Is This Thing On? Or is this thing Always On?

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen,

Welcome to the Jake D Werm Unemployment Blog show. I’d like to start tonight’s program with a little song. C’mon sing along.

(To be sung to the tune of Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive”)

It’s all the same, but now I’m counting change
Every day, I’m losing on the stock exchange
An interview where the faces are so cold
I’d cry alright, for a job I could hold

I’m Unemployed, on a sofa now I ride
Unwanted…on my resume I lied
Unwanted …on my resume I lied

Sometimes I sleep, sometimes I sleep for days
And the people I meet, always offer crap for pay
Sometimes you tell the day, by the bailout they make you drink
Sometimes when unemployed, you watch your savings sink

I’m Unemployed, on the sofa now I ride
Unwanted …on my resume I lied
Unwanted …on my resume I lied

Mmmm, Well I walk these streets, lookin’ for a Lexus I could jack
I play for keeps…might have to sell some crack
I been everywhere, for a quarter I would crawl
I’ve made a million dollars…and I’ve blown it all

Yeah, I’m Unemployed, on the sofa now I ride
Unwanted …on my resume I lied
Unwanted …on my resume I liiiiieeeeeed
______

Ok, that’s enough fun and games. On to business. I’ve been thinking a lot about how to market myself to prospective clients and I keep coming back to the things that I call Emerging Media Streams. I’m sure someone out there has a better term for them, but that’s what I’m calling the new social applications that everyone is using:
Facebook, Twitter, the various blog sites such as the one you’re reading, Youtube, Myspace, iPhone applications, digg.com, SMS, and the list goes on. Right now, the bulk of the people using these streams are just that; people. Some of the more forward-thinking companies and media outlets have a presence in this space, but not a lot. They're mainly used for social activities.

So, I’ve decided to focus a good portion of my efforts at marketing myself as the person who can create a marketing presence on these channels, develop brands and effectively manage these media streams for any client.

One area that I’m specifically interested in tapping into is the Green Industry (i.e. wind generator manufacturers, solar panel manufacturers and distributors, Green Collar recruiters, etc). I’m optimistic that this will continue to be a growing industry. What they lack is real awareness. People know exactly where to go to fill up their tank with gas. But it would probably take some digging to find out where to go to find solar panels for your home. Utilizing these Emerging Media Streams will go a long way toward reaching a much wider audience and build awareness in the market.

The other area where businesses may be falling short is in the concept of truly “linking” these streams together, even if they do have a presence. Sure, Facebook is separate from Twitter. Youtube has a different function than Myspace. They all should serve different functions in order to reach the broadest audience possible. In other words, they should all do their jobs. But to really be effective, they should all work together to properly link back to wherever the client wants the audience to go. This arena is most likely a website, but could be a retail outlet, a live event or any number of things.

One of the fundamentally ideal aspects of utilizing these channels is that it’s proactive. A standalone website is passive. No matter how well a site is designed, it sits there and waits for someone to Google it, or stumble across it. A standalone website is a needle in a haystack. And what’s more, your audience may not even know they want to be searching for that needle in the first place. However, people are always on Facebook and are always Tweeting away on Twitter. I made up another phrase. I call this the “Always-On Phenomenon.” If people are always on some application, why not go where they already are and tell them what you’re doing as a company? An example of a group who is using Twitter well, is coming out of the UK. The Prime Minster’s office has a profile called Downing Street (check them out on Twitter). They send out updated throughout the day regarding the PMs schedule, press conferences and where to go for further details. They do a good job of keeping their followers up to speed.

Ok, let’s say your company is coming out with a new product. It’s going to be big. What do you do? You put a big splash on your website. Maybe even do a little advertising. And, like a shopkeeper, you wait for lightning to strike and that customers find you. Now, what if you have a Facebook profile dedicated to your business? You’ve spent the last couple of months reaching out to your potential audience, so you’ll have a “friends” network. Now, the day your product launches you put the update on your Facebook page. All your friends know about it. And, so do all of their friends. You see where I’m going.

Now, imagine the same type of thing is happening on multiple channels simultaneously. Your Twitter account sends out updates to your Twitter followers. An informational video is uploaded to your Youtube account. Your Myspace page is loaded with info. Your iPhone app goes live. SMS messages go out to your more traditional contact list. It’s all coordinated and timed to turn a little splash into a nice big fat wave that you can ride all the way to the bank.

This wave is powered and managed by W! Creative Group. That’s me…hey, I created another term. When all these media streams come together, it’s a Wave Event.

So that’s the idea:
- Create an Emerging Media Stream profile and presence with brand identity
- Develop the presence and reach out to wide audience
- Manage all streams effectively and efficiently
- Link back properly to the final audience destination

When I was working for Best Buy, I was a part of something new they called Customer Centricity. Other people copied us and now everyone is customer-centric. I really think this is the evolution of that thought. It takes a customer centric mind-set and turns it into customer friendship.

Here’s a letter that I drafted to one Green Industry company, proposing a meeting. Feel free to take a look and let me know what you think. I’d appreciate the input. And, most importantly, if you know of a business, an organization, an industry or a person who you think could benefit from this kind of marketing, send them my way. You don’t have to be a big shot to take advantage of the tools that are out there. I can help.

I’m open for business.

And I’m “always on.”