It's All About the Buyer

In chapter ten of David Scott's, The New Rules of Marketing and PR, a quote on the second page of the chapter really caught my attention.

Scott wrote, "Standard marketing education still talks about the four P's of marketing - product, place, price, and promotion - as being the most important things. That's nonsense. In order to succeed on the Web under the new rules of marketing and PR, you need to consider your organizational goals and then focus on your buyers first."

When I first read this, the first thought that popped into my head was, "Duh! Why wouldn't the focus be on buyers first?" However, I got to thinking and for many organizations, it is all about the product and customer satisfaction. Scott uses Starbucks as an example. Yes Starbucks coffee is good, and yes most of the workers are fun, upbeat and approachable, but is there more to it? There is and Scott points it out. It could be the atmosphere that people like, or the convenience of a stores location or that it is a place to go relax with a cup of coffee without the hassle of brewing some yourself. It is clear that Starbucks is appealing to what the buyers want and need, not just ranting and raving about how good their caramel latte creamice is (which is spectacular!)

Scott then goes on to talk about the buyer persona profile. As a public relations student, during any and all campaigns you take time to do this when you are focusing on target audiences. What is the target audiences demographics, typical behavior, needs and wants, and use this information to determine the most effective media outlet to use to reach them. After reading this section of Scott's book, when you are applying this evaluation portion to buyer for a market, different questions are asked. Marketing professionals ask themselves questions about the goals, aspirations, problems, what is important, what images appeal to them and what types or words and phrases do they use? Although these approaches are similar, the differences between the two was something I had not known.

Scott ended the chapter with an interesting statement that I think is applicable to all organizations, companies and individuals. Scott said, "remember, on the Web, you are what you publish." This sentence is completely true. Social media is an extraordinary tool for the marketing and public relations fields, however, if used improperly, could be the death of a company. Also, with social sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, individuals reputation could also be tainted because of improper or inappropriate use of social media outlets. This truly is a key statement to keep in mind whenever someone is posting information online.

Oh Great and Powerful Webmaster

This week I read the ninth chapter in David Scott's The New Rules of Marketing and PR. This chapter focused on web-based communication, which for me, is an unknown world. Looking back, I wish I could have fit a web design class into my schedule somewhere, because I believe learning the tools to create, design, and manage a Web site would be phenomenal. In fact, this week we started the election process for our PRSSA chapter, and one of the positions few students were quick to pursue was "Webmaster and Historian." So what does a Webmaster actually do? Thanks to Scott, I now know.

According to Scott, "at many companies, Webmasters-the kings of technology-focus all their attention on cool software plug-ins, on HTML, XML, and all sorts of other 'MLs; and on nitty-gritty stuff like server technology and Internet Service Providers." Sounds complicated. Scott makes an interesting point further in the chapter about the content of the Web site. Is the Webmaster in charge of producing all of the content too? Not always, however this is the most important part of a Web site. Scott stated, "the best Web sites focus primarily on content to pull together their carious buyers, markets, media, and products in one comprehensive place where content is not only king, but president, and Pope as well." It is clear that developing new and fresh content for a Web site is the key to whether or not the site is successful at reaching the target audience and properly disseminating the message.

Scott continued to emphasize the importance of knowing and understanding the buyers. Once the Web master has a clear concept of the needs, wants, and demands of the buyers, this information should be used to create a Web site. After reading more about what goes into creating and maintaining a Web site, one thing is clear. The people that do this well must have a passion for this. I wish I had the Web site design knowledge in my arsenal of skills as I prepare to enter the professional world. I think people who do are very fortunate.