This is the premise on which social media rests. Not the ghastly bit but the mentality. Me too, let me be there too, let me not miss the bandwagon phenomena. The content seems immaterial. All too often, it is the presence. Like a ‘no-show’ would mean social castration or something similar is what prompts folks to hit that register button, frantically upload pics and market their stuff. The corporate bandwagon does not lag far behind.

i’ve said this before – in a b2c scenario, it makes perfect sense to have a presence on Second Life and do all that collaborative marketing stuff, but in a b2b scenario, a more private network with very niche requirements for engagement have to be worked on, and not to mention understanding and mapping onto the technographic profile of the end users…

The wisdom of the crowds is a phenomenon. A phase.

Applying creative communication to large, anonymous audiences has been considered less effective ever since Web2.0 and social media marketing banged their way into the scene. Strategies shifted to mass media with emphasis on target audiences that are studied in-depth through relentless mining of previous behaviour, data, unpredicted actions and making so-called intelligent projections. Understanding customers would mean that marketing work closely with customer relationship managers and craft individual programs and contact strategies for each segment/type/region/domain/behaviour. All of this is fine when there is a semblance of commonality in the way people react. What happens when accepted notions of safety are turned topsy turvy and their very premise questioned? When new questions arrive with the same speed as the much-talked about bailouts? Panic. Paranoia.

In times of uncertainty, does one wait and watch and see where clients want to put their money and, in the interim, look at improving brand visibility across all segments? Obviously, a mix of the two is called for. In a b2b scenario, does interactive marketing work? Through the engagement ads of Facebook and other forms of social/internet marketing like a presence on Secondlife, without the accompanying organizational cultural changes needed to work with these media, and being comfortable with the associated transparency they usher into a company and those who run it, work at all? How does one change the internal mindset and then work on building customer technographic profiles and, subsequently, buil the marketing program accordingly? Many of these customers aren’t tech savvy at all – so one needs to educate them along with internal stakeholders and then create a unique program that will keep them all engaged. Scepticism. Or Opportunity?

Selling products in the b2b space – products that have been created in-house and in some instances inherited organically – to a financial services customer whose attention span where IT budgets are concerned is limited to only ‘containment’ takes on interesting shades of complexity. Isn’t it a time when the rapport one shares with customers becomes the only selling point? Products that are topped with exemplary customer service, that can be tailor made to client expectations, and rest on a strong IT services framework, delivered with a dash of consulting expertise in the domain in rapid time. Gobble. Gobble. How does one acquire all of this? When the so-called instruments that were created to factor in risks in financial markets themselves collapsed, heralding an unprecedented era of risk, what can you base your theories on? Hope.

‘Calling for change in times of change’ – the motto of the hour. And, this, while also unlearning and shedding off what may have been considered the Holy Grail in marketing communication so far. Humility.

Today, a content strategist would not only devise all of the above but also plan ways to push the content through a multitude of marketing channels, online and print formats, or through any interactive human experience.

Design is another key area – defining the user experience was what the traditional designers would have attempted, but today, with collaborative networks and user generated content, design is also defined by the user experience. A case in point (again, courtesy, Groundswell and Forrester) is Wells Fargo and their blog. It’s all about the user. And the experience creation today.

experience matters.

How does one actually garner support, educate colleagues and CXOs in a company to buy into the idea and then stay dedicated to executing these strategies till completion, or until they start living the life of customers?

I am extremely curious and at the same time excited about it all. I hope to jot down ideas related to this in the future.