Authentic Branding

B2B marketing fundamentals don't change. The tools change. The technologies change. The business climate changes. But marketing your business has always been about being visible, being remarkable, communicating what you do to the people who care and building those relationships. That's pretty much what it's about today, too.

Have you ever languished in one of those endless strategic planning meetings designed to hash out your organization's core values statement? Or the marketing pow-wows aimed at defining your key messages? You know the ones. Those meetings where you can just feel the life being sucked out of you.

Maybe it's just me? My experience is that many of these well-meaning marketing-focused efforts end up being a waste of valuable time, energy and brainpower.

Before you stop reading and click away, hear me out.

In the past week, the topic of writing case studies has come up in conversations with three different businesses. Must be something in the air.

As often happens, my own case study focus was reinforced almost immediately. What you focus on really does expand, no? I wasn't actually looking for this info, but I noticed that Casey Hibbard has written a great little piece on using case studies on the Marketing Profs web site. (Read it!) She begins:

Recently, I heard David Meerman Scott give an interesting keynote at the Marketing Profs digital conference. While all of his presentation was worth listening to, the part that had me cheering (and if you follow me on Twitter, you heard me) was the simple recognition that words like "cutting-edge" and "robust" are overused. Not necessary. Meaningless.

I was talking to a prospective client this week about the art and science of good writing. He shared a concern that I hear all the time: my people can't write. According to the National Commission on Writing for America's Families, Schools and Colleges, he's not alone.

The Commission estimates that deficiencies in employee writing skills costs American corporations as much as $3.1 billion a year.

This month, I have the opportunity to hone my white paper writing skills with some of the best white paper writers in the country. These are the guys who wrote the books (literally) on crafting solid white papers and informational marketing pieces. Learning from their wealth of experience is priceless.

Recently, I spent some time researching how firms in the AEC industry (that's shorthand for architecture, engineering and construction for folks outside the industry) have been positioning themselves. As some readers know, I spent several years working in that industry and continue to work with clients in that realm. 

Is your business ready for the world of social media marketing?

Many of the clients I write for— small to mid-size businesses, professional service firms, non-profit organizations— are still asking this question. More important, they’re asking why they need to think about this now. What’s in it for them? For their clients? Their customers? Their bottom lines?

A few have jumped in with both feet—from Flickr to blogging to Facebook pages.

“Brand voice” is one of those phrases that we marketing and PR types like to toss around. And the truth is that many businesspeople who aren’t marketers look at me sideways when I bring it up. Unless they’re business leaders who have been doing some reading on branding.

"Sure, it sounds like it makes sense. But does our brand even have a voice?"

Social media is arguably the hottest topic in marketing these days. Not everyone’s doing it, nor should they be. Yet there are a number of reasons why it’s important: User numbers are rising. It’s inexpensive compared with traditional marketing and PR tools. And it’s changing how we communicate whether we’re on board or not.