As marketers, we often think we understand our target audience. We think we know what kind of content they want, and we also think we know what topics they find interesting. No one creates content assuming it’s off the mark; instead, we assume that our effort is worth something (interest, buzz, value, connection, etc.).

Turns out, we assume a lot, primarily that we’re hitting the mark. And maybe our assumptions are correct…but wouldn’t it be great if we could prove it? We can. Here’s how.

Find the Nuggets

With so much value being placed on content these days, why risk building a content strategy based on assumptions? Nobody rebrands or launches a new product without investing in market research. Why skip this step for your content strategy?

Today, we are super lucky to have a wealth of listening and monitoring tools at our fingertips. Most are geared toward social media presence, brand monitoring, and reputation management.

But take it a step further: actively seek out the important nugget(s) that present themselves through the listening. Work the tools, push some limits, and really get to the value of actively putting your chosen tool to work for you.

The nuggets, the connections, the findings that appear from taking the extra step…those are what can inform marketers about what their audiences and customers really want to know, what they are talking about, and where the holes are. The nuggets take work, but the end-results are priceless when compared to a flawed, misguided, or ill-informed content strategy.

Find the NOT

I have used monitoring tools in the past, like Hootsuite and Radian6 (pre-Salesforce integration. Did I just date myself?); here at SME Digital, we currently use Netbase. What these various listening and monitoring tools do is give us the ability to see the actual conversations happening across channels about a specific topic or brand.

Seeing the actual conversations is super important. Again, this takes work, but there is no room for assumptions or guesses here.

Not only do we learn what people actually want to learn about, read, or consume, but we also learn what NOT to write about. Learning what topics to NOT touch on can be invaluable.

We recently had a client who was very excited about trying out a branded hashtag campaign, but we discovered that the hashtag they had selected was presently a hot button topic; this could have quickly gone horribly wrong. By evaluating the sentiment around the hashtag, we were able to help the client find a more positive direction.

Find Truth

We can even learn a bit more about the true customer base. Turns out, your actual customers do not necessarily align with your target customers. And that’s a finding worth every bit of your work and research.

Additionally, leadership can get stuck on a specific topic that they feel must be covered. Listening can demonstrate if there is any real activity around that subject in the key demographic. Further, listening can help reveal what kind of language you should be using to really speak to your target.

Find Mojo

Spending the up-front time listening and discovering what topics are actually of interest (instead of guessing at them) is not only fun (sooo fun), but also extremely enlightening. The industry talking heads spend loads of time telling us what the hot topics are…but (trust me) they aren’t always right (or even close).

Deep-dive listening and dot-connecting will absolutely reveal surprises, and that is where you can shine. So take the time to shine. Participate in the real conversation, create content that hits the numerous sweet spots that you uncover, and stop wasting your time guessing.

Bonus: If you’re having a hard time being inspired, sitting in the middle of the larger, real-time conversation will absolutely help you find your mojo.

Bottom line: Whether you use Netbase or a different tool, have a credible, qualitative source to point to that validates your content and content-recommendations. Then, demonstrate the “why” to leadership with facts, not assumptions.

The post This Post Is For You appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

The benefits and drawbacks of working outside of a traditional office space is well-chartered blog territory. What is often missing from the conversation is what it takes to build and sustain a corporate culture of Zappos proportions with an entirely virtual team.

At SME Digital, we have up-leveled working virtually, beyond simply a job that allows you to work out of your home (or local Starbucks) to a fully realized and comprehensive virtual culture. And it’s amazing.

If you are able to combine the positive attributes of working virtually with a fully realized and sustainable culture…LOOK OUT WORLD.

There is something innately powerful about a company who runs on trust.

Which brings me to the most important component of building a virtual culture: Trust. What is the biggest obstacle for many employers to conquer? Trust. What is a top 3 reason that more employers don’t allow remote workers? Trust. In a virtual environment, employers have to trust their employees to do the work, which can understandably be difficult. But that trust is super vital. And, really, aren’t we all grownups?

Companies need to allow employees the autonomy to work without the visual check-ins, the on-site team meetings, and essentially, the ability to physically see the work being done.

For an employer, this can be scary. But for an employee, this can be so productively liberating.

So how do we facilitate that trust?

To pull this off, the employer needs to exist with a dynamic, almost fluid structure. I realize that sounds odd to corporate 9-5 types, but we’re proof positive here at SME Digital.

For example, some of us are on East coast time, while others are on West coast (or for some of us, South American) time. Working 100% virtually enables us to “workation” at will, which means our time zones fluctuate all of the time. Traditionally, we say that we work “from home”, but it is rare to have a week where all of us our actually at out home offices.

How do we make sure we work together and don’t lose track of key projects and deliverables? Efficient, constant, thorough communication.

We do it all through a complex system of levers and pulley’s…just kidding.

We use a virtual office, Sococo, to provide everyone with a real-time, yet completely virtual office experience. Through our computer screens, we always know who is in the office and who is out. We can have informal meetings just as easily as planned meetings. We can video chat, screen share, instant message, and even visit each other’s offices all through this one portal. It’s a huge component of our success as a virtual company.

Another key component of success: Picking the right talent to fit the culture. I have previously covered what skills are required to work here at SME Digital, so check this post out for more depth there. But the key is that a flexible, time-shifted, trusting culture isn’t always a perfect fit for everyone. But it’s the perfect fit for us. And if you’ve read this far in, my guess is that virtual work would be a pretty damn good fit for you, too.

We live in the details.

We also leverage Basecamp to manage our team and our client projects. It’s simple and effective, and most importantly, it works as super glue for a virtual team. Yes, email and phone calls are important to keep us on track and moving in the right direction, but when you can’t simply walk down the hall and tap someone on the shoulder or bump into someone on the elevator, having a central platform to keep the office organized is extremely helpful.

We hang out.

This is true. We actually hang out, but virtually. Sometimes we meet up in the evenings or early in the morning. We prioritize casual chats, oftentimes about anything but work. We travel a lot, we have families, we have life events, and we have our ups and downs. We don’t have a physical water cooler, but those real-world conversations are very important in a virtual work environment. Just like in the traditional workplace.

Trust, Space, Culture, Details, Connections

Working virtually allows human beings to be human beings, and more importantly allows adult to be adults. We get to have professional security, growth, and engagement without sacrificing personal security, growth, and engagement.

In people speak, you get to have a life.

If virtual employment is on your bucket list, make sure that you find the right fit and culture that jives with your flow. Then jump in (or perhaps, jump out). I dare you to ever go back.

If you are currently a virtual employee, what tips/ideas would you add to this? And if you are still bound to a physical workplace, what’s stopping you from breaking free?

The post The Emancipation of Corporate Culture appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

As marketers, it is our job to figure out the most cost efficient way to drive qualified leads/sales. Not only do we need to drive qualified leads/sales, but we also have a quantity of leads/sales that we need to produce.

How do we meet the dual goal of driving the right lead/sales volume at the right cost? By measuring and evaluating every marketing dollar spent using key performance indicators (KPI) and return on investment (ROI). Or so we say.

FOMO Epidemic

I hear a ton of industry dialogue around social channels. I have read countless articles and blogs that take up varying positions on the value of social media. Some argue that social is the perfect channel to drive sales or for lead generation; others argue that social media is a great tool for branding, PR, and servicing, but not for generating sales or leads.

Others are arguing that social media impact cannot be measured in conventional terms, so we need to stop trying to attach an ROI to our social marketing efforts. However…they still think you should totally be there spending your marketing dollars because, you know, FOMO.

It’s 2015, people. I have to call bullshit on anybody claiming that they cannot measure their social media efforts. It is just not true. So stop saying it.

Here at SME Digital, we have created measurement frameworks for countless clients, successfully connecting the data dots and providing a return on investment for each social media channel. Totally doable, effective, and awesome.

Still With Me?

Now here is the part that is worth paying attention to. I did not say we created measurement frameworks that proved the viability of social media as a cost effective source of leads/sales. We can only teach companies how to effectively measure their efforts. Assessing if those efforts align with their cost and volume goals is up to them.

The problem is that most companies have jumped onto the social media marketing bandwagon because of FOMO. Now that they are on, they don’t want to admit that it may not have been a great idea. But instead of doing the analysis to see the truth through the lens of KPI and ROI, they fall back to “can’t measure”. Why? They fear the dots. And the connections. What if the C-suite decides that social media is not a viable channel for sales or lead generation?

Maybe, Maybe Not

I am not saying that social media is not a viable channel. I think social media absolutely works for the right company, product, and service offering. But I do not believe it works universally for all.

There are many marketers who have really effective social media marketing strategies that drive leads through a funnel into their sales process, where those leads are effectively converted into sales. I have also witnessed very successful product marketing happening on social media.

So, it can work.

Social media is not a wild and beautiful unicorn that can only be witnessed by those pure in spirit. It is also not a marketing channel that everybody else has figured out but you.

You do need a strategy and you do need to be able to measure every facet of your strategic efforts. And when you first get started with actual measurement, you will think you are failing. Failing is okay.

Failing means there is a ton of opportunity to test and measure until you figure it out.

If you continue to measure and iterate, you will find your secret social media success. And, of course, we’re happy to assist in any way. From strategy to measurement, we’re more than happy to show you the unicorn.

The post Do You Have Social Media #FOMO or a Social Media Strategy? appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

I am very thankful that here at SME Digital things work differently than most consultancies or agencies. For starters, our entire team works virtually, and we see each other (in person) only a couple of times a year. Also, we lack set work hours and don’t even have a vacation/PTO policy…well at least not like anything you have ever heard of (learn more here.) And in my time here, I have noticed certain attributes in our employees that help us thrive.

SME Digital operates Lean (but never mean)

Our concentrated nature enables us to function like a concentrated laundry detergent; a little group can go a very, very long way. On the one hand, what we do and how we work is not for everyone. We are not trying to be different or break any molds. We just know what works for us, we understand what doesn’t work with our methodology, and we have translated that knowledge into our culture and how we manage our client relationships.

On the other hand, for many our setup sounds like a dream come true. My coworkers and I squarely belong in this hand. But, like any workplace, there are specific skills and qualities required to work here. The lack of process, structure, and rules are actually challenging for some personalities. Couple that with the increased responsibility in the scope of work and to your teammates, and it becomes a more intimidating workplace.

Seven Key Attributes

If you’re interested in making the leap from one hand to the other, here are a few key attributes to consider. Some might seem a tad redundant, but they are worth repeating, so let’s go with it.

Be Disciplined

When I first started with SME Digital, I was unsure of how I would perform in an unstructured environment, given I have such a penchant for structure. Fortunately, I had what was needed: a ton of self-discipline. I know how to craft a schedule that ensures optimum productivity. I know how to put my head down and crank when I need to. This environment is actually perfect for my Type-A personality. Lucky for me, I work with several other overachievers, and we all get along fabulously.

Be Humble

You have to leave a lot behind working here. The concept of promotions, titles, or even the corner office has no place here…unless your home has a cozy corner. If status and brass rings get you going, this is not the right environment for you. We all recognize each other for our respective achievements, but that recognition is earned and not gratuitously handed out. Your value to the organization will not be demonstrated in a traditional workplace dog and pony show. It will be demonstrated by what you achieve as a team.

Be Trustworthy

You may have picked up that there is a great deal of freedom and flexibility handed out here. We are all adults, and the expectation is that we can all act accordingly. We expect that we can all operate ethically and responsibly. We do not have mechanisms in place to validate those expectations. You are given the trust of the team from the beginning, and it is up to each of us not to lose that trust. 

Be Collaborative

A significant secret of our success is that we have professional parity. We need each other to achieve collective goals. We rely on each other. Our respective expertise is appreciated and respected. Collaboration is the lifeblood of what we do. Playing well with others, communicating effectively, and diplomacy…all super important and easy to spot when it’s out of alignment.

Be Decisive

I get to make decisions. In fact, it’s very important that I make decisions quickly and without hesitation. We are not a large group and we each own an area of specialty, and subsequently, responsibility. There is no manager to double-check my work. No higher-up to prevent me from making a call. This is awesome, but it’s also “on you” when you make that decision. Being accountable to those decisions can be tough for some people. Which conveniently leads me to the next one…

Be Accountable

You need to be able to be accountable for your decisions. Sometimes we are going to make the wrong decision. It happens. The important thing is to not deny the issue or try to shirk responsibility. Here, we all are accountable, not only for our decisions, but also to each other. It’s not just about accepting responsibility for what you do; this is also about accepting responsibility for what you cannot do. If you cannot fulfill a professional obligation, the way to be accountable is to raise your hand and admit you are in over your head.

Be WOW

Our performance reviews consist of two simple questions: 1) Are you WOWing the client? 2) Are you WOWing the team? If yes to both, it’s aces. If there is a no in there, you’re out. At first glance, that might sound mean; however, to circle back, we’re all adults, and it’s the epitome of all of the above attributes: Disciplined, Humble, Trustworthy, Collaborative, Decisive, and Accountable. A two-sentence review? It’s Lean, and it works.

I am consciously working on all of these attributes on a daily basis. Believe me, they don’t just come naturally. But it’s what I’ve learned about succeeding in an outside-the-box company like ours.

Your turn

This is certainly not an exhaustive list of traits needed to work non-traditionally, but it’s a start. If you are thriving in an unconventional environment, what would you add?

The post 7 Key Attributes for Working Outside of the Box appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Reality Check

The reality is that sales are not the ONLY goal marketers are held accountable for. Marketers are also responsible for driving brand awareness, engagement, and growing the prospect pipeline. These goals are traditionally classified as “top of the funnel” actions.

Unfortunately, “Top -Of -Funnel” does not get a ton of budget love and, therefore, the unique value that each channel represents in the sales cycle is often passed over in favor of the sales sweet spot.

Let’s Do Some Mixing

Have you tried mixing it up with your budget allocation by channel? By now, most marketers understand that each channel offers it’s own unique value in the sales cycle. Some channels are great at generating awareness, but not so great at converting that awareness to a sale. Other channels prime the customer experience in such a way that these customers retain better than others. And of course, the channels that convert into sales are well known and leveraged.

What if instead of loading up the highest converting channels with 100% of the budget, you moved a small portion into a channel that delivers on awareness, and another modest portion over to a higher retention channel.

Pipedream right? I mean if you can’t produce that goal cost per acquisition (CPA), it’s not going to be approved.

What if you were then able to demonstrate that the prospect pipeline grew 40%, with a modest 3% increase in budget? What if 28% of your clients retain at a higher rate? How much would both of those results add to the bottom line?

What Could Be the Impact?

How would these results impact the average revenue per customer? What if you were able to demonstrate a value that extended beyond the front-end CPA? In the end, the CPA is the ultimate metric for determining the value of a campaign, but it is worth understanding the full scope of each channel’s value.

The marketing channel mix offers the opportunity to explore the potential value offered by different marketing channels.

The secret to mixing it up with success is to have a specific goal to measure the effectiveness of your intent in each channel. Understand what you are targeting with each channel in your mix and ensure that CPA is the secondary goal of measurement.

Just like a ton of clicks does not always translate to conversion, a super efficient CPA does not always make the most efficient Cost Per Client/Customer.

The key is to test if increasing retention rates, or increasing prospects in the top of the funnel (or whatever you have elected to test), offers a more comprehensive value proposition. In other words, will a minimal increase in these actions result in more efficient average revenue per customer?

Mix it up and let me know!

The post It’s All In The Mix appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

80/20 Rule

At SME Digital we recommend that you follow the 80/20 rule with content distribution. 80% of your content should be relevant and informational but not at all strategic or sales focused. This 80% should be focused on addressing your customers’ needs or assisting to educate and inform them. If the content is brand agnostic, better!

The remaining 20% can be more sales, brand or service oriented. When you are curating content, it’s not quite enough to just head out onto the great wide web and grab content that seems relevant. The content that you post from your branded social accounts, or link to on your company website, needs to align with your brand, your services, and your corporate culture.

I have raised an eyebrow on more than a few occasions when clicking on an article tweeted out by a company. I have seen articles tweeted out where the content was arguing against the merits of one of their service offerings. It was not the main topic of the article, but if you read the entire piece you would walk away curious if you were a customer.

By not taking the time to establish criteria for curating content, you are putting your brand at risk

Beyond The Headline

I often wonder if content managers are reading beyond the headline. You don’t want to attach your brand to 3^rd party content, only to find out that the source was not credible, or worse, that the source of the content is not ethically in sync with your brand.

For example, say you are a reputable debt relief provider, one of the few that exist. Your company finds a great financial blogger who talks about debt free living. Their content is on point and completely aligned with your view on managing debt. But, you discover that the blogger is an affiliate for a less than credible competitor of yours.

By not taking the time to establish criteria for curating content, you are putting your brand at risk and potentially sending your customer base mixed messages.

3 Tips for Vetting Content

If you are curating content, you need criteria for vetting 3rd party content and the sources. Here are three tips to pay attention to:

1. Begin with your brand guidelines and develop your content curating framework from there. Typically these brand guidelines are reviewed and approved by your legal team and can provide some great insight into subject matter or even key language that you should avoid using.
2. Identify companies in your industry that you emulate and/or respect, and see where they are sourcing content.
3. Have a discovery conversation with potential bloggers and find out who they are already partners with. They could have a content exchange, or even an affiliate arrangement with a competitor that you may be unaware of.

Create a framework that lists specific criteria a source should meet for approval. Be sure to include how to vet each source within your framework. Once you have vetted a decent number of sources, you can provide a list of approved sources to your team.

It is imperative that companies put in the time to ensure that all content distributed by their brand reflect the brand and the company goals. A solid vetting criteria can save you not only time in the content curating process, but potentially a PR two-step down the road.

Put the time and effort on the front end of the process and your content will reflect that effort.

How do you decide which 3rd party content to promote? Do you have steps or guidelines that you follow?

The post Is Curated Content Eroding Your Brand? appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

I have had a tough time over the past two months with my dentist.

To be clear, technically speaking, the dental work itself has been on point. My dentist and his staff are the nicest folks around, sincerely.

The problem is that every single time I went in, I had no idea what was going to transpire, what that day’s appointment would include, and ultimately how long the entire process would take.

This resulted in a continual pattern of misplaced hope that the end was nigh, only to be told that I had to come back in a week, or two days, or three more weeks.

I was also unaware of how invasive the overall process would be.

I was going to be numbed, stuck, drilled and x-rayed; essentially traumatized (yes I am a big baby) for four out of five of my visits. Lastly, the financials were reviewed right at the beginning, but when they were to be collected was not clear. It was a surprise for my wallet and me each visit. I would assume I was paid in full and then, surprise, another hundred was due for this or that.

I will spare you my rant on the absurd joke that is called “dental insurance.”

So, it occurred to me as I sat in the chair for my fourth visit how this experience could have been dramatically improved. I began by thinking about how I interact with clients in my role at SME Digital. I mentally catalogued what steps I take to ensure the client is fully vested not only in the project, but also in the process of that project.

With that structure and process in mind, here are a few communication pieces that my dental practice could have been leveraged that would have really added value to my overall experience. Not to mention settling some dental anxiety along the way.

1. A Statement of Work should be created, outlining the costs associated with each part of the treatment process.
2. A treatment roadmap, including a tentative timeline for each appointment that would be needed.
3. A treatment dictionary that explains each procedure involved and would include:
   • Best practices for between procedure care of your teeth (to floss with a temporary or not to floss, to chew on that side or stay clear, what foods to avoid, etc.)
   • Details about what medications would be administered during the procedures
   • If the patient will be placed on any antibiotics
   • If any of the procedures will require pain management or prescription pain medication
4. A full performance review of the procedure should be conducted at the end of the process to evaluate the treatment and edify the patient of the results.

A few standardized pieces of collateral that could be handed out or even emailed would certainly upgrade the patient experience significantly. Having solid expectations would also help to alleviate anxiety on behalf of the patient…well, it at least would have done so for this patient.

The lack of basic acumen for those of us not in the medical or dental industry makes communication even more important.

My dentist and his staff likely did a great job of explaining things to me in their own technical jargon way. But I probably missed most of it trying to understand the first sentence. Having something to refer back to would have been fantastic. Having something to review at home, when I was calm and my pulse was not racing because of the giant needle that was about to be thrust into my mouth…yep, that would have helped.

Regardless of the industry, a good customer experience can make or break a business.

For the medical/dental industry, the focus is on the technical skill and treatments. You know, science and methodology and complicated things. I understand that the technical skill should be the focus; we are talking lives here, not dog food.

I would never argue that the services provided by medical providers are on par with what I am doing, for example. One quote often heard around these parts is “We are not curing cancer.” Those working in the medical community, um yeah, they are trying to cure cancer. At minimum, they are dealing with things way higher up on the life and death scale.

But I wonder, is there room for these essential services to borrow some of the tools that serve project managers and marketers so well?

I say yes. What do you think?

The post What I Learned About Communication From the Dentist appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

When I was successful and received accolades for my work, I silently waited for my peers and superiors to realize that this was an anomaly…that I was an impostor.

This lack of confidence drove me to perform flawlessly in every task, yet never reap the rewards of the flawless performance. 

Self-Sabotage

I continued to advance in my career, but was easily hampered by my own efforts at self-sabotage. I was particularly susceptible to management challenges. If I felt that my direct superior did not trust my ability to do my job, which I often thought, I was crippled with indecision. Literally, I rendered myself unable to make a single decision without checking with that manager.

I second-guessed everything and gave up opportunities to showcase my ideas. I would pitch my ideas to my peers so they could champion them at the big meeting. I would deflect praise by insisting it was a team effort, that sort of thing.

Dramatic right?

I got over it. Well, to be clear, I got over myself. Maybe it was maturity, maybe is was increased responsibility, maybe it was the fact that my career continued to advance. I am not sure there was a single catalyst that brought me to the solution, but the problem was crystal clear…I needed to get over myself.

I had been engaging in a subtle form of professional self-flagellation…yup, monk style. I wish I could identify why. I wish I understood the root cause of my “unworthiness.”

Then I stopped thinking about it and got over it.

Why does not matter. I also no longer waste time comparing myself to others or worrying that I am underperforming.

The Dirty Little Secret

See, I discovered this little secret; the proof of your performance is all around you. If you are doing your job well, it’s obvious. If you are not, that is also obvious. All the rest of that noise is your ego talking. Even if it is talking down to you, it’s still ego and ego has no business being in your business life. Not if you want to be successful.

We simply need to get over ourselves. That includes obsessing about other people’s perceptions of us.

In your career, the only thing worth obsessing over is the quality of your work. I am not saying you have to work hard…that is a different post (hint, less really is more). I am saying that you have to remove “yourself” from your evaluation process. Get over “you” and get to work.

The post Get Over Yourself appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Now that everyone is joining the content game, it’s time to up the ante and suggest that just generating content is not enough. If your content is pretty generic, you are not winning any points from the SEO Gods, and you are certainly not growing a thriving or engaged audience.

Nope, what you need is proprietary content to make a real splash. 

What exactly is proprietary content? I know what you are thinking…we can’t actually be suggesting that you share your strategy or super secret business processes with the public (shudder)…could we?

Well no, not exactly.

Embrace You

There is a way to leverage some of what is deemed proprietary or intellectual property without leaving you vulnerable or exposing more than you are comfortable with.

1. Talk about your “it” factor. Every company has something that distinguishes them from the competition. Maybe it’s how you support your clients, or how you deliver your product. Your “it” factor is not easily replicated; it’s a secret sauce unique to your organization. This is something worth talking about and, since it is unique to your company, it’s proprietary!

2. Feature your employees! Showcase an individual or a team. Most companies have something unique about their organization and how their employees are structured. Perhaps you have an entire CrossFit team on staff, or maybe you allow dogs in your office. Whether quirky or procedural, your employees can offer up a bevy of content options.

3. Failure is your friend in content creation. Every company has them: mistakes. They happen, but your mistake can be valuable content to share. Have you selected a bad software option? Neglected to prioritize integration of your sales tool with your CMS? Take the altruistic path, and share a few trials and tribulations in the hopes of sparing another company the same pain.

The three ways to generate proprietary content above are merely a toe-dip into the proprietary content pool. We encourage all companies to dig deep and establish your organization as the expert in your industry or in corporate culture. All companies have something unique to offer that is home grown within their organization.

Share how you keep your content fresh and unique in the comments below.

The post Three Ways to Turn Company Secrets into Content appeared first on Social Media Explorer.