You’re at a trade show, and you’ve met a client face-to-face for the first time. In the process of conversation, you discover they are not just a client. They are your cheerleader – among that top percentage of people who are strong advocates for your company. Wouldn’t that make a great testimonial? Too bad they are in California, you’re in Atlanta and you’re both leaving at the end of the day. Fade to a black-and-white screen from the old serials that says “The End” and suddenly there’s a question mark.

But wait – the solution is likely already in your pocket. Android phones and iPhones have some serious multimedia tools, with newer phones even capable of shooting 720p HD video. For an on-the-spot interview, you can always use your phone to capture the video and load it directly to your company’s YouTube channel. There is no production or editing involved, and it can be on the web in seconds – oftentimes, this just adds to the impromptu, on-the-scene feel. (Of course you can also save the video and edit it later to add in some branding elements.)

Even better are the newest crop of Flip-style pocket recorders, which are capable of HD recording. Cisco’s Flip UltraHD has added a new accessory port that allows for expansion, and wireless clip-on microphones have already been announced, or simple stereo microphones with a plug-in port for an external or handheld microphone. The Kodak ZI-8 is also in this class of recording device and is capable of HD recording. However, it has an external microphone jack.

Audio is important, especially online where clear voices and clean audio can make up for any lack of video quality. Most people are willing to forgive a video for being slightly dark or overly compressed online. However, most will move on quickly if they can’t understand what is being said! Having the option for an external microphone on these portable devices is a big boon.

Add a small portable tripod and an inexpensive handheld mic, and you’re ready to do on-the-spot interviews or testimonials for well under $300. (Not to mention community events, company meetings, outings, etc.) A small microphone, tripod and camera could easily fit in a pocket or purse. These types of video recorders have a built in USB that allows anyone with a Wi-Fi connected device to upload your recordings to YouTube or send to a studio for editing with your brand.

There are times when you want to have the perfect lighting and production in a studio, but portable video devices give you flexibility when you can’t. More importantly, it enables you to capture what you need – even when you didn’t know you were going to need to. Content is king, and you’ll be able to capture it when it is the most important.

Arketi ( http://www.arketi.com ) Principal Sami Jajeh details key tenets and steps for successfully positioning BtoB technology companies. He will also showcase how savvy companies are uniting the messaging and segmentation exercises to develop an over-arching message that resonates on both the corporate level and for individual vertical and product lines.

Arketi Group ( www.arketi.com ) Principal Mike Neumeier discusses the importance of properly differentiating between goals, objectives, strategies and tactics.

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.

With so many products and services on the market today, it’s easy for the public to confuse your product or service with a competitor’s. That’s why it is critical that marketers trademark any word, name or symbol (or service mark a service) used in commerce that identifies and distinguishes it from others. Trademark rights entitle the owner of a mark to prevent others from adopting similar marks in the same geographic area.

Trademarks come in a number of different styles—everything from word and design marks (think the NIKE swoosh) to initials, slogans and sounds (i.e., AT&T, “You deserve a break today,” and the NBC chimes).

To keep your intellectual property safe, follow these tips:

• Use legal counsel to determine the availability and risk of adopting a mark.
• Don’t pick marks that are…
  • Already in use
  • Similar to other marks
  • Likely to be used by competitors
  • Federally registered for similar goods or services
• The simple act of incorporating or registering a tradename with the Secretary of State Office does not provide a business with any trademark rights. Common Law rights arise from actual use of the mark. Therefore, senior user defeats junior user.
• Use a trademark as an adjective rather than a noun or verb (i.e., Kleenex brand tissues as opposed to “please pass me a Kleenex”).

To minimize problems registering your trademark, be sure to avoid:

• Marks with geographic origin (i.e., Georgia wine) or a surname (i.e., Smith’s tires).
• Scandalous or disparaging marks.
• Insignia of a government agency or of certain organizations protected by law.
• Marks that identify a living individual or deceased president during the life of his widow without consent.
• Famous marks (i.e., Rolls Royce or Coke).
• Clever misspellings of otherwise unusable marks (i.e. Koke or Codac).
• Marks using elements (like Mickey Mouse’s ears) that are protected under other laws.

Finally, it’s important to appropriately designate your rights in the mark based on where it is in the registration process because TM, SM and ® don’t all mean the same thing:

• TM designates a trademark prior to registration
• SM designates a service mark prior to registration
• ® is the federal registration symbol, which may be used once the mark has a registration certificate issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office

Rory Carlton, principal of Arketi Group ( www.arketi.com ), a high tech business-to-business public relations and marketing firm, discusses ways to get more mileage out of your marketing content.

Arketi Group ( www.arketi.com ) consultant Brian Boudreaux discusses how a practitioners understanding of back-end technology is critical to the success of crisis management

Bulldog Reporter, a publication that provides an inside view into the workings of media organizations to help PR professionals increase their effectiveness, recently asked journalists what sites and resources they use to generate story ideas and conduct necessary research to write stories.

No shocker that journalists are relying more heavily on social media to do their jobs; however it may be a surprise the extent to which they are visiting social media sites for “news” gathering purposes. According to the survey, 55 percent of journalists used Twitter to research stories in 2009. That’s a jump of almost 20 percent from the previous year.

Even more journalists – 73.4 percent – use Facebook for such research. And for reporters covering consumer technology, entertainment and arts/culture, that percentage is likely even higher.

Bye, Bye Blogs?

While journalists are relying more heavily on social media sites and microsites, blogs seems to be losing ground, according to the survey. But, although journalists are using blogs less, they are receiving more of them through subscribed RSS or e-mails feeds. Nearly 59 percent of journalists received at least one regular RSS or e-mail feed in 2009, up from 46 percent in 2008.

The Survey Also Said…

Despite the struggles that many local newspapers are facing to stay afloat, a larger majority of journalists – 77 percent- rely on their local newspapers to follow the news. The second most popular source was the New York Times.

Corporate websites remain a popular information source for journalists. Nearly 85 percent of journalists report visiting a corporate website or online newsroom at least once a month. However, they often find it difficult to uncover the information they need. Nearly half of the survey respondents stated that it is often difficult to find a) the organization’s media representatives, b) their contact information or c) press materials that address their interests.

As you plan your 2011 public relations programs, make sure that you are leveraging all appropriate vehicles and tactics to reach journalists with your story. And, by all means make sure that journalists, as well as customers and prospects, have a good experience when visiting your website.  

Click here to download the results.