Adding Value Shouldn't Be An "Aha" Moment

I don't know about you, but I now commute daily to and from work. As you might imagine, there are traffic delays in the morning and afternoon "rush hours." Why they're still called "rush hours", though, I'm not sure--can you say oxymoron?

Anyway, as I was driving home the other day, I was struck by how useless the regular traffic reports on the radio were to me. While the traffic reporters dutifully stated all of the various delays on all of the highways and byways, they missed reporting what really would have been useful to everyone listening to them.

Think about it--if you commute in a major metropolitan area, and typically use the same main route to get there, you pretty much know where the usual delays are. Does hearing a traffic reporter confirming where all the delays and accidents are really help you at all? Does the reporter telling you how large and bad the delays are really help you, other than letting you know you're gonna be late for work in the morning, or late getting home for dinner in the evening?

Wouldn't it be incredibly useful if the traffic reporter informed you of the best alternate routes to use to save you some time and avoid the delays, accidents, roadwork, etc.?

That's called adding value.

When I was a traffic reporter in Chicago many years ago, I was always mindful of adding value to my traffic reports by not simply going on and on about how bad traffic was, but by suggesting alternate routes, and whenever possible, adding how much time that might save you.

I called the news station I listen to regularly yesterday and shared this with them.

I asked them to share with their traffic reporters as a suggestion.

Wonder if anyone at the station had an "aha" moment.

I sure hope so.

Think about your own daily work, ask yourself if you're adding value on a regular basis, and avoid an "aha" moment.

That's my (Mark's) Mark.

Have a value-added day.

Words To Live By

Ever wonder what makes some people as successful as they are? It's truly not simply a matter of luck, good timing, being born with the proverbial 'silver spoon,' having an Ivy-league college education, or any combination of those.

This quote from Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple, really sums it up, IMHO:

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

I agree.

Twitter Blog: Does Twitter Hate Advertising?

Twitter Blog: Does Twitter Hate Advertising?

The Customer Is [Still] Always Right!

I don't have to emphasize the challenges our ongoing "great recession" continue to place on businesses, and the hard effort it takes to keep generating revenue while everyone's financial belts remain tightened. Unfortunately, some businesses won't survive, especially those that don't understand a basic business principle--one that's vital to adhere to in both good economic times and bad.

That said, I have to share a story from last month. I get my hair cut once a month. Normally, it's a pretty pedestrian, uneventful affair, but this past April, I experienced a vivid, real-life case study in how to NOT treat customers, in this case, my barber, Norm.

Norm's been cutting hair for, oh, the closer side of 50 years. He owns and operates a small, traditional-type men's barber shop--think Floyd the barber from the old Andy Griffith show, and you'll get a good idea of the place, minus Floyd's wacky personality--I wouldn't want to offend Norm with that characterization.

Anyway, so I walk in to Norm's barber shop at my appointed time, we greet one another, and I proceed to the barber's chair for my monthly clipping, per usual. A few minutes into my haircut, one of Norm's vendors, a scissor-sharpener, enters the establishment. He is dropping off a freshly sharpened pair of scissors for Norm. Norm thanks him, and then advises him he's unhappy with the two pairs of scissors that he previously sharpened for him, telling him they 'catch', and concludes, "They just don't feel right."

This is where it gets interesting. The scissor-sharpener reacts in disbelief, and then proceeds to disagree with Norm, the customer! Norm calmly reiterates that the two pairs of scissors kept catching when he tried using them on two of his customers, and again states, "Well, they just don't feel right--they don't work for me."

The scissor-sharpener continues to disagree with Norm. He is so adamant to prove Norm wrong that he asks Norm for his 'hair bucket' (the wastebasket where Norm disposes of the day's various hair clippings). Norm gestures to it, and the scissor-sharpener proceeds to pull it out, grab a handful of hair, and start clipping it with one of the aforementioned scissors! He looks at Norm and says, "These are cutting fine. They don't seem to be catching at all." Norm replies, "Well, sorry, but they just don't feel right, and they don't work for me. I tried 'em a few times on a couple of customers, and I wasn't happy with 'em."

Keep in mind that I'm sitting in the barber's chair the whole time this exchange is going on, hoping the scissor-sharpener will realize my existence and relent so Norm can get back to cutting my hair!

Alas, no chance--the scissor-sharpener retorts, "Well, let me go to my truck and bring my sharpening machine in and see if I can resharpen them."

Does he ask Norm if it's OK to do this in the middle of his business day? No. Is he cognizant that a paying customer (i.e., me!) is in the middle of getting a haircut, and I would like Norm to complete my haircut without the constant interruptions? No. This scissor-sharpener is bound and determined to prove Norm wrong, all other considerations be damned.

As he exits the barber shop to retrieve his portable sharpening machine, I share my observations on the matter with Norm. "Gee, that guy just doesn't get it, does he?" Norm chuckles and responds, "Nope, and he won't be getting my business anymore, either. For one, that guy's the most expensive sharpener in town--he charges me more than all the other sharpeners I've used before. For another, I've been cutting hair for a long, long time, and if I say they ain't feelin' right, they ain't feelin' right." We both start laughing.

The scissor-sharpener then returns with his sharpening machine, and proceeds to set it up in the vacant barber stall next to the one I'm occupying (thankfully!). He continues his back 'n forth with Norm, utterly oblivious to the fact that I'm one of Norm's paying customers, whose hair Norm's still trying to cut. I guess rudeness is also one of this guy's character traits (along with stubbornness and stupidity, that is). No matter. Lucky for me that a.) Norm's a pretty easygoing guy, and b.) Norm's not easily distracted when cutting someone's hair!

Norm finally manages to finish cutting my hair. I pay him, and I'm off and on my way until next month.

The scissor-sharpener? He's off and on his way to almost certainly losing more customers, and eventually, his entire business, I'm sure, because a.) he's not the sharpest scissor-sharpener around, and b.) I don't think his business acumen, or lack thereof, is ever going to cut it.

Never, ever forget, THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT!!

That's Mark's Mark for today. Have a great week.

Avoid the "Blue Pill" Award

There are typically two types of quotes contained within your typical press release.

First are those that actually offer some compelling, interesting information that elaborate, explain, disseminate or further support what's being announced. Then there are those that really do nothing more than state the obvious, while stroking the ego of the person who the quote's being attributed to by making them and the person who wrote the quote feel good about themselves, and whatever it is they're announcing.

The first type are newsworthy, that is, they provide value to a reporter and ultimately his or her readership or viewership, and thus have high potential to be included in media coverage of the announcement.

The second type are what I've unceremoniously often referred to as recipients of the coveted 'Blue Pill' Award. Not sure what I mean? Think Viagra. Then think about how many times you've seen quotes in press releases beginning with the following words:

• "We're excited...."
• "We're ecstatic..."
• "We're pleased..."
• "We're very excited..."
• "We've very pleased..."
• "We're thrilled..."
• "We're.....um, you get the idea....

Most, if not all, experienced journalists consider these types of statements 'throwaways,' i.e., they're useless fluff that really don't say anything of substance, and thus don't help them do their jobs.

Why is this important, you may ask? Aren't quotes attributed to company executives in a press release supposed to be self-serving? Well, yes, when it comes to fulfilling the need to help drive revenue for your company. But, if you want to effectively fulfill that need, you also need to get coverage. And that means it's vital that you provide the journalists you want covering you with information they'll find compelling--compelling enough to publish or broadcast, that is, and, therefore, it's equally important that you always portray your company's executives as leaders in their industry who have something compelling to say.

Leave that 'exciting' verbiage to those companies and their executives who obviously don't care about saying anything compelling or newsworthy. While they're racking up 'Blue Pill' Awards, I can assure that you will be rewarded with better, more frequent, and higher quality media coverage versus your competitors. I'm sure you'll agree that will be something you and your company's executives can get really excited about--just be sure you don't quote me in a press release on that. ;-)

That's Mark's Mark for today. Have a great week.

Is It Really New Media, or Simply New Mediums?

I've noticed an interesting phenomenon of late. Many businesses are expressing a strong desire for those in key marketing roles (including PR) to have familiarity and experience working with so-called 'new media,' such as Facebook and Twitter.



No doubt about it, these two start ups are certainly creating a big 'buzz' in the business community, and as more and more savvy companies of all shapes and sizes embark on so-called "social media" strategies to increase their awareness and positive exposure to the public, the leaders of these companies would be wise to note (along with you, if you're a PR or marketing type working for one of them), to understand that while Facebook and Twitter are indeed new vehicles to help drive publicity, and thereby promote, position and mass market products, services, and corporate messages, the key media themselves (i.e., the actual human beings, or journalists, that ultimately analyze, examine, write and broadcast about these things) haven't really changed--at least not the lion's share of experienced, noted veterans in their fields.



What I'm getting at is sites like Facebook and Twitter are basically significant, new delivery systems, or new mediums for existing journalists and other media types to publish their messages, product reviews, opinions, etc.



The bulk of well-established, respected journalists themselves haven't been suddenly wiped away and replaced by some huge chunk of 'new media' experts that have taken over the media landscape. Sure, there are various journalist wanna-be's who have started blogs, and created modest followings, etc., in addition to 'early adopters' who quickly embraced new media and subsequently designated themselves as new media experts. But don't think for a second that the veteran journalists (at least the smart ones) and their employers aren't fully embracing Twitter and Facebook as simply new tools to publish their content, in part so they can continue to maintain a following/readership/viewership and ultimately keep themselves relevant and profitable.


For example, in the high-tech arena, no less than the following 'top tier' media folks are regulars on Twitter: Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher of the Wall Street Journal; Paul Boutin, John Markoff, and David Pogue of The New York Times; Steve Wildstrom and Rob Hof of BusinessWeek--and the list goes on and on and on. Do a search for yourself on Twitter and you'll find many long-time journos are micro-blogging on that site alone. In fact, there's even a handy new website you can reference, http://www.mediaontwitter.com/. BusinessWeek provides its own website to research who on their staff is on Twitter: http://tinyurl.com/6ycuhd. There's also http://wefollow.com/, another excellent resource for finding well-established media (and new, up-and-coming new media types, too) who are actively engaged on Twitter.


Certainly, it's important to research, seek out, and add new journalists and bloggers you discover and believe can help you effectively help promote your company, via traditional media and on Twitter, Facebook, et al, but don't embark on your "social media" strategy by seeking just the "newbies" with little or no reputation, background, or following at the expense of ignoring the many, well-established media folks that you've historically worked with and pitched to successfully in the past.


They're still as relevant as ever. Facebook and Twitter are basically the two most prominent, new mediums to work to get coverage on as a result of successfully pitching your story to these same folks.


To quote a classic Led Zeppelin song, "The Song Remains the Same."



That's Mark's Mark for today. Have a great week!

Brevity is the Key (aka Why Twitter Works)

If you've been following the explosive growth of Twitter, you may wonder why it's grown so fast and become so popular. Well, let me add my opinion to the heap 'o opinions on Twitter.

First off, for those who claim it's a fad--don't believe 'em. Twitter is here to stay.

Many years ago, when I was a DJ at WQUE-FM in New Orleans (aka 'Q93'), our Program Director, Jay Stevens, used to review airchecks of the entire airstaff on a weekly basis. His favorite expression was, "Remember, brevity is the key." He constantly emphasized that he wanted all of his DJs to get their point across in as short amount of time/fewest words as possible. Ideally, he didn't want his DJs to speak for longer than 7 seconds (!) at a time, as he wanted us to get our listeners 'back to the music' as quickly as possible. While many of us at the time thought his philosophy was a bit extreme (not to mention the bruising of our egos), the growing popularity of Twitter has reminded me of him and that time early on in my broadcasting career.

The beauty of Twitter is that everyone has to get to their point quickly, i.e., cut to the chase. If you want to elaborate further and/or disseminate additional information, you can easily do so by directing folks to your blog, or a published article (be it your own or someone else's), video, audio, etc.

Simply put, it works. Twitter really has nothing to do with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). It has everything to do with how much information and media we all are now constantly bombarded with these days, especially since the expansion of satellite media services (DirecTV, Sirius radio), cable TV networks, and the Internet/World Wide Web, which includes e-mail, social media, text messaging and more, of course. Add the instant availability of all of this information via mobile devices such as the iPhone, BlackBerry, and it's a challenge for anyone to digest and sort through the constant stream of information and entertainment options.

Twitter condenses virtually all of that into short, 140 character maximum bursts, making it a 'quick read' to get up to speed on most things of interest to you, and then you can decide what you want to 'deep dive' into and explore further. Think of it as a new 'My Yahoo' home page.

The days of a single daily newspaper and 3 TV networks have long since fallen by the wayside, of course, and the emergence and current reality of information overload has challenged all of us.

Enter Twitter. It simply came along at the right time and place. Note I don't have any kind of equity stake in Twitter (although I wish I did!), or personally know Evan Williams or Biz Stone, the founders of Twitter.

In today's world, we all need to get our point(s) across as quickly as possible, because all of us have too many other data streams/information to get to and digest in our busy lives, and human beings still need to sleep, and do various other things with their lives in between that.

Thus, my old Program Director, Jay Stevens, was right, and, actually, way ahead of his time. Twitter is the brevity key we've been looking for the last few years.

That's Mark's Mark for today. Have a great week.