If imagination is limiting your Internet marketing efforts, take a lesson from the professionals and open your mind to new Internet marketing ideas.
In early Spring 2008, I was tasked with developing an idea to reach more people in the fast growing demographics of automobile racing. Blogs are great, and can give a great mental picture of the action, but something was missing. Writing in blogs and posting some photos is great, but everybody was doing that. We needed something different and better. We needed imagination!
How About a Live Racing Webcast?
Enter the Live Racing Webcast. A racing Webcast, now there is a clever and fun idea to reach people. We could mount cameras in a racecar and air it in a live Webcast for people to come and watch our race season. We could distribute press releases in each of the hundreds of markets we would cross, and receive a lot of press coverage. It would be a great multimedia opportunity.
That is exactly what we did, but we did not stop with a live video Webcast. We added live in-car chat and a live GPS feed to make things even more engaging. We chose a time in early May 2008 to launch the Webcast with a 6,000 mile nine day maniacal road trip called the Cannonball One Lap of America. The event celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2008, and we were there to document it from beginning to end. Since the Cannonball requires drivers to drive the racecar itself from track to track across the USA, attracting much attention, we decided on the domain name, CopMagnet.com.
Internet Marketing With Imagination
I am often asked for new and better ideas about how to reach more people online. Fortunately for me, that is how I earn a living. I am an Internet marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) professional. My job is to develop new ways of defining and targeting an audience online. It is a great job, but one that comes with its own challenges. The greatest challenge is imagination. Fortunately, imagination is not my personal weakness, but it is often the weakness of my clients. Without marketing imagination, and the insight to implement new and better ideas to reach your market, you give everything to your competitors on a silver platter. The prevailing limitation to imagination is the people.
Internet Marketing Limitation: The People
If you close your mind to imaginative Internet marketing ideas, you greatly limit your potential. Think about your audience, and not yourself. Consider what appeals to them and what will engage them. If it is a racing Webcast, do it. If you find yourself short of ideas and your imagination is hurting you, consult a marketing professional and listen to what they tell you. They may just be on to something. When you open your mind to creative new possibilities, you are much closer to receiving their benefit.
Author Mark Murnahan is the Chairman and CEO of YourNew.com, Inc. and provides SEO consulting services to companies and non-profit organizations. Mark Murnahan may be reached toll free at 866-A-Web-Guy (*REDACTED DUE TO AGING WEBSITE*) for consultation.
