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Can The Crowdsourcing Business Model Survive?

Dec 14th, 2010
by OnlineMarketer.
4 comments

CNN recently asked me whether crowdsourcing could survive as a viable agency business model. My answer: No way.

I was proud to contribute to their story, Can Crowdsourcing Reconnect With The Crowd?

CNN’s reporter had seen my post denouncing crowdsourcing as the “fool’s gold of internet business models.” (Though please note – I did follow that post with one about a company that’s doing crowdsourcing right.)

The CNN article allowed me to note one particularly egregious element. The crowdsourcing companies that focus on the inexpensive cost of the service will certainly be the first to fail. From the article:

“Really they’re just saying ‘we can extract creative gold for these folks even less expensively than you were paying before,’ which is terrible from an ethical point of view, but also it just won’t hold up, because it’s not based on strategy or creativity or smart business.”

In short, a fly-by-night business model will never deliver the long-term strategy required for businesses to succeed. Some crowdsourcing companies – the ones who see it as a means, not an end – will thrive, but the rest will soon die off.

What do you think? The OMB community would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.

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Posted in: ethics, Marketing, Online marketing, Strategy.
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I Work For YOU This Sunday

Sep 8th, 2010
by OnlineMarketer.
1 comment

This Sunday, I would like to help you do whatever it is you do. No charge. No strings.

When I started this blog almost 3 years ago (sheesh!), I did it because I wanted to help. I’ve slowed down my posting recently, but the urge to help others and share knowledge cannot (and should not) be quelled.

Why The Hell Would You Do That?

Fair question. I’ve been reading Seth Godin’s Linchpin and he mentions the act of giving gifts – in fact, makes a case that our entire online culture is slowly turning to this type of economy. Well, I don’t know about the whole web, but I do know that helping folks – YOU – who read my blog makes me feel great.

Godin says:

“I don’t write my blog to get anything from you in exchange. I write it because giving my small gift to the community in the form of writing makes me feel good. I enjoy it that you enjoy it.” (page 169) and earlier: “The act of giving the gift is worth more to me than it may be to you to receive.” (page 155)

It so happened that I read those words this morning on the train to work. After my commute, I read the post, The Meme To End All Memes by Beth Harte and Geoff Livingston. It saddened me that one of their top 10 memes that should die included “#7: Requests for my time suck.”

Who moans about people wanting your help? Isn’t that why you started blogging in the first place? Ug, it makes me sick to my stomach. Sure, I ignore the Russian “SEO” requests and I’ve never been truly inundated, but I really cannot fathom responding with such vitriol.

So, I’m trying to counteract one of the memes Beth and Geoff listed. I’m not going to complain about all you people sucking up my time. I’m going to give it to you freely. It’s a gift, dammit.

So How’s This Work?

I’m setting aside 9am-5pm for you. Whomever you are. I will be available.

If you want help with plumbing, you probably won’t like the results. But for questions about online marketing, content strategy, and a tad about social media, feel free to send your queries to OnlineMarketerBlog [at] gmail [dot] com.

For instance, you could ask me to…

  • Edit your business proposal
  • Assess your new ads
  • Do a brief website content assessment – where you should start, etc.
  • Brainstorm business/marketing/writing ideas
  • Develop a blogging strategy

As always, there’s some fine print (see the * below), but it’s basically a free-for-all. For 8 hours on my day off, I’m yours. How can I help?

(Don’t keep it to yourself, either. Share this post through your social network and subscribe if you’d like to receive updates. You can unsubscribe at any time – no skin off my nose.)

*Generally first come, first served. I can refuse work. You don’t have to like the results. There is no legal, binding anything associated with this help. Depending on quantity, I may not get to your request within the time allotted. I will keep all names, corporations, and sensitive information private, but I reserve the right to blog about the other stuff.

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Posted in: Books, Business, Godin, Seth - Linchpin, Leadership, Marketing, Online marketing.
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Charlene Li’s Open Leadership A Must-Read For Ethical Marketers

Sep 1st, 2010
by OnlineMarketer.
1 comment

Charlene Li, formerly of Forrester Research and co-author of Groundswell, does with Open Leadership what so few authors would find possible: making a convincing argument regarding a real and very powerful movement in the zeitgeist, despite it being inherently fuzzy to understand and difficult to prove.

But just because it is difficult to determine ROI, does not mean the elements of open leadership are not effective. From Li:

“In actuality, the activities taking place on [social sites] are inherently highly measurable, but we have not yet established a body of accepted knowledge and experience about the value of these activities versus the costs and risks of achieving those benefits.” (page 77)

The Value of Ethics

And not only is this leadership style actionable and (somewhat) measurable, but it also serves as a venue for your personal values. My favorite aspect of this book is the relation of an open leadership style to the leader’s own ethics.

Li writes in great detail about trust building, personal values and humility. Social technologies and open leadership simply allows broader activation of the leader’s (your) personal values.

When she speaks of humility, Li notes that open leaders accept “that their views…may need to shift because of what their curious explorations expose.” (page 169) She quotes Ron Ricci, Cisco’s VP of corporate positioning, as saying “Shared goals require trust. Trust requires behavior. And guess what technology does? It exposes behavior.” (page 198)

You begin to understand that Li isn’t railing against command-and-control operations nor does she dive off into kumbaya territory. But she does convince the reader that a world of ubiquitous social technologies, business transparency, and digital communication will require a different kind of leadership.

Open Leadership Isn’t Trying To Be The New Groundswell

As a huge fan of Li’s previous book, Groundswell, I couldn’t wait for Open Leadership. But they really are two different animals.

I found myself wishing there was more about the inevitability of openness. That – along with KPIs and a few other fundamentals – are given short shrift. Maybe there’s not a lot to say. Maybe not many studies have been done.

But unlike Groundswell, which was data-driven and highly intuitive, Open Leadership doesn’t provide enough ammo for younger leaders to march these ideas into the C-suite.

In order for these ideas to be enacted, one likely must already be in some position of leadership. While Groundswell provided the facts and figures for anyone to persuade doubters, Open Leadership does not. It’s an idea book, not a text book. That’s OK – just something to know before you begin reading.

Buy The Book

Overall, I wholeheartedly recommend Open Leadership. It’s innovative, smart, and unlike any book you’ve read before. All that and it’s highly convincing as well. Do yourself (and your employees) a favor and read this book.

[I received a free advance reading copy of this book from Jossey-Bass publishers, but that did not influence my review of the book. I profoundly apologize to Ms. Li for a stunningly late review of the book she kindly sent me. Better late than never, I hope.]

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Posted in: Books, Business, Communication, Leadership, Li, Charlene and Josh Bernoff - Groundswell: Winning in, Marketing.
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Brian Solis’ Engage is Bloated, Boring, and Not Worth Your Time

Aug 2nd, 2010
by OnlineMarketer.
9 comments

This is a positive blog and I don’t take cheap shots. But when I find a book so disjointed and frankly unusable, I have to mention it.

A lot of people love Brian Solis and I’m sure he’s a good guy (this isn’t personal). But that makes his recent book, Engage: The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultive, and Measure Success in the New Web (whew!), all the more disappointing.

Engage reads like a few reheated blog posts tied together with twine and gum. Here are a few reasons I don’t recommend it:

  • We’ve heard it all before: I could insulate a house with each book that’s been written as a social media primer. Solis offers only rote, near-impossibly-simplistic suggestions in the intro, manifesto, social media 101, 201, 202, 203, 203… Well, there’s a lot you’ve heard before.
  • We’ve heard it all again. And again: Repetition is useful if ideas build on each other. Solis has few (if any) ideas that build on each other. (Just skip part 3 altogether.)
  • Shotgun, not sniper rifle: This is the most untargeted book I have read on marketing. There’s no real audience. This book includes reams of information to the n00b and expert alike, but in such close proximity as to be confusing to both groups. Solis doesn’t identify a target and hit it; he loads up with buckshot and prays to hit something.
  • Doesn’t add value: There’s just very, very little here that is useful to you in any way. For instance, chapter 20 – the “Human Network” chapter – merely collects lists of marketing frameworks without Solis explaining their relevance or reason for inclusion. We hear about McCarthy and Kotler’s 4 Ps. Lauterborn’s 4 Cs. Shimizu’s 7Cs. Heuer’s 4Cs of a social operating system. Armano’s 4Cs of community. Mishra’s 4 Cs of social media. Not to be outdone, Solis ends the chapter with his own 12 Cs of community cultivation. Why? What’s the connection? We’ll never know.
  • Unusable: Solis provides prisms and compasses and all sorts of visuals. These visuals have tiny elements that make them look well-researched. And while he sometimes gives an outline (chapter 21), there is little explanation of how the heck you can use these poorly-copied visuals. Unlike other books, Engage doesn’t appear concerned with being usable.

(more…)

Posted in: Books, Business, Online marketing, Social Media, Web 2.0.
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5 Reasons Napkin Labs Will Find Crowdsourcing Success For Creatives And Clients

Jul 27th, 2010
by OnlineMarketer.
6 comments

Earlier this year, I wrote about the fundamental flaws of crowdsourcing as a business model. Since then, the backlash against a Wal-Martization of marketing (especially design) through crowdsourcing has grown to a fever pitch.

That’s why it is refreshing to find an organization bucking the negative business practices I wrote about in March.

Napkin Labs is a start-up crowdsourcing shop, but one quite unlike 99designs and even less reputable crowdsourcing agencies. I chatted with them when I was in Boulder last week and am elated at their wise, ethical approach to crowdsourcing.

Here are 5 reasons that agencies like Napkin Labs will bring better work to their clients while strengthening bonds with creatives and experts.

(This isn’t a post mindlessly lauding Napkin Labs. I have no affiliation with them. This post is simply giving a smart organization some well-deserved props and providing guidance to others in the space who don’t want to screw over their clients and the experts who develop their solutions.)

  1. Empowering Creatives: The worst part of crowdsourcing is how much they screw over the people who develop solutions for clients. Napkin Labs has set up a payment system that rewards creatives and experts based on how much their input factors into the delivered solution. If your involvement and smart ideas get incorporated a lot, you get paid more. If you contribute a few nuggets of insight, you get paid less (but you still get paid). Compare this to other crowdsourcing agencies that pay one winner (and not much, at that) while everyone else gets bupkis.
  2. Crowdsourcing as a Means, Not an End: The main point of my earlier post was that crowdsourcing is a means, not an ends. It’s a good way to get ideas, but will never replace an agency (or shouldn’t). Napkin Labs hits the sweet-spot of solving a client’s specific problem through discovery, ideation, and refinement. And unlike other crowdsourcing agencies, they focus solely on products and services. They don’t try to be everything to everyone.

    3. (more…)

Posted in: Online marketing.

Content Strategists and Planners: What’s The Difference?

Jul 20th, 2010
by OnlineMarketer.
1 comment

What’s the difference between planners and content strategists? How is content strategy a different discipline and what type of people should lead it? Why are we making a distinction between the roles now?

These are all valid questions. Neither practice is going away, so this is the time to determine the appropriate roles and responsibilities.

But I’ve sensed some agency angst since these roles share basic principles (likely more so than even CSers and copywriters). However, I only feel qualified to speak for the content strategists, so…

Planners: What do you think about my description of content strategists below? Are we encroaching on your turf? Is there room for everyone? And content strategists: how do we make the most of our relationship with planners?

Whither content strategists?

First, we must understand that the ecosystem has changed. Content proliferation has been exponential, especially in recent years. Everyone is a publisher (evidence: blogs, UGC, smart phones, etc.). And all of this content needs assessed, ranked, and compared; hence, the rise of aggregator sites, search engines, dynamically displayed content, and product reviews.

Maybe a planner used to be enough to handle the volume of content. And for a small site or organization, they still might be. But with over 15 years of content and double or triple that amount ready to be thrown onto the pile, it is time to admit that:

  1. Content is a different animal
  2. Planners have enough on their plates, and
  3. We should each be specialists in our areas.

How are content strategists different from planners?

While similar, planners and content strategists possess different skill sets. For instance, a content strategists needs to possess:

  • A history with words and writing in order to educate and thus inspire the creative process. While planners assess a brand, its competitors, or the industry, content strategists must prepare for text on the page – a different exercise completely.
  • A background in messaging. Content strategists plan for the creation of content that conveys trust, for instance, while still selling. This is only possible thanks to a planner’s insights, but is a separate skill set.
  • Subject matter expertise, be it legal, regulatory, etc. It’s more than research or the insights garnered therein – it’s tangible to creation, guiding creativity through particular hurdles, much like IAs guide designers.
  • Turning philosophy into action. While never diving into the depths of data planners reach, content strategists must be able to seize planners’ insights, but convey exactly how that translates to each page, no matter how (seemingly) insignificant.

The good news is that there is more than enough room for planners and content strategists. The challenge will be to allow each specialist to embrace their role in the planning process.

But what do you think? Is this accurate?

I’d love to hear from content strategists and planners (especially you planners). How are our roles similar and how are they different? What are the ideal skill sets and background of a digital planner?

I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks!

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Posted in: Business, Content Strategy, Leadership, Marketing, Online marketing, Strategy.

Impulsive Behavior And The Trap You Set For Yourself

Jul 9th, 2010
by OnlineMarketer.
No comments yet

Research indicates that the more impervious your audience feels they are to your product, the more likely they are to succumb to it. But does this really work? And how can this be ethical marketing?

I took my nieces to the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier the other day and was shocked by the sign above the ticket window: [something to the effect of] “Go ahead and indulge.”

Bleh! This just feels slimy doesn’t it? Is it even the optimal message?

Good Marketing Or A Big Mistake?

Probably a mistake, according to recent research.  Sure, it sounds good (“Doesn’t everyone want to induuuuuulge?”) but it doesn’t hold up under the microscope.

Nordgren, Harreveld, and Pligt completed a study in 2009 about the Restraint Bias (PDF). This bias states that the more you believe yourself impervious to temptation (there’s the bias), the less you’re able to restrain yourself. The more self-assured that a former smoker can visit his old smoking haunts, the less likely he will be able to resist the temptation to light up.

In a very real sense, people set this trap themselves. By deciding, especially in a vulnerable mood, how they will behave, they increase the chances that they will go against their logical impulses. In fact, this study seem to suggest that the more emphatic you are, the less likely you will complete your goal.

However, show a little humility (“Maybe I can’t resist and thus shouldn’t expose myself”) and you might meet that goal.

Ethical Implications

The study dealt solely with tempting “bad behaviors” (snacking, smoking, skimping on studying). This is misguided.

Read the study, but then consider: how could you use these finding to persuade your audience to enact a better reaction? Marketing is no longer devoid of ethics (damn well better not be for readers of this blog), so it’s up to us to figure out how to use these findings for the general good.

So you tell me – how effective is the “Go ahead and indulge” message? Might it be more effective as “You’re strong enough to resist, right?” (But assuming the product is decent, natch.)

My only concerns with studies like these or more advanced neuromarketing is their being used for bad ends. Before you harness these studies, remember that ethics are a pretty powerful “smell test” for most of the public. You would be stupid to try to sneak something on an ever-more-savvy public.

How would you use this information for good? And then, how would you use this information to totally kick ass?

P.S.: Ug, willpower get more complex thanks to Johnnie Moore and Scientific American. (Seriously, a good read though.)

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Posted in: Communication, ethics, Marketing, Online marketing.

25 Content Strategy Blog Posts I’d Like To Read

Jun 14th, 2010
by OnlineMarketer.
5 comments

You read Content Strategy for the Web or maybe just some blog posts on the subject. Maybe you attended the Web Content conference last week or just think content strategy could be for you.

No matter your expertise, there’s no mistaking: we need more intelligence devoted to content strategy. Here are 25 ideas for content strategy blog posts you should think about writing. How about tackling one this week?

If you do, feel free to link back to this post so your readers can get inspired too. In that respect, props to Chris Brogan and his post, 50 Blog Posts Marketers Could Write for their Companies, for inspiring this post.

Which post are you going to write?

For the content strategy newbie:

  • How did you first hear about content strategy? What piqued your interest that first time?
  • What are the top 3 benefits of a content strategy program, in your opinion. Or what 3 ways will it change the way you work day to day?
  • How are you educating yourself about content strategy? What blogs or books are you using?
  • How does your previous (or current) job prepare you for future content strategy work?
  • Some say that content strategy practitioners are to copywriting as information architects are to design. Have you found this to be the case in your position?
  • How do you explain content strategy to your closest co-workers? What metaphor aptly describes content strategy in your office?
  • From where do you draw your daily inspiration? This could be a person, place, experience, book, or feeling.
  • What do you most enjoy about content strategy? What makes you the happiest in your job?

For the content strategy journeyman:

  • What has been your most successful content strategy effort? What one thing helped it work?
  • How do you explain what you do to your grandparents?
  • What personality traits have you found serve you well? Which ones trip you up?
  • What’s the biggest hole in your industry that content strategy can help fill? How is your industry in particular reacting to content strategy?
  • In the latest action movie you’ve seen, which character would have been most like a content strategist? Why? Is the content strategist the hero?
  • Having had some experience in the practice, what are you most looking forward to in the next year in content strategy? Where are the biggest opportunities?

    • (more…)

Posted in: Blogging, Communication, Content Strategy, Marketing, Online marketing, Strategy.
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What is content strategy and why should I care?

Jun 6th, 2010
by OnlineMarketer.
3 comments

You’ve heard about content strategy, but aren’t exactly sure what it is. And you don’t know exactly how it fits into the agency process.

It’s OK. We’ve got you covered.

The video below tells you everything you want to know about content strategy, but didn’t know you needed to ask. It’s only 3 minutes long. And it uses Post-It notes. Quick and easy.

Check it out below or on the OnlineMarketerBlog YouTube channel. I hope it’s helpful – I’d love to hear your comments!

Don’t forget to stay subscribed to videos via iTunes. Thanks!

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Posted in: Business, Content Strategy, Marketing, Online marketing, Podcast, Strategy.
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Heath Brothers’ Switch Not Perfect But Definitely Worthwhile

Jun 2nd, 2010
by OnlineMarketer.
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Chip and Dan Heath’s new book, Switch: How to Change Things when Change is Hard, is not perfect, but it will certainly be useful to marketers.

The book focuses on ways to harness logic and emotion to guide the way to change (and the path that will help get you there). It’s a metaphor that business owners and marketing professionals will find especially useful.

I’ve already written about this book – you can find it referenced in recent posts – but I wanted to devote the sixth episode of my Marketing Minute podcast to the book.

Find my review directly below or on the OMB YouTube channel.

What did you think of the book? Am I correct in my assessment? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

Read up on more of my recent book reviews or buy Switch on Amazon. You can also subscribe to the podcast for updates only when I post new videos. Thanks!

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Posted in: Books, Heath, Chip and Dan – Switch, Marketing, Online marketing, Podcast.
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