Digital Sense

TRAVIS WRIGHT is a successful marketing technology consultant, keynote speaker, tech journalist, growth hacker, entrepreneur, data & analytics geek, podcast host, and mediocre stand-up comic. He is the former global digital and social media strategist at Symantec for the Norton brand, and is the cofounder and Chief Marketing Technology Officer at CCP.Digital, a Kansas City & San Francisco-based digital ad & content agency. CHRIS J. SNOOK is managing partner at Launch Haus. A digital agency and tech startup veteran, he is also the brand humanizer-at-large at Ethology. He mentors entrepreneurs with Founders Institute globally and ASU Project Humanities. He is the coauthor of three other books including the international bestseller Wealth Matters Makeover Edition (in its 3rd edition).

"This book is a requirement for leaders who, like me, believe that building companies that put their people and their customers in the center of every decision and strategy is the only way to go." ~ @petershankman Peter Shankman, author of Nice Companies Finish First and founder of Help a Reporter Out (HARO) and the Shankminds Entrepreneurial Community“This book equips managers and professional communicators with new tools to increase customer satisfaction and, even, employee happiness. This book keeps you from being a digital @#%hole and making mistakes that can cause deep pain for those who watch over a company’s reputation.” ~ @scobleizer Robert Scoble, technical evangelist, futurist, author at Scobleizer“Organizations that fail to treat the customer as the #1 asset in a digital world will face extinction and this book and practical solutions will help leaders implement and build a customer-centric marketing plan that is both innovative and reliable.” ~ @jeannebliss Jeanne Bliss,  author of Chief Customer Officer 2.0 and cofounder Customer Experience Professionals Association“The next 20 years will see more change than the previous 300 and this book will help organizations build an agile strategy that gives them a sustainable model for navigating these shifts with a human-centric culture and customer experience.” ~ @gleonhard Gerd Leonhard, futurist and author of Technology vs. Humanity“Digital Sense is common sense for the digital world — but for most organizations, it's not common yet. Travis and Chris do a terrific job of explaining how to successfully adapt your business to this new environment with a thoroughly engaging narrative. Two thumbs up!” ~ @chiefmartec Scott Brinker, CTO, author, and chair of the MarTech Conference“These days, your competitive advantage will come from your ability to focus your entire company on creating the ultimate customer experience. Travis and Chris will show you how. Written with energy, humor, and an in-your-face style that will keep you engaged page after page, Digital Sense is a must-read.” ~ @stevefarber Steve Farber, author of The Radical Leap, The Radical Edge, and Greater Than Yourself“When you focus on the future, you're doing something right. The authors' blueprint an easy-to-follow playbook for any size business to use as a template for success in this digital driven world. The strategies in the book pinpoint practices that are sure to become industry standards."  ~ @marshacollier Marsha Collier, author of The Ultimate Online Customer Service Guide and many other best-selling books"In order to truly succeed as a human organization you must create organization-wide digital sense and this book gives you a playbook and the inspiration to lead that transformation". ~ @bryankramer Bryan Kramer - bestselling author, keynote and TED speaker, and CEO“If you think I'm going to give a positive, biased review of this book solely because I host a podcast with Travis, you'd be wrong. In fact, working closely with him over the years makes me more critical of his work. So let me say this: Digital Sense is not chock full of generic, vanilla advice. This book is stuffed to the rafters with everything you need -- strategically and tactically -- to succeed in today's digital marketing minefield, illustrated throughout with inspirational and practical case studies.” ~@TheRealSJR Stewart Rogers, journalist, analyst, and speaker at VentureBeat and VB Insight

• Acknowledgments xiiiForeword xviiPreface  A Tale of Two “Tweeties” xxiThe “Save Our Chiefs” Movement xxixOptus in Australia xxxivThe Genesis of this Book xxxviiSection I Overview 11 The Game at Speed 3Why Your Organization Needs a Digital Sense DNA Layer 3The Game Has Forever Been Changed 4Bits of Knowledge 8Who Is This Book For? 92 Influencers, Zombies, and Everything Between 11The Rise of Digital Transformation 11Attention and Trust 14Influencers, Amplifiers, Motivatables, and Zombies 16Section II Building A Customer-CentricOrganization 233 Introducing the Experience Marketing Framework 25The Framework to Ask Powerful Questions 26The Experience Marketing Framework 28Customer Experience Is the Battleground in a Digital World 30Takeaways from Introducing the EMF 314 The Insights Layer 33The Customer Is the Main Thing 34Customers, Competitors, and Forces 37The Customer 38The Importance of Persona and Customer Journey Mapping 40Audience Development Exercise 41Look Honestly at Your Competitive Landscape 43The Customer Is the Asset 47“Use the Force, Luke!” 50The 6 Ds (Phases) as Classified by Peter Diamandis 515 Mind over Organizational Matter 61Mind and Brain Mechanics 101 62Substance Is All Around Us. We Just Need the Thought. 64The Stick-Person Explained 67Understanding the Mind Using the Stick-Person Graphic 69The Six Intellectual Faculties 74What to Do When the Zombies Attack 80Break through Your Comfort Zone 80Nothing Stays the Same! 816 The Vision Layer 91The Vision Layer + Social Business 93The Vision Layer Exercises 93Customer Journeys 98The Journey Map Touch Point Exercise 100Scope 102Takeaways from the Vision Layer 1057 The Success Layer 107What Is a Social Business? 110Begin with the End in Mind 112Loops, Love, and ROI 115Optimizing the Operational Loop 120Audit 1: ROT Content Audit 120Audit 2: Brand Guidelines Audit 125Audit 3: Heuristic Audit 125Good Governance Guidelines 126Takeaways from the Success Layer 128Section III Social Business Strategies And Tactics 1298 Social Business Strategy for Marketing 131Appropriate Campaign Goals 135Content Marketing and Paid Media Amplification 139Case Study: Fort Collins Startup Week Goes Global on $2,500 144Search Engine Optimization (SEO) 145Key Determinants Impacting Your Organic Search Ranking 146Enterprise Paid Search 148Predictive Advertising Management 149GEO Targeting and IP-Based Advertising 1509 Social Business Strategy for Sales 153What Is Social Selling? 154Why Is Social Selling Important? 154Goals for Social Selling 154Who Should Own Social Selling? 155The Social Selling System 156Social Selling Implementation 156Social Selling Challenges 158Account-Based Marketing (ABM) 158Case Study: #Closing $Millions for Pennies on the Dollar 16010 Social Business Strategy for Influencers and Employee Advocates 163Influencer Marketing Tech Is Fragmented 164Key Trend 1: Decline of Advertising Due to the Massive Increase in Ad Blockers Globally 164Key Trend 2: Rise of Influencer Programs Is Leading to Greater Need for Efficiencies and Proving ROI 164Key Trend 3: CMOs Are Driving the Budget Increase in Marketing Technology Spend 165Key Trend 4: Four Critical Factors Are Fueling the Chaos in Influencer Marketing 165The Five Categories of Influencer Marketing Tech 165Influencer Marketing Platform “5 Capabilities” Model 166The Influencer Marketing Manifesto 167Community: Size and Type of Audience 167Content: Format and Type 167Channel: Social Networks and Sites 168Credibility: Topical Relevancy 168Chemistry: Brand-Influencer Fit 169Controversy: Lack of Resonance and Transparency 169Employee Advocacy 169Employees Are the Most Credible Voices in Your Organization 170Employee Advocacy Drives Sales 170Who Is Doing Employee Advocacy Right? 17111 Social Business Strategy for HR 173Social Recruiting 173Use Social Media to Evaluate Cultural Fit 175The New Face of Social Recruitment 176Play Sherlock 177Case Study: #Hirecarlos: How to Get Your Dream Gig with Social Media 178Case Study: Finding $500,000 Worth of Talent for $250 in Ads 182Themes for Your Advertising 18312 Social Business Strategy for Customer Service 187We All Want the Same Simple Pleasures 188Social Media Triage 191Audit Your CX Center of Excellence 193Where to Begin? 194Section IV DATA AND AUTOMATION 19713 Designing Your Ultimate Marketing Stack 199How to Build a Solid MarTech Stack 200Bottoms Up 200CRM 201Marketing Automation 201Tag Management 201Analytics and Tracking: You Need to Track Your Performance, Ads, Technology, and Everything Else 202Invest in Keeping Your Stack Open 202Monitoring the MarTech Stack 207MarTech That Drives Business Growth 211Agile Is Your Savior 212Marketing Technology Frameworks and the EMF 212Always-On Assessment, Evaluation, and Adoption 213No Single Platform Winner aka “Marketing Operating System” 213Build, Buy, Or Rent? 214Mobile Marketing Technology Stacks 214Drive Internal Buy-In and Stakeholder Influence by Measured ROI 215Section V Future-Proofing 21714 Building A Personal Brand, BRO 219Business Relationship Optimization 219Ass Kiss It Forward 221ProSumerTribuDucers 22315 Avoiding Obsolescence and the Road Ahead 227Dead Ideas 227Experts Evolve into Sensemakers! 229Lifelong Learning as a Habit 2295G, IoT, AI, VR, and Drones, Oh My! 230The Fourth Industrial Revolution 231Virtual Reality Mini-VRcations 232Virtual Reality Masterminds and Uploadable Consciousness 2335G Allows Minimal Latency 234The Dark Side of Drones 2355G Possibilities 236Notes 239About the Authors 249Index 251