Meet the new cloud consumer

Are you ready for the next billion? There are 7 billion people on the planet today, and another billion are predicted to arrive in the next 10 years. A child born today will experience a terabyte of data in a single year. She will own her first computer by the age of five. And with another 15 billion connected devices coming online in the next 3 to 4 years, the way she will experience the world will be fundamentally different than the way we understand it.

The new cloud consumer is redefining ownership. This generation understands that people don’t own entertainment content anymore—it’s simply borrowed from the cloud.

It’s time we start thinking about brands in the same way.

Tips for succeeding in the cloud

Encouraging your consumers to become your brand advocates is the new currency of the cloud. Creating opportunities for them to have authentic peer-to-peer communication is the best way to continue to build an engaged customer base. Doing so enables your customers to promote your brand far more effectively than relying on traditional top-down messages, which often come across as heavy-handed, no matter how clever the headline.

No matter the type of cloud platform, and regardless of who your customer is, be it a Fortune 500 CXO or a 14-year-old girl who is considering diet cola, the following guidelines can help build your brand in the cloud.

Content. King of the Cloud.

Drive your success by giving your consumers content they can own, feel a part of, and share with their peers.

Create engaging content. Think infographics instead of whitepapers. Short videos over lengthy manifestos. Develop animations and simple, useful tools and apps that encourage customers to engage with your brand.

Embrace a syndication engine. Engagement is not a one-time event, it’s an ongoing conversation, requiring constant encouragement and updating. Push content out to your consumer regularly and consistently.

Create content that is adaptable to all devices, but optimized for each platform. An incredible iPhone app looks less impressive on the iPad, for example.

Brand your content, not the content container. Find subtle, smart ways to keep your brand ever present within the content, not just on your landing page.

Going beyond Content

Add a thought leadership strategy to the mix. Doing so positions your company and brand as an innovator. It’s critical, especially considering how quickly data—and brand advocates—move in the cloud.

Capturing the Cloud

Are your customers talking about your brand? If so, where? And how often? Use a dashboard that provides a single view of your brand’s relevance across Facebook, Twitter and YouTube (and many others).

Track your brand’s impressions and reach in the cloud. Use analytics to figure out how many people are seeing your brand and, even more importantly, sharing it with friends and colleagues. Doing so can help shape content responses and further maintain your brand’s momentum in the cloud.

While the cloud can aid in building your brand, increased awareness isn’t the only benefit it has to offer. At CMD, we believe that taking your company to the cloud can help reduce costs, improve efficiency and boost flexibility. What do you think some of the biggest advantages of the cloud will be for your business in the future?

New page, new possibilities

A few ways Facebook’s changes have improved the brand and user experience:

• Custom tabs with iframes allow brands to streamline content and pass data directly to a hosting or analytics service. This is a big one, I’ll explain later.
• Admins can set and receive alerts based on fan activity and engagement.
• Brand page layouts are now similar to personal pages—five photos on the top and tabs on the left.
• Both fans and administrators have new filters for the wall that help prioritize wall content.
• Admins can now represent their page when interacting with other pages.

Which Facebook changes will have the biggest impact on marketers?

1. iframes, additional analytics and opportunities to serve up highly interactive content make custom tabs even hotter. With iframes, marketers can deliver more target—based on the user’s location and referral source—and more engaging content than ever before. Add Google Analytics to any tab for a deeper understanding of how users are interacting with its content.
2. The ability to comment or like other pages as your brand page leads to a larger potential audience. As part of your Facebook strategy, consider creating a program of interaction, where you post with your page identity to related pages and groups as a member of the community. By contributing positively, you’re likely to draw potential fans back to your page.

Bonus Facebook Tips!

• Not all likes are created equal. Just because someone likes you doesn’t mean they’ll consistently see your updates and posts. Facebook uses a complex algorithm to display posts on news feeds. Ongoing engagement with followers is critical to get value from your likes.
• Facebook ads are easy to manage, and with careful messaging and targeting can be very effective at drawing people to your page or your website.
• Post questions, activities and cool content. Try to put some type of link in your wall posts. The more interaction the fan has with your posts, the better.
• Facebook likes are now crawled by Bing. Your search results are likely to be influenced by what people are saying about you on Facebook. Here’s a peek at CMD on Bing:

How are some of your favorite brands using the new Facebook page design? What innovative ways are you using it? Tell us in comments.

Today, the medium is just as important as it was in the past, but the way people consume the message has changed.

A product demo now serves as a conversation starter or a building block for deeper discussions.  A newspaper article may be shared more times on Facebook than it was read in its original format. An advertisement created for TV may have more views online than in prime time. No longer is the consumption of media an isolated experience. Most targets will see multiple impressions of your message across different formats and they need to all build together to tell a cohesive story.

Today an integrated marketing department (or agency) is one that can take the best content and strongest engagement and create multidiscipline experiences.  It’s also an organization that knows what resources it has available and understands how to create efficiencies by reusing and repurposing its content for maximum reach and effectiveness and then measuring it all in one place.

It’s not enough for a Web marketer to be the best Web experience developer; your site is never experienced in isolation. You need to be a storyteller and a demand generator and understand the roles of search, social media and other tactics that can drive traffic to the experiences you create, and leverage that experience throughout the sales cycle. It’s about delivering the right information to the right place at the right time.

Some questions to ask yourself for maximizing an integrated approach:

• Are you looking at customer engagement points as part of a mosaic of activities? Are they unique touch points?
• Who in your organization is producing content? Are there other places you can use that content?
• Is search marketing built into everything you do?
• Are your PR and social media teams actively driving demand for your Web tools, and vice versa?
• Are you spending more time briefing partners than strategizing with them?

Ed. note: Kevin is one of the newest members of the CMD team and specializes in integrating digital campaign approaches to create synergies in content and engagement for the agency’s clients.

In case you haven’t heard it, here’s the background: two weeks ago, Gap tried to introduce a new logo to replace its decades-old blue box icon. Customers and designers piled online to heap criticism and venom on the new artwork, and ultimately forced the retailer to bring back the old version in a public show of humiliation (and probably at great expense).

I’m not a graphic professional, but I know where to find some experts in the field. So for a little perspective I asked some of CMD’s design pros for their thoughts and what they would have recommended to Gap. Here’s a little taste:

Jenn Brewer, CMD designer, says brands need to look at their logo and brand history while keeping an eye on their audience when they go through a rebranding exercise. Only then can a redesign campaign (slight modifications or a total overhaul) be determined. Does she think Gap should have given in to the criticism?

“No, it should have been confident enough in its new logo that it could rationally and intelligently deflect the criticism,” she said. “Giving in to the criticism tells me that perhaps the company was not in agreement about the new logo in the first place.”

Thom Marchionna, CMD creative director, said that a logo is only the tip of the spear for a brand evaluation, and other companies could learn from this situation by paying attention to core issues first before introducing a refreshed logo.

“Solve any underlying business problem first, such as product quality, customer service or differentiation,” he said. “Only when you can make a promise to your audience that things are positively better and different, can you introduce the symbolism that reinforces that. To do otherwise is like putting a fresh coat of paint on the hull of the Titanic.”

And what should Gap have done differently?

“Pretty much everything,” he continued. “Forget the lousy logo. Those happen all the time. Entrusting a logo redesign to a traditional ad agency may have been the first mistake. A branding firm would have started with more probing questions, the first three of which might be, ‘how much equity exists in the current logo with our most loyal customers and influencers?’ ‘what is the nature of that equity?’ and ‘what do we risk by changing our symbol?’”

Marchionna said the real failure, in his opinion, was a surprising lack of understanding of the power of the social web.

“It is the most immediate and powerful focus group technology in history,” he said. “And it dictates a code of conduct that one would expect a company such as Gap to be attuned to. Its response to the criticism was disingenuous at best and tragically underestimated the audience’s intelligence to see through ill-conceived efforts to save face. All of which violated the implicit social contracts on which all relationships are based: trust, honesty, and authenticity, to name but a few.”

As this situation showed, indeed every brand change is now open to debate and fair game for backlash by the public and the marketing community. The key to success, in my opinion, is to do the research, answer the tough questions that need clarification internally, and have the confidence to stick to what your gut tells you. I had a basketball coach once who said “you can’t lie to yourself,” so if Gap was lying to itself about its overall business shortcomings and thought a new logo would help distract the public, it was asking for criticism.

What do you think?

These brands feed me useful and timely communications, special pricing based on my pre-stated interests and consistently deliver a quality product. And I am fiercely loyal.

But brands can take communications too far, much as a smothering date who calls too much, can’t seem to remember your favorite color, and continually asks you to pick up the tab. If it’s unacceptable in personal relationships, is it acceptable for a brand’s relationship with its customers?

Shouldn’t notes be personal?

Shouldn’t offers of affection be based on customer needs, not brand mandates?

Shouldn’t relationships grow over time?

Even Molly Ringwald had to roll her eyes when Ducky left her eight messages in one evening when all she wanted was one message from Blaine (it’s a name, not a major appliance).

What to do? What to do? Look at the customer database like a personal relationship. Would your best friend enjoy four invites to watch your home movies, or a quick note about sharing a great bottle of wine she mentioned to you a few weeks back?

Consider the following:

1. Value each name: the act of providing contact information is no longer a given, so treat each name as a person and foster the relationship.
2. Be considerate: people are busy. Don’t hit the database with one communication after another. Have rules on usage so the brand doesn’t build a relationship based on customer voicemail and junk mail.
3. Be informative: when communicating, give customers what they want. Avoid the temptation to over-communicate.
4. Be there: be available to support customers. Provide options in case there are additional questions.
5. Get smart: each communication is an opportunity to learn about the customer. Take each click or download and apply it to the record. Use it to create custom communications.

Customer relationships, just like personal ones, require time, dedication and fidelity.  Share the love.

Many years ago, when I was first getting into the public relations business, a boss of mine told me all about an article that she said she lived by and was really affected by. It was “The Brand Called You” by Tom Peters. Written in 1997, it highlights the fact that people change jobs so frequently that longevity at any one place of work is meaningless, and the only thing that will help further your career is your brand, which you are responsible for defining, maintaining and marketing. At least, that’s how I interpreted it, but I’ve been told I have an absolutely bizarre way of looking at the world! Anyway, it pleased me tremendously to come across Maureen Johnson’s Manifesto recently, via io9. She reminded me that the most important thing in life is you, not your brand.

When I read “The Brand Called You” I realized I was in a lot of trouble. As a born and bred introvert, I needed to show off my good work and skills more or I was never going to get anywhere. So I became extroverted as a result, and I think it served me well in my career…the problem was how uncomfortable it made me. I wasn’t being me, I was being a brand I manufactured to be more attractive to employers. And honest to goodness, I didn’t even realize what I’d done until Maureen opened my eyes to it.

I’m a busy brand! Bottom line this already

All right, so what does this have to do with you? Let me quote Maureen:

“I don’t want a brand, because a brand limits me. A brand says I will churn out the same thing over and over. Which I won’t, because I am weird.”

I have bolded, underlined, and, er, redded the key word in that sentence. Limits! Brands impose limits. What Pantone colors to use, what tone to take, who to talk to and how to say it. Branding makes perfect sense when you’re selling a commodity—it helps you stand out. You would think that, with the job market essentially being a commodity market, you’d need a brand too, right? I call bullshit. By boxing yourself up you’re ultimately forcing yourself, a square peg, into a round hole, and limiting your possibilities. The reality of the job market is that your personality, more than your skills, gets you the job and helps you keep it. If you’ve ever interviewed people for jobs, you know this, because you soon drop all altruistic notions about judging people evenly when you face the prospect of hiring either an absolute nutcase who is so qualified or a friendly, quiet, competent person who has a great attitude but might need some training.

Too long, didn’t read

I’m verbose. Sorry. Here’s the real bottom line: Don’t be shy about your achievements, and don’t be afraid to speak your mind. Just don’t be obnoxious and spend all your time promoting yourself.

Bonus

In closing, I want to excerpt another bit of Maureen’s manifesto—it’s fun, with great things to consider. Especially #5.

1. You should probably not be taking advice from me
2. Don’t write boring stuff
3. Have more fun online
4. The people online are real people and they matter
5. Please bring me a snack

Last week was the Social Media Club of Portland’s annual awards event and CMD took home the big prize for the “People Like Me” category that recognizes social media programs that help build brand awareness and user engagement.

The campaign that caught the eye of the judges was a social media effort to garner the attention of gamers for Intel’s presence at PAX East, one of the industry’s biggest shows, attracting more than 50,000 gamers. The goal was to dominate the show, generate maximum buzz and create/convert fans among an audience that is cynical when it comes to traditional marketing efforts.

So how do you set your social media programs apart from the rest? Consider incorporating these elements that we used for the PAX East promotion:

• Face2Face – You may have thousands of fans and followers online but don’t exclude the ones you meet in person! Amplify your social media conversation by integrating offline activities like events, activities and special guest introductions.
• Build momentum – Consider creating multiple mini-promotions within a larger program. Multiple activities provide different touch points for different portions of your audience, while also building excitement and relationships along the way.
• Be competitive – Think about ways that you can tap into your audience’s good natured competitive spirit to motivate a call to action that’s fun and engaging.

Check out our “red carpet” interview to get the full scoop from the awards event!

Since joining CMD I’ve had the opportunity to listen to, engage with and get to know people from around the globe. But even after the many @replies or wall posts that I exchange with someone, I’m still left with the inherent desire to know the person behind the other computer – and I’m not the only one.

Recently, I was at a convention with a client, and countless attendees approached our booth wanting to meet me – the person behind the social media accounts. Enter smile and a handshake. Those face-to-face interactions with our audience lifted the veil of digital anonymity (though it’s much less in social media than in other spaces) and transitioned their once online-centric connections with the brand to real relationships with a real person. As a result, the users I met in person are now creating and sharing amazing content on behalf of the brand, inviting friends to join in the conversation, and much more.

We recommend that our clients not forget the personal aspect of social media, and remind them that social interaction doesn’t always have to be through digital means. So how can your brand begin to bridge the gap between the online and offline worlds? Here are a few tips:

• Start small by personalizing your social media properties with a picture or name of the person who is operating the account. While this is still a far cry from a face-to-face interaction, it puts a person behind your communications rather than a faceless logo or image.
• Host a TweetUp at an event where your audience will already be present. This makes it easy for them  to make it to the meet-up, and alleviates your concerns about securing a venue and creating an entire experience for your attendees.
• Invite your audience to tour a new facility, try a new product or sit down to chat with your CEO. Providing your social media connections with unique experiences not only deepens your relationships, but is a key first step in creating brand evangelists.

Connect with Ben any time for a handshake and coffee.

-From Faceless to Fantastic, @ekaterinawalter of Intel and @JeffWidman of BrandGlue

When launching something new, an online service, content, social network or otherwise, it’s much easier to succeed with a subset of your target audience, then scale up to a larger market. For example, Facebook started by saturating its target audience at Harvard. Likewise, Twitter launched in the fishbowl of SXSW. Both scaled up from there based on the success with the in-crowds who represented the larger user base they were ultimately seeking.

-From Zero to a Million Users, @drewhouston of DropBox and @asmith of Xobni

Web analytics is not about quantity of visits, it’s about the quality of the interaction. We should be getting the most out of everyone who visits, and to do so, we need to understand their behavior beyond simply looking up the initial referring site. Three fundamental metrics that you need to be tracking on your website:

1.       Where people first came from to your site

2.       What they did before they converted into a paid customer (or took the desired action)

3.       How long before they started paying you

-From Tracking People, Not Just Numbers, Neil Patel of KISSmetrics

Many experts say that a blog first and foremost needs to look good and function as a platform for other online assets. Others say the content must be front and center and interesting enough to engage readers to comment. My view is that design and content must work hand in hand for a successful blog because they both represent your brand.

At CMD, we’re constantly monitoring our blog, Back Deck, for the right balance of style and content. For us, the words we write each week are the top priority, as our goal is to explore marketing trends with you. At every turn we ask if we could do better. Same goes for the design, where our graphic experts recommend keeping the look fresh and adding functionality whenever possible.

That’s why this week we are unveiling a redesigned CMD blog with a new look and feel.  The previous design was around for about a year and we all felt it was time to take it up a notch. I encourage you to take a look at your own blog, and constantly ask yourself the questions we asked during our redesign: “Can we do better?”; “Are our words resonating with the audience?” and “Is it time for a change?”.

When it comes to a blog, what do you think about design versus content? We welcome your thoughts.