Can We Afford Not To Blog? (II)

In times of crisis, you need strong leader who is visible and has the charisma to lead.

Now, I will tell you this -- and I give the president some credit on this -- he sent one John Wayne dude down here that can get some stuff done, and his name is [Lt.] Gen. [Russel] Honore.
And he came off the doggone chopper, and he started cussing and people started moving. .

Why Blogging?

You need to stay connected with your audience. And for business models that have somewhat gone adrift, retrenching 10,000 workers is not going to do the trick. You need to regroup, stay focus, articulate, communicate and execute your vision. Blogging for the following reasons may provide the impetus for that.

1. Energise the connection with increasingly message wary customers in a way that is invigorating and proactive. Do you think Bob Lutz, General Motors Vice Chairman is effective in this regard?

2. Weblogs are viral and make it easy to create word-of-mouth networks. The right post can spread through the blogsphere instaneously to large numbers of people to reach tipping point.


3. Weblogs are NOT a direct marketing medium. Consumers are savvy. They can sense it if you push it in their face. A well executed blogging strategy requires time to convert into tangible results. And when it does, it could become your most powerful tool in your marketing mix.

5. Provide global reach in building brand awareness and differentiation. It allows you to articulate what makes your business different from your competitor and how your prospective customer can understand that you have something better to offer. If English Cut can do it, so can you!

6. Educate and inform the audience. It is the last form of honest marketing. It allows customer to get to know you on a personal level. This engenders a sense of trust and allows you to speak with passion and fervour, and provides a little entertainment and have some humour. Customers like to engage in a conversation, and NOT talk down to. It is like going to your favourite watering hole to chill out.

7. Cost effective way of leveraging off technology by projecting your business into the big league. The running cost of utilising the superb telecommunication infrastructure and broadband connectivity is afffordable even to small enterprises. Networking and collaboration can take place seamlessly. Small Business Trends.

If it is so effective, why aren't we adopting it?

There could be many reasons. Perhaps we do not quite appreciate the benefits the technology confers, existing practice is good enough for us, plain blissfully ignorant, or simply don't have the resources to react, let alone anticipate change.

Can we afford to standstill?

A look at the healthcare industry may provide us with some clues as to the kind of competition we are facing. Holiday in India for Good Health, Travel For Your Health.

Neighboring countries have gotten into the act - and they aspire to be the Mayo Clinic of the East. Some have adhered to American standards for hospital accreditation, and with it the benefits of enjoying medical insurance cover making it convenient for US citizens to seek treatments overseas. In that sense , our competitors are attempting to render the competition irrelevant by creating uncontested marketspace.

Consumers in Europe are already seeking out India for certain medical treatments.

Even if we are successful in mastering domain knowledge and technology, we still need to grapple with establishing our network in order to go-to-market.

Are we clued in or clueless as to what's going on out there?

Is it a case of sent one John Wayne dude down here that can get some stuff done, and ..... started cussing and people started moving.

We need to ACE our DTN ( domain knowledge, technology and networking ).


Keywords: domain knowledge, technology, networking, mavens, tipping point, blog, viral marketing

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Lessons From Mother Nature - Unmet Needs

Katrina and Rita. We have seen plenty of practice out there - good and the bad. For Katrina, we were caught with our pants down, and the price to pay is HIGH. Rita, fortunately, at least, for the moment, the damage is contained as the people are well prepared for it.

So what are the lessons? Well, for one, by human nature, we tend to underestimate risks. It is very much in our nature to upfront happier things and defer dealing with the more painful matters. And when the unexpected hit us, the loss can be devastating in terms of costs to human lives and to the economy. On hindsight, things always seem clearer. Well, applying the lessons, we must be passionate in the things we do and assume responsibility for the possible consequences arising for the path we select. In this way, we can always hone and upgrade our core skills especially during times when it does not appear to payoff. However, by remaining steadfast, our conviction should place us in good stead. Needs are always evolving, and with the marketplace getting more volatile, an unmet need will surely emerge with a surge in demand. Service providers that are in a position to provide will win a share of the wallet. It therefore pays for one to be prepared, and stand ready to deliver. Here are some tips as to how you can be prepared.
1. Identify trends and analyse weak signals in the marketplace
2. Stay invested in the core skills and upgrade to meet anticipated needs
3. Create need awareness - constantly engaging and communicating with your audience.
4. Engender a sense of tust and build rapport with your target audience.

When the time arrives where customers demand such a service, you will already have gained sufficient mindshare for them to recall your value proposition.

You will be pleasantly surprised how these little things can all add up to a happy ending!


Keywords: unmet needs, ACE, mindshare, need awareness

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Can We Afford Not To Blog? ( I )

In the past, we are able to compete on the basis of achieving mastery of a specific domain knowledge. And we move up the value-added ladder, getting higher pay, enjoying a higher standard of living. Just as we think we can do no wrong, we notice that behind us are 2 billion people with the same aspirations, and are rapidly catching up.

It soon dawn on us, at least for some, that not only do we need to deliver quality products and or services, we need also to master the technology to deliver our domain knowledge on a timely and accurate basis. For some of us, this is already a challenge. And I am not referring to the 40-something. This is also happening for graduates entering the job market. Why is this so?

For one, we have a legacy carried forward from the brick-and-mortar era - where the most effective form of competitive strategy is to erect entry barriers e.g. building skyscrapers, creating regulations, licensing etc and for that we have been extremely successful.

The downside is that with a captive audience, producers have little incentive to fulfill unmet needs in the marketplace. Instead they seek to maximise profits by playing the efficiency card i.e. customers can have all the choices of color that they want provided it is black. For a long while, it worked. However, with technological advances, globalisation is now a reality, and the bottom-line is that consumers are empowered with choices.

What are the implications? The first thing to hit us is a proliferation of choices. Producers that understand the needs best will win market share and more importantly a share of the wallet. Now to win over the customers, we realise that we must remain relevant to the customers. How to be relevant?

There are many ways. You can cut your price - especially when you have not been delivering value all this while. If only it is that easy. If you can maintain the same level of service and maintain profit margin, then there is little cause for concern. However, for the majority, it will be a challenge! Consumers are discerning, and they do not necessarily shop on the basis of price only. What they want is for some one to fulfil their unmet needs.

It is a race against time for us to identify and articulate those unmet needs. As captain of the boat, you need to communicate effectively to the crew on how best to execute the manoeurve - with perfect timing and coordination. Changing tack with a stiff headwind is no easy task. The crew must be well trained, and be prepared to take risks in order to ride out the waves.

So it is no wonder that companies in industries that are facing challenging times are probably the first to adopt blogging. e.g. General Motors,
Microsoft, IBM


Next: Reasons To Blog

Keywords: blog, domain knowledge, technology, competitive strategy

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Google Rolls Out Blog Search Engine

How big is the blogosphere? By the estimate of Technorati, it has indexed 17 million sites spanning across 1.5 billion links.

Can it grow further? At the moment, blogging appeals to the younger generation and for the tech savvy guys. However with this roll-out Google Bog Search and given Google's wide reach, the pace is expected to quicken. Its tools allow searches in English as well as other languages e.g. Chinese, Japanese etc.

Where do we go from here? Another tech bubble over the horizon? Our view is that businesses cannot afford to ignore this trend, and the sooner we embrace it the better off we are.

Happy blogging and made sure you have an icon at your site.

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Tips On How To Write Better In Your Blog

As with all great tips, they are simple to execute and should guide you to better blogging. Tips include using catchy titles, be unique, making sure to credit your sources, think before you post, stay on topic......


I am referring to the post by Piaras Kelly PR. Go ahead...and be empowered!


Keyword: blog

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