Koroberi Blog

As the New Year rolls around, everyone inevitably compiles the usual list of resolutions: lose weight, eat better, Tweet more often, watch TV less, etc. Here at Koroberi, we’ve compiled a short list of resolutions that we feel will bring more value to our clients in 2010. Below are my media and marketing resolutions for the New Year.

1. Don’t let clients engage in social media without them knowing why.

Too often, B2B companies see social media as simply creating a Facebook page, adding a Twitter account or uploading videos to YouTube. It’s our job to help them see the big picture. Identifying key objectives, understanding customer behavior and devising a detailed strategy are paramount to any successful marketing initiative, so why shouldn’t that apply to a social media campaign?

2. Create measurable metrics for all social media activities.

Once upon a time, social media was seen as the “immeasurable medium” that offered no identifiable metrics, therefore making it impossible to calculate ROI. Those days are history. With tightened budgets and uneasy executives making marketing decisions, creating quantifiable metrics and demonstrating ROI can make the difference between a successful social media campaign and one that never gets off the ground.

3. Move beyond email marketing.

I won’t go as far as saying that email is dead, but there is an oversaturation of email marketing in the B2B space. What was once an affordable, fairly simple form of advertising has deteriorated into a spam-ridden vehicle utilized by many and read by few. So what’s next? SMS advertising? Social search marketing? Online video sponsorship? How about a return to direct mail now that the receipt of a letter has become a rarity?

David Armano is the VP of Experience Design with Critical Mass in Chicago. He describes his blog, Logic+Emotion, as existing at the intersection of business + experience design—where passive consumers become active participants. His posts are also shared with the audience of Advertising Age, both in print and online. This week’s post examines the difference between starting a personal blog and embarking on a large corporate marketing campaign. He was able to take an unconventional approach to his blog that would not have been appropriate in many marketing organizations.

As an individual, my blog is one of the most effective manifestations of “marketing” I could have produced for myself. I have a respectable audience that comes back as opposed to visiting it once, never to return again. People participate through comments and the content is distributable. But imagine if I started it the same way many large organizations launch conventional marketing initiatives. What would that have looked like?

Continue reading David Armano’s post on Advertising Age

His message is clear. Sometimes marketers get so handcuffed by planning, focus groups, ROI and process that they never leave the gate, and the project never gets off the ground. He wisely states that sometimes the development of the project itself and the skills learned along the way are the ROI.

And his title is very appropriate. In these unconventional times, marketers need to look at projects in new and unconventional ways.