I’ll be one of the presenters. It is a stellar lineup.
It’s kind of liberating to only have 60 seconds to speak. I boiled down a typical one-hour keynote into one minute. And 59 others did the same.
Cool.
The organizers setup for our short talks was: We want to empower as many people as possible to make a big impact in the world—ideally while pursuing their deepest passions. What are the critical tactics and strategies you need to be implementing online right now in order to attract more customers and earn greater trust with prospects?
Learn more about The Influencer Project. If you register, you'll also receive a full MP3 recording and PDF transcript of the event.
One of my favorite riffs is: "Ebooks are the hip and stylish younger sister of the nerdy white paper."
When I deliver the line to B2B marketing or technology audiences, it gets a lot of laughs.
But there are also a few people who are incredulous. Their body language says: "How can David be so rude to white papers?"
I wouldn't say I am totally dismissive of white papers. However, I do not agree with how white papers are typically used, which is why I talk so much about the ebook as different.
I've found that it is nearly impossible for marketers to get out of their bad white paper habits. Therefore, I prefer suggesting they do something completely different – an ebook.
Here is why readers do not like white papers:
- White papers are usually boring. (Hey, they're white). In fact they are so boring that most people don’t want to read white papers. Instead they feel they have to read them.
- The portrait orientation of a typical white paper does not work on a computer screen. It either frustrates readers or forces them to print out the document.
- Most white papers require registration (and therefore are used as lead bait instead of true information delivery). The forced registration sets up an adversarial relationship with the reader. The give (email) to get (white paper) is a transaction.
- Because of the registration requirement, very few people blog or tweet about white papers (because they do not want their readers to be hit with unwanted emails or sales calls). Therefore white papers almost never go viral. But an ebook like, say, What Matters Now has been downloaded probably a million times.
- White paper content is frequently just re-hashed product information designed as a "problem-solution" narrative. When you promise to deliver valuable content written in an interesting way and then prattle on about your products you annoy readers.
- Most white papers use too much gobbledygook -- the flexible, scalable, cutting-edge, mission-critical, world-class, innovative sort of words.
I admit I'm being a bit lazy.
It's too difficult to convince people to change the way they do white papers. So instead I am a cheerleader for ebooks.
Brand Journalism is when any organization—B2B company, consumer product company, the military, nonprofits, government agencies, politicians, churches, rock bands, solo entrepreneurs—creates valuable information and shares it with the world.
Brand Journalism is not a product pitch. It is not an advertorial. It is not an egotistical spewing of gobbledygook-laden corporate drivel.
Instead Brand Journalism is the creation of Web content—videos, blog posts, photos, charts, graphs, essays, ebooks, white papers—that deliver value to your marketplace and serve to position your organization as one worthy of doing business with.
I've been talking up this concept for many years now. While some people resist the ideas, I am now seeing more and more who agree with me, so I wanted to do a post to pull my thoughts together and point to some other people discussing brand journalism.
Skill Sets Required
I'm convinced that those with the traditional skills of marketing, public relations, advertising, and copywriting are not the right people to create brand journalism content. Instead you need the skills of a journalist.
The idea of hiring journalists is a new one at companies, but I think it is essential for success.
Here is a two-minute riff on this idea taken from a Q&A I did with Peter Himler after my keynote at Search Engine Strategies New York 2010. Peter writes The Flack and is founder of Flatiron Communications, and served as Chief Media Officer for Edelman Worldwide, following a decade with Burson-Marsteller as head of the agency's U.S. corporate and strategic media team.
Here's a post where I try to "recruit" journalists to these ideas in the hopes that they would consider working for "the man" in corporations. With many mainstream media companies laying off journalists, I think this is an important career option. An open letter to journalists: You have an amazing career opportunity on the Dark Side.Take a look at the comments.
Albert Maruggi says: David's Brand Journalism idea may result in an actual job position I call the "embedded corporate journalist", a paraphrase from the journalist embedded with military units in the Iraq War.
Companies, nonprofits, and the U.S. military
Here are a few other things to check out:
Armed with Science Brand journalism in the U.S. Military humanizes a huge organization
When I spoke at the Marketing Pioneers event in Amsterdam, one presentation got me thinking.
Huib Van Bockel, marketing director for Red Bull in the Netherlands and who also coaches other Red Bull marketers throughout northern Europe, spoke about what he calls a Brand Bank Account.
While Huib’s presentation was in the Dutch language, I was able to speak with him several times before and after the presentation to learn more.
The concept is that each brand has a virtual bank account with items being deposited into the account and withdrawn from the account at all times. Huib says that when a brand gives more than it receives, it will grow (just like when you deposit more money over time into your bank account than you withdraw, your net worth will grow).
“I based these ideas on The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm,” Huib says. “Everyone says ‘how can I get people to love me?’ But instead the right question is ‘How can I develop my ability to love?’"
"It’s the same with marketing a product," Huib says."How can we do more for our buyers?”
The Brand Bank Account
Brands add to their accounts by creating things of value and giving them to people. For example, Apple has the genius bar and their free seminars. Corporate social responsibility is another form of giving (adding to your brand bank account).
Brands withdraw from their accounts through the attention that they demand from consumers in the form of television commercials, print ads and the like.
"Probably about 90% of current marketing is shouting at the consumer; 'buy me!'" Huib says. "Whether it is on TV, web or radio, people are watching a movie, checking out a website or listening to a song when a commercial is forced upon them. Marketing people tend to think people like their commercials, they have worked so hard on, to me it is obviously a withdrawal."
Give it away
Huib’s ideas are totally consistent with what I’ve said for years about removing gates from free content (such as ebooks) and making that content totally free. Just say NO to squeezing your buyers, I say. When you give away valuable content with no registration, you are adding to your brand bank account, making your brand more valuable.
These ideas are also consistent with Seth Godin’s concepts about gifts as he talks about in his new book Linchpin.
Every brand should figure out ways to give that are consistent with their brands.
For example, in the Netherlands Red Bull works with one or their core buyer personas - BMX bike riders – to create dirt tracks, contests and other things of value to this audience, adding to their brand bank account. Check out this terrific video to see what I mean. Direct link to Red Bull Backyard Digger Zoetermeer 2008.
And for the creative buyer persona, Rooms of Red Bull is a place for creativity, a place for artists to get inspired, create and expose their work. Rooms of Red Bull is another way the company adds to their brand bank account.
Many people ask me for advice about getting a business book published, so I wanted to blog it for all to see. See below for my 8 ideas if you are interested in doing a business book.
But first, check out this short video interview shot by my friend Tim Street where I talk about publishing a business book. Direct link here.
1. Know your goals for writing a business book.
It is unlikely you'll make much money from the book itself, so think carefully about why you are doing it. For most business book authors a book helps bring in consulting gigs, speaking opportunities, or serves as thought leadership to build a business.
2. You have many options to publish, including:
Free ebook without registration (a book you publish online and offer absolutely free- no registration required)
Paid ebook (sell your ebook on your site or via Kindle or other ebook software)
Self-published print book (you act as general contractor and pay all the costs to design the cover, typeset, print, store, and ship the book)
Author-supported publisher (work with a publishing house who serves as general contractor, but you pay all the costs)
Smaller or niche publishers
Large business-book publishers with international distribution.
3. There is no perfect way to get a book published.
Each of these approaches has merits and drawbacks. I’ve done a bunch of free ebooks, have self-published a hardcover book – a novel called Eyeball Wars (2002), worked with a small publisher, CyberAge Books on Cashing In With Content (2005), and the last several books I’ve done New Rules of Marketing & PR (2007 / revised 2010) and World Wide Rave (2009) have been with Wiley, the largest business book publisher in the United States.
4. Because it is so easy to put a book out yourself, you really do need to consider if you need a publisher at all.
Anyone can set up an account on Amazon and sell a self-published book. By doing a book yourself, you control more aspects and make more money per copy sold.
5. The main benefit of a larger publisher is distribution.
There are tens of thousands of business books published each year and only a tiny fraction of them ever make it into physical bookstores. Even fewer get worldwide distribution. So without a large publisher behind you with the contacts in the bookstore marketplace, it is unlikely that your book will be stocked at Barnes & Noble, Borders, and the other chains.
My book The New Rules of Marketing & PR is now out in 24 languages, plus on Kindle, in audio book format, and in condensed format. Each of these “subsidiary rights” brings the author more money and also increases the number of people who see your ideas. Again, working with a large publisher makes it much more likely that your subsidiary rights will sell.
PLATFORM PLATFORM PLATFORM
6. OK, so how do you get a big publisher interested in your book idea?
The most important thing is that publishers want to know how you will sell books for them. They are interested in your platform. A large publisher wants to know how often you’re quoted in the press, how often you speak, if you do television appearances. They want to know if you blog, tweet, publish videos. Basically, they want to work with authors who are likely to promote their books and make sales.
When I got my first book deal from Wiley, one of the most important factors was that I had published an ebook called The New Rules of PR (2006) that had been downloaded about 50,000 times in a month or so. The ebook had been written about on dozens of blogs. So showing that I had the ability to generate interest in my ideas, I was able to give the acquisition editor confidence that I could sell books.
7. Hire an editor.
No matter how you publish your book, it is important to have someone to work with to provide editorial advice. No writer can edit himself, and only a fool tries. A good editor pushes you to clarify your thoughts, helps with organization, and advises on the big picture.
8. Only you can market your book.
No matter how you publish your book, you must market it yourself. I recommend that authors spend as much time marketing a book as they do writing it. However, very few authors actually do it. Most either expect their publisher to market it or hope that the market will discover the book. Don’t assume. Get out and market your book.
As we wind down 2009, it’s time to think about what matters for 2010.
My friend Seth Godin has pulled together a remarkable group of more than 70 people who each contributed a one-page essay with a one-word title to create a free ebook called What Matters Now.
What Matters Now will inspire you to make some changes in 2010, and to keep doing work that matters.
Most B2B communications is dry and boring. Most B2B content offers send buyers to a squeeze page requiring an email address. As a result most buyers just can’t be bothered.
I really enjoy when I find a B2B ebook that surprises me by its originality. Here's one from CareerBuilder. Once you get to the landing page, you can punch that big, sweet Download Now button to get the ebook right away.
CareerBuilder's Search Smart eBook: The insider's guide to better resume database search (with tips and tricks for finding the best resumes)
The purpose of this eBook is to teach HR people the tips and tricks for easier, faster and more effective resume database search so they can find that perfect candidate.
Video has been available on the Web for years and with YouTube it is simple for anyone to create and post a video online.
However, a legitimate criticism of video (especially from B2B marketers) has been that it is tough to do lead generation. Sure you can have a URL mention at the end of a video or you can embed a video within a landing page with some lead offers, but that's not fully integrated.
My friends at VisibleGains have developed a video application that solves this problem. Here is an example program we created from the four videos I shot at GM a few weeks ago.
The VisibleGains application makes it easy to include links and offers as part of the video experience. Best of all, the links at the bottom of the video player to the Twitter feeds and blogs of me and the GM people speaking in the interviews are non-intrusive and can be ignored if you're not interested.
Did you notice the link near the end that points you to see the complete footage of the interview I had with Fritz Henderson, CEO of GM? These are welcome and valuable ways to offer additional content yet not in any way annoying. And notice how the video pauses when you click on a link.
Of course, these links could easily have gone to offers for lead generation purposes (such as to sign up for a Webinar). Also notice the simple form at the end of the video for people interested in learning more (in this case about VisibleGains services.
Brand Journalism becomes lead generation
I've frequently said how great online video interviews are as brand journalism. They are so darned easy to do. Any organization can shoot an interview with a customer or partner or analyst or author or someone else within a market space and become a thought leader. I use my Flip video to shoot interviews nearly every week and it’s so easy!
Now you can make those videos interactive and use them to generate leads. How cool is that?
Imagine your organization producing a regular interview show that combines brand journalism with lead generation. I'm sure you can think of subjects for shows.
Thanks to VisibleGains for turning nearly an hour of video I shot at General Motors into a compelling 4 minute video and then putting it into their player so I can share it with you.
What do you think?
Are you a marketer using video as brand journalism?
Do you have other ways of generating leads from those videos?
Please share your thoughts.
++++++++++
UPDATE: Shortly after I posted this, Matt Shaw tweeted and commented that video players similar to the one from VisibleGains have been around for years. I commented back to Matt. I also removed the word "Finally" from the posts title. The original post was called "Finally! Online video as lead generation." Thanks Matt.
At my keynote speeches, one of the most frequent questions I get is around my position that it is almost always best to make valuable content (such as white papers and ebooks) totally free vs requiring an email address to download.
The essence of this raging debate is that with a gate, each person downloading becomes a valuable sales lead, however making the content totally free with no registration required means many more people will download and spread your content via email, Twitter, blogs, and the like.
Frequent readers of this blog know that I write about this topic from time to time, most recently in a post called Say NO to squeezing your buyers.
I'm always interested in metrics to support the various positions in this debate and am excited that John Mancini, President of AIIM has agreed to share his experience with us. AIIM is a non-profit organization representing the users and suppliers of document, content and records management technologies.
In just one month (October 2009) the ebook was downloaded 5,138 times. In addition, AIIM also created a presentation version of the book and posted that, also with no registration, on SlideShare. This version has had 3,353 downloads for a total of 8,491 downloads in the month. Pretty darned good result, for the first month of an ebook, I’d say.
"Making the e-book available for free and totally without registration was a new approach for us," Mancini says. "These results for unfettered access are particularly impressive when considered against a couple of more traditional examples (i.e., content requiring a registration on our web site)."
Mancini says one of the most popular pieces of content are AIIM Industry Watch research papers. "We require registration for these papers because they are also used as a lead generation program for the sponsors," he says. "During roughly the same period as the e-book, there were 1,282 page views of the research, which translated into 513 actual downloads."
So this data suggests that unlocking content at AIIM means more than a sixteen-fold increase in the number of downloads.
Mancini is convinced that the more forward looking of their sponsors will start to realize that the future lies in creating as much visibility as possible for their content rather than viewing this through the prism of name acquisition and lead generation.
"We have learned some production things along the way," Mancini says. "For example, it is not an easy process to simply produce the book in multiple formats. We learned that most people seem to want PDF. And we learned that to get a screen-readable version that also minimizes page count, it is better to format horizontally (landscape) than vertically so we'll be republishing in a landscape format in the next few weeks."
The actual content of AIIM's e-book was built in an unconventional fashion, tapping into its network of experts to solicit contributions for the book through its Digital Landfill blog and through Twitter rather than through a more traditional authoring process.
"Based on the success of the past month, we plan to launch 3 more e-books in the next few months," Mancini says. "We are convinced that providing easy access to content like this is key to our evangelical mission."
Thanks for sharing your experience John!
How about you? Do you have any gate vs. no gate metrics to share?
Back in June, I keynoted the Business Marketing Association annual conference.
Fortunately, the BMA made a video of my presentation and gave me permission to put it onto Vimeo.
This 45-minute keynote presentation The New Rules of Marketing & PR for B2B Businesses is the first time my entire keynote for a B2B audience has been made available in this way. After the keynote, I answer a few questions for another ten minutes.
Gary Slack, BMA Chairman says of this presentation:
"David delivers! That's why we've invited him back to speak to "ENGAGE!," the Business Marketing Association’s 2010 national conference June 2-4 in Chicago. As one of 12 keynoters, David kicked off our 2009 "UNlearn" conference and mesmerized 450 business marketers from 27 states, earning the #1 speaker rating in our post-conference survey from among 55 keynoters and panelists in all, no small feat when you consider the many top marketers and authors who graced our podium."
