If a customer has a question for a company or a brand, it’s easy enough for them to ask it on Twitter, but the question is, will the company or brand hear them? And will they respond? Users have indicated in a recent study from InboxQ that companies and brands would benefit by being more responsive. “Almost 60% of respondents said they would be more likely to follow a brand that answered them, and 64% said they would be more likely to make a purchase from that brand or company.” Customers want to be able to connect with companies and brands in order to feel appreciated and to express their opinions about a product or experience.

Customers have no problem voicing their thoughts, opinions, and concerns through their own personal social media outlets. This means that brands are no longer the only ones with a voice. Customers can be heard more loudly and publicly then ever before, leveling out the playing field between businesses and customers. Brands and companies can gain greater loyalty and increased profits by hearing and responding to their customers needs, wants, and desires.

So the question for you is, are you listening? Because whether you realize it or not, people are probably talking about your brand or company. It’s up to you to listen and engage with your customers on their turf.

(Oh, and by the way, if you’re still not sure how Twitter works or why you should bother with it, drop us a line and we’ll fill you in!)

Back when I was a kid, stay-at-home moms watched soap operas. They became wrapped up in the stories, became fans of the characters, and talked about what was happening in these other worlds with their friends. I even remember in the movie, “Mr. Mom,” that Michael Keaton’s character was sucked into this alternate reality as a means of escape when the job of full-time parenting, house cleaning, cooking, etc. became too much to handle. For all I know, there are still some moms who watch soap operas during the day, but I never hear any of my friends talking about them. It seems to me that today, Facebook is the new soap opera.

Moms who spend the day picking up toys, searching for the missing sock, feeding the kids, running errands, taxiing kids from activity to activity, and throwing something together for dinner still manage to find time for social networking. Especially on Facebook. I watch some of my friends on Facebook and am amazed at how many times a day they manage to squeeze in status updates, quick games of whatever farming, animal or jewel collecting challenges are at the top of the charts at the moment, and comments on other people’s posts. Especially when their own status updates also mention how many things they’re juggling between the kids, the house, the husband, etc. throughout the day.

While not all women are moms, it’s important to note that between 2009 and 2010, women on Facebook increased from 23.4 million users to 56 million (according to this report from iStrategyLabs). That’s a 139% increase! And MarketingVox wrote a piece back in 2009 on “Power Moms” claiming that “Power Moms – women between the ages of 25 and 54 with at least one child and who participate regularly in online activities – represent 19.2% of the active internet population in the US.” They also quoted Nielson’s report saying that “Newbie Moms” (who are more recent mothers between the ages of 25-34 who have one or two children at home) are 85% more likely to visit Facebook than the average internet user.

And those games on Facebook? You know, Farmville, Bejeweled, Happy Aquarium…and all those other (annoying) games that people play and clog up your feeds… Well, apparently the average social gamer is a 43-year-old woman. And 55% of all social gamers in the US are women. According to this report, 11% of those surveyed labeled themselves “homemakers.”

I juggle a family and a business (and try to occasionally clean my house), and I have to admit that I spend more time on Facebook than some of my other mom friends. But my excuse is that half the time it’s work-related! But I can honestly (and even proudly) say that I’ve never played any of the Facebook games.

So today, I don’t know anyone who can tell me what’s going on with All My Children or Days of Our Lives. But if you want to get the attention of a multitude of moms who are talking to all their other mom friends, Facebook is where the story is at these days.

(And if Mr. Mom was on Facebook, I’m sure he’d jump right in to Farmville. His most recent status update: 220, 221…whatever it takes.)

This post is as much for me as it is for you. Lately I’ve found myself in such a rush, trying to juggle projects, family, and everything else. And every once in a while I hear something or read something that makes me realize that I need to stop, look around at what’s going on, and listen to the people around me, because there are things to be learned that will benefit me personally and professionally. That happened to me today, and I had to stop and think. But that’s often a hard thing to do…especially the stopping part.

One thing that I know a lot of people struggle with in marketing is the urgency of the now. You need more customers now. You needed to fill that event registration list yesterday. You have a quota to meet tomorrow. And so you jump in and do whatever you can to reach and grab at whatever it is you need. It’s easy to just run with whatever you’ve got (or whatever you can whip up on the fly) because it has to be done NOW. But the reality is, stepping back, slowing down, and putting a strategic marketing plan in place first will actually be of benefit for you in the future.

So take a few minutes right now. Turn off your phone, close Facebook or Twitter, and get out a piece of paper. Start thinking about what you need to accomplish. Make yourself a simple list of the what, how, and who for your tasks. Write out a vision statement for what you’re aiming for, and then figure out the pieces and parts that need to be in place so you can develop a marketing plan that will hit your target. Obviously, there’s more to creating a marketing plan than these steps, but if you at least slow down and start from this point, you’ll be on your way to better clarity about what needs to be done.

For me, doing this kind of thing in a vacuum is fruitless. I need to bounce ideas off other people who understand what I’m trying to do and who can help me focus on the things that are important and help me see the things that just don’t matter. So if you need to find someone else to work through your process with, call or email that person today and get a meeting on the calendar. But take the time. Or rather, make the time. In fact, I’m going to end this post now so I can do the same thing…

Trying to prioritize and plan for the most effective use of your time and money can be one of the trickiest parts of running your business. When it comes to marketing your business, it’s even more important that you figure out the best places to invest your time and money in order to generate the best return.

Check out this tag cloud* from Hubspot’s State of Inbound Marketing Report:

How much time or money did you invest in these things? Especially take a look at the big ones: social media, website, marketing, blog, SEO, email.

Some companies, especially small businesses, still struggle to see the relevance of things like social media, blogging, and even SEO. But the reality is that these things were the “best marketing projects of 2009″ for 2,500 businesses who participated in this survey. So why couldn’t they be part of your “best marketing projects of 2010″?

If you’re still not sure how social media, blogging, and SEO can help grow your business, let me know. Whether you’re B2B or B2C, using social media, blogging, and updating your SEO will help drive new business your way. I’d love to help you figure that out. If you’ve already figured it out and have seen success with these things, share your story with us! It’s always great when we can learn from each other…

*If you’re wondering what a “tag cloud” is, here’s a definition.

That’s the subtitle for the latest book from Seth Godin, Linchpin. I was fortunate enough to get a copy of this book before it’s actually released (because Seth offered a limited number of pre-orders in exchange for a donation to the Acumen Fund and a review of the book). I’ve been a fan of Seth’s writing since Purple Cow. His thoughts on marketing, business, and life have challenged me and people that I’ve worked with for several years. So naturally, I jumped at the chance to read this book early, and am humbled to share my thoughts on it.

So of course, Seth doesn’t just want me to blow smoke about how wonderful his book is. So I really tried to read it with a critical eye…but honestly, I just found myself scribbling note after note, marking up page after page, and tweeting quotes that really jumped out at me. At the heart of the book is the message that we are all geniuses with the potential to create great things–to be artists rather than cogs in a machine. Though I’ve been writing (and getting paid to do so) for more than eight years, I’ve never much thought of myself as an artist. Seth really challenged me to look at everything I do–even the stuff that doesn’t feel like creativity or art–and figure out how to do it differently, better. And the reality is, with Seth’s definition of artist, no matter what you do or who you are, you have the potential to be an artist:

“Artists are people with a genius for finding a new answer, a new connection, or a new way of getting things done.”

See, artists are the linchpin in an organization. They’re the ones who are indispensable because they “bring humanity and connection and art” to the organization.

The thing that stood out to me the most in Linchpin was the point that Seth made repeatedly about how our culture has been teaching us to be cogs and fit into the machines that are the factories (read: corporations). And while at one point in time our country was based on factory work and cogs fit very nicely, today what a company really needs in order to survive are the people who do not fit into a neat and orderly system–the people who are willing to create new ways of doing things, challenge the status quo, and shake things up.

Honestly, while I think everyone in business (and especially leadership) needs to read this book, an even more important audience would be all the school administrators who continue to crank out the same plans to create the same cogs to fit into machines that no longer exist. It’s a new world order, and in this world the linchpins will be the ones who rise to the top.

Good marketing involves good storytelling. When you can capture your audience in the middle of a great story, they jump in with both feet, listening intently to what you might have to say next, and looking for ways they can become part of your story.

Remember “The Neverending Story” from back in the 80s? (I know, I’m dating myself here…) It epitomized what a captivating story can do in the mind of a child. Remember how the boy, Bastian, found himself in the story–actually experiencing it with all the characters, feeling the excitement and danger–as he eventually took on the role of the hero? When I watched that movie as a kid, I remember wishing I had a book that became that real for me, that sucked me into an alternate reality and let me be part of the story the way Bastian was part of The Neverending Story.

Now jump ahead a few decades. What stories have you found yourself wanting to be in the middle of these days? Is there a company or person whose story is playing out in a way you wish you could be a part of? It’s a whole new world today. With social media and marketing the way it is, you can actually become part of the story. On Facebook or Twitter, you can reply to the stories that are engaging to you. On YouTube, not only can you watch the stories on video, but you could even respond with your own video story. On any blog post you find interesting, you can reply, or even Tweet the post for the rest of the world to see, placing you in the story in a unique way. And with the life that viral stories take on as they resurface on different videos or blogs or Twitter pages, it really can be a Neverending Story that you become part of.

Movie studios have started to figure this out. When the new Johnny Depp movie, “Public Enemies,” was first releasing, Universal Studios brought audiences into the story by using Twitter and Facebook to invite people to rob a bank. And just the other day, the Twitter user @importantdate showed up, hinting at a tea party somewhere around Comic-Con in San Diego, starting the buzz about the latest Tim Burton/Johnny Depp creation, “Alice in Wonderland” (which doesn’t even release until March 2010!), and getting other Tweeps to link to the trailer, thus bringing them into the story and furthering the marketing efforts with very little work on the part of the studio (assuming the studio is behind the Twitter profile).

Other businesses are getting customers involved an experience that invites people to contribute their own content, which essentially becomes free advertising and promotions for the company. Take Chipotle for instance. On MyChipotle, customers can upload videos or photos explaining their unique creations they order at Chipotle. Some of the videos they have there are entertaining enough and of a good enough quality to actually be a commercial for Chipotle, and it cost them nothing to make. Everyday people engage in the storytelling, which is truly marketing for Chipotle. Even the Presidential campaign for Barack Obama benefitted from this kind of experience with my.BarackObama.com, where they invited people to share their own story of hope during the campaign, and gave them social media tools and outlets where they could essentially build their own site to tell their story, explain why they were supporting Obama, and encourage others to do the same. (No matter where you stand politically, from a marketing and social media perspective you have to give props to the Obama campaign for their use of social media! For some insights into how the Obama campaign used digital media to win supporters, and ultimately the election, check out this article.)

I think we’re looking at a phenomenon that could be dubbed “Social Story Marketing.” It’s a social web and a story-driven culture in which we find ourselves living and working today. So if good marketing involves good storytelling, and the social media provides a platform for storytelling that engages audiences on a new level, why wouldn’t we start looking at what we do as Social Story Marketing? I’m going to explore this concept a little deeper over the next few posts, but in the meantime, think about your product or business…what would it look like to engage audiences in Social Story Marketing?

It’s only appropriate that since I’m in the City That Never Sleeps, I’m awake at 3:40 am the first day of the MediaBistro Circus. It was totally a last-minute decision to come to the event, although every time I got an email with a new update about the event I was intrigued. For some reason, last week the email just seemed to speak directly to me, so here I am, in New York City (staying with my wonderfully gracious cousin, Joyce!), ready to be challenged and to learn a lot from the folks at the Circus.

I won’t be blogging from the event, although I will be tweeting, so you can watch my updates on this site or on my Twitter page. But at some point after the event I hope to sift through my thoughts and all the info to share some of the insights. At this point I figured I’d just mention a few of the parts I’m most anticipating:

• From Gutenberg to MovableType: Publishing’s Next Edition: I’m looking forward to this session, specifically as an author and as someone who has spent the last nine years marketing in the publishing world. As content continues to flow from every direction and readers can find what they want anywhere (or just generate it themselves), how can we as writers/publishers/marketers continue to offer compelling content and stay relevant as this world shifts?
• Marketing Renaissance: The Age of the Customer: I’m excited about this session because of the direct implications it can have on my business and how I can help my clients. The description for this one really speaks for itself: Social Media. Search. Customer Engagement. Word of Mouth. Authenticity. These terms are critical drivers in a new era of marketing and advertising strategies. This group of digital marketing experts will discuss how customer behavior is evolving around technology, explore emerging trends and business models that will shape marketing, PR & advertising in years to come.
• Branding, and more… Really, as I scroll through the schedule for the event, each session seems to offer something that will help my business or help me help my clients. It will get mundane if I continue to blather on about each of the sessions and their descriptions. Instead, I’ll take great notes and share insights with you when it’s all said and done.

Until then…

It’s crazy to think that I fell into the world of marketing nearly ten years ago now. So much has changed in those ten years, but it seems like most of it has really changed in just the last couple years.

When I started in marketing it was all about direct mail, merge/purges, and response rates. Now there’s not as much talk of direct mail, we’re still merging and purging (email lists!), and definitely measuring response rates (now with crazy new technology). Add to the list of things in the world of marketing SEO, social media, user-generated content, podcasts, webcasts, blogs, and so much more…It can feel overwhelming just trying to stay on top of the TLAs (three-letter acronyms)!

I’m going to spend a few days blogging about the world of marketing as I’m living in it today. Hopefully it’ll help you see something of value for your own organization or company as your own needs and demands for marketing shift and change.

Let’s think about advertising… When I started in  marketing, we bought magazine ad space. Internet advertising was still far in the distance. Now, print advertising spending is dropping on a consistent basis and online advertising is morphing and changing daily. According to this story from PaidContent.org, even online advertising spending will drop this year. The clear exception to this trend is on Facebook. As the social networking site continues to grow by leaps and bounds, it is proving to be a profitable place for advertisers. Honestly, I’m not sure I’ve ever clicked on an ad in FB, but I definitely have noticed them. Actually, I tend to be more responsive to ads on my iPhone than anywhere else. I’m not alone there, based on this latest research. What about you? Where are you most likely to respond to an ad?