The overall concept of Value Stream Marketing is that you must continuously add value and create value in your marketing for your customer. For most of us, it is no longer an issue of cute and clever it is an issue of content and circulation. It goes hand and hand with the transition from Outbound to Inbound Marketing.

Outbound marketing is the old traditional style of lead generation; Advertising, Referral and Public Relations. These items are still very prominent in marketing but should be viewed from a totally different perspective. An overview of the way PR is looked at today can be found in David Meerman Scott’s book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use Social Media, Blogs, News Releases, Online Video, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly and even that book is getting somewhat dated. However, yesterday someone asked me, “Isn’t the purpose of PR about getting published?” I was somewhat shocked by that question as I have not looked at PR from that standpoint for a couple of years. I look at PR as a soft selling tool of telling my customers news about my organization. It should also provide SEO, distributed widely through other online publications and Social Media. But most of all it should have a call to action! And yes, if a publication chooses to use two lines buried with 10 other news release, maybe put a small picture of it and four months from now publish it, and I would say Thank You! It still is a powerful message it just has been severally diluted as THE MESSAGE. It is exactly the same scenario that has happened with other forms of old media. Print publications are struggling; people are getting their information quicker many times from people closer to source (more authentic) and in the method that they want to receive it. The one saving grace of traditional media it still is a method that some people still want to receive.

This brings me back to the cute and clever versus content and circulation. In cute and clever, you only had these expensive one-time opportunities to make a significant impact. You needed to have
IMPACT and lasting power. However, the shelf life and the distribution of cute and clever has deteriorated to a point that it is only one of many, but still important. So how do you handle one in many? The answer to that question is content and circulation. You must create content based on what your customer base values. Then you must circulate it to a vast audience, hopefully somewhat targeted so that it will be read.

A good rule of thumb is that the more expensive the circulation method the more targeted it needs to be. If you think about that statement, it goes directly against traditional methods of advertising. It was all about numbers and yes, cute and clever.

Now, here is the secret to the next stage. If what you posted stinks, lick your wounds and stop using it. If it has some legs and needs improvement, you adjust and test it again. If the content is well received you amplify it by posting to a wider variety of sources. After it is amplified, you re-purpose the material; turn it into an article, subject matter for a LinkedIn discussion, etc.  and send it back through the cycle. You can even add or combine it into additional material or expand on the original thought.

How do I do something like this? If you appear on my podcast and use 45 to 60 minutes of your time the following benefits are received:

Example from the Lean in a Professional Podcast

1. The Podcast posted on the Business901 podcast site
2. Captured in the Business901 ITunes Store
3. Becomes part of the Business901 Blog and as a result circulated too many sites including Business Week
4. Widely distributed News release that includes: PDF’s, Pictures, and Videos.
5. Transcribed and formatted into an EBook that goes through a similar cycle.
6. EBook is broken down into several interviews that I will post when I need blog material (Yes, I do run out of ideas occasionally)
7. After being Widely Distributed, it ferments and lasts forever in the online world!

This is an example of Content and Circulation that happens on a simple podcast and I have not included the podcast recipient course of action that they may do. When you think about what your last radio spot, advertisement, or PR release in the Newspaper did for you, would you rather appear on my podcast? If you would like to and receive the above benefits sign up for my newsletter and in the comment section mention Podcast. If you are already receiving my newsletter just drop me a note. I am limited on Podcast recipients so it is by invitation only.

P.S. If you would like to reduce your spending on being Cute and Clever and learn how to become driven by Content and Circulation subscribe to my blog!

Photo was derived from a Lean Analytics for startup presentation.