This is a soul searching post. I need to make some changes around here. Can you, please, help me by answering the questions below?
Do you know how some doctors tell you to be healthy but smoke and do not exercise?! I keep telling my students and the managers I advise that the key to marketing success is to understand the unique value they deliver and that sets them apart from their competitors. Once that is clear, they need to act in a way that reinforces that positioning.
That is what I say. But, like the doctor above, that is not what I do.
I fear that this blog is all over the place. It gives me great pleasure to write it. But it is anything but focused.
In the beginning…
I created this blog because I kept bumping into great examples of marketing issues in everyday life that I wanted to share with my students but wasn’t able to because
1) I had run out of time in the class, or
2) I could not remember the details (e.g., the name of the company, or the link to that great video, or the paper where that issue is explained so well).
The blog would cover a fairly broad range of issues – from socialisation of consumption to scarcity to pricing – but in a rather superficial way. That’s why I called the blog ‘Ramblings’ and added the tagline ‘marketing in everyday life’.
Over time…
Over time, however, I couldn’t resist writing about other things. For instance, I wanted to write about my research, like in this post. First, because it interests me (obviously). Second, because I wanted to make it accessible beyond my niche. Those posts are still about marketing… but they are bit more technical than the original ones.
I also started sharing my reflections about teaching (like this one) and writing (here is an example). I do teach marketing. And I do write about marketing. But those posts are a long, long way from the original goal of the blog.
I need to make some changes around here.
Can you help me? Please?
I would really, really appreciate if you could let me know:
– How you found this blog / website?
– What you like about it?
– What could be better?
I really am looking forward to hearing from you.
Ana Canhoto 
Funny, this might very well be the first post I’m reading on your blog. I’ve found it through your twitter feed. I think because of the QualityHunters project, I got connected to you there.So… it’s hard for me to tell what I like about your blog, and what could be better. I like this post…But, reading to your post, I think I might have some ideas. It seems that your original goal (creating a place where you can share things you find that could be of interest to others), might be better served with a bit of a different place. I use posterous for that. Tumblr could also work. Then, you can make your blog more about your own views. Obviously you could connect the two in some way. Or make a clear separation. What I see is that you clearly have two (or more) messages to send. The “I found this and it could be interesting for you” message and the “this is what I think” message.Hope this helps…
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Thank you, Arjan. That’s very helpful.Do you use Posterous in addition to WP, then? (I see that your blog runs on WP). I like the idea of bridging 2 platforms.
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Hi Ana,I think the title of your blog and your posts are quite adequate.Personally I like your ramblings and the sharing is always insightful.I could recommend some more “how to” articles, especially from your own experience as it’ll be a great learning opportunity for the readers.I am also learning to better use these tools, so I look forward to the insights you gather from these questions. One thing I’m understanding is that it may make sense to utilize social media differently in each channel. For example: LinkedIn – more professional news sharing and some comments. FB – more familiar, friendly comments – Tweeter – rapid messages with link to content. Blog – opinion writing and insights.Not easy to keep track and synch but… trying :)Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you Paulo – you gave me some food for thought with your suggestion regarding ‘how to’ articles.Yes, SM is definitely a case of horses for courses. I like the way this framework depicts it (though the examples may be a bit outdated): http://itdepends4.blogspot.com/2011/04/understanding-social-media-ecology.html
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Hi Ana,I’m using posterous a bit separate from my blog. My blog is really all my own ‘creations’, my posterous (http://arjantupan.posterous.com) is a bit a mix. Quick shares, and sharing of things I find on the internet. Mainly videos.I didn’t really link them together. I guess that all happens in FB and Twitter feeds 🙂
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Hi Ana,I found your blog through LinkedIn. I haven’t read all posts, as I don’t always see the ‘reminder’. Although I agree with the ‘horses for courses’ argument, I also think that trying too hard to structure and organise your media use could well lead to very little (useful) output being produced. There must be a difference here between ‘business’ and ‘personal’ media use here. If, with every idea, you first have to consider ‘who’s the audience, what’s the message, what’s the best platform’ – chances are you’ll write less, which would be a shame, as I really enjoy your Ramblings. You write well and all your posts are interesting. The strong linking factor is you. Maybe, once you’ve written a post, you could consider where to ‘advertise’ it – always on Linkedn and Twitter, but additionally in lectures for posts that are relevant to students etc.
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It seems you are using Posterous more as a curating platform, Arjan. I am playing around with Pinterest for that… I’ll let you know how it goes.Thanks, again, for the tips.
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Thank you very much, Diana – that’s so kind.It’s great to read that it’d be a shame if I wrote less, as I sometimes wonder if there is anyone out there (when there are no comments).A side note: if you subscribe to the RSS feed (top of the page), you will get the posts delivered to your e-mail. This way, you can be sure you won’t miss them 🙂
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I found this blog through your tweeter feed, which says something about tweeting a blog entry.I initially read the blog because I was curious about it. I returned to the blog because of your point of view. I prefer blogs where the author provides insight, argument, or information that either counters or supplements a particular topic.I am not sure what if anything I would recommend to improve the site. Indeed, I question the premise of the argument. Why does the site need improvement? What objectives are not being met?I would begin the assessment there. Additionally, I would ask, what do I want to get out of blogging? Who am I writing for?I use those answers to position and reposition my blog. I incorporate my research into my courses where appropriate and where possible. The blog becomes a natural extension to discuss my research. I do refrain from writing about my teaching because I do not discuss my teaching with my students. The audience for my blog and tweets are my students. If other people enjoy it, then that’s gravy.I am not interested in a broader audience than my students.
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Thanks for the comments, Michael.I suppose that my doubts come from the fact that my motivation to blog changed over time, as a result of new job, normal career progression, etc… It’s the positioning / repositioning issue you mentioned.Following your and others’ comments, plus a look at other blogs, I now have some really good ideas of how to take the blog forward – now, I just need to time to implement them *sigh*On a side note, I followed your recommendations regarding the use of Twitter in teaching – mixed reactions, I must say. I shall blog about it, some time.
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I like it when people come together and share opinions. Great site, continue the good work!
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