I recently attended a school field trip with my second grade son, and I heard social media on the school bus. As the kids boarded the bus, the sound of 40 kids filled the air. The driver gave them some “noisy time” before we hit the road, and they took full advantage of it.
Each kid had something to say, and when they felt they were not being heard, they each became louder. It really was a lot like social media in this respect. Nobody was being heard any clearer at a higher volume than when they were quiet, and the distractions made communication even less effective.
Once we were on the road, the kids screamed with excitement with each bump in the street. It was social media’s equivalent of Apple launching a new iPhone that could make an endless supply of bacon magically materialize.
Mooooooo Said the Baby CalfThe parallels between the sound of kids and social media were numerous, but one that stood out was the kid who quietly raised his hand and asked for a teacher’s attention. He was the first to get the attention.
A few of the other kids learned that simply leaning close and speaking quietly was the best way to reach their intended audience. Then, if it was something really important or interesting, the message would spread across the bus, from one row of seats to the next. It actually worked as easy as that, and it formed a great picture of how social media works.
When everybody is making noise, sometimes all it takes is a well-placed whisper to make a greater impact than screaming into the masses.
The field trip was to a farm expo, where the kids learned about where their food comes from, and the many important tasks of farming. There were hundreds of kids attending from schools all across town. It was the responsibility of the volunteers and teachers to help them enjoy the trip, learn, and then deliver each of them back to the correct school.
Kids are very social creatures, and they love to mingle. Keeping our school’s group where they belonged, and holding their attention on the course was a bit like herding cats. The best way to reach them was often just as we had seen on the bus. Simply tapping them on the shoulder, giving them a bit of friendly instruction, and encouraging others to follow their example worked exceptionally well. The Field Trip Was Fun and Educational for All
By the time we returned to the school and disembarked, I realized that even as they grow up, some of them will understand the value of a well-placed whisper, and others will just keep trying to scream across the bus.
Some of the kids joined in with existing conversations, and added to them productively. They were given opportunities to communicate and share their perspectives. Sometimes the conversation even went right where they wanted it to.
Other kids screamed to create their own conversations, but a frequent outcome was that they only added to the noise. They were not talking about things the other kids wanted, and they were a distraction to the others as they tried to force their topic.
I hope you can see the similarities, and that you will be encouraged by the lessons of these second graders. For me, it emphasized that one is never too old to learn, nor too young to teach.
What do you think? Do you see how we can all learn from a second grader?
Creative Marketing Pulls NosesThere is a lot of math and science in marketing, but just how important is creativity in marketing? Regardless what you may believe, creativity still holds much emphasis in successful marketing. If you look around the huge marketing arena of the Internet, you can see what I mean, illustrated in a squillion different ways.
You will see companies who believe that simply being listed at the top of a search engine result is all that matters. It matters, a lot, but without giving people something to rave about once they find you, and converting them into customers, fans, or something other than a ten second click, it is worthless.
If you doubt me, just question why you have heard of Nike, and not that other shoe and athletic apparel company who tried so hard to make you a customer. If you think it just comes down to massive amounts of money to spend, you surely forgot that Microsoft started in a garage. The founders knew what it meant to be creative, and they made that creativity clear in their market outreach. This can mean consumer marketing as well as marketing to investors, so make no mistake on that.
Marketing creativity is what makes things popular, and takes ideas to the next level. An example is the way Roche Applied Science, a company dealing in genome sequencing made something so geeky and scientific as apoptosis a fun topic. They knew who their market was, and reached them with their massively successful “Cell Death Tour” marketing campaign.
Marketing creativity is also what Matt Harding did for Stride Gum when he produced a video with 27,267,455 views and counting. It was creative enough that millions of people passed it along to their friends.
The list of examples is long, but I will try to keep this short by explaining that creative marketing often makes the difference between a ten second click and a massively successful market reach.
Creative Marketing Drags You by the Nose
You can try to ignore it, but what drags you by the nose to embrace a brand is the work of the creative marketer. Some may say that their market is more logic-based and that people are just looking at the numbers. Even if that is the case, they should really be looking at the explosion of numbers that happens with creative marketing that is perfectly crafted to reach the target.
Sure, marketing is a numbers game, and with enough numbers, anything can be a success. While many Internet marketers fight to be more visible, and with high-traffic to Websites being rewarded with unrealistic hopes, creative marketing is often neglected. I sometimes think that this is one of the top reasons so many people are getting the shaft from Internet marketers who make big promises about traffic, while having little idea what actually motivates a market.
Creative Marketing Does Not Just Mean Cute
When I say creative marketing, I do not just mean delivering a creative message, but also how to reach the right audience, and not just any audience. Reaching a lot of people is great. It allows the opportunity for people to share the message with the audience you seek. However, it also leaves a lot of chances that your marketing wheels are left spinning and stuck in the mud.
A Creative Marketing Proposal
As I was preparing a marketing proposal just yesterday, I was thinking about how to provide the best reach into the client’s target market. I had discussed the client’s marketing objectives enough to create a nine page well considered proposal. It dealt with many areas of math, geography, and demographics, but there was something more. While I was proofreading the proposal, I got to thinking about what makes marketers different. What is that key element that sets the great apart from the good in marketing? When I reached the portion of my marketing proposal dealing with cost where it explained that we do not breed elves, it struck me. Creative thinking is one area that truly sets marketers apart more than any other. I already knew this, but the tricky part is in expressing it.
Here is a portion of the marketing proposal, but I offer you this preface: Call me crazy if you like, but I am not a salesman. I give the facts, and I try to deliver it in a unique way. I will also add, as you may find here, that I do not seek everybody willing to drop a few dollars and dip their toe into the marketing pool to test the water. There are sharks in there, and I never want to see a client’s leg bit off by dipping their toe in. I want that diamond client that I was able to carefully carve out of the rough and polish with care. I want the one who is not afraid to be successful. I want the one who understands marketing creativity and the huge value it offers. When the client “gets it” I am ready to get to work. When they just want to follow the flock of sheep off the edge of the cliff, they call somebody else.
INVESTMENT IN YOUR BUSINESS
We see it all too often that price is the concern rather than wise investment in a company’s success. Our job is to increase the bottom line of your company. We don’t chase unicorns or offer elf breeding. Our work is based on real data, using real science that really works. This is not myth, and the return you receive will reflect the investment you make. In order to create massive success, you simply cannot do it with minimal investment, or with marginal marketing providers, as you have already witnessed.
In order to achieve both short-term and long-term results for your brand, we seek an initial budget of $25,000 with ongoing services to be recommended only following 30 day, 60 day, and 90 day benchmarking. We will not come back and ask for more money without a very good reason, and if we do, it is best that you spend it.
This initial budget will allow us to focus on the quality and quantity of your reach, and the creativity to achieve high conversion of your prospects into active customers and money in your pocket. It also provides the opportunity for proper benchmarking in order to make determinations of a performance-based opportunity between our companies.
The question of high quality and sustainable marketing should not include any questions of whether it is worth it. We will be pleased to provide enough quantitative data to show the value. The only question we allow room for is whether our clients care about their business enough to make a wise investment in its future.
A man locked in a steel box for 30 days with cameras showing his every move to the Internet public will give away 30k GBP / 50k USD if you can find him. He does not even know where he is, but he is given periodic clues to help you determine his location.
The appeal seems massive so far. Viral, even! What do you think? Is it total madness or is it creative social media marketing genius?
A part of me wants to say that he is totally nuts, but that is coming from the guy who Webcasted a live stream crossing 6,000 miles in nine days during the 25th Cannonball One Lap of America from the confines of a Corvette with huge stickers that said CopMagnet.com all over it.
I say “Bravo!” to the Man in Box. I hope he survives the 30 days with his mind intact.
View the live video stream below. Just click the play button to see what he is up to now.
This is perhaps my simplest blog post ever! It came to me that there only two really important questions about marketing your business, online or otherwise. Sure, there are other questions to ask, but these are the two that matter above all others.
1.) Do you want more targeted leads for your business?
This is a really simple one for most people in business. If the answer is no, you clearly have no business here on this blog. If the answer is yes, we should be talking!
2.) Is it too late because you neglected it too long?
This is the single most punishing question to answer, but it is the most true and realistic reason people make bad decisions in their business. If you say that you cannot afford to market your business, you should really think again. The truth is that you cannot afford to neglect the things that pay you. Marketing should never be a cost to you, because it is what pays you. Without it, you are dead in the water. The better question should really be whether you can afford to not expand your marketing. Here is a simple reminder:
“The man who stops advertising to save money is like the
man who stops the clock to save time.” –Thomas Jefferson
Simple Enough?
I tried to make this my simplest blog post ever. If you think too far beyond these two questions, you may be missing the big picture. Once you have answered these two simple questions, there should be no reason to put it off for another moment.
I would like your input, so please give your comments here on the blog and also feel free to reach me by telephone (direct line *REDACTED DUE TO AGING WEBSITE*) or on Skype (username murnahan).
PETA has long been known for risky marketing tactics. Following the PETA marketing folks’ trend, they have produced yet another commercial banned from airing on television during the upcoming 2009 Super Bowl XLIII. Although the PETA commercial will not be aired during Super Bowl XLIII, the banned commercial’s video “Veggie Love” will surely circulate across the Internet enough, and at a lower cost to PETA, to make up for much of its lacking television airplay.
The cause for the commercial being banned is due to the overtly sexual nature of the video, but that is seldom a concern on the Internet. Regardless of the airing on Super Bowl XLIII, PETA’s “Veggie Love” advertising campaign is poised to become a bigger hit online than expected. When I recently visited their Website, the video would not play. However, it is also available for download, and on YouTube. For that matter, it is not so unlikely that somebody has already tried to email it to you.
What is PETA?
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Just in case you are not familiar with the PETA organization, it is a group set to end unethical treatment of animals, including for food, clothing, or just about anything other than to raise as one’s own family. You will find more information about PETA on their Website, PeTA.org.
Watch PETA Commercial Banned by NBC
I did not personally find the commercial to be offensive. It is perhaps in poor taste for the message they are serving, but there is no nudity or outrageously offensive content. However, if you are easily offended by a woman licking a pumpkin or making out with broccoli and asparagus, simply don’t press play.
PETA Viral Marketing
Although I disagree with the methods and the message represented by PETA, as a marketing guy, I must give great respect to the marketing group for their viral marketing campaigns. If only the team had a better project to work with, they would surely see greater success.
My Personal Take on PETA
I used to think PETA stood for People Eating Tasty Animals, and I still prefer that version. If animals were not for eating, why do I keep seeing them at the grocery store? I am not out to treat them unethically, and I can certainly respect the animals I ingest (some more than others). I will perhaps never understand how it is unethical to follow one’s own nature to eat animals, but it makes me wonder what crafty things would happen to the human body as it evolved to their vegetarian views if we stopped. I also wonder what we would do to deal with the huge influx of animal population if we so broadly disrupted the food chain.
Keep Eating Animals!
It is my goal, and surely that of many of my readers, to keep eating those yummy animals we have come to love. In fact, I think I will now make a special trip to the grocery and pick up some extra dead animals to enjoy with my beer as I watch Super Bowl XLIII this coming Sunday.
