Satisfy, Justify, Mystify

You’ve probably heard of Spotify.  I have it on my iPhone, laptop, and all three of my desktops.  I love it.  It has changed the way I select, play, and listen to music.  If you haven’t yet checked it out, you should.  A new world of free music is just a click away…  Yes, you can use it for free, but it is much better if you buy a premium package which allows for better streaming and unlimited music, no advertising.  $9.99 a month. Gotta love that…

You may not have yet heard of Chirpify.  I was so excited when I heard about this.  Why? Because I seriously cannot wait to use my phone to pay for everything.  And Chirpify is one step closer to that.  This app is lovingly referred to as Twitter Commerce – get it, chirp?  With Chirpify, you can pay for services and goods, as well as make donations over Twitter.  Start transacting on Twitter now…

Likify Me

And now, we have Likify.  This is a new semi-automated way to social market.  Combining the power of QR Codes and social networking, Likify allows the marketer or supplier to create a code for consumer-choice sharing.  Once downloaded, the consumer can select how they will social share a product or service.  They even have case studies from Nike and Sephora.  Their website is simple, self-explanatory and makes me wonder… have we gone too far?

By the way, a QR Code is a Quick Response Code. They were first created by Toyota to track auto parts.  You can learn more about QR Codes for HR & recruiting here .

Isn’t social media, social networking, and successful social marketing all about organic sharing? How much automation before we lose touch with the reality of true sharing?  Will virtual living, buying, and selling take over?  Will IRL only be an acronym?

I know, hard to believe that I, me – Rayanne – is saying this/writing this.  I am a fanatic when it comes to mobile technology and social media… I have 8 social profiles that I visit daily.  And countless others that receive weekly and monthly attention, as well. One of my favorite books and plays has always been Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.  It thrilled me while scaring the crap out of me and there are days when it feels like we are headed that way…

Books becoming obsolete, thanks Kindle, Nook, and iPad.
TVs the size of walls.
Big Brother and Marketers watching everything you say, write, read, watch, buy, sell…

And yes, I am a marketer.  And yes, I specialize in social marketing.
But I think at some point,  it will come back to  me – you – every person  strolling through the market, squeezing avocados, checking the color of tangerines, stopping at a shop, trying on shoes, stepping inside a little bakery to pick up a loaf of freshly baked bread that smells incredible…

That’s organic.
That isn’t automated.
That is sensory…

And that cannot be squelched, or stifled, or silenced.       Thank goodness.

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four, happily engaged to Tom, residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a daily contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

It's all how you look at it

Perspective

Emails, tweets, status updates, blogs, surveys, voicemails, text messages…, So many ways to get a message across. How do we break it down? How do we disseminate truth from made-up, happy-go-lucky, too-good-too-believe mostly true?  Advertising, marketing, bragging, or sharing?

• If it feels like a template, it just might be.
• If it feels like a lure, there is a distinct possibility that it is.
• If it feels like a waste of time, follow your gut

Differentiation is a key component to success. What makes you different than the others in your industry, market, or space? These are the things that will drive organic traffic to you, to your offering…

Cutting past the images, ordinary words, and weak attempt for opinion isn’t for the faint of heart or for the cookie cutter marketer, advertiser, business owner or business professional. Everything you say, everything you write, everything you do is an advertisement for your product or service - you are a walking commercial.  So, what can you do to prevent your audience from changing the channel, closing the magazine, deleting an email, hanging up the phone, or simply clicking unfollow?

Professionalism means different things to different people. Being true to yourself is important but remembering your audience might have to counter that loyalty. Are you prepared to sacrifice some authenticity for expansion? Many are.  Many are not.  What makes you different? What value do you provide?  How will you survive, then thrive?  Now is not the time to cut back on advertising or quality of service.  It is the time to be unusual, to be extraordinary, to be available, to be flexible, and to be brilliant. Now is the time to be better.

It is time to be better than – not better at selling or stealing, but better at providing a service, creating a better product and and then continually bettering both your service and your product.  Are you doing that?  Are you striving to better what you offer? Or do you over sell, under provide, and lie about everything?  How important is authenticity and truth in advertising to you when you are the buyer?

It’s all about perspective…

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four, happily engaged to Tom, residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a daily contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

I will most certainly date myself with this post… I didn’t even remember who the company “Nationwide” was or what they did. I do remember their slogan and little jingle, “Nationwide is on your side…” A catchy phrase that I have remembered through the years. A quick Google search and I was able to ascertain and recall that they are an insurance company. The Good Hands’ People, another familiar insurance company, of course it’s Allstate. “You deserve a break today,” McDonald’s catch phrase has pushed more fast food than you can possibly imagine. Even more than “have it your way” or “finger lickin’ good.”

Is having a catch phrase important to the marketability of your company? One company I worked for was continually “redefining the recruitment process one relationship at a time,” another claimed that, “the best way to predict the future is to prevent it.”  If you don’t already have one, have you thought what your catch phrase should or would be? One of my former client’s was always kidding around and would say things like, “Call me, when the last thing you need is a walk in the park.” Silly, but funny and also speaks to the urgency he feels about tag lines: they aren’t really necessary if you provide a good service or a good product.

When in the course of your work day, are you more concerned about getting across the message your company has carefully crafted or fulfilling your end of the business relationship? There is such a push for personal branding these days that maybe we neglect duty just a smidge. Defining, first, what your duty is, as a service or product provider, should probably be the precursor to creating your personal brand. Do you have a niche or are you an unsexy generalist? Are you better at sourcing business than you are at business development? Clarifying what you do well is imperative in order to sell what you do period.

Selling your strengths. Recognizing your weaknesses. Build your house of business / your brand on your ability to combine your skills to create an incredible package every potential client wants and needs. Your catch phrase is just that – your hook, your net, your harpoon… It is how you catch a candidate, entice a client, persuade a hiring manager, get your message across, promote your department, sell your services.

So, should you just do it? For if you fly the friendly skies, don’t leave home without it. Perhaps you’re strong enough for a man but made for a woman. If so, you probably never let them see you sweat, especially at the happiest place on earth. Nothing runs like a deer even if it does taste great, less filling. I try to think outside the box, because I’m worth it. Never forget, you can still do it the old-fashioned way, after all…, it’s not a job, it’s an adventure.

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for the online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four, happily engaged to Tom, residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a daily contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

Last week I read a blog post by Seth Godin called, “Are you doing math or arithmetic?” Mr. Godin stated his respect for mathematicians and the work they do – a cross between art, science, and music.  While arithmeticians are merely plugging numbers into a calculator – they are neither bold nor adventurous.

I was rather disappointed in this look at both sides of math work.   Not all work is glamorous or groundbreaking.  I am a marketer, like Seth Godin.  Not all parts of my work are thrilling or edgy.  Much of it is arithmetic – adding numbers, balancing budgets, and planning.  Some of it is exciting and thrilling:  the design and execution portion of my work is why I struggle through the arithmetic.  No one makes it to their peak without a lot of eraser marks and crossing out wrong answers.

When I was a dental assistant, it was all arithmetic – except for the “caring for the patients” part.
There needs to be dental assistants in the world.

When I was a junior high coach, it was all arithmetic – except for the “caring for the students” part.
There needs to be junior high coaches in the world.

When I was a full-time recruiter, it was all arithmetic – except for the “caring for the candidate” part.
Recruiters are not going away any time soon.

When I was a consultant, it was all arithmetic – except for the “caring and client” part.
Consultants are not going away anytime soon.

All work contains mostly arithmetic  – “the work that is tedious and must be done”.   Sometimes, we get to enjoy the mathematics  part – the design and strategy, the implementation and finale, the pomp and circumstance.   The trick is to find the job that brings you the most all-around joy, that brings you fulfillment and highlights your strengths – your talents.   And we can’t all be strategists or designers all the time.

Frankly, I am thankful there is an arithmetician on the other side of my paycheck or adding up my groceries.  I am grateful that someone measures the flavors of my salted caramel mocha exactly accurately.  I am appreciative of the countless hours that go into mixing paint or cement or cookie dough.  I admire those who measure fabric or cut leather to produce shoes or clothing.  That is art.  That is ability.  That is talent – not the person who sits back and defines or admires art.

So I am proud that my work includes arithmetic and lots of it. Be proud of the your arithmetic, the repetition that you perfect.  It is the part that hones your talent, that paves the way for design,  parts the sea for the magic we each make happen – whether it’s a smile or a donut.

Never underestimate the power of arithmetic.   The most talented rely on it.

part 1

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for the online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

Is relevance just a matter of perspective?  Of course, it is.

I attended a marketing summit recently.  It was not a recruiting conference or a recruiting unconference.  It was a meeting of local marketing minds from mobile, public relations, social media, and…, wait for it…, the soon-to-be extinct direct marketing.  I have attended multiple tech conferences and enjoyed them, and many, many, many HR and Recruiting conferences.  But this was my first marketing conference – if you don’t count a Seth Godin concert or a Scott Stratten sing-a-long (with greatest respect, as I admire both immeasurably).

It was a great opportunity to meet folks, within my own community, fearlessly working and trying to navigate the new rules of marketing, just as I am.  Typically, I am hopping on a plane or driving for at least four hours for such an opportunity.  Who knew I could be inspired and learn from just down the street?  True, there were only three or four of us tweeting, but the information and deets shared were relevant because of our location and our chosen fields.

We are all battling the same demons:  How many email campaigns before we get deemed spam by our receivers?  Is print marketing dead?  Is social all it’s cracked up to be?  Can you really measure it?  Do we really want to help each other?  How much more can we possibly learn? Are there really that many platforms and do I need to be present on all of them? Whew…, makes even the most level head spin.

No one is teaching this – no formal educator anyway.  We are learning it on our own, organically, as we go.  When last I checked, my alma mater was still not offering social or mobile marketing classes.  Why is that?  Has it been determined, somewhere, by the academic gods that  social media is a flash-in-the-pan?  That mobile is just a fad?  I, for one, am very happy to declare that they aren’t going away.  They aren’t going to ride off into the sunset, like Polaroid cameras and Playtex bras.  They aren’t going to sing one last song for the road, at least not until the next greatest elevation of innovation.  This is it, the latest and greatest.  Learn it, embrace it.  Use it to do your job better.  Listen to what others are saying and doing.  And share what you are doing.

When all is said and done, perspective is everything. How you use what you use.  What you need to “make it work” depends on you – your approach, your management and maintenance, what is relevant to you, your family, your friends, your business.  G+ may be just what you were looking for as an individual, but how will it work for your business?  LinkedIn may be perfect for your HR department, but how about marketing?  Twitter may be the be-all-end-all for viral marketing, but  does it really make a recruiter’s job easier?

Facebook sits on the throne, but how long will be the reign? With lightning speed, functionalities change or increase.  Sometimes, the crown becomes crooked or tarnished – but is always righted and shiny once passed along.  The elevation of innovation.

Here lie the graves of:  reel-to-reel, facsimile, cassettes, Napster, dictaphone, pagers, and of what once was Friendster -  What will be next?

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for the online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.

<—- Is this a better option??

That’s it, I’ve had it.  It took me more than a week to change my settings on all my LinkedIn Groups so I no longer received fifty-two different emails every day containing Group Updates.  What a relief that was, however, email notifications continue to stream in from other sources.  My inner brat reared its ugly tech head and like the raven, cried “Never more.”

I reviewed the constantly streaming in emails that every single morning, I methodically delete.  I finally said to myself, enough is enough.  I am tired of it.  So, do you know what I did? I, one by one, went through each marketing email in the inboxes of my personal and professional accounts and systematically unsubscribed.   It was not easy and it took longer than I expected.  I will repeat the process tomorrow and the rest of this week as others continue to stream in.

In my personal email account this morning, there were sixteen different marketing emails by the time I sat down to my computer.  They were from the likes of Bath & Body Works, Sage Act Software, Groupon, Barnes & Noble, Enterprise, LivingSocial, hunch, ModCloth, Ace Hardware Store, Goldstar Events, Xbox and so forth.  Some were a simple process of click here to unsubscribe and it was done, others required you to carefully review your options and make sure you had ticked the right box, and others begged you to stay and change your mind.  I think the idea was to make it difficult, so you didn’t actually go through with it, you didn’t actually cut the ties of your favorite retailers.

Only one – ONE – asked why I was unsubscribing:  Nordstrom.  I love Nordstrom, I cannot always afford to shop there but they have great sales and better yet, they have excellent customer service.  And their unsubscribe process proved my case in point.   A drop-down menu appeared, not begging me to stay or to please reconsider, but rather with options of why I wished to stop receiving emails.

Options consisted of *Too many emails from Nordstrom or *I don’t shop at Nordstrom.  But the one I selected was *I receive too many retail emails.  And it is true; I spend my first waking half-hour deleting emails on my mobile device before I even leave my bed.  And today’s barrage proved to be e-fatal to the retailers who have access to my multiple email addresses.

Interestingly enough, as a marketer, I am extremely adverse to email marketing.  I know that most emails are OptIn, but what I struggle with, like most, is spam and I have no desire for my carefully-crafted message to be lumped in with spam or to end up on the cutting room floor with the others before me.  I want my information not only received but read, in full.  So, as a business-to-business marketer, I appeal to you – what is the right option?  Are you as sick of email spam or blather as much as I?  Are you eBombed twenty times daily, as well?  Are you leery of distributing your email address to vendors or businesses?  Have we reached critical mass?  I think yes, I think we have.  With so many different ways to advertise your product or service, is email still a viable marketing tool?

I think we have a way to go before email blather is completely eliminated, I am also a firm believer that email is not dead – I do most of my customer  response and industry communications through Twitter;  I am ready to do my part, to proceed with awareness that eBombing is a pain in most people’s sides.  Including my own.
                                                                                                      ~Eradicating the eBomb, one email at a time.~

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for the online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.