WEBSITE REVAMP: Spring Cleaning for the Marketing Mind

I have been helping a friend and former colleague rework his website, updating the copy and migrating him over to WordPress. I had helped write the copy and manage the design and production of his original website years ago, working with a talented designer I know. But this time, given my experience building websites and reasonable proficiency with WordPress, I was able to handle the redesign on my own.

While working on this project, I realized that it had been awhile since I revisited the copy and design of my own marketing communications website. And that led me to a slight redesign, featuring drop-down menus, along with a wholesale reworking of the content for that site. In fact, I added a staggering 30 pages of new content, both informational and educational in nature, to better showcase my experience and expertise.

One of the interesting side effects of this has been the opportunity to revisit my past experiences in the profession, all three decades of them. It has also caused me to rethink many of the aspects of the business, some of which I have not delved into for several years. This has brought renewed clarity to my professional thoughts and approach, as well as rejuvenated my passion for the business and hunger for new challenges. Stay tuned!

HUMOR IS OFTEN THE BEST CONTENT: Content is King, but never underestimate the power of the Joker

Once upon a time, my friend and I had a digital ad agency as a client. Although quite competent, the company wasn’t doing anything particularly worthy of publicity, so we decided that the most effective way to generate earned media coverage was to devise a newsworthy research study that would showcase their strengths. It’s an old-school tactic we used to call “research for ink.”

Because the company was heavily involved in designing email content for its clients, we created a survey to determine which factors were most likely to cause recipients to forward an email. This was long before social media, folks, and the only way that things went viral back then was when people forwarded email content to their friends and colleagues.

As it turned out, the study found that humor was, by far, the most likely attribute to cause a recipient to share content. And this lesson about the power and value of humor has stuck with me ever since, even though I once had a boss tell me that I needed to be less funny (I was tempted to ask her if there was some sort of professional development course she could send me to, in order to be less funny, but then I realized that was kind of funny as well).

The reason I shared that little story about the power and value of humor will become apparent shortly. But first, another tale. This one is about the time I crashed a LinkedIn discussion. It was one of those ridiculously self-serving LinkedIn discussions that people in my profession tend to have, repeating the same, often obvious points as if they were sharing some truly ground-breaking insight.

This particular discussion was about social media, and specifically whether or not there were any brands that couldn’t benefit from social media engagement. Naturally, in a profession that provides brands with social media content for a fee, everyone made the case that every brand could and should benefit from social media engagement. And, of course, they were all quick to note how uniquely qualified they were to help brands achieve effective social media engagement.

Annoyed by this endless stream of experts who were offering up self-serving examples to counter imaginary dissenters, I decided to have a little fun. I pointed out that it was unlikely that stool softeners would receive many likes and shares on social media, as the product carried such a stigma that most people would not be willing to publicly connect themselves with it. And, in hindsight, perhaps I was also trying to make a point about how our profession is so engulfed in trying to sell our advice that we often don’t spend enough time thinking about the quality of that advice.

Anyway, as the mention of stool softeners often does, that seemed to suck the life out of the online discussion. A few people sheepishly conceded that I may indeed have found an exception. Of course, there are countless other examples of things that carry such a stigma, like hemorrhoid medications and Adam Sandler movies, but you get the picture. Some things, it seems, are better left unposted.

But I recently came across a video (below) for a company selling a DIY bidet. As you can see, they have opted to focus on the “back road” as their target application. And like a sudden gush of cold water on my tender undercarriage, I had a eureka moment, realizing that perhaps I was a little too hasty in dismissing stool softeners from the social media party.

I have since learned that Tushy, which is the name of the company that makes this apparently easy-to-install butt rinser, has made quite a splash with its marketing. In addition to excreting one of the funniest promotional videos I have ever seen, it also squeezed out this blog post, which explores the history of derriere dusting. Personally, I have always wondered about such things, much to the displeasure of my history teachers over the years. And now I’ll have an amusing anecdote to share the next time I am eating corn on the cob!

Considering the blog post and the company’s other efforts, this video appears to be part of a carefully crafted digital marketing strategy. Sure, it’s bathroom humor, but we’re talking about a bathroom appliance. It works.

And eventually all this crap got me rethinking my suggestion that some brands are not well-suited for social media engagement. What if a stool softener manufacturer was willing to embrace the humor of its product – taking off the hard edge, if you will? Then there might be some value in generating content and sharing it through the various channels. Perhaps a little animated video about Nick & The Bleedies, a band of aging musicians going through a rough patch on the road to play at some dump in Hershey, PA?

Again, it might be a bit much for some. But, as I noted in a recent post about working with designers, you need to consider the target audience. And remember that content may be king, but the joker is often the key to going viral.

HOW TO DEAL WITH DESIGNERS: Insight Into Managing the Design Function

I am not a designer. I have no training in design. Nor do I have the various software packages that enable modern designers to do the things they do. However, like every other schmuck on the planet, I think I’m a designer, or at least think I have talent to be one.

The logo for Magnet Communications.

Designers are a different breed, though. And as a communications professional and content creator who has worked with a wide variety of designers over the years, I have developed a good understanding of how to work with and get the best from them. I have managed the design and production of everything from corporate logos and identity to online ads and websites. And given the importance of creating content in today’s marketing landscape, working effectively with designers has taken on an even greater significance.

The Work Upfront
Typically, I am both the writer and the liaison between the client and designer in these relationships. I work with the client, internal or external, to develop a creative brief, which is a document that details the scope, direction, and needs of a specific project. For example, when a client asks for a brochure, or I recommend that the client develop a brochure, I am responsible for articulating the purpose of that brochure, what exactly it is intended to accomplish. In other words, what success will look like.

I am also responsible for identifying the target audience, specifically who we hope will read the brochure, along with what action we hope they will take as a result of doing that. To that end, it is essential for the client and me to have a thorough understanding of that target audience, from the basic demographic information to emotional and cultural traits that should be taken into consideration. In fact, it is just as important as understanding the client’s identity and goals, because the designer must consider not only how to represent those on the client’s behalf but also how to do so in a way that resonates with the target audience. And, as we progress with the development of the design, we must view and critique it through the eyes of that target audience.

In addition, I need to know how the brochure will be produced and distributed, which are factors the designer will have to take into consideration as well. And all of this must be done upfront, so that we don’t end up working our way towards a concept that doesn’t achieve our goals.

The Twitter feed for Total Footblog.

That is why the creative brief is so important, because not only does it convey all this critical information to the designer, but it also – by virtue of putting it down in writing – forces the client to articulate their vision of what the design should achieve, what the project needs to accomplish. In effect, it gives us something to work towards, and to measure our success by.

I am also responsible for working with the client and designer to develop a schedule and budget for the project. Though, all too often, that budget and schedule are already set by the client’s needs, so it’s more a question of how the designer and I can best achieve the goal within those fixed limitations. And the latter is an important point to communicate to designers, especially those fresh out of school, where deadlines and other parameters tend to be far more reasonable than those typically encountered in the real world. Because, in the real world, you don’t create the best design, the best brochure; instead, you have to create the best that can be achieved within that budget and time frame.

Engaging the Designer
I like to bring designers into the project as early as possible. For many, it’s helpful for them to gain a firsthand understanding of the client’s business, needs, and limitations. It also gives them a greater sense of involvement and belonging. And it allows them to ask questions, which can often lead to discussions that prove beneficial to all involved.

Unfortunately, most clients don’t know how to communicate with designers. They use words like clean, busy, and elegant. Such terms tend to be relative, though, depending on one’s individual perspective and experience. I have also received direction with words like traditional, creative, flair, and dynamic – again, all of which may have slightly different meanings to everyone in the room.

That is why, even though I am a writer, I find that it is helpful to include examples along with the words I use when I am giving creative direction to designers. For example, if I think a particular color or color scheme will work well, I will include examples of that specific shade rather than simply describing it as light green. Similarly, if I see a typeface or layout that I think resonates with what the client is looking for, I will include that too – whether it’s something I saw in a magazine or a screenshot (or, better yet, a URL) of something I saw online.

For one project, in which we were working to redesign a specific piece of collateral, I included examples of items that had the look and feel of what I was trying to achieve. And I went on to explain specifically what I liked about those items, the attributes that I thought would be useful to the design I was seeking, along with how I responded to those attributes. Because, in working with designers, I have begun to understand the way they think. They don’t randomly pick colors and shapes, slapping a line here or there because they think it looks nice. Every element they include is done intentionally, with purpose, trying to evoke a specific response from those who view it. So developing an understanding of how and why they design things is invaluable, just as it is important to encourage designers to understand the client’s needs and goals, the target audience, how it will be distributed and used, so they can factor all of that into their design.

Source: The Logo Company

The Process
Once you have presented the creative brief, agreed on a budget and schedule, and answered any questions that may arise, it’s important to step back and give the designer the time and space to do their thing. Every designer is different, but I have yet to meet one who likes to work with people standing over their shoulder. That’s not to say you shouldn’t check in periodically, to make sure everything is on track, and to answer any questions or concerns they may have. But try not to hover. And if you really want to advance the cause, I have found it helpful to bring them sugar, caffeine, or whatever treats help fuel their creative process. A happy designer is a productive designer!

When it comes time for providing feedback, the words you choose are just as important as when you were conveying the direction in the creative brief. For example, if you ask the designer to make it greener, which sounds easy enough to do, consider that there is no way for them to know where exactly greener falls on the scale of greenness. I have also had clients that say things like it lacks the wow factor, which could leave one wondering if they’re talking about the wow factor of a unicorn on a unicycle or the wow factor of the first time you powered up an iPhone. There are many reasons to be wowed, from novelty to functionality, so you really need to be more specific. And perhaps my favorite feedback was it’s too horsey, which was used to describe a catalog cover we proposed. And I assure you, there were no large, solid-hoofed, herbivorous quadrupeds involved in that design.

The point is that you should try your best to articulate specifically what you do not like about the design. Otherwise, the designer and I are forced to try and guess, and that doesn’t help anyone. If it involves the colors, try and find a shade of green that you think will look better. Either identify it on the RGB or CMYK scale, or bring us something that has the particular shade you are looking for. If it’s the layout that concerns you, where items are arranged in the design, then specify that. Or if it’s the typeface, the font or size of the text, then address that. And if you are struggling to identify something specific, then give some thought to why you feel the design doesn’t meet your expectations, and then articulate that. If you can’t define the problem, we can’t fix it. Also, it’s equally important to identify specifically what you do like about the design, so that these attributes don’t get abandoned in subsequent revisions.

Be sure to listen to your designers, as well. They can offer valuable insight. For example, if I were the CEO of McDonald’s, I would have fired the designers who suggested the horrendous color schemes you find in their restaurants. However, those colors were chosen for a reason, with research suggesting that they combine to encourage people to eat more food. So before you rush to judgement, ask the designer about the colors, typeface, layout, and artwork they have recommended. It may be specific to something mentioned in the creative brief, something they learned about the target audience, or even something as simple as basic readability.

Knowing When It’s Right
In the realm of design, so much is subjective. As such, it might be impossible for everyone to completely agree on which design works best in a given situation. The key, as I noted earlier, is to view the design through the eyes of your target audience. It may not necessarily resonate with me or my client, but it has to work in the eyes of the intended audience.

Ideally, I like to incorporate a focus group if time and budget allow, so that we can get genuine feedback from the target audience during the design process – perhaps even in selecting the final design chosen. But more often than not, I have to simply approach a customer – or even a friend or colleague in the target demographic – and ask for their input. While this is far from a scientific approach, it might at least help identify any flaws or weaknesses in the design that we may have overlooked.

At the end of the day, it’s the client’s decision. That is why the creative brief is so important, in that it can serve as a checklist for what the client hoped the design would accomplish. And that checklist can help them decide which concept to go with. Ultimately there is no right or wrong choice, but rather which one you feel best fulfills the objectives laid out in the creative brief.

Tips & Tricks
Clients might be interested to know that, while we will usually present a few options to consider, we typically have a favorite that we like better than the others. That is to say the designer will have a favorite and I may have a favorite. But don’t ask us for our personal preferences unless you are really struggling to decide for yourself and need a tiebreaker. Because the designer’s favorite and my favorite may not be the same one, which could make your final decision all the more difficult.

Along those lines, have you ever wondered if we are presenting two weak concepts in hopes of forcing you to choose the third option, the one we really like? Yes, that happens. But I have also seen it backfire, with the client opting for the filler, not the thriller, so I avoid playing those sorts of games.

The membership brochure for Asphalt Green.

Speaking of games, do we ever lie to you about schedules? Yes. Yes, we do. And you’re welcome for that. Because it’s actually prudent to build in a buffer in the schedule for any unexpected problems that arise, because they always do. And when dealing with clients who have a reputation for failing to clearly articulate what they want, failing to abide by what they said they wanted, or failing to adhere to schedules, it’s essential to factor that into the schedule as well. This is especially true when you are operating in-house, and know the track-record of those involved in the decision-making process. Which reminds me: be sure to agree on who is part of that decision-making process up front, so you can get their input and buy-in on the creative brief before the process begins.

Also, when we say that we need your approval on Wednesday, please don’t try to guess what we really mean – what buffer we have factored into the schedule. We may, in fact, not need your approval until Monday, when we are actually scheduled to go live or to print, but a lot can go wrong between Wednesday and Monday. It’s our job to expect the unexpected, so please don’t make it that much more difficult for us by second-guessing our schedule. As content creators, we tend to have a far greater respect for deadlines than most clients do. Not only do we live by them, but when they are missed, we are the ones held responsible.

Finally, I have occasionally been asked if I have ever “re-presented” an earlier version of something that the client had already rejected before. Yes, I have. But only once, with a client who I didn’t think was abiding by the creative direction they gave us. I forget the actual numbers, but we were already well into double digits in terms of the number of reworked concepts we had presented, which is ridiculous given the simplicity of the project and the fact that we had already fulfilled the objectives laid out in the creative brief. Clearly there were some office politics involved, and the delay – despite hurting business – was being done to send a message. So, rather than play politics and risk further harm to the business, I decided to go back in with one of the initial versions that the client had rejected early on, one which I felt best fulfilled what was laid out in that creative brief. Not only was it approved this time around, the exact same one that had been summarily rejected weeks before, but the client told me that I finally got what they were looking for. Yeah, I got it all right.

THE BUSINESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA: Everyone Should Keep A Content Calendar

Social media might seem easy to the casual user. You just post some cellphone snaps of your cat and then interact with other people who have also posted pictures of their pets, right?

That might work if you are maintaining a personal profile and your online behavior has little impact on your profession. But for most people, especially those of us who do this sort of thing for a living, it’s necessary to put some planning into what you post. And if you do have the responsibility of posting professionally, whether for your company or your clients, then you definitely need to create a content calendar as part of an overall digital communications plan.

Now I am not going to dive into a full-on digital marketing strategy in this piece. But having one is essential, and should be a part of any integrated communications plan. After all, just because a tactic is easy to execute doesn’t mean you shouldn’t first develop a plan with objectives and a strategy to ensure that it is meaningful and measurable. But, as I said, that’s a topic for another day. Instead, I am going to focus on a single but critical component of that digital marketing plan: the content calendar.

Old School
In this age of digital immediacy, the notion of such a calendar might seem antiquated to some. And, indeed, the calendars you used to hang on the wall, with different photos of kittens dressed up in seasonal settings for each month of the year, are as wonderfully obsolete as the Yellow Pages. But I’m talking about content calendars, which some refer to as marketing calendars – or, to be more specific, content marketing calendars.

Keep in mind, I am old enough to remember when a game changer was called a paradigm shift, and disrupting a market was simply (and often more accurately) referred to as redefining it, so I know these calendars by their original name: editorial calendars. That was back when they were most likely used as part of a newsbureau, another relatively dated term used to describe an on-going media relations campaign. Yes, we’re going old school here!

Once upon a time, public relations professionals would put together an editorial calendar for their client. These were based on the editorial calendars created by publications to attract advertisers. For example, AARP knows that pharmaceutical companies will pay dearly to get their products in front of older Americans, who have plenty of ailments in need of pharmaceuticals, so AARP Magazine has designated its April/May issue to be all about health. The idea is that the editorial coverage will focus on health issues, so advertisers who have cures will want to purchase ad space in that issue as well.

From a public relations perspective, rather than planning an insertion order for an issue of interest, you would work with the media outlet’s editorial staff on a byline or some other story that reflects your client’s interest – to generate earned media coverage, which is more commonly known as publicity. For example, let’s say I have a client that manufactures thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs). I would be sure to pursue earned media coverage in the September/October issue of the European Rubber Journal because it has a special section dedicated to TPEs. And then I’d cry myself to sleep thinking that a ghostwritten byline in the European Rubber Journal might end up being the pinnacle of my career (jokes aside, I actually love TPEs and have represented the industry leader, but – again – that’s a story for another day).

By assembling all the relevant editorial calendars available for a given client, you could create an effective media relations plan – or newsbureau – consisting of scheduled announcements and targets of opportunity throughout the year. And while the traditional advertising business (along with the traditional media business it once supported) has largely tanked in the digital age, reviewing editorial calendars still has validity in the modern marketing mix. They can help you shape (along with industry events like trade shows) a rough guideline for planned events and announcements. Of course, given the immediacy of online publishing and social media, you also need to remain flexible and plan to seize opportunities as they arise.

New School
Being a bit of a geek (OK, I wrote my first computer program back in the late 70s, so I am a total geek), I have often been an early adopter of new tools and technologies, including social media. In fact, I joined Facebook back in 2007, among the first 2 percent of today’s nearly 2 billion users.

Not long after, I helped guide the nonprofit I was working for into the digital age, creating Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube profiles for the organization – along with a digital marketing plan to put them to use as part of my overall integrated marketing program. It was far from easy, though, as I was dealing with a mindset that still wanted to buy display ads in the Yellow Pages…in 2009!

A year later, having decided to leave that Cult of the Yellow Pages (aka the Digital Deniers) after consistently delivering unprecedent results for the organization (that sound you hear is the sound of my own horn being blown), I began what can be categorized as a two-and-a-half-year digital content marketing exercise. I used Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube as the primary means of building an audience for an online soccer magazine I had created. Not only was it an astonishingly successful exercise, but it also gave me a hands-on, day-to-day opportunity to explore and understand the power and possibilities of social media and content marketing, just as these tools were starting to evolve into the marketing mainstays they’ve become today.

Personally, I remain active on a number of social media channels, including LinkedIn, Ello, Instagram, and Tumblr. I also maintain profiles on Flickr, Medium, and YouTube, but they have all suffered from recent neglect. And I rarely post on my personal Facebook or Twitter accounts anymore. In fact, I eventually shut down my Twitter account because it had become inextricably linked to that aforementioned soccer magazine, which I had shut down in order to focus full-time on my freelance consultancy again. And Facebook has become more of a professional tool instead of a means of staying connected with family and friends.

To that end, I continue to post professionally on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube for certain clients. For example, I am currently managing a real estate team’s Facebook page. And, interestingly (at least to us marketing geeks), my focus for them is on “shared media,” while they handle “owned media” posts internally.

Owned & Shared Media
Shared? Owned? Huh? I know, marketing is fond of redefining things to keep outsiders confused…and therefore in need of our expertise. Owned media is simply content that you or your client create. While this used to be limited to things like vanity publishing or a special event, the digital revolution has opened up the possibilities to include things like blog posts, infographics, photos, think pieces, and videos.

To illustrate this point, let’s imagine I have a client that manufactures high-end televisions. This would give us all sorts of owned media ideas and opportunities we could pursue. For example, just off the top of my head, we could create an infographic highlighting the importance of some exclusive technological advantage that its televisions have, a think piece about how key television moments can actually bring people together, and an annual video highlighting – in super-cool hyper speed – all the memorable television moments from the past year. That’s owned media – content we’ve created specifically for our client.

Shared media is an even bigger bucket, referring to things that others have created which we can use or repurpose to benefit our client. This, of course, includes all the traditional earned media – publicity – we used to hold so dear, whether that be an article that appeared in print or video footage that aired on television. But it really refers to anything that others have created that we can leverage to help paint a favorable picture of our client and its products.

For example, sticking with the television manufacturer scenario, any news – whether from a conventional, accredited media source to things like blogs, vlogs, and podcasts – that talks about the importance of or need for quality televisions can be useful for our client, reinforcing the demand for and value of its products. And if we came across something like an infographic that showcased an uptick in the number of babies born after a major sporting event was broadcast live on television, that’s also something we might want to share via social media and other channels. In fact, we would want to share any positive mention of moments and milestones when having a quality television really matters, including broadcasts of major events as well as season premieres of hit shows like Archer (and now many of you are wondering if this entire article was just a ruse to plug this glorious show). In a nutshell, when people think of watching television, we want them to think of our client.

Keeping A Calendar
This can all be done systematically by creating an annual content calendar that functions as a “living” guide for your communications channels. You should try to map out all of your key events and announcements throughout the year, for your owned media. And then consider thought leadership content – bylines, workshops, speeches, etc. – to fill in the quieter times. Add to that shared media opportunities – again, to use the example of a television manufacturer, known dates for things like televised sporting events, major program premieres, industry trade shows, and other relevant external events – and remain flexible and alert for opportunities that may arise along the way.

I am fortunate because my aforementioned real estate client happens to be a former art director, so she understands and appreciates the need for a content calendar. In fact, she even created a shared online calendar we use to coordinate our social media effort, mapped out daily for the remainder of year. I can see what owned media they have planned, they can see what shared media I have mined from across the internet, and – if need be – we can adjust accordingly. Together, we maintain this content calendar, ensuring that we have a steady stream of relevant posts for their business.

Of course, in an ideal world, this content calendar would be part of a digital marketing plan, which in turn would be part of an overall marketing plan. So, not only would we be sharing these posts on Facebook, but also on other appropriate social media channels as well as through other marketing channels such as the website, blog, email newsletters, etc. And we would add to that any earned media we would generate, along with any paid media (such as ads or sponsored content) they might produce.

But in the freelance world, you often have to make do with what you can. And as much as I would like to be generating earned media coverage, blog posts, infographics, photos, think pieces, videos, and web content for this client, their resources are limited – and, therefore, so is the impact I can have.

Speaking of having an impact, hopefully this think piece has provided you with sufficient information to appreciate the merits of a content calendar – along with enough of an understanding to put one together for yourself, or your clients. And if you agree that a content marketing calendar is an easy, affordable, and essential basis for any professional social media effort, not to mention part of a more comprehensive digital marketing strategy and overall integrated marketing plan, then feel free to share a link to this story on your own social media channels. For me, it’s owned media, but for you it can be shared media!

DIY WEBSITE BUILDERS: Going Online with SquareSpace

I’m a WordPress guy. That’s the CMS I used to build my marketing communications, copywriting, and (now defunct) soccer sites. Though, as I noted in an earlier post, I did try GoDaddy (where I do my hosting) when creating a new portal site.

But when a client was looking for a simple, affordable website to showcase their new rental property in Brooklyn, I decided to use one of the DIY web development platforms. In addition to the cost factor, I was also thinking of a solution that they – or someone they designate – could maintain long after I’m out of the picture (as opposed to many developers who count on a steady stream of revenue from site maintenance and updates).

Having already experimented with GoDaddy, I decided to consider the two most popular options currently available: Wix and SquareSpace. After doing some research and exploring each interface and the templates they offer, I opted for SquareSpace as it seemed better suited for my client’s needs at the time.

The upside of these platforms is that they try their best to make building a website practically brainless. In fact, one could argue that they try too hard. But if you have no vision of what you want the site to look like or how you want it to flow and function, then these could be ideal options for you. You just need to pick a template that you like, replace their images with your own, and drop in some text.

The downside is that I have a vision. I always have a vision. And these platforms make it very difficult to achieve that vision given the constraints of their templates.

For example, my client originally wanted the navigation centered across the top of the page. But when they decided late in the development process that they would rather have it along the left side of the page, there were very few SquareSpace templates offering that option. And in selecting one, we had to sacrifice some features from the original template that were not available in this new one.

I was also frustrated by the extremely wobbly drag and drop function. And the inability to copy and paste blocks of content on a given page – let alone from one page to another.

Also, at least in the templates I tried, the options for formatting text were extremely limited. My client wanted to underline a headline, which wasn’t allowed. And I could not change the color of one word without changing the color of all the text throughout the site. It all felt very rigid, and very limited.

Near the end of the process, when my client decided they wanted a custom email address, I discovered that SquareSpace outsources this to Google. And between those two “service” providers, neither were willing to provide any service on this front. Had this been part of the original plan, I might have opted for GoDaddy instead, as they are really good at helping with such things.

In the end, though, I think it worked out reasonably well. And the client is happy, with two of the apartments going into contract on the first day. You can see their site here.

So if you are looking for a way to create a basic website without the expense of hiring talent or acquiring skills and software, then these DIY website builders are definitely worth considering. You won’t be able to build the home of your dreams, but at least you will have somewhere to live online until you can afford to.

MARKET RESEARCH: Internet Usage Trends of Interest to Marketers

I have always been a proponent of research, data, and analysis. And I had the good fortune of working closely with some of the best researchers in the business over the years, so I may be more willing – and perhaps even better equipped – to use these tools than many of my colleagues.

But what I think is missing most from today’s data-driven marketing world is the ability – and willingness – to ask the right questions. That goes for the questions asked of the subjects as part of the research as well as the questions asked of the data as part of the analysis. And that ability to determine the right questions really comes from experience.

That said, the reason I’m thinking about research is because there has been a flurry of reports in the media about the latest trends in internet usage, as cited in the annual study done by Mary Meeker of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Adweek had seven trends, whereas VentureBeat had seven takeaways. And Ad Age topped them both, with 12 key takeaways and a call to panic. That’s 71-percent more takeaways, folks, and did I mention that they said you should be worried? Fear! FEAR!!! It seems to be selling better than sex these days. Sad.

As a marketing communications professional immersed in the digital world, I was keen to read these reports, to see which way the digital winds are blowing. And one thing that stood out for me wasn’t the growth of digital media, which is hardly surprising, but rather the average amount of time an adult spent consuming digital media in 2016: 5.6 hours per day. That seems like an awful lot of screen time. But when you consider the shift toward consuming traditional media – films, television, music, etc. – over the internet, it seems quite plausible. And it would certainly explain why, on a recent visit to the Guggenheim Museum, I noticed several people sitting on the benches in the Thannhauser Gallery with their faces buried in their phones instead of taking in some of the finest artwork in the museum’s collection.

Another interesting albeit unsurprising finding was that online ad blocking continues to grow. Personally, I use the Ghostery browser extension, opting out of almost everything, and can’t imagine how anyone lives online without it. Now I’m hoping someone will create a solution to suppress these advertorials, the sponsored stories from questionable sources that have undoubtedly polluted the public mindset to the point where a feeble-minded man-child ended up in the Oval Office.

The study also noted that, as measurement continues to improve, the ROI on social media ads remains a large, if rarely acknowledged, concern. Which reminds me that I just had a client ask me about advertising on Instagram. It would seem like a hip and happening place to be for most businesses. But once I showed them some of Instagram’s demographics (80 percent of users are outside the US, and 90 percent are under the age of 35), they opted to invest elsewhere, as that’s far from their target audience.

And while the study found that online ad spending finally topped traditional channels in the US last year (how long have we all been predicting that!), the amount of time we are spending on mobile devices – the highest growth segment – is increasing faster than ad spending. As a marketer with deep roots in public relations, I take some comfort in that. With usage increasing faster than ad spending, along with the rise in ad blockers and increasing concern over ROI, it’s likely that earned media and other forms of unpaid communications still have their place, and plenty of it, in the evolving digital landscape.

So what’s my takeaway? Content is still king! King, I say!!! Which is good news for those of us who try to make a living from it.

If you want to see Meeker’s entire 355-page presentation, you can find it here. And if you do decide to browse through it, you’ll likely boost our average of 5.6 hours per day for the next annual survey. But, please, just don’t do it while you are sitting in a museum…the stuff on the walls is infinitely more interesting.

LESSONS FROM THE FIELD: Incentivizing Teamwork Over Individual Performance

In June 2014, when our plane touched down in Natal, our base for the Group Stage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, I immediately powered up my phone and received a notification from my then fledgling local soccer club, NYC FC. The new franchise had just signed its second player, Jeb Brovsky, after famously landing the Spanish superstar David Villa earlier that year.

At the time, we had no idea who Jeb Brovsky was. But we started chanting his name in the back of the plane, much to the dismay of our fellow travelers. And though the defender only played a single season for the club, with 16 appearances, he will long be remembered for his iconic handlebar mustache.

Even when he was playing for Notre Dame, Brovsky has always been equally active off the pitch. He founded a nonprofit aimed at ending violence against women as well as empowering children through soccer. And he also serves as an ambassador for the Homeless World Cup. So I wasn’t totally surprised to discover that he had recently written an article for Howler, the beloved American soccer quarterly.

The article, entitled “Me to We Mindset,” illustrates the importance of incentivizing teamwork over individual performance in team sports. And, as Brovsky should know, most professional sports – Major League Soccer included – tend to reward individual performance ahead of team performance. And that sort of stars-first mentality could explain the woes of many teams, including my Italian side, Inter Milan.

Although Brovsky’s intention was surely to address the issue in MLS and other soccer leagues, I couldn’t help but think about how the same lessons also apply in the business world. When I was working for agencies in the Havas network, we actually specified that a certain percentage of an individual’s performance would be tied to the overall success of the agency, as a way to incentivize teams to work with other departments, offices, and divisions within the organization. Otherwise, instead of tapping the expertise of others in the agency, which would be most beneficial to our clients, account teams were far more likely to only offer services and solutions they could directly provide from within their own team – reflecting the old adage, a hammer tends to treat everything as if it were a nail.

I also enjoyed his commentary on fame and self-promotion in society as a whole. Once the realm of superstar athletes and business wunderkind, social media has given everyone a platform to easily seek, as Brovsky describes, “admiration and esteem through perpetual self-promotion.” As a result, expressing yourself, and standing out from the crowd, has now become more about the volume of your voice than what you actually have to say. That, of course, can be seen throughout our society, from behavior on the field of play to the Oval Office, as we have come to revere what Brovsky calls “egomaniacal immortality.”

Brovsky’s article is a short, fun read. And whether you are a soccer fan, sports fan, or simply a manager looking for ways to improve your business, I am confident you will find it worth your while.

NEW POST ON MEDIUM: Understanding Soccer’s Hand Ball Rule

I am in the process of removing the rest of the content from my now defunct online soccer magazine, Total Footblog, along with my off-shoot World Cup travel blog, Total Futeblog. I had intended to leave it up there for posterity, but the sites have become a pain to maintain, especially since they still receive a surprising amount of traffic. The one article that continued to receive the most traffic was the piece I did explaining soccer’s often misunderstood hand ball rule, so I dusted that off and shared it on Medium – for posterity. If you’re a fan of the game, you will enjoy this article: Understanding the Hand Ball Rule.

WEB PORTAL UPDATE: May Flowers on Dobens.com

In celebration of May’s flowers, I updated the background on my web portal: Dobens.com. It’s a photo of a wildflower I took on Rapa Nui (that’s Easter Island to you, Jacob Roggeveen) years ago, and I thought it was worth sharing.

For those curious, I had to shift around the positioning of the text, and replicate the social media buttons for the mobile version, but I think it still looks sharp. I created the page using GoDaddy’s web development platform, just to experiment with it. And I typically rotate the page’s background image every season, because I’m all about the details.

May your May be as beautiful!