A couple of decades ago, workers were encouraged to compartmentalize their lives. “Don’t bring your work home,” admonished spouses of workaholics. Meanwhile at the office, supervisors would counsel employees, “Keep your personal life separate from your work.”

Today, things are different. We live and work in a 2.0 world where our personal and professional lives are inevitably blurred. It’s now impossible to tell where one ends and the other begins.

I’m okay with not having a clear line of demarcation between who I am as a person and what I do to earn a living. There are key advantages to not having to role play and to compartmentalize the various dimensions of my life. I’m at ease living in a 2.0 era that demands transparency because I can always be my authentic self. I can live and work comfortably “in my own skin” without trying to pretend to be something I’m not.

The social media revolution invites us to live with greater integrity—with transparency, authenticity and openess.

On a personal level, I will continue to be authentic and purposeful as I connect with others using the various social media platforms at my disposal.

With a commitment to successful marketing, I invite you to join me in believing  that:

1. Marketing will flounder when not in pursuit of a measurable goal.
2. If a product, service or even a person cannot be differentiated, it cannot be marketed.
3. Marketing will fail unless strategy drives tactics, not vice versa.
4. Marketing must be based upon the concept of exchanges. Without a quid-pro-quo exchange, we will never have a solid marketing program.
5. Value can be defined only by the customer, not by the company producing the product or service. (Nonprofit organizations especially have trouble with this.)
6. The social media revolution is the best thing to happen to marketing in a long, long time, even though the tools for achieving marketing success have forever changed.
7. Old-school marketers who try to control the message will become increasingly frustrated, disoriented and ultimately obsolete.
8. You are still functioning in a 1.0 world—even if you’re using 2.0 tools—when you are not creating community and engaging people in conversations.
9. If we aim our message at no one in particular, we shouldn’t be surprised if no one in particular responds.
10. Communications comes at the end of the marketing process, not at the beginning.

Conversations require interaction where people talk and listen. Maybe I’m missing something, but I observe a lot more talking than listening. It seems everyone has something to say and everyone is clamoring to be heard. To me, it looks like the talkers far outnumber the listeners.

Was I mistaken to assume that things would be different with the arrival of the social media revolution? Am I naive in thinking that people would connect with each other because 1) they were genuinely interested in what others had to say and 2) they actually had something of value to share?

As we interact, as we share information, we connect with each other. Social media give us the tools to connect and converse. Sometimes during our conversations we’ll encounter negative or inaccurate information. Does that mean we should immediately end the conversation? Should we refuse to talk because the conversation may be a little awkward or uncomfortable? Absolutely not!

Using social media, we can correct inaccurate information real time. We can connect with those who may have had a negative experience with our company’s service or product. We can deliberately choose to join conversations to gain understanding (listening) and to offer understanding (talking).

Wrong information conveyed through social media can be self-correcting. For example, I’ve actually watched as people on Twitter debunked a wild, salacious rumor of a celebrity’s death—all in less than 10 minutes. That’s powerful! The power came as people were not only willing to listen, but also to join the conversation.

Not everyone understands the new world we live in. Whether you like it or not, there really aren’t many places to hide. In our new 2.0 world we’ll never win by ignoring negative comments or by hiding in the shadows. No longer can we keep people from saying less-than-flattering things about us, especially if they’re true. (In reality, we never could.) Previously, though, we often didn’t know what people were saying behind our back. Today, we have an advantage because social media empower us to join conversations—real time.

Conversations are going to happen, with or without you. The real winners are those who recognize that the social media revolution has ushered in a new era of transparency, accountability and authenticity.

Recently the CEO of a major nonprofit expressed anxiety about a blog post that shined a flashlight in the direction of his organization. Some major decisions made by that organization affected a lot of people, yet the nonprofit was reluctant to be transparent in how those decisions were made. And why.

Rather than joining the conversation, the CEO hoped to exert political muscle and silence any communications that might reflect negatively on his organization. That might have worked 10 years ago. Today, such a tactic is naive and will ultimately backfire.

Any nonprofit must be open and transparent in all of its operations. Donors will appreciate having interactive conversations about how their contributions are being invested. Anything short of an authentic conversation will give an appearance of arrogance or perhaps even leave the impression that the organization is out of touch with reality.

A friend recently gave me the book Marketing in the Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff. The book is quick read, yet full of practical wisdom, tips for success and real-life examples. I hope you buy the book, but to whet your appetite I’ll share here the three steps to marketing success as outlined by the authors:

1. Listening. It goes without saying that any good conversationalist is first a good listener. Listening deeply produces insights that cannot be gained by market research or other traditional forms of gathering information.
2. Talking. In the past, marketers have used traditional media to shout at mass audiences. Today, we marketers are most effective when we don’t try to control the conversations, but rather join them and realize that we are having an ongoing dialogue with a real, live human being.
3. Engaging. People feel engaged when they feel ownership of something, when they know that they play a vital role in influencing the outcome of something. Volunteers and donors give of their time and money when they’ve been heard and when they feel like someone is talking with them in their language.

It’s all about conversations. Let’s talk.

But what does “2.0” mean? How are things different now than they were before? What has changed?

For starters, let’s agree that the social media revolution has created an entirely new landscape—a 2.0 world. The changes are so profound that those who do not understand it will soon find themselves on the sidelines, confused and perhaps even angry that the world has passed them by.

The social media revolution is really not that confusing. The more we understand and embrace the changes, the more powerful social media will become. Here is my brief comparison of the differences I see between a 1.0 and a 2.0 world:

Let’s look at the nuances between the two.

1. Audience vs. Community. What’s the difference between an audience and a community? The direction the chairs are facing. A community is much more connected and interactive than is an audience.
2. Broadcast vs. Conversation. A broadcast pushes information outward from a centralized communications hub. Conversations, on the other hand, rely on user-generated content. The best conversations are those that are decentralized. They tap into the collective wisdom of all the participants.
3. Traditional vs. Social Media. Traditionally, information was broadcast from a central hub to an attentive audience. In a 1.0 world, the major media were newspapers, radio and television. Today, in the new 2.0 world, communities have decentralized conversations among themselves. They share user-generated content on Facebook, in blogs, through Twitter, on YouTube and via an endless variety of social media.

My favorite illustration contrasting the 1.0 and 2.0 worlds is this:

Fireworks come from a centralized source. A fireworks show is designed to dazzle an adoring audience. The role of the audience is to watch and be impressed.

A campfire, on the other hand, represents a warm, inviting place where people gather to tell stories, sing songs, swap jokes, share family photos and talk about various topics of mutual interest. The content of campfire conversations is user-generated.

Fortunately, there is a place for both fireworks and campfires. They don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Traditional and social media will coexist and actually complement each other.

Those who prosper and succeed in the 2.0 world will be those who understand that it’s all about having conversations within communities. With that in mind, I’d love to have you join me here around the campfire as we have a cup of hot coffee and reminisce about “the good old days” when we once lived in the less-colorful 1.0 world.

Welcome to our new 2.0 reality.

A critical mass of people has joined the revolution. Their enthusiasm has prompted them to talk about their “social media strategy.”

There is nothing strategic, though, about either movable type or social media. Both are tools—means to an end. They are inventions that help people communicate quicker and better.

At first, I loved the phrase “social media strategy” because my mantra has always been strategy before tactics.

I’ve often criticized people who act before they think. I have little patience for people who try to communicate without first asking themselves some very basic questions.

Non-strategic communicators don’t really communicate. They just make noise. They write news releases without knowing why. They produce brochures without having a target audience in mind. They bore us with PowerPoint presentations because they have not given thought to what they want us to do with the heap of meaningless, irrelevant information they’ve just dumped on us.

Just because we’ve moved into a 2.0 world doesn’t mean things have changed much. The proliferation of noise continues. People tweet without having a clue who they’re talking to. Too many bloggers ramble on without thinking things through.  Nonprofits create Facebook fan pages with no real understanding of why. We live in a world where too many tactics are not tied to a strategy, so the clutter and confusion accumulates.

Here’s a bold statement:  You will never make an impact without first having a strategy. I’m also convinced you will never be an effective communicator until you’ve first engaged in some serious thinking and done some thoughtful planning.

So how does one become strategic? How does one become an effective strategic communicator? I can answer that in three words:

Ask good questions!

To the simple minded, that may appear too simplistic. To the strategic and innovate people who regularly read this blog, you already know what I’m talking about. You instinctively get it. You’re already asking good questions.

Here are some basic questions, though, that will guide any communicator who wants to begin with strategy and before moving to tactics:

1. Why are we doing this? What are we hoping to achieve? What’s our purpose?
2. Who are we trying to communicate with? Who is our primary audience? Secondary audiences?
3. What do we want our primary audience to do with the information we share? Do we have a clearly-defined call to action?
4. What is our core message? Can we say it in one sentence? In 140 characters?
5. What are the most effective vehicles for communication with the target audience? What media are most appropriate? How can we integrate the traditional and social media?

Those questions should be asked in that sequence if you intend to put strategy before tactics. If, for example, you begin with questions #5, then you’re too tactical. You’re doing before you’re thinking.

In a 2.0 world, people often believe they are being strategic just because they are using the latest technology or because they own the coolest gadget. That’s nerdy, not strategic.

Don’t get me wrong. I love technology. I often have gadget envy. And I’m a huge proponent of social media.

I hope we learn to use social media for all its worth, both on a personal and a professional level. But let’s not forget that it’s just technology. It works best if you first have a strategic mindset.

You become strategic by first thinking and then doing. The best way to be thoughtful and purposeful in using social media (or even movable type) is to first ask good questions.

That’s it:  Ask good questions!

What questions are you using to challenge yourself and others?

My marketing team here at the American Red Cross accomplishes its work in these three steps:

1. We seek understanding. We listen. We ask lots of questions. We read what others are saying. We set up RSS feeds, do Google searches and filter incoming information through tools such as TweetDeck. We study the landscape and we keep asking lots of questions.
2. We create content. We have a story to tell. In fact, we have lots of stories to share. We write content for our Web site. We take pictures and upload them to our Facebook fan page. We produce award-winning print publications. When appropriate, we send out news releases, e-mails and tweets.
3. We engage in conversations. In this 2.0 world of social media, we can no longer be content to just push out communications. We must participate in conversations going on around us. Sometimes we even initiate conversations on our Facebook page or through other media. We will join ongoing conversations by commenting on blog posts or someone’s Facebook status update. We look for ways to keep conversations alive by using such tactics as retweeting, linking to other blogs and other interactive methods.

While our mission remains constant, social media have given us new tools for doing our work. They’ve changed the way we achieve the results we seek.

What I love about my job is that it directly parallels my personal mission, which is to 1) understand, 2) create and 3) share.

Some people complain that the line between our personal and professional lives is becoming blurred. I smile, content in knowing that my personal and professional worlds are parallel and synced. It’s hard to know where one ends and the other begins. Life and work are good when there’s a holistic synergy between the two.

Sometimes I think it would be fun to remake the classic movie A Wonderful Life so we could see what the world would look like had we never come into existence. What would the company look like if marketing never appeared on the organization chart? What would be lost if my marketing group “went out of business?”

When I assumed my marketing responsibilities at the American Red Cross three years ago, I quickly worked with my team to develop a mission statement. It helped us in several ways. First, it anchored us, giving our work a deeper sense of purpose and reminding us of the important role we play. The mission statement guides us as we choose from among competing priorities, especially when we are trying to allocate our limited resources. It also illuminates our day-to-day activities and helps in making wise decisions.

I am not, however, one who gets caught up in writing flowery, eloquent mission statements. Too often those are written to impress others rather than to guide marketing in making good decisions. I want my work to be grounded on a mission statement that is relevant, memorable and brief. It should be something I can recall as I’m talking about a project with a co-worker. Or meeting with my boss when we’re reviewing my expense budget. Or as I’m away from the office representing my organization in the community. It should be backdrop against which I do everything.

So why does the American Red Cross of Greater Kansas City need marketing? The quick answer is — To help the organization achieve its mission. Marketing exists to:

1. Build interactive relationships with key audiences. The word interactive may seem unnecessary. After all, aren’t all relationships interactive? It’s there to remind us that we live in a 2.0 world. No longer can we be content to just push out information through the traditional media. We also must use the new media—the social media—to connect, to converse and to engage.
2. Increase community support. Some purists might say this is a process, a means to an end. It’s in our mission, though, to remind us to go beyond making people feel warm and fuzzy about the Red Cross. We need to look for ways to involve people. Our communications must include calls to action, either direct or implied.
3. Generate revenue, both philanthropic and earned income. Accountants define marketing and communications as overhead. To them, we’re an expense, a drain on organizational resources. Not for a moment will I allow myself to think like that. My marketing group generates revenue. We may not directly raise funds, but we very much contribute to the success of those who “reap the harvest” which we have helped to plant. The organization’s bottom is stronger because of our marketing work. We bring in more than we consume.

As organizations focus on survival in this tough economy, every program, every department and every position deserves to be carefully scrutinized. As companies become leaner, I am committed to being muscle, not fat. I therefore keep repeating my mantra:  I’m here to build relationships, to increase support, and to generate revenue.

1. Too many people are clamoring for the same few jobs.
2. Only a small minority of those people are doing a good job of marketing themselves.

Having been in a job search myself, I feel great empathy for job seekers. From my personal experience, I’ve learned more about career transitions than I ever cared to know. Therefore, I’m often asked to network with job seekers to help them brainstorm strategies for a job search.

I’m always willing to share what I’ve learned if it can help someone else along the path. Most of my advice, though, can be summarized in the following 10 items:

1. Think of yourself as a “product” to be marketed in a noisy, competitive marketplace.
2. Have a personal marketing plan.
3. Differentiate yourself. I can’t stress this enough. Be memorable. Be unique.
4. Be findable. Create a large digital footprint by using sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Google Profiles.
5. Know who you are. Develop an effective “elevator speech” or “30-second commercial.”
6. Know where you are you going. Describe your destination so others can visualize you once you’ve reached your destination.
7. Let people know how they can help. Be specific. Generalities usually do not generate the desired results.
8. Use stories to describe your achievements.
9. Talk about the benefits you offer, not the features described in your resume.
10. Believe in yourself (or no one else will).

Okay, I’ve shared lessons I learned along the pathway, and I’d like to hear from someone who has navigated a career transition. If you’ve successfully emerged from a job search, what did you learn? What worked for you? What advice would you share?

On the other hand, if you have recently hired someone, what additional wisdom would you share with a job seeker?

They were probably created because 1) everyone else was doing it 2) the technology was available or 3) someone with influence told them they needed to be on Facebook. The problem is they don’t know why they have a Facebook page.

At the American Red Cross of Greater Kansas City, we decided not to launch a Facebook page until we could tie it to our strategy. As marketing director, I did not want to naively launch a traditional 1.0 tactic using a new 2.0 tool. Though I’m a huge proponent of the social media revolution, I wanted to understand how a Facebook page would fit into the smorgasbord of all the communication tools available.

We had just redesigned our Web site (kcredcross.org) and I wanted our Facebook page to be complementary rather than redundant. Our Web site would continue to serve as a useful reference in the 1.0 world of broadcasting or pushing information, whereas our social media activities would hopefully spawn interaction, provoke conversation and ultimately engage members of our 2.0 community.

The strategy came into focus as I re-read Seth Godin’s book Tribes. The Red Cross Facebook page could become the place where our “tribe” would gather to share information and rally around a common cause.

Several weeks ago when we launched the Facebook page, I wanted our key stakeholders to understand our purpose for having a Facebook presence. So, within the “Notes” section of our fan page, I posted the following message:

♦ —  ♦ —  ♦ —  ♦

Why Is the Red Cross on Facebook?

Some have asked why the Chapter now has a Facebook page. After all, we have a new Web site, some very impressive publications and great media relations. So why Facebook?

The truth is we’re not trying to replace any of the traditional media. There will always be a role for each vehicle in telling the Red Cross story. I’ll talk about that in a minute, but first I’ll give you the three most important reasons we created this page:

1. To connect. We have so many people affiliated with us that we need a place where the “family” can come together. We need a place where DATs, CPR instructors, Ready When the Time Comes volunteers, Cause for Alarm volunteers, donors, staff and even board members can connect. Our Facebook page is a great no-cost way of doing that.
2. To converse. Once we’ve connected, let’s talk. Facebook gives each of us an equal opportunity to join the conversation. Your voice, your participation is important.
3. To engage. As we connect and converse here on Facebook, we will likely discover additional opportunities where we can make a difference. We’ll see more clearly how our unique talents and resources can contribute to the overall success of the team.

So, if that’s why we created this Facebook page, let me mention a couple of reasons that are not primary objectives.

1. Fundraising. Sure, the Red Cross needs contributions now more than ever, but Facebook is not primarily for raising money. As we connect and converse, the Chapter’s needs will likely become evident and those with resources can step forward to contribute.
2. Pushing information. The Web site, news releases, and publications are used to broadcast or push information out to the general public. Communication in those media is one-way, whereas here on Facebook, we thrive on interaction. Guess that’s why it’s called “social media.”

The primary audience of this page is our own family–volunteers, staff, donors, and others who have a stake in fulfilling the Chapter’s mission. The general public, news media and others are encouraged to look over our shoulders, but they are not the main focus.

It might help to think of this page as a camp fire around which we gather to exchange ideas, swap stories, share family pictures and enjoy each other’s company. No one (especially the marketing department) owns this camp fire. We all share in joint ownership. No one controls the messages. We all assume responsibility to contribute. If negativity or misperceptions surface, we can collectively steer the conversation in the right direction, and we can do so in real time.

So how can you best participate? Here are five suggestions:

1. Post your ideas. This “Notes” section is open to your writing. This is not just a place reserved for Liz, Almitra and me. Write something and send it to one of us for posting. (We’d love to have you post it directly, but Facebook is set up so you need an administrator to post something in the Notes sections of a company’s page.)
2. Comment. Be a good conversationalist and keep the dialogue going. Add a comment below or comment on the status updates on the main page. Comment on the comments of others. Just do something to keep the stream of communication flowing.
3. Upload a photo. Others would be interested in seeing a “family photo” of someone doing Red Cross work. It is interesting to others when they see what you’re doing or what goes on behind the scenes here at the Chapter.
4. Upload an entire photo album. Here’s your chance to become an iReporter from the field. Use your phone or laptop if you’re on disaster assignment and show your friends what the Red Cross is doing. Always remember, though, to protect the confidentiality of people we serve. You can upload a single photo to the page without using a page administrator, but posting an entire album requires Liz, Almitra, or me to help. A great option would be for you to create the album in your own personal Facebook profile and then post a link to it here on the Chapter’s page.
5. Tell others. Link to this page or make a comment on your own personal Facebook profile. Tell others why you are involved and invite them to join the family and become a fan of this Facebook page.

Just so you’ll know, the three of us in the marketing department (Liz, Almitra and I) are the official administrators of the Chapter’s page. All that means is that someone has to tend to the housekeeping details. But we are not the owners. You don’t need our permission to post something or to upload a picture. We’re happy to assist, though. Contact us with any questions or ideas. Or just leave us a comment. Your Red Cross family is waiting to hear from you!

When I taught marketing at a local university, the CEO of a major company invited me to speak at the planning retreat of his regional managers. He sheepishly asked, “Can you condense into 15 minutes everything you teach in a 16-week class?” Tongue-in-cheek, I replied, “Actually, I only have 15 minutes of marketing knowledge. The hard part is stretching that over an entire semester.”

In more than 20 years of working on projects and coaching others as they engaged in their own marketing endeavors, I have learned the following 10 things about marketing:

1. Marketing is based upon common sense, though such sense is uncommon.
2. The social media revolution is the best thing to happen to marketing in a long, long time—even though the rules for marketing success are forever changed.
3. Old-school marketers who try to tightly control the message will become increasingly frustrated, disoriented and ultimately obsolete.
4. If you’re not creating community and engaging people in conversations, then you’re still living in a 1.0 world—even if you are using 2.0 tools and technology.
5. Communications comes at the end of the marketing process, not at the beginning.
6. If you aim your message at no one in particular, don’t be surprised if no one in particular responds.
7. Marketing will always flounder when not in pursuit of a measurable goal.
8. If a product, service or person cannot be differentiated, it cannot be marketed.
9. Without a quid-pro-quo exchange, you’ll never have a solid marketing program. After all, marketing is the exchange of something of value for something you need.
10. Value can be defined only by the customer, not the company producing the product or service. (Nonprofit organizations especially have trouble with this.)

From your experience, what additional observations can you share? Can you elaborate on any of these axioms? Do you disagree with any of them?