I was recently reminded of this when I read an interview in Newsweek with former president Bill Clinton where he talked about the need for the Democrats to practice what he called “relentless explanation” to cut through the fear and confusion sown by the Republicans.

Now whatever your political persuasion, there is something powerful about the term “relentless explanation.” Think about it. Have you ever been the recipient of a message that keeps getting repeated in multiple ways that eventually sinks into your unconscious and becomes part of your mindset? Now I’m not suggesting brainwashing. But a reasoned argument that cuts through the clutter and lets you go “A ha. So that’s how it works. Or that’s what it means.”

If you’re a would-be athlete, as I am, you would have had the experience of being given instructional tips that initially don’t quite make sense but eventually through trial and error sink in and become part of you’re your own tool set. As an aspiring tennis player, for example,  pros have serenaded me with instructional tips like “low to high,” “brush up on the ball,” “twist” and while my body seems to want to do everything but, I at least now think about the terms as I’m hitting and they have become internalized.

All of which brings me back to marketing. Just as repetition works in teaching it’s equally effective in marketing and public relations. Now I’m not just talking repetition for repetition’s sake. But repetition that is that is packaged into clear, coherent statements that encapsulate what you do and why it matters.

Let me explain.

B2B PR Prospects often ask us how we begin work with new clients. Our answer is that we spend time learning their business, and as part of that process, conduct a messaging workshop. In the workshop, we drill down and create the words and phrases that best define what the company does and what differentiates them from everyone else. Out of the workshop come the words and phrases that are relentlessly used – we couldn’t resist – in all the client’s communications.

So…The fact is that repeating the messages reinforces them and adds credibility. It’s simply how we learn. As advertisers know, you typically need to see an ad five to seven times to remember it. http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/447322.html — what advertisers call the rule of  7.

The same idea applies to any marketing, including public relations. Customers need to keep hearing what you do. In all our client communications, we use the same keywords to refer to our clients’  business. And it’s helpful not only to repeat the words but to say them in multiple venues – be it in a video, podcast, article, white paper — since people have different learning styles and may prefer one medium over another.

So I won’t be accused of not practicing what I preach, here’s a quick summary of my key points.

• Define what you do in a way that is clear, engaging and understandable, honing in on key words and phrases.
• Explain it in multiple venues
• Repeat,  Repeat, Repeat, Repeat, Repeat….

How are you using repetition in your business? I’d love to hear from you.

Is social media in danger of becoming the next low-level customer service?

Is social media in danger of becoming the next form of low-level customer service? I got thinking about this recently thanks to a LinkedIn group discussion on social media. As Carl Hartman, CEO of Green Cheese Media Group, put it:  “I can write books about branding or develop a brand strategy for a $300 million company and I can’t get one of those $20k (social media jobs.”

Of course, there is nothing wrong with outsourcing some of the grunt work of social media — posting replies, monitoring the social networking landscape to less experienced people. It probably makes good business sense. But just like those companies today that put on the customer service front lines people who barely know the name of the company, businesses need to insure that the people who represent them on social networks present the best face of the company.

Meanwhile, it seems like a lot of companies are viewing their social media as a jazzed-up version of customer service. Hartman shared results from a recent Craig’s List search of advertising agencies hiring and came up with these titles and salaries:

Social Media Alchemist

Social Media Influencer

Community Manager

Average pay? $10 to $15 an hour.

A comic artist I’m sure could have great fun with all of this. The artist certainly wouldn’t lack for material. I can’t help but picture someone with vials of chemicals whipping up a social media magical brew that will increase a firm’s social media influence.

So what’s a firm to do?

In another LinkedIn discussion, Julian Bradder , of Customer Communications Community, talked about how “social media enables influence and engagement earlier in the decision making process….There are many questions that a buyer considers. Are you answering them?”

For a B2B company, this involves understanding what your customers need to know early in the decision process. The best way to discover this is to begin listening more – and earlier —  to your prospects. What are they concerned about? What are they eager to fix? To expand? To improve? What is keeping them up at night? What is their biggest frustration? What do they truly believe they need to do? Do they even know? And ultimately, how can they save money or make more?

We make so many assumptions about what customers need and want. And I’m certainly as guilty as the next. But now thanks to social media we can have our own world-wide focus group.

So, what can you do to address any of these concerns? Are you listening to your prospects and what have you learned? I’d love to hear from you.

The fact is that traditional media is not dead – it’s fueling social media.

A recent study for instance found that 95% of local news is being created by newspapers, not blogs or other social media, which are simply regurgitating what they find in papers.

I was thinking about this when I read an interesting post by Len Stein.  As Stein puts it:

“The most productive PR path, in my humble opinion, is still a blended approach to social and traditional media. In fact, traditional media coverage in atoms and ink publications, or digital hybrids like MarketingDaily, provides the material to drive social media campaigns — i.e., one needs something to Tweet about, to post on Facebook and LinkedIn and to email.”

While I agree with Stein that you need to reach out to people on all platforms, to create a crescendo of influence online, I don’t think you necessarily need to start with traditional media. Of course, the approach of a major media hit amplified by tweets and retweets building to an overall orchestral melody on LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media can be effective. Similarly, you can start with Twitter, have your news picked up by a blog and then have it reach mainstream media much as in the old days news would trickle up from trade press to the New York Times to CNBC or CNN. Check out this story about a firm that did just that becoming an overnight media success story in the process.

The fact is that right now there is no one-size fits all strategy. Instead, what’s important is to begin at the beginning –- with strategy. Ask yourself: Where can I get the most receptive ears for my story? The most effective megaphone?  If you’re story is all about social media, I would certainly start online.

Interestingly, traditional media still has its hold with many clients and investors. Most of our B2B clients care a lot more about being written up in the New York Times or Wall Street Journal or being interviewed on CNBC than appearing in a top-rated blog. And, of course there can be tremendous value in terms of credibility, branding and cachet in getting into top traditional media. It also says to the investor class that you’ve arrived. You’ve gotten into the exclusive club.

So where does this leave you?

Think about telling your story in multiple channels and multiple ways. Sure, tell it to the traditional media, the trade media, local media. Talk it up on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn. Post it on Delicious, Digg and other social media. Announce it in a video, a podcast. Expand upon it in a whitepaper.

I especially like the way John Kewley of BrainRider explains how to propagate your content online:

“Link to the resources on your website from your Twitter account. Use Google Adwords to help prospects find you. (Bid wisely on the keywords your prospects are searching for.) Write guest blogs. Comment on leading industry sites. Write articles for traditional offline media like newspapers and business publications. Speak at conferences. Start a LinkedIn group. Seed the web. Seed the world.”

How are you seeding the world? I’d love to hear from you.