This guest post is by Michael Stelzner, the founder of Social Media Examiner and author of the new book Launch.

Social and selling just don’t mix. Have you ever been to a wedding sponsored by Nike? Does a future where restaurant tables display infomercials sound appealing?

The last thing anyone wants in a social context is a commercial. If you’re responsible for marketing your business, the time for change is now.

It’s time to pack away the marketing messages. If you don’t want to build a loyal and raving fan base, then simply promote the heck out of your products and services via every imaginable social media channel.

However, if you want to build lasting relationships with your prospects and customers, then keep reading.

Why Marketing Must Be Transformed

Here’s how the American Marketing Association defines marketing: “Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”

Focus on two words here: “exchanging offerings.” Most of us have been taught that marketing is about making an offer that attracts people. We’ve been trained to focus on crafting the right arrangement of words and delivering them in the right place, at the right time, using the right medium.

Here’s the problem… We’re treating people like fish. If we just create a better lure than our competitors, silently climb into a boat, and simply cast that bait right on top of our customers, they’ll bite. Or so the theory goes.

And the word “exchange” implies a two-way process between you and the customer. Your business makes an offer and the prospective customer is compelled to comply.

Strong Factors Working Against Marketing

Beyond not treating people like humans, marketers face more two large challenges.

People are tuning out: Channel overload syndrome happens when information is transmitted faster than it can be received. It’s like those intense rainstorms that cause raging rivers, taking out everything in their paths.

Instead of pouring down rain, bucket-loads of information are dumping on the brains of your customers and prospects. And simple umbrellas don’t cut it. As a result, people are retreating, shutting down, and seeking refuge from the information onslaught. People are literally tuning out!

Do people really trust your business?: Fewer than one in three people trust marketing messages, according to Edelman Digital’s annual survey of trust. That’s a pretty dismal number. The study also found that trusting companies is more important than delivering great products and services.

Do your prospects and customers trust you? If great products alone won’t gain the trust of consumers, what will?

If no one is paying attention—and when they do, they don’t trust you—what can your business do to gain the attention and respect of people?

People Are the New Way

If you want to connect with customers and attract raving fans, the solution is very simple: Focus on people. You can meet the needs of people by helping them solve their problems at no cost.

People’s core desires don’t change. Your audience wants access to great insight, great people and recognition. When you help people with their smaller problems, many will look to you for their bigger issues. If you can multiply free assistance by hundreds, thousands or millions of people, you can rapidly grow your business.

Content enables this!

When you provide engaging “how-to” information and assistance in the form of valuable gifts (without strings attached), it triggers the “How much more?” question. “How much more value will I gain if I hire this company or buy this product?” is the response many will have when they see the great value you provide for free.

I’ve developed a simple formula to show you how to grow.

Introducing the Elevation Principle

Here’s my formula for rapid growth. It’s called the elevation principle. When you follow this model, you’ll be able to take your business to new heights.

The elevation principle: Great content PLUS other people MINUS marketing messages EQUALS growth!

Caption: When you combine great content that lacks any obvious marketing messages with other people, your business can rapidly grow.

When you offer great content—such as detailed how-to articles, expert interviews, case studies and videos—that focuses on helping other people solve their problems, you’ll experience growth. Why? Because this type of content meets the needs of people. It doesn’t focus on you, your products or your company. It is a true gift to your audience.

The “other people” component not only means focusing on the needs of people. It also transcends your reader base and involves reaching out to people outside your company, such as industry experts. These outside experts possess amazing knowledge that your audience will find very valuable.

Caption: Tap the minds of other experts and share their knowledge with your audience.

The last part of the formula is to deliver this content in a marketing-free zone. Once the marketing messages are caged, the focus of your company shifts from “What can we sell you?” to “How can we help you?” You shift from pitching products to boosting people.

Instead of investing in ad space, you invest in creating content, experiences, gathering places and communities where people who need help can find it.

You have the chance to own the place people go to for help, eliminating your reliance on traditional marketing channels. You can become the center of your industry, niche or local market. And when that happens, you’re launched on an unstoppable trajectory that will take you places you never imagined possible.

Editor’s note: Be sure to check out Michael’s new book Launch. Click here for free immediate access to the first chapter of the book (no registration required).

Image source: Purchased from iStockPhoto

Part Four of a series discussing blogger relations, “Building a Bridge Between Your Story, Bloggers, and People.” Scroll to the bottom to read this article with a white background.

The New Rules of Breaking News was written to open your mind and unlock creativity when introducing new products and services. It subscribes to the notion that there isn’t one “audience” to any given story or campaign. There are opportunities outside of the usual routine of drafting press releases and blasting news to reporters and bloggers.

Shortly after the last chapter ran, I had not one, but two news announcements where stories either broke ahead of their intended time and voices. In one case, it wasn’t even part of the embargo process which was just unbelievable.

To the lead bloggers whom I had brokered these launches, it appeared as if I had mislead them, instead sending the news to others, even though I had assured them that they were given first rights.

In both cases, I took credibility hits and had to do an exhaustive amount of repair work to ensure that these and other relationships weren’t damaged because of the mistake, spite, or questionable activity of other ambitious bloggers.

I did take the steps to rectify things, and ultimately the “mistakes” were corrected…but the damage was already done. Any attempts to convey that to those affected may or may not regain trust.

So, rather than just share with you the ways to be successful or constantly focus on the future of PR, it’s also important to share the experiences where things don’t work out quite like we planned as a way of learning together.

In the realm of technology, this practice is all about who can be positioned as the “lead” story and tools such as Techmeme’s Leaderboard, Technorati’s Top Blogs, Bloglines Top List, Google Reader stats, and other highly referenced lists, only encourage bloggers to do what they can to increase rankings. After all, these lists influence and determine not only PR campaigns, but also where ad dollars are spent.

But it’s not just technology. There are lists that cover every market segment therefore the lessons from this post are helpful to anyone in PR.

What happened here sends an alarming signal, not just to me, but to the entire blogosphere and PR industry.

Outside of my two recent experiences. There are grumblings about foul play across the board that we should all understand.

The business of news can be ugly. There will always be an underground rivalry between top and up-and-coming writers for authority, links, views, and ultimately ad dollars.

The rumors and stories are thick with rife, including the manipulation of “time stamps,” copying and pasting from other blogs and sites without attribution, not disclosing any personal or professional interests associated with the stories they run, and running controversial or early stories with checking facts first.

However, this isn’t unlike the business of traditional news media, who have always been notorious for scooping each other.

This is business and business is never clean.

These enlightenments, however, force us to rethink the process of PR launches and news distribution, because at the end of the day, it’s our relationships that will carry us forward.

The message to us is, “be careful and do your homework.”

We walk a tightrope between client/company expectations and the relationships we maintain with writers and bloggers.

On one hand, those we report to want to see coverage and they want to see it everywhere. Most have no clue what it takes to make that happen, but they don’t care either.

On the other hand, relationships are the foundation for all good PR, and risking or compromising them should never factor into the news equation.

In the last post I wrote that bloggers were willing to honor embargoes as a way of participating in the business of news distribution. Many bloggers are trying to run legitimate businesses and having the privilege, and yes it’s a privilege, to receive news early is an earned right that offers mutual benefits between the blogger/writer and the company.

As I said, top bloggers are the new “wire” service. Providing them with early access to information allows news to bubble up, gaining credibility and momentum to the point where it attracts attention from traditional journalists. Bloggers have direct relations with people, your peers, and they thrive off of their participation.

There’s a difference though between top bloggers and those who aspire to take the lead, and those differences will ultimately determine who you can trust and who you can’t.

Maximizing coverage is a risky business. And unfortunately, there are many ways things can quickly go south:

- Not communicating the embargo time clearly, complete with time zones

- Not receiving a documented acknowledgment of the embargo

- Not fully knowing the reputation of the blogger beforehand

- Being careless and trying to go for too much right out of the gate without ensuring everything was set

Unfortunately however, the reality is that some of us will learn these lessons the hard way. And many times, these lessons come at a steep price, with reputation, trust, and relationships as the currency.

The best thing we can do is keep an open dialog with our best contacts. Talk with peers. Share experiences. There’s plenty to learn from others to minimize the mistakes and the steep costs associated with them.

In the attempt to earn the respect and trust of bloggers, many PR professionals are subscribing to a “Blogger Relations” code of ethics – although this draft is in dire need of revision (which will be a later post), but it’s a start in the right direction. WOMMA also offers 10 principles for ethical contact by marketers.

Perhaps many bloggers need to think about subscribing to a Blogger Code of Ethics. Breaking embargoes, changing time stamps, editing/barring comments, pilfering content, etc., is just not going to fly for the long term. And it’s unfortunate effects are that these practices will continue take down people and relationships in the process until we all do something about it. That’s the beauty of civil enforcement. Collectively we can dictate the winners and losers.

Tim O’Reilly has an excellent series on drafting a Blogger’s Code of Conduct. Forrester’s Charlene Li also got the conversation going almost three years ago with a call for Blogging Policies.

We as PR and communications professionals don’t need to support those bloggers or writers who don’t keep their word.

I know my word is everything to me and I will make decisions that only strengthen relationships and build trust, on both sides of the tightrope.

Most importantly, sometimes less is more. And, expectation setting is everything.

Breaking news with a few trustworthy bloggers and reporters may be more than enough to effectively align PR with business and communications objectives. After the first stories break, follow up with outreach to other primary influencers, but also find something unique for them in a way that helps them find a unique angle for coverage. Some will push back for not being included in the earlier rounds, and it will be up to you to consider opting them in for the future, but do so based on the discussions and trust.

Contrary to popular belief, the business of news isn’t formulaic. It’s less of a science and more of an art.

Make decisions that benefit your stories without compromising relationships.

–
Related Articles:

Building a Bridge Between Your Story, Bloggers, and People, Part I

Building a Bridge Between Your Story, Bloggers, and People, Part II

The New Rules for Breaking News, Part III

Connect on Twitter, Jaiku, Pownce or Facebook.

Part Three of a series discussing blogger relations, “Building a Bridge Between Your Story, Bloggers, and People.”

Now that blogging is crossing over into the mainstream, certain bloggers have earned a right of influence and clout that rival many of the top journalists.

Good friend Robert Scoble recently discussed the subject of blogger relations, embargoes and the process of news and launches in tech PR. Scoble, for those who may or may not know, is probably the one of the world’s most recognized bloggers. While his forte lies in tech, his influence if far greater. For Scoble to take the time to observe trends in PR and openly discuss them in the blogosphere is representative of an important shift in news distribution and the art of influence.

It got me thinking.

The business of news distribution, from a “smart” PR perspective is evolving out of necessity with new processes dictated by the more savvy practitioners. But in some cases, it’s important to expose the mechanics of the new media machine for the betterment of the entire industry.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a little burnt on just being a “PR guy.” There’s so much more to what we do, so why not work on the PR for the PR and actually improve things.

Introducing news used to be pretty cut and dry. We’d start by running a press tour a couple of months in advance to the brief monthly print publications and analysts. Then as the official launch day would approach, we’d hit weekly print two weeks out and then online a few days prior – holding everyone to the same embargo date. The press release would then cross a news wire and some would support it with media outreach while others would cross their fingers and hope for the best.

This entire cycle seems like a luxury nowadays as the cycle of innovation is completely dependent on frequency in order to compete, and that frequency has radically shortned the span between communicating news. In turn, the business of news targeting and distribution is favoring short lead outlets such as newspapers, weeklies, as well as online venues.

Enter blogs.

Bloggers have changed everything and it’s sending PR people into a frenzy for how to launch products and broadcast news.

Yes, we’re talking about tech and maybe that’s not the industry you’re in. However, in tech, things work on a bit of a more hectic, hurried, and constant schedule, but the processes that we develop and evolve, wind up inspiring other industries. Basically this is edgework. We’re defining and refining new processes and strategies and bringing them back to the center.

So when tech bloggers emerged as part of the mix, we found ourselves rethinking (maybe scrambling in some cases) to figure out how to balance bloggers without upsetting relationships across the board.

Scoble states, “I’ve noticed that PR types are getting very astute with dealing with bloggers lately…First they’ll call Mike Arrington of TechCrunch. Make sure he’s briefed first (Mike doesn’t like to talk about news that someone else broke first, so they’ll make sure he is always in the first group to get to share something with you all). Then they’ll brief “second-tier” bloggers like me, Om Malik [of GigaOM], Dan Farber [of ZDNet], Read/Write Web, and a variety of others. Embargo us all so we can’t publish before Mike does.”

He’s partially right. There is a process, but trust me, it’s a process rooted in respect, admiration, and cultivating relationships (at least for the more effective communicators anyway.)

I’ve dubbed bloggers the new “wire” service. Providing them with early access to information allows news to bubble up, gaining credibility and momentum to the point where it attracts attention from traditional journalists. Bloggers have direct relations with people, your peers, and they thrive off of their participation.

Attention wire representatives, I’m not saying that bloggers have replaced you. Wire services are still valuable in not only sharing financial information and meeting disclosure requirements, they also have integrated with search engines allowing press releases to reach people directly.

Bloggers add a new step at the beginning of the process.

For example, one of the primary reasons that we launch most tech companies and products in “Beta” these days is because we want feedback directly from the people who would jump in early and give honest feedback as well as sharing the information with their friends and associates. And, if a product is in Beta, most traditional media wouldn’t yet pay attention. However, those journalists who do feel a greater sense of competition with bloggers in order to be one of the first to share new, new information, will make it known through their coverage.

This is why it’s so important to listen and read before you create any marketing strategy.

Working in Beta not only adds a new step to the communications process, it also affects product marketing as it also requires the team to factor in time and energy for a private or public focus group in order to build awareness and garner feedback.

Most traditional journalists these days want to hear about things that are either ground breaking or changing things in a way that is demonstrable by the massive support of the people who use it. After the beta gains momentum, and enough people use it favorably, then traditional media comes into play.

The next step after that is hitting the “magic middle,” bloggers who are defined as having a range of between 20 – 1,000 inbound links to their blog. These are the influencers who truly move the needle for customers and is among the best peer to peer marketing avenues you can pursue. In many cases, these bloggers are you prospective customers.

How do you share news with bloggers? Well, a lot of it has to do with relationships and for that, I suggest you read the series on blogger relations (Part I and II.) I can tell you that it’s different for different industries and there isn’t an exact science yet.

Certain bloggers maintain a higher authority than others, and while it fluctuates, most levels of influence remain constant over time.

The business of news has advanced quite a bit in the tech world, and by advanced, I mean that it has introduced a new layer to the equation.

Let me first clarify, there is still a thriving news business
within traditional media. In the tech world however, the art of Beta news is the new game. But, this is not unlike other industries. Early information, prototypes, leaks, R&D;, are all things that give bloggers their edge these days and, if executed properly, they only escalate the brand and the anticipation for new things among traditional press and ultimately customers.

But going to bloggers is tricky. Favoring one and not the other can cost you credibility and relationships. So borrowing a page from the traditional PR playbook, bloggers have embraced embargoes to maintain the privilege of receiving early information – in most cases.

I can tell you most certainly that I’ve had several instances where bloggers broke embargoes, which could have been costly if we didn’t have backup plans in place. I have witnessed the wrath that can result if one blogger goes before everyone else. It all comes down to relationships, having valuable news to share, and working with a select group of people that can really help build the community, while adapting to the way they work.

But this is the wild west. Live and learn.

Exclusives come into play these days still, however, they’re growing more rare. Offering one story to one writer may most of the time, limit the total visibility for any story, as most bloggers extend the reach to a more complete global community of people.

Scoble points to organic initiatives such as those executed by Kyte.tv and Seesmic. Both companies are embracing bloggers, and influential players directly, without PR, to introduce them to the product and let them experience it without influence. He openly wonders if these techniques may be more beneficial in the long run instead of playing the news game.

Well, to tell you the truth, you can still run both and be successful – as long as you’re smart and genuine about everything.

Working one on one with important people, whether they’re bloggers or enthusiasts, will only benefit you in the short and long term. However, this isn’t always a guaranteed success – even though anything rarely is these days.

Remember this…campaigns aren’t viral. People make them viral.

If it’s anything that Social Media has taught us is that we can empower people to help carry the word out to others. However, most executives are far too impatient to sit and wait for an organic campaign to get traction.

Now, an even earlier step can be introduced into the process as a way of gaining traction sooner. Before Beta, there’s Alpha and this is usually an experiment in organic marketing, driven by a sense of scarcity and exclusivity. Note, many companies also dub this “Private Beta.”

Most of the time, new companies and services are previewed in private, through either invitations, opt-in reviews, or password-protected links. Bloggers, media, and enthusiasts are all included in this round and empowered to share information with other peers to build up excitement. For example, microblogging service Pownce was almost an overnight sensation as it was introduced in private to a select group of influential geeks and bloggers. Their touting of access to the site combined with the fact that each were also empowered with a set of invitation codes, created a hyper-active market for invitation exchanges, with some actually going on ebay (and selling!).

As mentioned earlier, Loic LeMeur’s Seesmic is pursuing the invitation strategy and is currently in Public Alpha. This is unique in the sense that it still creates a sense of exclusivity, however, people are so excited to be part of it, that they show off their creations in public, thus fueling demand and increasing visibility for the up-and-coming company. Here’s an example of Robert Scoble using Seesmic to discuss Upcoming.org, which he promoted across all of his social networks.

Imagine for a moment breaking news organically without worrying about embargoes, but instead by using social tools and people through all channels of Social Media to share information before an official launch. Yes, it’s possible and is being practiced and streamlined now. But, we can talk more about that later as part of an upcoming series, “How to do PR without a Press Release.”

Social media is forcing an evolution in how companies share information with customers as well as those who also act as information intermediaries to the people that depend on them for guidance. The art of news is truly an art and it requires practice and experience. It also requires talent and creativity. The most successful ways of sharing news will be dependent on your ability to listen and by building and cultivating relationships with those who can help break news under the “new” rules of the launch.

There isn’t one way to work with bloggers, enthusiasts, and traditional journalists, but there are more than enough opportunities to do it the wrong way. Pay attention. Think. Be Creative. Have a plan. Build trust and ensure that your intent is genuine.

Conversations with the bloggers and media (and customers) will help dictate the launch and news strategies that are going to have the biggest impact and meaningful benefits for your company.

Read the full article with a white background.

Related Articles:

Building a Bridge Between Your Story, Bloggers, and People Part I

Building a Bridge Between Your Story, Bloggers, and People Part II

Robert Scoble Asks, “Is Facebook the New Press Release?”

Connect on Twitter, Jaiku, Pownce or Facebook.

public+relations

My friend Zoli Erdos let me know about two important events coming up this week. On November 8, 2006, make plans to attend The Art of Start and Launch Silicon Valley produced by SVASE and Garage.com.

The Art of the Start is a conference dedicated to helping entrepreneurs succeed. It runs from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Start-up authority and popular business author Guy Kawasaki and experts from Garage, along with Silicon Valley leaders and mavericks, venture capitalists, and successful start-up CEOs will explore the art of starting up.Conference attendees will learn:How things have changed on the investment scene.What it takes to get funded today.How to run and build your business by crafting an ecosystem. How to get a reasonable valuation.So check out the conference agenda and ask yourself what you could learn at this exciting conference…a lot!

But wait…there’s more.

Make sure you also check out Launch: Silicon Valley!

Starting one hour after The Art of Start, Launch: Silicon Valley will kick things off at 4:30 in the same location.

The first ever “Launch: Silicon Valley” event is designed to uncover and showcase the most exciting startups in high technology.

Launch: Silicon Valley will feature new companies that are ready for launch, but are not already well-known. These are companies who have a product or service available (as of November 8), but have not been out for more than several months.

30 startups with innovative solutions to real world problems have been selected to exhibit, serving markets including Medical Devices, Security, Clean Energy, Enterprise Search, Gaming, CAD, Digital Media, BioTech, Consumer, and Web 2.0.

Launch: Silicon Valley is not a pitchfest or a beauty pageant. Companies will not be pitching for funding; they will be looking for buzz, customers, mindshare, and possibly talent and partners.
“The drought of the past few years is over and venture capital is flowing again. But starting a high tech business is no less challenging and demanding than it’s ever been, even in an environment of venture capital overhang,” according to Garage.com.

Location:Microsoft Building 1, 1065 La Avenida St, Mountain View, CA 94043

Tags: zoli svase garage garage.com zolir+erdos startup artofstart launch+siliconvalley silicon+valley web+2.0 web2.0 guy+kawasaki guykawasaki microsoft launch vc venturecapital venture+capital