Wow.

“How cool is that? Sustainable really means something to the younger generation. And they give new meaning to do-it-yourself,” I thought to myself. Unable to afford green, this boy made green. Boy, did that put some bounce into my stride — what a bright future we’ll have if sustainability continues to morph from “cause” to “way-of-life.”

Continuing along, my mind wandered from Ashton’s story to a study by Johnson Controls I’d recently read. According to the study, when Gen Y’ers consider potential employers, they weed out those who aren’t green. In fact, ninety-six percent of them insist on an “environmentally aware or friendly workplace” and another fifty-seven percent expect their employer to perform above and beyond standard regulatory compliance. This study was backed up by the Voice of Customer insights one of our clients shared with me — if you want the best people, you better be able to demonstrate some pretty green corporate genes.

Eureka!

I stopped in my tracks. Yes, I’ve written before about the importance of transparency and content marketing for your current and potential customers. But good content doesn’t just matter to those people looking to buy your products or use your services. When you (or I) connect the dots you see that good content is also about building the personal face of your brand by attracting a top-notch sales clerk, delivery person, technician, engineer, chef, marketing officer or CEO.

For Gen Y’ers, work is an extension of their personal life — they’re looking for a work environment and culture that fit who they are. That means before they buy your product, try your services, consider a job interview or accept your job offer — they’ll be looking at your web site, your Facebook page, your Tweets and your LinkedIn profile. They’ll take a good long look at your press page, your white papers and your case studies — and an even longer look at what others are saying about you.

So, let your mind wander once in a while. Let it connect some dots. You may be pleased to discover new audiences, new opportunities and new ways to use content.

JC Penney retained six teen girls from across the nation to create their new back to school haul videos (jcp.com/teen). The haulers were given free transportation, lodging and JCP gift cards and let loose in a store near Penney’s headquarters in Plano, Texas. And now they’re showing — and telling about — what they purchased at JCP to gear up for the new term.

Any person with a webcam can become a haul video expert. Tennessee “haulers” Elle and Blair Fowler are the teen pioneers of hauling and have attracted such a following of their peers and the moms of their peers that they’re now in high demand by marketers of everything from fashion to cosmetics.

Haul videos can focus on the results of shopping at a specific retailer or for a specific product category. Imagine the opportunity to take the haul concept beyond the teen market.  Why shouldn’t a marketer or retailer of “all things baby” recruit a team of moms to talk about the latest product trends and actually demonstrate product features? Wouldn’t a grocery chain want a team of people-who-love-to-entertain to post videos that feature their supermarket shopping haul for a specific event they’re hosting – even sharing the recipes that necessitated the trip?  How about having some of the most avid DIYers haul about their last shopping spree at the hardware, building supply or paint store?

Since marketers are taking the original authentic YouTube phenomena to a more commercial consumer-generated concept, under Federal Trade Commission guidelines, paid haulers must disclose in the video if they got free products or other compensation from retailers.  So the real question is: Will commercializing consumer-generated content, like hauls, come to have the same trust as non-commercialized YouTube content or the same mistrust as traditional advertising?

What do you think?

 If “sharing” your content consists of cutting and pasting the same piece from web, to Twitter, to Facebook, you come across as repetitive and as sorely lacking an understanding of your audience. Take, for example, your female audience. On average, they spend between six and sixty minutes doing online research, searching for coupons and browsing email newsletters before they actually hit the stores. What influences their purchases? Seventy-seven percent of women are more likely to seek a product in the store after they’ve read a review of that product on a community forum or message board and 67 percent of them are more likely to actually purchase that product after reading about it online.

What’s driving that? Community web sites, forums and message boards that include online coupons, blogs and customer product reviews — such as iVillage and SheSpeaks — are influential digital channels. Women are looking to their peers for the low down on products.

 What that means is you can’t be the only voice with something to say — you need to inspire others to talk about you. And you need to do so using social media and your website. That’s content marketing coming full circle — engaging consumers in conversations that drive more conversations. Conversations that inform the consumer, that inspire the consumer to share their opinions and insights, and that ultimately influence purchase behavior.

 Does that mean women aren’t using your site or Facebook page? Certainly not. Fifty-one percent of women “like” grocery, health/beauty and household products brands on Facebook — and they go there to share opinions and experiences or connect with other customers. Think about that the next time you post to your status feed — what information are those who “like” you looking for and how do you generate conversations on your Facebook page that create a social setting that’s conducive to consumer feedback?

 And your web page? That’s a different experience — and thus requires different content and a different voice. Because your website is less “social,” the majority of women visit it to gain more information about the brand, seek coupons and promotional offers. They’re not looking to voice their opinions on your site, simply to get the information or deal they seek. If you do it right, they’ll then give a shout-out to that experience, your brand and your product on Facebook and other community sites.

With the likes of Puma giving the old shoebox the boot in favor of greener packaging and companies like Panera opening non-profit pilot stores (even if it is in an upscale neighborhood), you have to wonder. What decade is the company living in? Perhaps I’m comparing apples to oranges — a logo versus public relations initiatives. Yet a logo says a lot about a brand and can color your impressions of the company — including their public relations efforts.

As a child, when I’d comment on how “lame” a TV commercial was (back in the days before you could bypass ads thanks to Tivo), my dad would say, “Ha — but they got you to notice them. So the ad worked.” I disagree — especially in the case of the paint-covered earth. Being noticed isn’t always a good thing, especially when your reaction is, “Can you believe this?!” 

My thought is this. Change can be a very good thing. A brand (and logo) refresh is worth considering. It doesn’t have to take years to implement — and in fact it shouldn’t. And rebranding is something you can and should take ownership of. Eyesore or inspiration? Your choice.

 Social scientist and viral marketing guru Don Zarella (donzarella.com) conducted a study of Facebook data over a long period of time and identified some key features of posts with “share power.”  I found five of the findings especially interesting. 

 Add Numbers to Your Title.  That one was easy to apply to this article — even though using a numeric in this instance wouldn’t typically make it past a proofreader.  It seems that Zarella found that in Facebook, titles with the digits 1 to 9 outperform text only titles. Not very creative, but more effective, I guess. 

Write to a Second Grade Reading Level.  When he matched the level of sharing among posts with reading grade levels, Zarella’s results revealed that the higher the share rates, the lower the reading level.   Facebook posts written at second grade reading level generated about 32 percent more shares than average.  The first paragraph of this article, when tested using the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test scores about a 5^th grade reading level — which, if it were a Facebook post would have resulted in about 15% more shares than average.  Guess I need to shorten my sentences and use more words with one syllable. 

Post on the Weekend.  Facebook users are most likely to share posts on Saturdays and Sundays.  While Zarella found that the volume of URLs introduced into Facebook are highest on weekdays — especially on Wednesdays and Fridays — stories published on the weekends tended to be shared on Facebook 15 to 40 percent more often. Then again, this could be due to the fact that more than half of U.S. businesses block the use of Facebook and other social networks in the workplace.

Verbs Speak Louder than Adverbs.  The use of action words trigger the most sharing, followed by important nouns.  In fact verbs trigger about 2 percent more shares than average and adverbs trigger almost 3 percent less than average.  Trigger is an action word, isn’t it?

 Sex Sells. Okay, this is not so surprising.  But from a linguistic content standpoint, posts with the word “sex” are at the very top of the list for posts with share power.  What’s surprising is that “sex” is the least often introduced word introduced into social media feeds.  I used it twice here in an attempt to reverse that trend.

 What I love about the Shoe Dog is what I love about Facebook — its “go fetch” nature. I use Facebook for business and pleasure — and I have it open all day long. Why? It’s an incredible business asset for me — a constant crowdsourcing resource that helps me keep tabs on industries important to my clients. Because I “like” top industry publications on Facebook, they “fetch” for me — kindly sharing the latest industry news via their status page, which appears on my status feed. I can then share that information with my clients and they can in turn share it with their clients on their own Facebook business page.

 Perhaps you haven’t found a Facebook page that keeps you up-to-date on industry news. Can you say “opportunity”? Here’s your chance to be that resource — go fetch! Remember, Facebook updates shouldn’t just be about your business — they should offer information that is of interest to your clients. Set up a few Google alerts that keep you abreast of the latest industry research, then post that information and links on your Facebook page. Soon, you’re the resource everyone “likes” and whose posts they rely on.

 Further, if you allow your employees to have Facebook open during working hours, you open yourself to internal and external crowdsourcing. Sure, your employees may take a few minutes to catch up on what their friends are doing, but if they subscribe to other relevant business pages, you’ll be surprises with what they come up with. Even non-relevant business pages (those outside your industry) can give employees some great ideas. Think of it as research: which business pages do a good job of getting your employees’ attention and why? Take a look at those Facebook pages — particularly their status page — and see if you can replicate that experience. 

I’m also an example of your ideal Facebook customer. While some people are uncomfortable with the targeted ads that show up on their personal Facebook pages, in general I’m not. Those ads have fetched a variety of opportunities for me — be it a trip to a Wisconsin town I’ve never been too or a digital coupon.

Take for example my planned trip to Bayfield, Wisconsin. Bayfield’s Facebook ad lured me in with “40,000 new daffodils in bloom”. Based on my profile data, likes and dislikes they knew those daffodils would be a powerful pull for me. They’ve got my number and it worked to their benefit — and mine. Not only did I click on the ad, but I “liked” Bayfield’s Facebook page, visited their website and then shared the information on my own Facebook page. I’ve also planned a weekend trip — that means more tourist dollars in their coffers for lodging, meals, entertainment and perennials. And because I’ve “liked” their page, I get updates on other upcoming events — which means another trip or two in the near future. Do I feel manipulated? No, I feel lucky. Like the Shoe Dog — who found a better shoe for me — this ad found a town that was a better, newer “fit” for me — instead of my annual trip south to Chicago, I’m heading north to Bayfield.

Every one of us is a consumer. So think like one and get Facebooking. Whether you’re doing the fetching or letting another Facebooker fetch for you — it’s a win-win situation.

OK, so you don’t have a million fans, but what this study illustrates is that as long as you are leveraging your Facebook fans by posting information that’s relevant to them, and engaging them with updates on new products, services and promotions — there is, indeed, value to having fans. Question is — are  you leveraging your Facebook page and its fans? The key is staying ahead and in front of your fans. If you only post once a month — you’re invisible. The other side of that coin is that if you’re constantly posting to Facebook and/or posting information that comes across as a hard sell or is simply irrelevant, then your fans are going to stop being your fans.

Plenty of people these days will leave their Facebook page open on their browser throughout the work day, or at night when they’re surfing the web. Facebook has become a resource to them. In response, some companies have realized that their fans want a bit “more” from the Facebook page — so they’re giving fans the ability to shop. It’s ingenious. The 1-800-Flowers Facebook page allows fans to shop without leaving Facebook courtesy of a “shoplet” application. All a fan has to do is click on the shop tab and they can browse different products. Mouse over that product and you can easily order the product and choose the delivery date — all while remaining on the Facebook page. Better yet, 1-800-Flowers has added a wish list feature that allows fans to add products to a wish list that is shared on their news feed — and they did this just in time for Mother’s Day. Smart, proactive and considerate.

Other businesses have followed suit, such as shoe retailer Nine West. They, too, allow fans to begin shopping from the fan page, but they send fans to the Nine West e-commerce site.

Either way, these are good examples of businesses understanding consumer use of Facebook is evolving. Yes, a person’s status feed may still be cluttered with the lunchtime ramblings of a best friend, but increasingly those status feeds serve as information resources — legitimate news feeds about the products, events, research and news that matter most to each individual. Sales app or not, your Facebook page needs to always do “more” — so stay engaged, try new things, and ask your fans what they expect and want from your Facebook page.

It seems I get my haircut by someone different each time, but that’s OK because it’s the only time I get to wear a cape.  I mean, who wears a cape other than the two Jacks – Palance and the Ripper – and they’re both dead.  Other than that, the haircut process seems rather benign and always begins with, “How’s your day going?”  I usually want to answer, “It sucks”, but I need to be mindful that there’s a person towering over me with a freshly sharpened scissors in one hand and a razor in the other.  I can answer the next three questions in the blink of an eye.

“At an ad agency.”

“Yes I am, to a wonderful woman.”

“Hah, four in college.”  And so it goes.

So how does this relate to content marketing, arguably the most significant marketing breakthrough of the century?  Amazingly it does and that’s what’s so amazing about it.

The first step in any content marketing strategy is to segment, understand and know the type of information your audience wants and needs.   At the haircut factory, it’s all men, they like their sports, they’re probably borderline — or full line —cheapskates, and they’re too busy to make an appointment or they have so much time on their hands, they don’t need an appointment.  Mission accomplished.

Next, you need to generate or repurpose some content and distribute it to your audience. No shortage here.  There are 14 TV sets, plenty of conversation – had the razor not been inches from my ear, I’d swear the conversation next to me was about the best fast food, but it could have been someone from the west being lassoed.  And there are guy magazines, not that kind, but Car & Driver, Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine.

And just like good content marketing, there’s a little product selling, but not so much selling as informing.  They always ask me, “Would you like some product today?”  I should say, “What would I do with it, put in on my legs?”  As content marketing dictates, solve the unmet need.  They should say, “Tom, I’ve got some product that will volumize your hair, it’s been tested on humans, not animals, and it’s organic, sustainable, and half the profits go to Haiti relief.”  Sold.  Know thy audience.

In content marketing, you need some type of delivery platform for distributing your relevant information.  In this case it should be a blog.  Let’s go with Splitting Hairs (for the readers consumed with detail), or Side Burns (for the angry young man), or Split Ends (for the sports enthusiast), and then there’s always Hair of the Blog (for the morning-after crowd).

The point is this, if the local barber shop has the capacity to be a content marketer, chances are your business does, too.  So, it’s time to take a little off the top – the top line of your marketing budget that is – and apply it to content marketing.

Looking back, I may have argued my points of view a bit too passionately for an eight year old. Maybe I haven’t changed all that much since, but I have learned to be kind to my critics. But let’s face it, when someone finds fault with what you say or attacks how you do something, it’s pretty hard to take. Especially when you think you’re doing everything right. Right out of left field. Bam.

And that’s why, as marketers, we have this love-hate relationship with social media. Mostly love, because social media does help us create true, two-way communication with our customers and between our customers. It’s this great dialogue that helps form personal relationships with customers, inviting them to become part of our brands and our businesses. But because social media conversation is so authentic, we can’t control what the other person is going to say. That’s what we really fear.

So, what if a personal relationship with our brands becomes really personal? We need to be prepared to deal with the issue. Mashable (www.mashable.com), the widely read online social media guide, offers some great advice. They suggest that the first step to effectively dealing with negative feedback is determining what type of feedback you’ve received because each type requires a different type of response. They bucket feedback into one of four simple categories:

Straight Problems. A customer is telling us exactly what went wrong with our product or service. If the issue is a real issue, we need to fix it and all our customers should be notified that those steps are being taken. If the feedback is the result of a perceived problem rather than an actual problem—a customer disagrees with the way we do things —they still deserve a response as straightforward as “Thanks for bringing it to our attention, but here’s why we do it that way.”

Constructive Criticism. This is always good, especially when a suggestion is included. It’s good to have customers suggest ways in which we can improve our products or services. And they deserve a response, even if we don’t follow their suggestions.  We gain trust and loyalty by responding to criticism with a positive message, thanking customers for their input.

Merited Attack. We did something wrong, and someone is angry. Mashable says that we should keep in mind that this type of feedback has a basis in a real problem. It’s best to respond promptly and with a positive feeling — like thanking the commenter for the feedback and assure him that steps are being taken to correct the issue or to mitigate their problem (for example, a refund or replacement).

 Trolling/Spam. These people have no valid reason for being angry at us. They use negative comments about our products or services (whether true or not) to promote a competing service. Mashable says it’s almost always best not to respond. These comments are designed to bait us into unnecessary and image-damaging fights. Ignore the comments and when appropriate, remove them as soon as we spot them.

 So, categorize the negative responses, respond in the right way to those that deserve response, and don’t let yourself be drawn into a fight. That’s a good plan for taking the fear out of social media and one that reflects positively on our businesses—and our brand report cards. Thanks, Miss Borgschatz.

Put it this way. Consumers no longer simply shop. If they’re purchasing, for example, a new toy — be it a stereo, tv, skateboard or car — they’re taking the time to see which product is the best, who offers the best price and service, who the best resource is and who makes it easiest to get that toy. The same can be said for businesses — before they pick up the phone (or jot an email) to ask for your help, your product, your service — they’re taking a good look at who you are and what you know. Then they start looking at what you have to offer.

And one place you want them to look is your pressroom. Now I’ve spent plenty of time telling you to “go beyond” the typical press release — and that’s good advice. You want to stock up your pressroom with case studies, white papers, and expert-in-the field articles (with live links to those articles). The variety of offerings not only illustrates what you know, but if you do a good job of filling the content with keywords, then they’ll do more than inform your potential customers — they’ll help bring those customers to your site.

But there’s also a place for “traditional” press releases — those that tout new product offerings, internal promotions and hires, new clients and partnerships, awards and recognition. Your prospects will use these releases to see if you’re stagnant or making progress (if you’re not offering new products or services or solutions, they’ll certainly wonder why not). Media will also want a look at these to get a good feel for who you are, what you’ve accomplished and in which direction you’re headed.

So let’s say you have a good variety of content in your pressroom. Now ask yourself — how easy is the content to find? Are certain white papers and case studies germane to one particular audience? Or two of your five audiences? Then think about navigation paths within your pressroom that are based on those audiences. Don’t make people search through all of your case studies to find one that appeals to them — they’ll just find another site that makes it easier.

And be sure to optimize all your pressroom content with keywords and internal links. If you do that, then your pressroom becomes a magnet that draws in credible leads. What should those keywords be? Well, certainly not just product names — and never marketing speak. Think in terms of your customer. What search terms would they use to find you? And use Google analytics to see what search terms they are using to find you. Then incorporate those words into your pressroom content. Bingo — they’ll find you.