Bad press isn't actually bad if it tells your story

Since I haven't yet started my other blogs (they're in the works, stay tuned here for the details), let me veer slightly off-topic for a bit to talk about something more in the realm of general marketing. Since I feel strongly that AdSense publishers should educate themselves about marketing, and not everyone is married to a marketer like I am, you'll still find this posting useful.

My geeky alter-ego is a cellphone programming expert, with a sub-specialization in BlackBerry programming, so I keep an eye out for BlackBerry-related news. (For the few of you who've never heard of a BlackBerry, it's a mobile phone that lets you read and send emails.) On the front page of the business section in today's Globe and Mail is an interesting article titled “RIM runs into China security syndrome”. Follow the link and read the article. It's not too long and it's not at all technical — it's in the business section, after all.

At first glance, this is a negative story about how RIM, the manufacturer of the BlackBerry, is unable to penetrate the Chinese market, one of the largest markets for wireless carriers and phone manufacturers to crack. Why? Because the Chinese government is concerned that BlackBerry devices are too secure, that they won't be able to read any of the emails sent to and from the devices like they can with normal email accounts today.

But this is not a negative story. Why? Because it reinforces the BlackBerry security story that RIM has pushed since day one of the device, back when it was called the Inter@ctive Pager. Remember my recent posting, AdSense Case Study: The Power of Authentic Stories? One of the authentic stories that RIM uses with the BlackBerry is how secure it is to send and read emails on the device. The article just reinforces that story!

So really, if I was a RIM marketer I'd be very happy with the way that article turned out. Sure, it might cause the financial analysts some distress that RIM's going to be shut out of the Chinese market, but I bet many people will read that article and think If the Chinese government doesn't like it, it really must be secure! Free publicity and reinforcement of an authentic story — what more could RIM want?

The lesson here? The saying “bad press is better than no press” is true, at least if the bad press still manages to reinforce your story. Look up the reviews of my book on Amazon. They're not all five stars. But it doesn't bother me (mostly) that they aren't. Why? Because a well-written negative review reinforces the book's story. The best reviews aren't the glowing 5-star reviews or the spiteful 1-star reviews of one or two sentences. The best reviews are the lengthier ones (hey, it's that content thing again!) that give reasons and explanations for why the reviewer feels the way they do about the book. So even the negative reviews end up bolstering my book's story. Here's a sampling of sentences drawn from those negative reviews to show you what I mean:

• “Buy it if you want to make money on the web with no prior experience”
• “Although it's a good read. For the newbie, that is.”
• “it will be a great read for those that might dabble with making websites or want to understand the fuss of Google”
• “In my opinion, far too much of the book is spent on explaining web sites, domains, and how to go about creating a website”

By the time you read through all 24 reviews (so far — don't hesitate to add your own!) you'll have a good grasp of what the book's all about, especially if you also read the sample chapter (see the link below).

So “bad press” isn't necessarily bad. Just like the “BlackBerry can't make it into China because it's too secure” story isn't really bad, either. If you have a website or blog that someone else has panned, don't be disappointed. Those reviews might actually send traffic your way while reinforcing your overall story.

So look for the silver lining in these things. It might in fact be more substantial that the dark cloud you see at first.

When he's not prentending to be a marketing guru like Seth Godin, Eric Giguere likes to pontificate about AdSense-related topics. As the author of Make Easy Money with Google, a real (printed!) introductory AdSense book for non-technical people, available at all fine bookstores, Eric has some credibility in the area. He hopes. Be sure to download the free sample chapter for more information about the book.

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