I just launched a Facebook ad campaign connected to Tropical Storm Isaac. Isaac is a notable guy these days. He’s getting more press than the average tropical storm because of the potential threat he poses to next week’s GOP convention in Tampa. (And the fact that he shares a name with the bartender from The Love Boat hasn’t hurt his buzz factor at all.)

Forty-five minutes after launch, this ad campaign had already generated more click thrus than a previous, similar campaign did in a week. Why?

Because of When.

Your marketing message will resonate with more people and prompt more action when it comes at the right time. With a hurricane brewing in the Carribbean, there are a lot more people interested in getting ready for bad weather than there were a few days ago.

Timeliness is the most powerful tool you’ve got for breaking through the clutter. But to take full advantage of it, you have to be nimble. In today’s world, people’s receptivity to your message can change in just a few hours. You have to be ready to strike when the opportunity presents itself.

The power of When can also come into play in more predictable ways. For example, you can connect your message to holidays and observances to make it more timely. You can post to Facebook when you know your audience is most active there. You can tweet the same content at different times of day over the course of a week (or more) to reach a broader audience. Those are all considerations of When.

If you’re looking to reach an audience, make sure you’re not just focusing on being in the right place. You’ve got to be there at the right time too.

Those questions have some bearing on the business world as well. Think about it. Your business is like an athlete. Every day it competes for customers and for growth. So what can we learn from these Olympians?

Talent is born, not made.

During Michael Phelps’ quest to win eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, NBC aired a segment that analyzed how his physique contributes to his success in the water. It was fascinating to see how his unique mix of physical characteristics – traits he was born with – have played such a significant role in making him the greatest Olympian of all time.

That kind of inborn talent also plays out in the marketing world. Some products and services are inherently more “talented.” They appeal to large audience segments. They are easy to understand, and even easier to build demand for. They have few competitors. They have the benefit of almost selling themselves.

Good for them. But where does that leave the rest of us?

Success is made, not born.

Michael Phelps may have been born with talent, but it is the years of hard work that have made him a champion. Hours upon hours in the pool have shaped his talent into something truly amazing. No matter how perfectly suited to swimming he is by nature, he still had to put in the work to be successful.

That’s good news if you’re marketing a product or service that wasn’t born a winner. Your hard work and savvy will play a major role in determining how successful you are. Find your “talent” and build on it. Differentiate yourself from your competitors. Build a brand that people want to connect with. Find out what your customers want and give it to them. Sometimes it’s just that simple.

There’s also a word of warning here for those of you whose product or service is inherently “talented.” Talent is no guarantee of success. If you don’t continue to improve and innovate, you’ll be left on the trash heap, no matter how successful you are right now – just ask Kodak. You may become a commodity that your customers buy based solely on price, leading to ever diminishing profit margins. Or your hard-working competitor may win your customers’ loyalty with smart branding and top-notch customer service. You’ve got to work hard every day to achieve – and hold – success.

Image credit: Fabrice Coffrini/Getty Images

Think about it. “Why?” has the potential to change everything.

• Why would someone watch (and share) the video we’re about to produce?
• Why would we want a Pinterest page?
• Why are we printing these brochures?
• Why are people buying my products/services?
• Why aren’t they?

“Why?” keeps you from going through the motions. It makes you look at your work with a fresh perspective (and, remember, that perspective should be your audience’s view, not your personal one). It sharpens your marketing efforts and hones the effectiveness of each tactic before it’s implemented.

But “Why?” can also drive you crazy. Just as the incessant “Why? Why? Why?” of a three-year-old can make a person run screaming from the room, too much questioning can be counterproductive.

So save your “Why?”s for the things that matter. Those moments usually come when you’re starting something new or evaluating the results of a campaign. But don’t forget to ask yourself “Why?” when you’re executing some of your basic, ongoing marketing strategies. Those can often be the most transformative “Why?”s to your campaigns because they reveal areas where your tactics have grown stale and failed to keep pace with what your audience expects.

So why are you doing whatever it is that you’re doing today?

Marketing once harnessed the power of images by putting a corporate logo on everything from letterhead and websites to race cars and professional golfers’ shirts. Logos were sacrosanct, with 100-page manuals spelling out rules for their proper use. The idea was to control the brand image by controlling where and how the logo – the most identifiable visual representation of the brand — was shared.

A strong logo is still a valuable asset, and it definitely plays a part in building a brand. But thanks to ubiquitous smartphone cameras and the ability to easily share photos via social networks, there are more compelling ways to put images to work in building a brand. Facebook Timeline (with its improved use of photos and graphics), Twitter, Pinterest, Flickr and Instagram provide tremendous opportunities for creating and sharing the visual story of your brand.

Instagram is my personal favorite, largely because of the filters that transform my less-than-average photos into something much more interesting. I also love the challenge of capturing a single image that can convey the essence of the moment. I’m glad to have a dozen pictures of my kids in their Easter Sunday best, but it’s the image of my daughter’s dye-stained fingers holding her freshly colored eggs that really says it all.

That’s one of the hidden benefits of incorporating visual storytelling into your brand marketing. Not only do you harness the emotional power of photos, but you also gain clarity about your brand attributes and what sets you apart.

So if you haven’t put the power of a picture to use for your brand yet, start there. Think about how you can capture your story in images. Check out how other brands are wading into the Pinterest and Instagram pools. Your customers are probably already there, and can help you tell your story. That’s definitely worth more than a thousand words.

Update: Facebook has acquired Instagram for about $1 billion. Check out Peter Shankman’s take on the acquisition and what it says about the value of turning followers and fans into ambassadors.

“Because if you aren’t helping your client achieve business objectives, then you’re not really helping your client at all.”

Wow. Is there any other industry where you have to remind people that you’re supposed to be working in harmony with your client and helping them achieve their goals? Why else would someone hire you?

Actually, there are many reasons that companies hire marketing, PR and creative agencies, and often they are the wrong reasons. Here is my list of Three Reasons NOT to Hire a PR firm:

1. Do not hire a PR firm because you want to see your name in print or see your face on TV. That might seem a bit counterintuitive since many PR efforts are focused on getting publicity in one form or another. But my point is that you should know why you want the publicity in the first place. Is it to drive sales? Is it to build your reputation? Do you want to raise awareness of an issue and motivate people to action? Those are all great reasons to hire a PR firm, but they are also intricately tied to your business objectives. It’s a big media world out there, and knowing why you want visibility will drive which corner of the world you want your agency to focus on.
2. Do not hire a PR firm because they have offices in New York, London and Hong Kong. . . unless you have offices in New York, London and Hong Kong. There’s a tendency for companies to think that bigger agencies can bring more (and better) resources to the marketing table. But bigger doesn’t mean better. In fact, unless you’re a pretty big fish, bigger could mean worse. Don’t hire a big name just because you think it puts you in big name company.
3. Do not hire a PR firm because you don’t have time to do X, Y or Z. Yes, an agency can operate like an extension of your in-house marketing or communications team. But if all you really want is someone who can update your website and social media channels, you may be better off hiring a junior-level staff person that you can manage directly. Another way to say it: don’t hire an agency just for tactics. The most compelling reason to hire an agency is to gain access to creative, strategic thinking that helps you accomplish your business objectives.

This list could go on, but the bottom line is that the best client/agency relationships are business partnerships. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone – especially your PR firm.

But from a marketer’s perspective, the death of the gatekeeper has been greatly exaggerated. In fact, there are more gatekeepers now than ever before.

I dusted off one of my PR textbooks from college, which described gatekeepers this way:

“The gatekeepers examine the information that comes to their attention and use only that which they select. If it is really news, it may be used. If the gatekeeper doesn’t think it will interest his or her audience, it won’t be used.”

Did you get that? By this description, we are ALL gatekeepers. Your Facebook friends, Twitter followers and blog readers are an audience, and marketers want to reach them. That makes you a gatekeeper. If an organization or a company can provide you with something that you think will interest your audience, you just might share it.

That’s why content is so important. If the gatekeeper doesn’t think your video, contest, poll, or blog post will interest the audience, it never sees the light of day. But if your content interests one gatekeeper then it just might interest another gatekeeper, and soon the power of viral marketing carries your brand further than you ever imagined.

So the Internet may have promised to be a giant slayer, but in fact it turns out that every time a gatekeeper is removed, hundreds more crop up in his or her place. It may sound daunting, like Hercules fighting the Hydra. But for savvy marketers who understand what their audience wants, it’s a battle easily won.

No one likes volatility, but have you taken steps to eliminate it from your PR efforts? Too many businesses and organizations make the mistake of turning to PR for short-term gain, when they really need to be in it for the long haul in order to see the most benefit. For example:

• They jump in and out of social media channels, going weeks or months between Facebook posts, blog entries and tweets.
• They talk to reporters only when they’ve got a press release that they want published, but overlook ongoing opportunities to help out a reporter and build a good working relationship.
• Instead of planning for potential crises, they wait until the situation is upon them and call in the PR experts to help “fix” the situation, losing valuable time and doing unnecessary damage to their brand.

Roller coasters are fun at amusement parks, but they’re not a good model for your PR efforts.

Take Apple for example. Their ads are so good at storytelling that even the staunchest of PC fans have to admit there could be a compelling reason for someone (if not them) to become a Mac. The latest iPad ad takes that story to the next level, talking directly to parents, musicians, doctors, CEOs, teachers and children, telling them in a single word what they will find the iPad to be. Intuitive. Inspiring. Groundbreaking. Powerful. The Future. Magic. Who wouldn’t want to buy that?

Here are a few tips for crafting your own story:
- Know your audience. To borrow a term from Seth Godin, you need to find your tribe. You may actually have more than one, but it’s important to know what story will resonate with each of them. What motivates them? What do they need? What are they eager to believe and do?
- Make your story specific. What is it that makes you unique? It certainly isn’t the fact that you offer a “solution.” The world is overflowing with those already. Take the time to think about what really, truly differentiates you in the marketplace. Do your customers save time and money by using your product? Or do they improve productivity by up to 25 percent and cut costs by another 25? One is a vague sales promise, the other is a story about how you will make your clients successful.
- Boil it down. Being specific doesn’t mean burying your tribe in value propositions. Keep it simple. Think in terms of that age-old marketing tool, the elevator pitch, and you’ll be headed down the right path.
- Tell the story over and over again. Web video, blog posts, tweets, advertising, email marketing, and media relations should all convey your story. Adapt it for the medium, but maintain the central message.

Of course, the story has to match the reality and it can be difficult to deliver on grand promises. No one – even Apple – does it perfectly. But don’t let that stand in your way. Figure out what your story is and then tell it in a simple, direct, powerful way and you will see amazing things happen.

Photo by umjanedoan

Let’s have a laugh. The Oscars are no stranger to humor, but it is usually reserved for the hosts’ on-stage jokes and it rarely ever makes light of the awards ceremony itself. One look at the promo spots for this year’s show tells you that outdated approach is going by the wayside — this year’s organizers clearly know the value of having a laugh at your own expense. If co-hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco are able to bring that same fresh humor to Sunday’s show we could all be in for a good laugh.

One screen is not enough. More people are watching TV with a laptop, iPad or smartphone in hand and using it to offer their own live commentary via Facebook or Twitter. This is a perfect fit since making snarky comments about the evening’s fashion choices is usually at least half the fun. The Oscars are taking full advantage of viewers’ connectivity this year, offering a variety of online and mobile options to supplement the live broadcast.

Who’s asking the questions? The Oscars aren’t just using social media to promote the show; they’re also using it to let the audience’s voice be heard. On The Oscar Facebook page, fans can submit questions for award nominees to answer on the red carpet.

Now for the PR/marketing tie-in. (Come on, you knew there had to be one.) Are you taking yourself too seriously? Has your marketing approach gotten so stale that you’re in danger of being “played off the stage” like an unknown award recipient who dares to give a speech longer than 30 seconds? Are you using a variety of channels to meet your audience where they are and when they are most open to hearing from you? Are you letting your customers’ voice be heard?

If not, Oscar might have a few lessons in store for you.

As someone who has done a good bit of government-related PR work over the years, I found myself talking (quite loudly) to my computer screen when I read this quote from McCaskill, “The federal government should not be spending money on contracts to manage the press,” she said. “They should answer questions openly. If this happens so easily at one federal agency, it may be going on in others.”

Yes, Senator. It is going on at other agencies. And it should.

The reason McCaskill’s comments got under my skin is that they reveal a common misperception about PR. “Managing the press” is not about deception or even obfuscation. Good, ethical PR pros would never advise a client – government or otherwise – to intentionally mislead the press and the public. Not only is it wrong, it’s just not effective. One of PR’s main purposes is to build credibility, and you can’t do that by lying or being evasive.

McCaskill’s quote also revealed a lack of respect for the public relations profession that I think is all too common. Her assumption that the government shouldn’t spend money for PR services implies that there is no expertise required for public communication and that anyone should be able to “answer questions openly.”

I’m guessing she would have no problem paying millions of dollars to solve the pollution problem that led to this communications crisis. So why is she balking at spending a fraction of that amount to make sure that the public understands the intricacies of a complex situation? As a taxpayer, I think that’s a good investment.

Government officials who have received good advice from experienced professionals should be more responsive and better equipped to serve the public by providing accurate, timely information. In contrast, an official who is caught in the middle of a controversial situation without good counsel is far more likely to be defensive and reactive.

So while McCaskill claims to be protecting the public interest, from my perspective she’s doing just the opposite.