Earth Day at Channel V Media

We can't exactly claim to be a bunch of raging environmentalists here at Channel V Media, but we do care about the planet, and we're excited to be working with and talking to more and more green-focused companies.  Many of them are led by entrepreneurs who recognize that they are at the vanguard not only of changes in consumer habits and cultural attitudes, but of changes that will eventually be essential to preserving our quality of life and our future.  That said, they are also sensible businesspeople, and they know that getting consumers to make better choices isn't going to happen overnight, and it isn't going to happen by lecturing or hectoring.  

No, many of the most successful green brands are working with consumers habits and lifestyles to help them make incremental change through greener versions of products they already know and love.

As our very own Genna Mazor so eloquently put it in her recent Marketing: Green article for MediaPost, "Consumers Do Want to Be Green, But They Are Also Lazy." Truer words were never spoken.

To make her point, Genna features the work and products of our client our client Core Bamboo.  (No doubt there are plenty of other great examples--we just went with the one we know best.)  Core Bamboo is guided by ethical, sustainable, and earth-friendly principles, but they also make beautiful bamboo products (bowls, cutting boards, servingware, and more) that are practical, affordable, and appealing to the average consumer.  They even make a product called LuxeWare, a line of disposable bamboo plates that is specifically designed to replace the heavy-duty paper and plastic that are the hallmarks of most summer picnics and barbeques.   

So, yes, on this Earth Day, we will dream big about major future value shifts when it comes to the planet, but we're also happy to be working with companies--and people--that are making a difference now. 

Social Media Is the Ultimate Focus Group. RFPs Suck. Two New Resources

Social media listening and RFPs have a lot in common. Okay, maybe not, but both are topics covered in two new incredibly useful resources--one free, one not. If you're a sales or marketing professional, a hands-on entrepreneur, or if you work in business development, take note.  

FREE E-BOOK:

Storylistening Through Social Media:
Using Narrative Techniques to Create, Measure and Optimize Social Media Programs That Ignite Meaningful Consumer Conversations

Social Media is the ultimate focus group but how can you apply what you learn online to your brand strategy?

This free e-book from Story Worldwide takes readers through a broad background of social media and ends with actionable steps your company can take to embrace the power of what they call the "mass amateurisation of publishing" (in a good way, of course).

The main takeaway from this e-book is the ammunition it gives you to introduce your brand's social media strategy (and to get the support you need to make it happen on a large scale). Here's a quick overview of the content for you:

• Audience: Those who were once voiceless now have the ability to shout.
• Influence: Your brand is perception is now in the hands of an army of strangers
• Traffic: Nurturing your community rather than detaining the uninterested.
• Case studies: Audience Generation, Customer Service, and Direct Sales
• The 4 Steps to Talking to All of Your Customers at Once:
• Listen Carefull
• Analyze What You Hear
• Join in and speak up
• Measure and Maintain

>> Download the e-book here: http://ebooks.storyworldwide.com.

 

RFPs Suck! How to Master the RFP System Once and for All to Win Big Business
By Tom Searcy

As someone who despises RFPs, I learned a ton while editing this book. (Yes, our publishing division Channel V Books published this, but I'm not cheesy enough to recommend it only for that reason. Give me some credit.)

While working on this book, we were simultaneously knee-deep in the RFP process for a huge account that we had absolutely no business bidding on. Our main objective was simply not to make fools of ourselves and Tom's book allowed us to impress the socks off of the large consumer brand we were after.

A few a-ha moments that stuck with me came from these particular lessons:

• Companies tend to spend a lot of time educating the prospect instead of giving them the tools they'll need to sell the proposed solution to their team. Yep, this is exactly what we were doing...for about the first half of our proposal. Do you know how silly we would have looked if we had gone in and wasted this company's time by teaching them a little lesson? I am so glad we didn't.
• By focusing primarily on your services, you're really just positioning yourself as a qualified contender, not as a standout. In other words, everyone bidding on the RFP can do X, Y and Z--that's why they were invited to respond. But those things are really the lowest common denominators among you and your competition. You want to set yourself apart as the one who can do all that but also A, B and C, which are things that you've identified as unique to your company and important to the prospect. By closely analyzing the RFP, you can gain this type of telling information.
• There are many RFPs that you should run, not walk, away from. All too often small businesses get overly excited about being asked to respond to an RFP from a big company. They waste tons of time and resources responding to something that is clearly just a source of free consulting for procurement. It's really not fair--you, the small company waste your limited resources on giving a large company with tons of resources free work. But, if you learn how to read between the lines, you can avoid this situation all together. Likewise, you can also figure out if the RFP is worthwhile and if you've really got a shot.

So, if you don't have the time, patience or desire to spend hours responding to RFPs that amount to nothing more than free consulting, this book is for you. Invest in a copy at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Guilt: A Blog Post About Blog Posts

 

 

I came back from my summer vacation (Croatia!) re-energized and inspired to build our company. On the plane back to New York, I wrote Kate a 10-page email (I'm not kidding) on exactly how we were going to double the size of our company (and our paychecks) before spring. I proposed dedicating half of my time to company-specific initiatives like business development, optimizing our website, creating new content, smoozing at events, being an overall charming, savvy and likeable person, and, umm, writing blog posts. Well, I've managed to accomplish many of those things in the last few weeks, including the launch of our new books division and publishing our first book (both of which I'm so excited to tell you about...in a week or two).

So, I wasn't feeling particularly guilty about not having been able to write as many blog posts as I would have liked (or any at all for that matter). Until today.

For someone whose guilt has a pretty tight relationship with her paranoia, the following are responsible for today's filler, I mean, insightful blog post:

1) On a call with our HubSpot consultant, we decided to go through our blog traffic. She had to scroll back a month to actually find some...
2) A blunt email from a client: "You only blog on a 7-14 day cycle. I'm blogging on a 3-5 day cycle. Why?" (Note to clients: Do as I SAY, not as I DO. Ahem.)
3) When I logged into our CMS today to assess our recent activity, the "Remember Me" password option presented itself as a question rather than a command. (See above.)

Anyhow, that's my long way of saying that you can look forward to some more regular blog posts beginning next week, including: The top X ways to become an expert (even if you're not an expert), tips for publishers to market themselves online and through Amazon, an audience generation how-to crash course and, finally, an announcement of our new book division.

Yes, life may now resume as usual.

Triathlons and Twitter: How One Small Business Is Using Social Media to Build Its Audience One Tweet at a Time

Around here we find our frequent conversations about social media ending with, "Hey, it's not rocket science." I know many people like to make it seem as though what we do is incredibly esoteric and that only the most experienced, knowledgeable person could even begin to think about undertaking it, but when it comes to social media, that's just not true. Yes, it's true that it takes a lot of work and that any brand needs a coherent strategy and that your company needs to be on board to make it happen, but do you really need a ton of expertise to master it? I'm not going to lie... No.

(Obviously, once companies get bigger and have more brand capital, social media interaction does become more complicated. They need nuanced strategies for different audiences, and they really do need an agency that has social media expertise to put it all together for them. It's simply not a wise use of resources to commit their internal team to figuring out social media when those people might not even be interested and there are agencies that do it better. Take us, for instance. :) )

When it comes to small businesses and start-ups, social media can be a really powerful tool, especially if it's undertaken by those at the center of the company. Sure, everyone talks about this, but I know from firsthand experience that smaller business owners often don't really believe that they could find a voice and an audience in blogging or on Facebook, Twitter or other online communities, which is just not the case.

The reality is that small businesses have two really key things going for them: 1. Their senior decision makers also tend to be the people doing a lot of the in-the-trenches work, so it's easy for them to decide on a strategy/voice and implement that. There's no bureaucracy, no approval process, no figuring out who's going to write updates or blog posts. 2. They've got passion. Who starts a business who doesn't have a love for or interest in some aspect of what they do and the community? That means they know their target audience really well, that they can offer specialized expertise and insights, and create content that is meaningful and effective. They also know who the influencers in the community are, what people are buzzing about, and all the other things that make it clear that they are members of the community too.

All of which brings me to Paul Bashforth (that's him looking all studly and triathlete-y during a real, live race), who, along with three friends, started a niche clothing brand for triathletes, True Motion. He and his partners currently hold regular jobs while they start their business, so they don't have a ton of time or money to commit to marketing and advertising. But from early on, Paul recognized that good content could set his company apart, and he's become a real convert to the power of social media. He also knows how important audience generation is (which inspired him to email Gretel's recent post on the topic to his partners. He's not sure if they've read it, but he's hoping it will get them all on the same page.)

After some free drinks (for me) and free consulting* (for him) the night before last, he has embarked on a campaign to really learn and use Twitter. He's retweeting, linking to relevant posts related to the trialthlete community, and referencing other Twitter users who are in the community. He's got his own handle (@truemotionpaul) and a company presence (@truemotiontri). On his personal account, he tweets about anything and everything (triathlons, yes, but also family, work, life and other normal stuff -- he is a normal human being after all), while on the company one, he's started carving out a niche with clothing/gear-related tweets, as well as general commentary on the goings on at True Motion. Literally, within days he's seen his followers increase and has started truly building his audience.

And why not? He's an obsessive athlete who loves triathlons. (Not to mention, he's the only man I know with whom I can swap stories about cleanly-shaved legs.) He and his brand are genuine community supporters and enthusiasts, and in joining the online conversation, he's steadily building brand awareness and loyalty.

*As much as I hate giving away free consulting, a promise of free drinks is usually enough to twist my arm. That is, as long as I get to choose the place!

Agencies: Fire Your Clients If...

On Tuesday, Joe Marchese over at MediaPost's OnlineSpin wrote a great article called "Marketers: Fire Your Agency If...".

In making his case for marketers holding their agencies to higher standards, he didn't fail to mention that agencies should consider firing their clients in some scenarios as well. As someone who has had the pleasure of firing a nasty client before, I'd like to second that notion, if not elaborate upon it a bit further.

Disclaimer: We love all of our current clients!

Joe contends that if agencies aren't always looking for new and innovative ways to achieve a greater effect for their marketing efforts, well then, marketers ought to just fire them. I wholly believe that the same can be said of some clients...especially those that hire you because you're innovative but then express regret when you're not traditional. (Disclaimer #2: We do traditional work, too--just not for people who request otherwise.) Sheesh.

There is absolutely nothing worse than working for a client whose sole mission is to be on Oprah or to be profiled in The New York Times. This is not to say those aren't great venues (seriously, Oprah: call me!), but clients must be willing to look outside the box if they want to run a successful and holistic campaign. If this is the first thing your prospect says on a new business call, take my advice: run a mile. They will never be happy. Neither will you.

If I sound jaded it's because I've dedicated months of my life to campaigns that have seen huge success, garnering over 100,000,000 views online and in print, only to be berated for not getting the client on TV. I've had clients dismiss significant opportunities, saying that the writer is "only a blogger, so I can't be bothered." And clients who needed constant reassurance that communicating directly with their audiences by blogging two or three times/week was a waste of time because they weren't being paid for their content. Really?? These things might not turn off some of the more traditional agencies out there, but since we're often hired to implement these types of campaigns, they certainly turn us off. Not only are these types of blatant dismissals and complaints shortsighted, they're completely non-innovative.

I imagine people are reading this, thinking, Is she really complaining about her clients on a public forum? The answer is yes: yes, I am. (Well, not the current ones.) The fact is, though, we do some pretty killer work. And since we're small with less overhead than larger agencies, we can do it a lot more economically than can others. That's to say, we're not lacking for opportunity or for the privilege of working with clients who aren't open to new ideas or have mediocre objectives. We just don't get paid enough to not enjoy our jobs.

Our mission statement around here is "do great things for great people and don't work with anyone who doesn't inspire us in one way or another." We want to work with people who are willing to take risks, people who will roll up their sleeves and get down to business in pursuit of promoting whatever it is they've invested themselves in. If you're not passionate about what you're doing, chances are we--and the rest of the world--won't be either. If you want to reach out to the masses but have a shabby website or nothing to offer once we get you the attention you're after, then this relationship is over. And if you're unwilling to explore all the amazing platforms out there, then, we're sorry, but we're going to have to let you go.

It's not us; it's you.

Hanging out with sweetriot: Irreverent Yet Responsible Chocolate

Yesterday we had lunch with a completely inspiring entrepreneur. When most of her fellow business-school graduates headed off to plum jobs at hedge funds and investment banks in the flush economy of the last few years, Sarah Endline set out to create a great business. With her vision, her passion and her love of chocolate, she founded sweetriot-the "human, globally responsible, irreverent and built for a new generation" chocolate company.

Quite frankly, we're not really sure how Sarah finds enough hours in the day to do everything she does: create a great product, attract a crack team of investors, motivate her tirelessly loyal staff of employees and volunteers, and brilliantly market and publicize sweetriot. But somehow she's doing it-and doing it well. And we think it has something to do with the fact that she "gets" new media. She regularly updates her blog with the latest sweetriot news and she's got a loyal following of online Rioters, who are devoted to the company-its mission and its product. Even more, she wears a container of chocolate on a chain around her neck, and the waiter at La Esquina calls her "the candy lady." Hey, it's about time someone updated the dated candy necklace with something good (have you ever tried those things? Yuck...)

What could be better? Social responsibility mixed with fashion and chocolate? We are so sold.

(And no, not because she bribed us with chocolate, which she obviously did.)

CVM FEATURED IN PR NEWS: "STARTING UP YOUR START-UP"

Maybe you like that your boss makes all the big decisions, that you can dash out of work right at 5 and that no one gives you any responsibility at all. Whatever you do, don't change a thing-it sounds like you've got the perfect gig. On the other hand, if you're constantly dreaming up big ideas that would never fly at your current company, or if you crave ownership of projects and clients, love working on your own terms, and are not afraid of a little uncertainty and risk, then maybe it's time to shake things up a bit. Maybe it's time to think about working for yourself.

That's what we did. And now we are.

Two months ago, we launched Channel V Media. As we write this from our new office in Manhattan's Tribeca, we're looking at a to-do list a mile long, long hours and not enough sleep. We're figuring out who we want to be and how to attract our ideal clients and when we want to hire more employees and, and, and the list goes on... But at the end of the day, we're happy. Really.

What do you need to start your own PR firm?

Confidence: Above all, you need to believe in yourself and your abilities. Going into business for yourself isn't for the faint of heart, so if a few rough patches and naysayers are all it takes to make you doubt yourself and your decisions, this might not be for you. Highs and lows are part of the adventure-have the perspective to take them in stride...not personally.

Experience: If you're even thinking about going into business for yourself, chances are you have a fair amount of experience under your belt. So what's holding you back? That nagging feeling that you need to know everything before you can possibly do it. Get over it. Even the most experienced professionals learn as they go-the most successful people are constantly learning-so take what you've got, throw in your common sense, your creativity and your winning ways, and go for it.


A Little Money: Or a lot, depending on your needs and ambitions for your new company. You can save money by working from home, but an office goes a long way in inspiring confidence in clients and confidence in yourself. There's something about having a place that you go just to do work that helps it feel real. The downside? There's a lot to pay for-computers, rent, Internet, and subscriptions to publications and services. Plus, to make your new company official you'll need to incorporate. And you'll need something in the bank as back up-you don't want to be knocked down by an unexpected hit.

A Good Server: Or a service that will stand in. We spent our first month figuring out how to get our pitches and releases out. Unless you're starting big, you won't be able to afford the T-1 line, the server and the tech guy necessary to make it all run smoothly (we use Lucy Solutions for our IT needs). And if you're small, your remote server isn't going to let you send out mass mailings. We've discovered JangoMail, an economical email management system that lets us send out all of our necessary communications.

Clients: Before you take the plunge, find business you can count on. And find it through your own contacts and relationships. Sure, you can leave your current job and take all of your old clients with you, but that feels a little shady. And if you have a non-compete, it's also illegal. Since we started our firm, everyone's asked us how we got business. "What'd you do? Steal away your old clients?" And you can tell from the tone, they're looking for the dirt. Our sense? Avoid it. It feels really good to be able to say that we got our clients on our own and that we didn't leave our old jobs on bad terms.

Dream Big... Even If You're Small: Web sites and other online media allow small companies to establish a BIG presence. But even more important than the image you project are the ideas you present to your client and, ultimately, your ability to execute them. We've made it a rule not to let our ideas be hindered by our seemingly limited man power. We dream big and then outsource a virtual team come production time.

Vision: We're still figuring this one out ourselves, but what's going to make your firm stand out from all the other ones out there? Maybe you're ruthless, maybe you know new media, maybe you know how to give clients all the TLC they could possibly need. Figure out who you are, then go after clients who share your sensibility. If your new client proposal process looks something like throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks, then the odds are good that even if you win new business, it's not going to last because you're not going to have a shared sense of purpose and values. Look for clients you really want-you'll be invested in their success and be excited to be part of it. And they'll feel your enthusiasm.

This article was written by Kate Fleming and Gretel Going, partners at Channel V Media.