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ABM – Always Be Marketing: What Does It Mean To You?

image At the recent 140 Twitter Conference, I sparked a bit of controversy on the branding panel that I participated on: I brought up a point that reminds me of the line in the movie Glengarry Glen Ross “ABC, always be closing” and I framed it as “ABM = always be marketing” and “always be me.”

I was fascinated to see the polarized responses from the audience, Twitterverse and one of my fellow panelists. (I’m a big fan of expressing opinions, but it’s not my style to polarize! Oh well!)

To me, Always Be Marketing means that I am extremely mindful and strategic about everything I do online and in public. For example, turquoise and bling is my signature branding color/look/feel – so that’s what I present in public. (Eighty percent of my wardrobe is a shade of blue!) And, my persona is upbeat, open, caring, genuine and always helpful, always willing to answer questions particularly about Facebook. This is all part of my brand.

In fact, the greatest compliment I receive is when people meet me in person and say I’m exactly like they thought I would be from how I am online.

imageWith social media so prevalent we are all EXTREMELY visible. Your prospective clients, your peers and your competition can drill as deep as they wish searching, reading and gathering information online about you and posted by you without you ever knowing who’s searching. Depending on what they find, your prospects may choose to do business with you or not.

Being mindful and in “ABM” mode helps with reputation management. To me, ABM means you’re never careless about what you put out there. You see the longevity of everything that’s published. (For the best book on reputation management see, Radically Transparent by Andy Beal and Judy Strauss).

To some folks, the word “marketing” has negative connotations. It’s a word often misinterpreted as meaning “hocking your wares,” “pushing” and being like a used car salesman. That’s unfortunate. There’s a big difference between ABP: always be pushing and ABM: always be marketing!

I unfollow the “ABP” types on Twitter and unfriend or even block them on Facebook. I’m all about connecting and building relationships… and yes, there’s strategy to all that too. What may seem as idle chit-chat on Twitter is 100% visible to the whole world on Twitter. It’s important to always do your best, because you just never know who is watching you.

Perhaps some folks have negative feelings associated with the movie, Glengarry Glen Ross – it’s an intense movie and the question of ethics and integrity in sales is a theme running throughout the film. I certainly would never recommend doing “whatever it takes” to market. It has to be genuine, positive and contribute to your community. Like I say, the ABM also means “always be me” (or, for me, “always be Mari!”

In fact, here’s a couple of my fave nuggets from the #140tc:

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What are your thoughts? What does ABM mean to you? Do you consider yourself to be in “marketing mode” at all times – or is it something you turn on and off? Do you apply a special formula to your tweeting style with x% personal and x% business? Is there a clear line between the two, or are you like me and completely blend your social media personal/professional style because you know ultimately people are buying YOU first?! 😉 I’d love to hear from you – add your thoughts in the comments below:

Mari Smith

Often referred to as “the Queen of Facebook,” Mari Smith is widely known as the Premier Facebook Marketing Expert and a top Social Media Thought Leader. Forbes describes Mari as, “… the preeminent Facebook expert. Even Facebook asks for her help.” IBM named Mari as one of seven women that are shaping digital marketing. Mari is an in-demand keynote speaker, corporate social media strategist, dynamic live webcast host, and popular brand ambassador. She is coauthor of Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day, and author of The New Relationship Marketing.

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28 Comments

  1. Laura Kinoshita on October 15, 2009 at 2:43 am

    I agree with you about ABM — it’s all about personal branding, and I think you’ve shown that “always be pushing” is NOT an effective branding technique! I’m amazed at your creativity and ideas. You got me to click on your Twitter page, pen page, leave a comment and Tweet you, all for a pen! I must be a fan!



  2. Joe Riggs on October 15, 2009 at 2:38 am

    Hey Mari, Joe Riggs here, DefyTheMind on twitter. I love the way you inspire and write, you make marketing a word I once again anchor in a positive light. Well done and Bravo.



  3. Jay Groccia on October 15, 2009 at 4:12 am

    Hi Mari,
    I like your idea about the pen – sure beats just having a box of them at a trade show.

    For those unfamiliar with the origin of ABM, see ABC – Always Be Closing:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TROhlThs9qY

    OK – so now a little shameless promotion. Here is a time-lapse film I shot of wind turbines being built in Boston Harbor. It’s called SEVEN DAYS IN FOUR MINUTES
    http://www.vimeo.com/6739275

    Because of that video, I got two jobs shooting wind turbine construction for two other wind farms. One is on Wachusett mountain in Princeton, MA and a larger project on Brodie mountain on the Mass/NY border.

    Jay Groccia
    Principal Photographer, OnSite Studios.



  4. Jen Butson on October 15, 2009 at 2:39 am

    To me, ABM means being yourself. I’m a huge believer in marketing yourself, just the way you are. And therefore by being you, you are always marketing. Be your very best and don’t be afraid of awesomeness.



  5. Brian Hayashi on October 14, 2009 at 6:47 pm

    IMHO, there are a number of social media “sacred cows” that have yet to be fully understood. Your stance on “ABM” reminds me of the backlash against paid blogging — it was totally reflexive and people took a hard stand before taking the time to listen to the details.

    To me, ABM means having a system in place. My mind can go a million miles an hour and it can be confusing if you ask me a question and I give you the first answer that comes to mind. Far better for me to take a minute, make sure I understand what you are saying, and then respond. Social media is no different – rather than tweet some random link, why not take a couple of extra seconds to properly address the other person’s question or concern. A “pause that refreshes” may make all the difference.



  6. Marilyn, The Vitality Doctor on October 13, 2009 at 9:46 pm

    Hi Mari:

    I love the ABM – Always be marketing and Always be me. I love your style and transparency. And decided that I would approach my time on FB and twitter by being me and doing what brings me joy – sharing great tips and answering questions from my heart. The response has been great! I am still challenged by how to monetize what I am doing. But I am at least creating a reputation as someone who gives with compassion – which is my MO outside of social media. Now the next step is to blend the message with a strategy that gets my valuable materials into people’s hands and lives. Thanks for all of the wonderful info you provide. Some warm Scottish Hugs to you from a fellow Scot. Marilyn



  7. Elizabeth H. Cottrell on October 10, 2009 at 3:37 pm

    Mari, your message is clear, articulate, and heartspoken. The model that you and Denise Wakeman and many others provide is a full-circle return to honesty, transparency, and integrity. Let’s all try to return the word “marketing” to its full and best image. Being ourselves is the one thing in life we can absolutely do better than anyone else ;-), but it takes diligence and — as you stated so well — intentional thought.

    Thank you for BEING YOU and insisting that we also need to be our best selves…at all times! ABM!



  8. Michael Blanchard on October 2, 2009 at 5:44 pm

    Though I can see how it could be misinterpreted as being false or overly sales-y, I think you have the right idea with ABM. The fact is every interaction we have defines how others perceive us. So, whether you are conscious of it or not, you establish your brand every time anyone sees, hears, or otherwise encounters you. Make it count.



  9. Megan Bucher on September 29, 2009 at 7:29 pm

    Mari-
    I admire your ability to have a personal realationship with everyone. I originally got hooked on Twitter because I was amazed at what I could learn from everyone posting information there. After looking for college courses to take on what was currently going on in Social Media, I found that Twitterverse would be more hands on and informative. I started to follow all kinds of bloggers and companies to soak up all the knowledge I could. Knowing I’m constantly at risk of being one of those that just ‘take take take’ information and never share, it challenges me to go out an apply what I have learned so that I CAN share my own valuable experiences. I don’t have a personal relationship with everyone on Twitter, but I wish I did. I love Facebook for that, and do have a personal relationship with everyone there. I’m starting to merge the two, slowly. I choose to stay at home with my daughter and really give her the spotlight in my day…which limits the amount of time I spend in social media land every day. On another note, I recently had someone tell me to ‘hurry up’ and organize my thoughts, so that I could cash in on them while I have the opportunity. While I understand and value that type of comment as flattery, I don’t want to be part of anyting that is a flash in the pan. There are a lot of angry bloggers out there throwing critism around for all the self-touted gurus in our field. I say, so what? Let there be gurus! Of all kinds. You don’t have to be a keynote speaker to be a guru. All that kind of talk does is push those trying to surface back to the bottom…wondering if they will ever be ready to enter the game. I say be ready always, on your terms. Everyone doesn’t have to follow your tweets for you to be successful. Aim to be personal with everyone you are in contact with, as you do, and it’ll be a rewarding experience.



  10. Jane Howitt on September 29, 2009 at 8:45 am

    Mari! I can’t believe that what you said – perfectly sensible to me – caused such a mixed reaction! What *were* people thinking of?

    Of course people buy from people. And that’s not just a new Social Media idea, is it? So if they buy from people, show them a person. A REAL person. Market the Real Me.

    (I suppose that if your Real Me isn’t too appealing something needs a bit of tweaking… But that’s another story!)

    And Denise is so right – it’s crucial to be mindful of everything you say and do online and off.

    ABM is darned good advice!



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