Wiki Marketing

Experts tout it. Many have tried it. Yet users have scorned it for polluting and "spamming" the online communities. It seems everyone is talking about it, but nobody has a clear definition of how it is done and done successfully. What is IT you ask? Well, depending on who you ask, it's Web 2.0, online PR, wiki marketing, community marketing, and some just call it divisive. But is it? Let's explore...

If you explore the guidelines that the oligarchy at large has set in place for Wikipedia and other Wiki Media resources, you will quickly find that to "Wiki Market" is a big no-no. For any who have tried it, you may have received the dreaded proposal for deletion, or simply had your edits reverted. Outside of Wikipedia, there are numerous discussion forums and chats where the same opportunity is presented, yet if they are monitored closely at all, hyped postings quickly find their way to the trash bin.

So what is it that these online communities DO want? They want knowledge. They want plain, unbiased, verifiable knowledge. Citing a brochure or adding links to a forum is not only subject to censorship, but also can have an adverse affect by fostering resentment and skepticism towards your company. So if the user's have ruled that their user-generated sites will not tolerate anything but pure knowledge sharing, how can that benefit you?

Well, in many ways actually. First, there's no sin in attributing the authorship of a whitepaper or other objective resource to your staff, so long as it is indeed objective. Second, the realization that a company is in fact providing free, pure, unbiased support to the community does not go unnoticed. And I'm not just talking about the ambiguously immeasurable "Good Will" that we are often sold in PR. WikiMarketing can lead to measurable metrics, not the least of which is website traffic.

Move beyond the lead-generation mindset. Could a robust wiki presence speed the adoption of new technologies that you introduce? Could it actually reduce the load on your already over-extended tech support mechanisms? Could it even lead to a reduced skepticism of your company, rendering your traditional marketing even more effective?

Exploit the community and it may cost you. Serve the community and it will pay off. "...whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant..." (Matt. 20:27 KJV)

I'll take the free one...

So, you're telling me that I can pay $10,000 for a page in your magazine, or I have the option to get a free page and have your editors write it for me. I'll take the free one... In fact, why would anyone pay for space. Why don't they all take the freebies?

The truth is, the majority of companies do opt for the freebies... and come up empty handed. The number of press releases that a news outlet can receive on a daily basis ranges from the low hundreds to the thousands. Some of these are investor relations nuggets that major corporations need to release. Some are stories pitched by PR firms whose clients are also buying media space. The majority, however, are companies who don't want to pay for the media space.

If you have followed this path in the past and found disappointing success, then listen up. The media needs to make money, too. If you want to fight through the clutter, you have several options.

First, pay a PR pro that has relationships with the media - not someone who can write a good press release and put that release into the stack with the other thousand. However, do not call a PR firm and explain that due to your limited budget, you need PR. PR costs money, too.

Second, give them news! If you saw an article on your competitor and thought it was a good idea, you're right. It was a good idea... once. You will not succeed in a "me too" press release. Think of something new, or something that plays into the overall focus of the publication's editorial content, such as politics in November.

Third, go alternative. Alternative PR is hitting the blogs, discussion groups, wikipedia, etc. I have generated about 15% of my site traffic through the posts that I create in other discussion forums, as well as the entries where we are mentioned in Wikipedia. It's harder. It takes longer. But guess what, thats what it takes when you don't have a media budget.

The Break-Down of Design

I scream from my soap box, "Marketing is more than pretty pictures and catchy lines." Yet here I am, blogging about design. It's true, I work with my clients to differentiate, convey value, and establish recognition through much more than design. But I must admit, nothing makes my skin crawl more than a tri-fold brochure off your inkjet printer, complete with the finest in Microsoft ClipArt and breaking world records for words-per-page. So, allow me to rob myself of business by giving you free advice to improve your marketing:

1) Go Full Bleed. When you print on a desktop, you have an inevitable white margin around the page serving as a tell-tale sign that your collateral is home brewed. Professional printing allows what is known as Full-Bleed, which means the designs go all the way to the edge. Design to the edge, print professionally, and you won't believe the difference it makes in aesthetics.

2) Cut the text in half. If you think you can fit that copy on the page, cut it in half. Seriously. No more than half of a page should contain text, and that's pushing it.

3) Leave "White" Space. Now, don't get confused, if your background color is red, then "red" space is white space. The principal remains the same: the absence of content is a design element in and of itself. Use it to make your pages more pleasing to the eye.

If you do these three things, the next ad, brochure, or any other collateral that you layout will look much better. For more design tips, call a professional (like Kristin, our lead designer at Carter & Co.)