Let me start by admitting that I am not one of those people who sit at my computer and search for funny videos on YouTube. Instead, I wait for others to send me “good” videos and then tell other people about them if I think they are worthwhile.

A few weeks ago, PR News Daily gave me one of those. In their daily email I came across an interesting title, “Adorable twin toddlers teach us communication skills.” Thinking about the eTrade commercials, how could I resist the urge to see what this article was all about?

Although it is a silly video, the publication wasn’t wrong – it can teach you something about communicating. How many meetings have you attended where people were talking but not listening? Or, as a business, how often do you talk to your clients rather than engage them?

Communicate, don’t just update

In today’s world, communication is changing. In some respects, we are getting closer by knowing what someone had for breakfast just by following their tweets. However, in other ways, we are becoming less personal more superficial.

To put it in terms of business, if you are surveying clients but only providing “pre-approved” responses in the form of drop-downs or radio buttons, are you really getting all their feedback? Or, if you are doing PR and trying to “win” points with a relevant reporter by retweeting all of their articles – are you getting any closer to building a relationship with them?

We must slow down and remember that personal relationships are the foundation to a successful business relationship. And personal relationships start with great communication. Let’s try picking up the phone and ask how business is going. Let’s try to schedule in-person briefings and lunches with reporters to find out how they write their articles and if they are working on any pieces you could help them with (or perhaps even offer up a colleague at a different company who could serve as a great source).

Networking, communication at its finest

As an aside, going back to the basics of communication is just as important for everyday networking. Arketi recently invited Atlanta legend, Ricky Steele, to stop by for an educational session on networking – and for me, the biggest takeaway was that networking is about creating real relationships with people. This involves having two-way dialogue and getting to know a person on a deeper level.

So let’s take a lesson from toddlers and strive to not just simply talk gibber gabber at one another, but actually engage others in two-way conversations.

Whitney Boudreaux, account executive at Arketi Group (http://www.arketi.com), a high-tech B2B PR and digital marketing firm, discusses how BtoB tech companies can apply the principals of nurture marketing to recapture unfulfilled sales through strategic communications and continual outreach.

For more on lead nurturing and marketing automation visit: http://arketi.com/newsletter/newslett…

Marketing is in the details. Really, it is. I am sure many of you reading this may disagree, thinking that marketers are full of fluff, grandiose ideas and all “big picture” – but trust me when I say the details can never be overlooked. (Mind you, when I say details I am not pigeonholing marketers into tactical programs, but I am saying that strategy must be based on an in-depth understanding of your market.)

After reading a great and thoughtful article on “The Five W’s of Marketing” in Bloomberg Businessweek, this point became even more apparent. In the article, Steve McKee makes a valid argument about the five W’s. Let’s all say them together – who, what, when, where and why. Correct? Not always.

Order matters
As McKee points out, we need to reorder the five W’s to fit marketing’s needs. The new order – why, who, what, where, and when – moves you from thinking like the average Joe to thinking like a true marketer. In other words:

1. Why do you need marketing? What are your goals and objectives? Forget for a second what you think you need and focus on what you hope to achieve. We’ve seen this happen numerous times where prospects and clients enter a meeting with a plan – i.e. I want an ad – but upon discussion, we realize what they really need is an email marketing program.
2. Who are you trying to reach? Who are your resources? It’s been said before and it will be said again, the best way to engage a prospect or client is to be in their space.
3. What is your message? What programs will be run? If you haven’t already asked the “why” then how can you accurately answer the “what”? In other words, if your objective is to generate leads (which you’ll have identified in question 1) then you might want to run a demand generation program and position it around a new product or call-to-action.
4. Where can I connect with prospects and clients? This question will largely be answered by your response to question 2, “who”? Knowing who you are talking to will help you make strategic advertising, public relations and event decisions.
5. When should you roll out a new program? When should I talk with prospects and clients? Again, after answering question 2, the answers to these questions will come naturally.

So, are you starting to see my point on the details? Marketing is not just about programs and it is not just about discussions, it is about asking the right questions at the right time.

If you have a minute, I’d recommend reading “The Five W’s of Marketing” to gain even greater insight into the importance of knowing your W’s.

How many of you have started a blog with the greatest intention to write daily or weekly but over time the blog fell by the wayside when ‘real work’ got in your way? Let’s admit it – it happens to the best of us.

And it’s not surprising. With more than one million blogs tracked by Technorati, and more than 20,000 of those being business blogs, it is difficult to get noticed and create a following. Often companies redirect resources when they aren’t seeing immediate results. While that may be the right move, first ask yourself a couple of important questions:

1. How frequently do you post? The more you post, the more often your RSS subscribers get notified. The more often they are notified, the more likely they are to visit your blog.
2. Who are your authors? It is difficult for one person to dedicate themselves to an ongoing blog. Therefore, get your co-workers involved. At Arketi, every account person is involved in our blog.
3. What’s your expertise? While it is great that in today’s world my 10-year old cousin could blog, would he be the best source on entrepreneurship? I doubt it. However, Arketi’s principals could speak to it. In other words, talk about what you know. As an example, one of our VPs was previously an analyst; therefore his take on analyst relations is seen of high value.
4. Why would people care what you have to say? Using a conversational tone and tying your blog into an industry trend, makes you relevant and interesting. Even more important, pointing to industry research while discussing your own views on the subject makes your blog a worthwhile read.
5. How are you marketing it? If you think that people will magically stumble across your blog and start promoting it to their friends, you’ll probably be waiting for some time. Instead, market it! Link to it from your website, marketing emails, tweets and personal email signature. You can never remind people enough that there is current, relevant information available to them.
6. How are you measuring it? This is a common question we receive from companies wanting to start blogs. Some proven methods of measurement include the number of comments, page visits and RSS subscriptions.
7. How are you leveraging it? If you blog a great topic and leave it at that; you are losing out on a great opportunity. Blogs, especially when gathered from subject matter experts within your organization, are a hotspot of great ideas for newsletters, podcasts and videos.

Based on your responses to these questions, perhaps you should refresh your approach to blogging and see what it can do for you.

As a marketer, I find solace in numbers. I like hard facts and I get a high with I find stats that can back up my desire to run new programs.

With social media proving to no longer be a fad, many still wonder to what extent its value is being realized. That is why, upon seeing an intriguing tweet recently from Paul Gillin – “Stat junkies will love this big list of social media numbers.” – I had to click through. The result was a great compilation of 2010 findings on social media stats and market research.

Email Marketing is on the rise: 54% of marketers plan to increase spending on email marketing. Not surprising given the growing interest in lead nurturing.

Blogging is key: Nearly 90% of reporters and editors turn to blogs for story research. Talk about a great way to get some thought leadership coverage.

Strategy anyone: Only 41% of companies using social media have a strategic plan in place to guide activities. What?!? Let’s get smart people. Think about the time and resources that are being used to move these efforts forward. It doesn’t take much to create a strategic outline – determine where your audience lives, what your message is and, last but not least, have a semblance of an ideal outcome.

B2B social media spend: 6 of 10 B2B companies plan to increase social media spend in 2010. If your competitors are making a name in the space, shouldn’t you also?

Give them what they want: Tech buyers are most likely to click on news/articles, competitive comparisons and promotional content. If you are still only sending out links to brochures and datasheets, you might be missing out on a slew of prospects.

When reading the article, I’d highlight recommend scrolling down to these sections – “Social Media Use in Small to Midsized Businesses”, “B2B Social Media Marketing Statistics” and “Content Marketing.”

Well here it goes – my first blog post for Arketi. A recent OMMA article highlighting a survey on the shift from traditional to digital spend has got me interested. The survey’s findings are truly not that surprising, but it’s the meaning behind them that got me thinking. For instance:

Survey: 46% of companies plan to increase marketing budgets in 2010

My thoughts: While many expected marketing spends to increase following the large budget cuts in 2009; I wonder about the 54% who do not plan to increase. Is this because their companies weren’t affected by the economic downturn (not likely), that they still haven’t rebounded (perhaps) or that they don’t see the value in marketing (problem)? If the answer is that marketing isn’t valued, those marketers need to find a way to get a seat at the executive table. We, as marketing and communication practitioners, must constantly remind key stakeholders that it is marketing that will help ensure a company’s brand is relevant to its customers.

Survey: 28% of marketers are shifting some of their marketing budgets from traditional to digital

My thoughts: Often a more cost-effective approach to reaching customers, digital marketing provides the opportunity to reuse assets in multiple areas. For instance, investing dollars in a YouTube channel means that a company is beginning to use video. These videos can be cross-used in many ways – from social media releases, to calls-to-action on a website, to becoming viral through distribution on Twitter. Whether companies spend a lot or a little on digital channels, the key is that they get their feet wet. Try video, try dynamic emails, try social media. Wherever your customers are, that is a great place to begin.

To read OMMA’s recent article and see more survey findings, click here: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art;_aid=122018