A Dozen Benefits of Brand-Driven Content

The hottest 20 Google search topics of September 23, 2010 included three related to a leading baby formula.

Number one was “similac recall,” number 10 “similac formula” and number fourteen “similac formula recall 2010.”

So if you sell Similac, you’re getting a lot of attention (in this case unwanted).

But if your business is rain gutters or golf shoes and you’re writing the site content, should you pepper your content with “similac” just to attract millions of eyes? Of course not.

1. Manipulating keyword searches is self-defeating, because people aren’t stupid enough to enjoy being manipulated.

2. Many emails that fly into my email account from SEO or content experts are obviously trying to manipulate me into buying something; they never even get opened.

3. They’re throwbacks to a simpler time (like 2006), when traditional direct marketing content attracted sales by using cute or slightly edgy subject lines.

“I blew it, Carey!” “Last minute surprise.” Such ploys remain popular with email marketing hotshots out there. But even if the sender is a legendary sales trainer, I don’t open his email, much less buy anything from him.

4. Thoughtful people don’t respond to manipulative content, even if it’s cleverly disguised by the copywriter as brand-driven. Don’t expect anyone to open manipulative content just because it was thought up by clever ol’ you.

5. Good brand-driven content doesn’t stray far from a unique brand: your values, core message . . . your “Mantra.”

6. It’s more difficult to attract online prospects into your sales “funnel” than it is to drive thousands to your site through a SEO “heating duct.” That explains why most marketers don’t do it.

7. But you aren’t that lazy; your content is driven by a strong brand. That’s how you attract the right customers. Try to “drive” disengaged prospects with digital smoke and mirrors, and your conversion rate will suffer every time.

8 – 10. Value is first, last and everything. Good content driven by your personal brand has plenty of value.

11. So nourish online business the way a nursing mother nourishes her newborn. Share something of real value–your brand–with people you really want to engage with. Don’t offer a million strangers a prepackaged substitute using quick-and-dirty SEO tactics.

12. In other words . . . recall the Similac.

Words

Like Tom Peters, I’m a Certified Word Fanatic. You should be, too.

* A Word Fanatic is also a master of persuasion
* He or she knows that words are at the root of most business success and failure
* Social media and internet technology have transformed the art of wordsmithing
* How you “turn a phrase” can determine your business’ chances of survival
* Our business choices and decisions are based on less and less information
* So create an initial message that fits onto the screen of a smart phone
* Give each word extra muscle, personal value and credibility
* Like a good project manager or engineer, focus on efficient design–but of words
* Use them to consistently engage, inform and enlighten
* It isn’t easy; but it’s much more productive than just attracting faux “friends.”

Design better words. Say less about more. And succeed.

8 Things To Crave

Are you insatiable for success?

Every day, dozens of digitized experts tell us we should be.

Success is our destiny, they insist–as long as we buy their magic bullet solution.

Really? Being happy comes from accepting some stranger’s self-serving definition of success? A definition that’s blowing in the social media wind?

No thanks. If it’s crazy not to crave that kind of success, I’ll take crazy. I’ll choose to be:

* Insatiable for unconscious human grace, and to watch a breeze picking wildflowers.
* Insatiable for never really growing up, and the certainty of a good breakfast.
* Insatiable to see a machine part suddenly click into place, and the shuddering curve of a horse’s haunch.
* Insatiable, when something “bad” happens, to see what glory is following close behind.
* Insatiable to get better when I’m sick, and to think about how someone can deal with not getting better.
* Insatiable to see random groups dance, and a baby smile over his dad’s shoulder.
* Insatiable for ignorance about what’s in store for me, because that’s how life is.
* So insatiable for life as it is, I know I’ll never get it out from between my teeth

That’s real success. Bank on it.

The Future, Open Sourced

I met my first programmer when I was in middle school. He was the ultimate tongue-tied geek, who even remembered replacing burnt-out tubes in room-sized calculators so he could test his software. He rarely collaborated with end users, or even programmers on other teams.

That’s all changed. Today’s end users directly collaborate on business applications, helping turn open standards into actual software.

Companies and individuals that collaborate on software products can make more money. They help programmers fix bugs and tweak the software to make it more productive and fit their business schedule.

The open-source model exposes a program to public scrutiny, actually increasing security. Problems are spotted and fixed before they can do much damage. Such collaboration also helps level the playing field, since smaller businesses can compete with major corporations.

Is it possible to adapt this open-source model to other complex systems–schools, for example?

It’s already happening with textbooks. MIT puts free courseware online, and Rice University’s Connexions project offers academic content in small “knowledge chunks” or as “groups of modules structured into books or course notes.“ All of it open license content, which anyone can use, reuse and customize.

Collaborative education? Socrates may be coming soon to a school near you.

And if “open-source education” makes textbooks collaborative and free, might a group of teachers, parents and students improve their school in a less hierarchical problem-solving style?

They could organize bottom-up brainstorming sessions, driven by student preferences and abilities. And since we’re suddenly collaborating, why not also address national issues like childhood obesity?

Time to “open source” your business, school or community group. Get a free “Mantra” diagram right here, and get started.

No tubes required.