Marketing

On the Web, there is very little differentiation between types of content. People don't really care where they get the best content: mainstream media, content created by organizations (what I call brand journalism) or things that people share via social media. Arguing that one is more legitimate (mainstream media) leads to flawed marketing and PR strategic decisions. In an offline world, marketing and PR are usually separate departments with different people and different skill sets. Creating silos in companies for marketing and for public relations and for social media doesn't work when creating attention on the web and mobile. It's all content. Reaching buyers on the web and via mobile When a buyer is researching your product category by using a search engine, does it really matter if the first exposure is a hit on your website, a news release your organization sent, a magazine article, or a post on your blog? I'd argue that it doesn't matter. The distinctions have nearly disappeared.

Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Facebook., was photographed just hours ago in South Korea following his meeting with Lee Don Joo, president of sales and marketing of the mobile communications division at Samsung Electronics Co. According to Bloomberg, the gathering occurred under an impenetrable veil of secrecy at Samsung’s Seocho office building in Seoul, South Korea. Although speculation initially suggested that Facebook and Samsung are teaming up to produce a Facebook-branded mobile device, we’re told Zuckerberg’s paramount interest lies in new ways of boosting advertising sales from mobile devices. Behind closed doors, the executives from both companies sat down to discuss a variety of “potential partnership” opportunities. Facebook doesn’t have any comment on Zuckerberg’s trip, said Seikyu Hong, who represents the company in Seoul. Facebook’s powwow with Samsung is generating plenty of talk today despite the understandable affinity both companies likely share with one another. Facebook, after all, is the world’s most popular social-networking site and wants users to spend more time engaged with Facebook on mobile devices. And Samsung is the world’s largest manufacturer of smartphones. It could easily be a perfect match for something big. But we may have to wait a while to figure out just what that “something” really is.

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Superman as an entrepreneur? Not exactly, but you just may walk away from "Man of Steel" with inspiration for your business.Over the weekend my wife and I and a friend saw Man of Steel--the latest reboot of the Superman franchise. Note: Spoilers below! If you haven't seen the movie yet, you might want to stop reading. But then again, it's Superman. You probably know the story already.Afterward, as we left the theater, my mind wandered to what the movie had to say about entrepreneurship. (It's a sickness. I can't stop thinking like this. Maybe you can relate.) Nobody actually starts a business in Man of Steel, but the movie is as much about leadership, integrity, and gathering teams to achieve a worthy goal as it is about action and explosions. In other words, it has a lot to do with the best principles of entrepreneurship. Here are my top takeaways:1. Familiarity (Sometimes) RulesAlmost everyone who goes to see Man of Steel knows pretty much what's going to happen. No joke, my three-year-old nephew told me the entire Superman origin story a few weeks ago, complete with references to "Kwypton" and "Superman's daddy, Kal-El." (I think he's a bit confused. Jor-El is Kal-El's father, and it's Kal-El who later becomes Superman. But still, not bad for a three-year-old.)Despite that familiarity, Man of Steel pulled in $128 million in the U.S. last weekend. Not bad for a cartoon character who made his debut in 1938. Lesson: It can sometimes be better to put a new twist on an old idea, rather than make up something new out of whole cloth.2. If Trust Doesn't Quite Trump Everything, It Comes CloseKal-El (aka Clark Kent--interestingly the film manages never to refer to him as "Superman") starts out angst-ridden, unsure of where he's from. Just as he figures it out, his Kryptonian father's nemesis, General Zod, shows up. Zod demands that Kal-El surrender in exchange for Zod sparing the Earth--and Kal-El almost gives in.What stops him? It's all about trust. First, he realizes that Zod isn't trustworthy. Then, the fact that Kal-El was willing to sacrifice himself for Earth helps the humans learn to trust him. (As Kal-El reminds a still-skeptical general at the end of the film, he grew up in Kansas!) The more loyalty he shows to humans, the more they slowly develop trust in him, in return.3. It's Not What You Say; It's What People HearYou know the giant "S" on Superman's chest? It's not really an "S." Instead, as explained at least twice in Man of Steel, it's a Kryptonian symbol meaning, "hope." That's nice. But on Earth, as Lois Lane reminds Kal-El, an "S" is an "S" is an "S." 'Nuff said.4. Focus, Focus, FocusKal-El has super-hearing and super-vision--and man-oh-man, is he ever distracted as a result. As a kid, this nearly pushes him near the edge. It's only after his mother teaches him to focus on one sound or sight at a time that he can retain sanity and function. When Zod and the other criminal-refugees from Krypton reach Earth, they have the same problem, except that nobody has ever taught them to focus their senses. Result? They're overwhelmed with sights and sounds, and unable (temporarily) to function.Sound familiar? Distraction is driving us all crazy and it can be killer in business. Learning to focus is key. (As I wrote this column, this realization almost made me close a few of the dozen tabs I had open on my browser, shut off my phone, and maybe even turn down the sound on the Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Finals game I was watching. Almost.)5. Make the Customer ComfortableAt one point, Kal-El surrenders to a group of humans despite knowing that they plan to turn him over to Zod. When Lois Lane subsequently expresses surprise that he allowed the humans to handcuff him, Kal-El tells her it's because it was important that they feel safe around him. (Even though Superman needs handcuffs like a fish needs a bicycle.)Sometimes people (read: customers) insist on things that don't cost you much, but make them feel more comfortable. If you w

The seasoned VC says Silicon Valley will remain a tech hub for years, but Silicon Alley, with its focus on content, is paving the way for exciting changes.What's in a name? A lot, according to Mark Suster, founder and CEO of Build Online and an investor with the Los Angeles-based GRP partners. That's why his firm is changing its name. "I think it's a bit rich that we go around to entrepreneurs and say markets are being disrupted, you need to change," he said during the Venture Forward Conference in New York on Tuesday. The new moniker, which he wouldn't disclose at the conference but plans to unveil next week, will be the first such change for GRP in 17 years. It's meant to reflect GRP's renewed focus on transparency and investment in infrastructure--two things entrpreneurs say they want. The idea came after polling a group of entrepreneurs, who also said they look for operational experience, industry insight, marketing help, and people who can bring capital to the table from their VC firm. Since all those encompass what GRP does, "We felt we needed a name that would represent all those things," he said. When asked how hard it's been to do business "so far south of Silicon Valley," Suster acknowledged the challenge, but pointed to markets outside of the tech hub. "Silicon Valley will always produce the biggest hits; it will always be the tech ecosystem for the foreseeable future," he said. "But there are market conditions that make it easier and better to build outside Silicon Valley."Focusing on software-based start-ups has proven this: Many things which revolve around the Internet--content, commerce, and communication--aren't dominated by the Valley, he found. "Commerce is something great trading cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles have always done well," Suster said. In terms of content, "New York has a significant advantage there." And communication has strongholds in Washington, D.C., Kansas City, and "of course, New York. That's why we've seen companies standing out more."

Businesses in all kinds of industries are going mobile and bringing their goods directly to customers.Mobile may be the new thing for businesses, but there's an old way to put a twist on the concept. Pack your business onto a truck. Although food trucks now have a reality show, forgoing a permanent home for a business and taking it onto the road isn't a new concept. But it might be one your company should explore.Food trucks in their original incarnation--commissary trucks that brought coffee and bad food to locations like construction sites--have been around for many decades. So have trucks to replace automobile glass or wash and detail vehicles as well as vans that bring mechanics tools out to auto repair shops. In a way, plumbers and carpenters have done the same thing, bringing equipment and supplies to the customer's location.But the concept of putting a business on a truck is beginning to expand. Over the last three or four years, fashion trucks have become... fashionable. The people behind The Fashion Mobile of Minnesota used to own a store but found that buying a used truck off Craigslist cost about the same as one month of rent.There are trucks for all kinds of businesses: hard-to-find shoe brands, a record shop, kitchen and home goods, and vintage clothing. The Original Mobile Barbershop Co. is not the only one with chairs on wheels. Heck, there's even a site where people buy and sell used pet grooming vans.The principles are sound. You bring a business out to the customers and provide convenience. At the same time, you intercept people outside of their normal shopping routine and get more attention. Overhead is much lower, though you do have to work through the logistics of permitting and legal parking to do business on the road and avoid tickets.So what are some other businesses that you could do out of a truck, or with a vehicle as a supplement, going to the customer? Here are some ideas:photography studionail or hair caremassage or physical therapybusiness consultingCPA/accountantfinancial services advisortailorwedding planningYou could bring samples and services to a B2B client and ship afterwards. Insurance firm? Send the truck out to an office building where you've already made arrangements and workers can consult. Combine a truck with an existing business and the ability to schedule appointments and look at product on a website and the possibilities grow. Is it time that your business hit the road?

Because you’re reading this blog, you’re probably already familiar with the importance of a personal brand. Someone who may not be as well-versed in the subject, however, is your friends. Now is as good a time as any to help your friends out by branding their career. Make sure they’re on the right track, so they can begin to build their own personal brand. Here are five personal branding secrets to share with your friends: 1. Everything you do is part of your brand. Your personal brand exists, whether you do anything about it or not. It is composed of everything you do and say. By accepting its existence, you can then decide to build it up to represent your capabilities in the professional world. Throughout your career, you need to be aware of how people see you. What you post on social media, how you behave both in and outside of work, all of these things matter. Consider how these things can help or hurt your brand. Behave professionally and you will be remembered as a professional. 2. There are many branding platforms online. Your personal brand is shaped online by the social networking platforms you use. Think about your personal website, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or wherever else you visit regularly. Make a list of the ones you think are most beneficial to you, and share these with your friends. If you are on similar career paths, these might be perfect options for your friends, as well. If you are in very different fields, think about how they can use these platforms to benefit them. 3. Consistency strengthens your brand. If there are two key concepts one must know about personal brands, it is to be professional and be consistent. Be consistent in how you define yourself, the profile photos you publish, and the way you write your name. Carry the same consistency both on and offline. Help your friends be constant professionals. Consistency makes the people in your network (including potential employers) remember you. 4. There are many ways to network successfully. To someone who is unfamiliar with the concept of networking, it can seem overwhelming. Help out your friend by telling them about the most successful networking experiences you’ve had. Did you connect with someone on LinkedIn and set up an interview? Did you attend a networking event and meet someone who hooked you up with one of their colleagues? Whatever it was, hearing real success stories can help others down the right path when they start networking for themselves. 5. Monitor your brand. Once you decide the components of your brand, you are never truly finished cultivating it. You need to update it regularly and monitor how you are perceived. There are lots of sites, like Google Alerts, to help you do this. How do you monitor your personal brand? Help your friends set up ways to monitor their brand like you. You want your friends to have successful careers, just like you, so helping them out with something like their personal brands is an easy way to do it. Plus, since you are closely associated with your friends, helping them with their brands can only benefit your own. What other personal branding secrets would you share with your friends? Author: Heather R. Huhman is a career expert, experienced hiring manager, and founder & president of Come Recommended, a content marketing and digital PR consultancy for job search and human resources technologies. She is also the instructor of Find Me A Job: How To Score A Job Before Your Friends, author of Lies, Damned Lies & Internships (2011) and #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010), and writes career and recruiting advice for numerous outlets.

Local search, especially for restaurants, is getting much more interesting as Google rolls out its local search ‘carousel’ to desktop search. It is available in English in the US only for now. Basically, how one ranks in the carousel will be the new ‘victory’ for local search. The post on Google+ announcing the update tells us Starting today, when you search Google for restaurants, bars or other local places on your desktop, you’ll see an interactive “carousel” of local results at the top of the page. Give it a go—type or say “mexican restaurants,” or try any similar search for restaurants, bars or hotels. Click on one of the places in the carousel to get more details on it, including its overall review-based score, address and photos. If you want to see more places, click the arrow at the right of the carousel. And you can zoom in on the map that appears below the carousel to restrict your search to only places in a specific area. While some iPad and Nexus tablet users have seen this new look since December, we’re excited to expand to desktop. The interactive “carousel” is rolling out in English in the U.S.—we’ll add more features and languages over time. Take a look for a search I did in Raleigh. It is going to take some time to get used to and will now put even greater emphasis on certain local businesses getting control of images, reviews and more. What do you think?

Mobile advertising is set for a bright future across Africa. That’s the resounding message presented Tuesday in a new White Paper from M&C Saatchi Mobile. According to the report in question, mobile is emerging as a key advertising channel in Africa, driven by economic growth and affordable smartphones. The first in a series of whitepapers looking at mobile in global regions and its relevance to advertisers shows that brands and advertisers who want to reach consumers in Africa should consider mobile as the principal channel for advertising and marketing. The White Paper illustrates how, as part of its development, Africa has “leapfrogged” traditional fixed line telecommunications to adopt mobile cellular services instead. M&C Saatchi Mobile says mobile is now the primary means by which many Africans access the Internet, with some 84 million internet-enabled mobile devices already in circulation. “Contrary to popular thinking, Africa is not an under-developed region – it’s the second largest and fastest-growing mobile phone market in the world after China,” said James Hilton, Global CEO of M&C Saatchi Mobile. “The large numbers of African mobile consumers with web-connected smartphones using their device to surf the internet or download apps shows that the assumption that mobile services in Africa are only about SMS and low-end handsets is seriously out of date.” To learn more or to download the new white paper, click here.

Great research doesn't always lead to great medicine -- and sometimes forming a company can actually get in the way.Say you’re a healthcare entrepreneur. And say you meet a brilliant immunologist at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference, and she has very exciting data demonstrating full tumor regression in a genetically engineered mouse model of human breast cancer. It’s clear that she has discovered a critical step in cancer development that could be a great new drug target. Time to license the intellectual property, right? Get this scientist onto the board of your new start-up, then turn her research into a treatment and, of course, profits.Actually, that’s probably not such a great idea.Here’s why it’s not the right time to pull the trigger - and why it may never be:1. Most early science will not lead to drug candidates that pass feasibility and toxicology requirements to qualify for human trials. Human biology is complicated, and no one can predict what will or won’t work.2. Once you raise money and recruit co-founders, you’re in the business of convincing them that you will be successful. No matter what. In so doing, you incentivize scientists to design experiments that will support your business plan. This corrupts the conduct of the most important testing and encourages your scientists to generate ‘good enough’ data - good enough to keep the funding rolling in.3. Capital that could be going directly into research will instead be spent on the all-too-familiar costs of doing business: salaries, attorneys, accountants, boards of directors, etc. 4. As all these parties become more invested in the success of certain experiments and approaches, the less willing they become to admit it when things-;even small things--inevitably go wrong. Dismantling a team and a company is difficult, and it isn’t any fun.5. Even the best outcome - generation of a compound that achieves Investigational New Drug status- carries a burdensome economic sidecar. To generate attractive returns for your earliest-stage investors, you have to begin recuperating not only your company’s scientific investment, but also the general and administrative costs, which have probably eaten up one-third to one-half of the total capital invested. And the road to a marketable drug has just begun.6. In the pursuit of ‘good enough,’ it’s likely that your team has passed over other approaches that may have led to better drugs. Now that capital is gone.Can you tell that I’ve seen this movie a few times? Here’s when you might consider investing:1. When the science has become a platform--a fundamental new approach to generating many new drugs. Now you’re jumping into something that’s more akin to an engineering start-up.2. When a bonafide drug molecule (better, several) has been advanced to the human trials stage. This is still a high-risk investment, but at this point your ultimate buyers - the pharmaceutical companies - will be lining up to partner with venture capitalists and entrepreneurs to co-invest. That greatly raises your chances of profitable success.In medicine, forming a new company around early science can easily produce a misalignment of incentives and waste precious capital. Early-stage biomedical assets should be managed and tested as a portfolio of ideas with no bets or promises placed on any single one. This will allow the unbiased pursuit of the projects that survive rigorous vetting and testing, all the way through to drug molecules that are ready to be used in the treatment of actual disease.