The Follis Marketing Report

Don’t confuse “marketing” with “advertising”. Some people hear the word “marketing” and think “advertising.” Not the same thing. And to grow your business you must understand the difference.

Traditional “advertising” is about paying for traditional media exposure via newspapers, magazines, Yellow Pages, radio, TV, billboards, etc. It’s generally designed to reach a broad audience and the ad/media costs will reflect that. For many products and services advertising works great if it’s done right.

“Marketing” is a broader term that involves any possible way to get your message out. That includes PR, direct mail, your logo and tagline, personal networking, giving talks and writing articles, and many non-traditional and online strategies like having an effective website, sending out email newsletters and promotions, buying Google Adwords, pay-per-click, SEO, and using “social media” like blogs and podcasts.

Effective marketing includes the right mix of traditional advertising and non-traditional online strategies.

I can’t recall being around as many people with a passion as I was last week at PodCamp NYC. It was delight to be around such positive energy and so many friendly folks sharing ideas and information about podcasting.

In his visionary book, The Pursuit of Wow, Tom Peters describes why the only products with a future are those created by passionate people. A bold statement. And yet, in an equally fascinating book, How They Achieved: Stories of Personal Achievement and Business Success, by Lucinda Watson, it turns out that twenty-one of the country’s most successful CEO’s, entrepreneurs, and visionaries all share one powerful characteristic:

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www.podcampnyc.org

In this hype-happy, what-to-believe world, it comes down to a very basic, fundamental thing: credibility. How does one get it? How does one convincingly communicate it? And is there a Good Housekeeping Seal of the 21st century? Yes, there is, and it’s called “G cred.”.

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Just incase you’re not up with Web 2.0 terms and sites, here are the most popular:

Web 2.0
The second generation of the Web involving social-networking sites, wikis, blogs, video, podcasts, etc, which aim to facilitate creativity, collaboration, and sharing.

Social Media
The umbrella term that defines the activities that integrate technology and social interaction.

Blog
(short for ‘web log’) is a website formatted as an on-going log or diary of text entries posted by the creator or “blogger”. Unlike traditional websites, blog technology allows users to easily create a web site and then easily add content (text, mostly).

Podcast
An audio or video blog.

Facebook
Perhaps the most popular social networking website. It began as a way for college students to connect and is now open to all.

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Last week ADWEEK ran this piece I wrote about Second Life …

and it ruffled a few feathers. The feathers it ruffled belonged to a couple folks who spend lots of time on Second Life. One admitted to up to 30-hours a week, and the other would only admit to “lots of time.” The comment I made was that I find SL intriguing, but there are other websites I’d prefer spending my time on. And, as cool as I find SL, my First Life is far more exciting. That really pissed off the 30-hour-a-week gal.

If you don’t yet know about SL, you may find my previous post “Second Life or Get a Life?” worth reading. If you do, check out this one. And, I’d love to know your thoughts, so don’t forget to leave your comment. (more…)