Microsoft’s Tongue-Tied Approach Resembles Something….

Whistle while you wor...no. We’re off to see the Wiza… closer. A Ha! If I only had a brain! That’s the one.

Ever since I’ve heard about Microsoft’s failed bid to take over Yahoo!, I can’t get it out of my head. Why you ask? Because as we hear time and time again, that public perception is key. And, right now, MS doesn’t have the best perception and they’re doing nothing to change it.

MS pushed for Y! and today we hear about Facebook talks, so there has to be a reason that the Redmond company wants to buy a larger chunk of the Internet and has been so secretive with growth strategies. The only conclusion I can come up with is because it’s feeling the crunch of the advertising bug and Web publishing failures.

Years ago, the company launched the “beloved” MSN.com, which has subsequently become the #3 player in the search market (as almost everyone has abandoned the preset IE homepage for their own favorite Web site). It has an existing social networking platform which only has minimal adoption. It also seems more advertisers aren’t using any company’s Internet properties to push their online marketing campaigns.

Now as they attempt to buy out other – more successful – sites (and face rejection), MS needs to take a new stance. Instead of being the 500 lb. gorilla that wants to bully competitors into selling, it needs to start a new chapter in external business and shareholder communications.

Humility.

If only the “Scarecrow” would recognize some short-comings and announce its strategy to be more competitive in the light of product failures, it might just be more easily swallowed. I’m not the company’s counsel, nor do I wish to have such a headache, but I do think that there is an easy way for MS to do better. It should put out releases, announcements and letters that have a humble tone, acknowledging the innovations from potential acquisitions, and how it would improve MS lines of business. Something like:

“…For many years, we have attempted to become a larger player on the Internet. However, we have yet to reach our full potential online. This includes our engagements in social networking. Facebook has developed the most cutting-edge platform for social networking, advertising and engaging individuals. As we strive to enhance our existing portfolio of products, services and destinations for the public, we hope to engage the current leaders in the space.. We look forward to conversations of how we can both improve our daily interactions; not only with computers, but with each other…”

This has been something missing as of late. Heck, it’s always been missing. But if MS wants to raise its image, shouldn’t it start with the character trait that has the most resonance?

I’ve said it before, but humility goes a long way. There’s no need to be an Oz character.

Networking to Pitch

I ran into a friend of mine at BusinessWire earlier today. She's always so chipper and told me about this great event she went to for networking. So, I asked more and she sent me a few links to Facebook groups that I promptly joined and offered my services as a speaker.

A few emails later, I got a question from one guy who wanted to know what my recommendation would be for small Internet startups for engaging and promoting their company at a networking event.

Well, it starts with the pitch. I don't mean just the basic I work for company X and we do Y. You need something with an edge that not only piques interest, but sparks deeper conversations. Web companies and well anyone who's pitching business need to be armed with what's called "issues and experts."

I like to look at PR differently than pushing a press release, news alert or earnings statements. Granted, press releases and news alerts are necessary. They have their function for launches, announcements and big deals. But when you want to get the word out in a larger feature you have to be proactive and know what's going on in the industry.

So, I follow a lot of trends. Twittering, Web 2.0, and new technology of course; but there are lot of other things I read.

Here's an example. One of our clients has created an amazing Web-based job search system that acts as a digital headhunter for you. Instead of Monster or CareerBuilder where you post a resume and let recruiters and bots find you, this system searches for jobs on your behalf based on resume fit, and lets you select if your private information is sent to recruiters (not robots). It's like having a personal recruiter and not having to weed through the keyword search results.

So we followed trends. We looked at the economy and worked up a story about how to "recession-proof" your resume. We saw major CEO's and celebrities losing their jobs, so we created profiles for them and showed what person X or Y could do next based on our searches. There was an angle that came out of bosses putting your resume into LinkedIn and Google and finding your resume; therefore, you need to "covertly" job search so the boss didn't know you were looking. After we created the issue, we positioned our executive as an expert in the topic.

Successful campaigns don't originate with putting out press releases and hoping for coverage. Everyone and all publications need some sort of larger angle to take the interview. When you go to a mixer, whether meeting with media or potential investors, set up your company with an issue and how you're the expert to fix it.

Yes, it's problem and solution. But more importantly, it's a relevant problem because you've been tracking the trend, and you've come up with the best solution. That's how you get the larger features instead of the first two paragraphs of your wired release.