. (We say: The networking opportunity is great, as well.) 2. Governments will go social. The 2012 election generated record-breaking activity on Twitter. In 2013, social media will see an increase in political conversations, driving its adoption as a news source for citizens and traditional media. (We say: Even if you don’t fit in this picture, it’s always good to be where people are talking.)

3. The reputable journalist is revived. The rise of blogging and social media has increased the volume of online news and the speed at which it’s available, often at the expense of responsible reporting. The “citizen journalist’s” 15 minutes of fame are running out and information-overloaded consumers will demand a higher standard of reporting. (We say: Hurray!)

4. PR goes mobile. PR practitioners have learned to draft compelling email pitch subject lines and deliver a message in 140 characters. The next step will be crafting mobile-friendly content as millions of consumers and journalists use their phones as their primary news source. (We say: Simplicity + substance + brevity will drive effective communications.)

5. Pictures tell the story. The rise of infographics, photo sharing and visual storytelling will push PR pros and their clients to deploy messages visually in order to compete in a crowded content market. (We say: As visual content grows in the digital space, the traditional storyboard will become even more important.)

6. PR wins the social media battle. The debate over which corporate discipline (i.e. PR, marketing, advertising) “owns” social media is over. As more businesses recognize the opportunities and threats social media present to their reputation, they will turn to PR pros who can manage the dialog between an organization and the public, achieving results that directly impact the bottom line. (We say: Good. Many companies have gone unguarded too long.)

So what do YOU think? Agree? Disagree? Talk among yourselves.

At the risk of being a downer this happy holiday season, now is the time to think about bad news. That is, to think about avoiding bad news in the coming year.

Every organization has vulnerabilities for criticism – deserved and unwarranted. What if those vulnerabilities became public knowledge?

If you wait until the sky falls, you’ll likely waste the all-important first few minutes or hours covering your head and running in circles. If you acknowledge potential crises now, you can make the easy fixes and prepare to address the more difficult situations.

So make a “I wish this never happens” list and give us a call. We can help you take care and prepare – and tie a nice little bow on your corporate peace of mind.

Heard much about “native advertising” yet? If not, you likely will. Touted as a “game-changing” marketing trend for 2013 by Inc. magazine, native advertising is simply advertising that follows the format, style and voice of whatever platform on which it appears.

It’s also another example of content management as the key to effective outreach.

The fact is that consumers are spending more time than ever online, but most have developed enough savvy to quickly click past/block banners and pop-ups. The juxtaposition of these trends has led some marketers to look for new channels of outreach, seeking to connect with people via corporate web site content and social media.

The goal is for browsers to see the advertising as something integral to, rather than an intrusion on, their overall experience of the site – and to give them reason to want to share what they find. Thus we’re talking about things such as blogs, videos, white papers and webinars vs. dancing animals and floating blocks vying for the reader’s attention.

Sure, it will take some effort to keep content fresh, but there are ways to simplify the process and even “outsource” some of the work to consumers themselves.

Need help with your content management in 2013? Give us a call. We’d be happy to assist.

Prospects are people, too. And even the most solemn among us need a break now and then. More and more marketers are finding they can provide that respite with humor. What they often have trouble with, however, is getting their organizations to break with tradition – the belief that a “serious” business has to be exceedingly dull and joyless to be perceived as professional.

Think about it:  Even Stephen Hawking makes jokes. And you can’t get much more serious than Theoretical Cosmology.

Marketing today is all about creating relationships, and companies need to be the type organizations that prospects can relate to – especially in competitive fields. That means businesses have to become more personable.

So ask yourself: Is your organization ready to lighten up? It is appropriate? Is it worth it? Getting to those answers can be difficult and often requires professional advice. While you ponder, though, here are a few guidelines for engaging in humor:

• Don’t make humor your goal. It should be part of your brainstorming mix, tested against other concepts and approaches. Otherwise, it could be forced and cringe-worthy awkward.

• You don’t have to get a guffaw; a smile will do. The main thing is to get the reader/listener/view to (1) find it humorous (2) share it with others and (3) like you (and we’re not talking just clicking a Facebook icon).

• Make sure your humor is consistent with your brand. It might be funny to point out the foibles of a wayward starlet, but does it push the product?

• Be relevant for your audience. Let them feel joy of being in on the joke, and you’ll make that all-important connection. Otherwise, the joke’s on you.

• You can insert humor around serious topics, especially in B-to-B. Sure, the physicians reading your white paper are saving lives every day, but they share the same frustrations in the process. You can show empathy for the latter through humor, while maintaining the dignity of their field.

• Be product specific. Seriously, how many times have you loved an ad but couldn’t remember what it was promoting?

• Remember: There’s an extremely thin line between “edgy” and offensive. Don’t get too cute or too cool or you might isolate a segment of potential targets.

There are a lot more, of course. Even humor has its boundaries.

But at least think about it. The worst thing that could happen would be a smile on your face.

Many years ago, I was explaining to a friend the magic of the VCR, with which the viewer could view tapes, stop them and – wonder of wonders – even run them backwards to catch something they might have missed. (Yeah, it was that long ago.)

When she asked if it could be used with regular TV programming, as well, I smiled and assured her that that was impossible.

Idiot!

Me, that is.

If I’d stopped marveling at the present, I might have seen into the future. If I’d somehow acted on her idea, I’d be wealthy beyond my wildest dreams. And if I had broadened my mind, I might have expanded my boundaries.

Admittedly, it’s unlikely that I could have invented TIVO and all that came after, but at least I eventually did gain from the interchange.

Creatively, there really is no such thing as a bad idea – just ideas that can be improved, built upon or used to pry open new windows of thought before being put aside.

So, the next time someone suggests what seems impossible, at least think about it a minute or two. And maybe even jot it down. After awhile, that idea – or some version of it – might not seem so impossible some day, and you’ll have a visionary product, service or campaign to show for it.