So how do you do it right? Here’s a short simple guide and self-test. It’s based on three phrases picked up from a few of the masters.

1. Markets are Conversations. Doc and the Cluetrain boys first explained this to us all – it’s about listening as well as talking, understanding the power that always has lived out with people and the implications that the internet and other new tools give them to exercise this power. One party can’t control a successful conversation. Test: Are you preaching or talking?
2. The Best Conversation Wins. Hugh much later added this nugget. Interesting conversations grow and spread and grab attention. Weak or fake or forced ones die an agonizing and quick death. It’s effectively required that you’re genuine, reasonably transparent, and worth the time. Test: Is this really compelling information that should interest me more than other similar content?
3. Targeted Advertising is Just Information. Dave Winer nails the ending with this one yesterday. A market conversation that isn’t perfectly relevant and interesting to me is still advertising. One that is perfectly targeted is information. And advertising is something I’m increasingly trained and able to avoid and ignore – and something that will increasingly leave a bad taste if it chases, fools, penetrates me despite my efforts. Of course, only I as the consumer can define when something is targeted and interesting to me, and I get to do so at each stage. Peter Drucker said ‘help is defined by those receiving it’ and the same goes for information. Test: Will I truly be glad you told me?

Thus the bar for social marketing is really high and quite clear. You have to communicate in a human voice in a compelling way that I find personally relevant. If you do my brain will automagically turn your marketing message into just plain interesting information, which I’ll then accept and probably act upon and even share. And if I share it with friends it will be done in a conversational, interesting, and perfectly targeted way – these same three criteria define why pre-trademarked word-of-mouth always worked.

Bonus Link: Doc himself on the whole issue. Worth reading.

The opposite of conversation is lecture, which makes listening the difference. A conversation is bi-directional. Being over-literal seem to throw some folks in their efforts to understand this – how can a company talk to a market?

Apple this week offers an excellent example of conversational skills, in their new TV commercial which they found on youtube – it was the homemade product of a 16 year kid in Warwick England. Now it’s been re-shot by Chiat/Day and goes national on Sunday.

Neither the actions of the kid nor Apple nor Chiat/Day would/could have taken place 5 or 10 years ago. He’s a brand advocate but now he’s got corporate kudo’s and dollars behind his vision (and the agency presumably didn’t kick and scream against it). Company, customer, and partners working together to drive a message where nobody should need to feel like they want to take a show. Undoubtedly the press (as the NY Times article highlights) and large numbers of other Apple devotes will further spread and accelerate the buzz.

While not many could expect to duplicate this example, it should serve to reinforce the idea that the point of conversation marketing is working together toward a common goal. The idea that a company would go to its customers to figure out the best way to promote its products is a great application.