Thrive In The Maybe

October 19, 2011 By 2 Comments

Indecision is awful. You want a yes or a no…not a maybe. So how do you turn the maybe into an advantage?

This might be one of the more counterintuitive posts you will ever see here. As business people, we want you to say Yes. And, if you don’t say Yes, we want you to say No. Not leave us hanging.

Maybe

Thrive In The Maybe

Binary decisions. 1 = yes, 0 = no. Code gets written that way. You click the button, good stuff happens. You don’t click the button, nothing happens.

Limbo isn’t fun. I’ll get back to you. Let me call you later. I’m waiting on someone else to weigh in.

Time to Thrive In The Maybe.

We’ve beaten the Integrated Marketing drum over and over here, and we’ll continue doing so. Because Maybe is Marketing.

Maybe Is Marketing.

We worked with a client a couple years back whose initial goal was to “get going on Twitter.” (This happens quite a bit: there’s not a real reason to be there, except for the fact that everyone else is there. See our post on Holistic Social Media.) We got them going on Twitter. It was fun, too; as a lifestyle brand it was important for them to start engaging with the influencers in their space.

Here’s Where Maybe Came In.

These were decision makers – but the Yes/No question couldn’t be asked on Twitter. And it couldn’t be answered on Twitter. That would have looked stupid – we knew it, the client knew it, and our original plan to “get going on Twitter” had to include an element of non-sales. Of un-marketing.

If we spent all of our time getting people to constantly answer the Yes/No question – “do you want this product?” – we would have missed out on some actual real life experience.

“I love your stuff! I just wish I could get it in Singapore – I have to settle for the one time each year I make it over to Hong Kong.”

This is Maybe. Maybe I’d buy it if it were near me. Maybe you should consider selling it here. Maybe I should fly over to the States and come work for you. Maybe.

Thrive In The Maybe.

We’re so busy asking for the sale that we’re not busy enough paying attention to everything that happens in-between. Yes is great, and you want that. No is sudden and can be stunning – but sometimes you want that, too.

Maybe will drag you along, sure, but possibly teach you a lot about what you’re doing wrong, or what someone else is doing right.

New Marketing Funnel = A Whole Lot of Maybe.

We have had quite a few discussions about how the New Marketing Funnel is quite a bit different than the old one. (It’s one of the lessons in 12 Minute Marketing and you can check out the 12 Minute Marketing Sample Lessons here.) Old funnel was more up and down than New Funnel – which has a much wider opening (thanks to New Media) and is gonna have so much more Maybe.

Maybe I’ll take a look at the email. Maybe I’ll visit the website. Maybe there’s a mobile component. Maybe I’ll watch a video. Maybe I’ll want to try the product for a little while first.

These aren’t just maybes – they are opportunities for dialogue, to build (there’s that word) “community.” To strive for (here’s another word) “engagement.”

Old marketers will just shrug their shoulders and move on to the old tried-and-true ways.

New Marketers?

Thrive In The Maybe.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

If Email Is Dead Why Does Everyone Have An Inbox?

October 18, 2011 By 2 Comments

“Email Marketing Is Dead. Everyone’s Going Social.”

Not sure who to attribute that quote to. A few social media marketing gurus? Social Media Ninja Camp 2010? And not sure it really matters – email marketing isn’t going anywhere for quite a long time. Don’t agree? Here’s Rick Strater’s take on Email – it’s from one of the 12 Minute Marketing Lessons. Spend a couple minutes watching and we’ll see you after the jump.

We’d be crazy if we didn’t mention that the above video is part of the Sample Lessons you can check out over at the 12 Minute Marketing site. 12 Minute Marketing Sample Lessons include Push vs. Pull and Holistic Social Media. And a couple more.

Email is PART of an Integrated Marketing Strategy. It’s not all of it – this is why, for every marketer who says “there’s money in the list,” there’s another who completely abandons his list to sell something else. What’s an Integrated Marketer to do? 3 Tips:

1. Add Value or Get Out of the Way.

My own Gmail account has 50,000-plus unread messages in it. I’m not making this up:

dvdw gmail screen

Dave's Gmail Inbox

I’m guilty of two things as an email recipient: I don’t read everything and I don’t aspire to “Inbox Zero.” (In fact, Inbox Zero is a total waste of time.)

I’ve gotten to the point where I sign up for lots of things to see a variety of email approaches – and I only unsubscribe when someone gets on my nerves. (Had a friend call someone the “Bally’s of Marketing,” in that this person was annoying and everywhere. I’ll go with it – and that’s when I unsubscribe. But not before.)

Your email newsletter, which I’m sure is awesome, by the way, has to cut through the 50,000-plus clutter, or it just ain’t gonna get read. Bringing us to Tip 2:

2. The Subject Line is Your Friend.

It is, really.

Even Uber-Marketers have to get their emails actually opened to make the magic happen. You have to strike a chord with the reader – even if the chord tells them that this particular offer is NOT for them.

I have an email waiting for me that says “50% off Veterinary Services.” I don’t have a pet, so I know I’m not going to open this one. Fine – we didn’t waste each other’s time.

You can personalize if you like – but you certainly don’t have to.

Subject lines are so under-utilized – cutting to the chase is absolutely vital, and if I don’t see a hook for me, I may not even open.

Underground Jedi Trick: Begin the Subject with “[Name of Business]“…On some mobile readers, Gmail included, the “[Name of Business]” gets shortened to “[Name...]” and then the reader dives into the rest of your subject line.

This segues nicely into Tip 3:

3. Have a Point.

Some people call this a “Call to Action” – but that may not be the reason for the email you’re sending.

Let’s say it’s the monthly newsletter from your company – you may not be selling something, you may not want people to pick up the phone and call you so they can buy from you. If you’re doing the newsletter as a branding exercise, then the “Point” of the email may well be that you’re sharing information that’s valuable to your reader.

But your monthly newsletter just for the sake of your monthly newsletter isn’t exactly accomplishing anything, is it?

Value the reader’s time, and they’ll in turn value reading your newsletter. Or whatever you’re emailing.

The Inbox isn’t going away. The Email will continue to be important. It’s part of your toolkit, but not the only thing in it.

One More Thing…

If you like what you saw from the above email and the 12 Minute Marketing Sample Lessons, consider beginning your 12 Minute Marketing journey. We’ve been told that $297 is a tremendous value for a course that delivers daily lessons on marketing strategy, new media, social media, traditional sales and marketing concepts and a heck of a lot more. (And you can get it for less than that if you choose the “one pay” option.) Learn more about 12 Minute Marketing on the Curriculum Page, or just Enroll Today on the Enroll Page.

 

Filed Under: 12 Minutes, email

Where To Today?

October 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Going Lots of Places? Or Nowhere at All?

Twitter Logo

Tweet Too Much?

There are days as an entrepreneur where the schedule is jam-packed. Phone meeting, another phone meeting, coffee masked as business development, emails, tweets, Facebook posts, and maybe another IRL meeting.

Then there are days where tumbleweeds blow through the schedule, crickets are in the background, and you’re left to your own devices.

Down time. Decompression. Vital for the entrepreneur.

Question, young Jedi: Where To Today?

It’s highly possible that, while you’re out there “connecting” – you may actually be going just about nowhere.

“Social Media” – we use the term with air quotes – create the opportunity to go around the world and back through short messages, friend requests, videos on YouTube, and a LinkedIn contact request or five.

But are you really “going anywhere?”

Social Media + Business Road Map = Chance to Get SOMEWHERE

Over at 12 Minute Marketing – where we invite you to become a better marketer with an investment of just 12 minutes a day, here’s a link to Sample Lessons for you – we try to instill the value of planning. Of Objective-Oriented Marketing. Of turning off the Twitter machine and actually figuring out what it is you want to accomplish.

Easier said than done – or is it?

You know why you’re on Twitter, on Facebook, on LinkedIn. You know what it is you want to accomplish those places, don’t you?

If you don’t, maybe that break in your schedule is just the thing you need.

Maybe the Road Map is in your head, but it should be on a white board, on a computer screen, in a notebook.

Maybe the destination is in sight – but the Construction Zone isn’t on the map.

Maybe you might run out of gas before you get there.

Maybe there’s value in pulling the car over at the next exit, grabbing a refreshment, looking at the wildflowers on the road.

Maybe.

Where To Today? Maybe the Answer is “Nowhere.” Because you have to chart your course first.

Filed Under: 12 Minutes Tagged With:

How Not to Build a Team

October 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I received an email from a well-known figure – or, more accurately from the headquarters of a well-known figure – and it got me thinking about the RIGHT way to build a team.

The email started off on the right foot, sortof, with a subject line that said “Unacceptable Affiliate Advertising Methods.” We won’t tell you who it was from…so we’ll use the name “Joe Shlabotnik.”

It has been brought to my attention that some affiliates are using unacceptable advertising methods to promote my products.

The incident I’m referring to was when an Affiliate used a picture of a well known author along with a picture of his book in a PPC ad driving people to a training webinar with Mr. Shlabotnik.

Interestingly enough, I knew the exact thing to which Joe Shlabotnik was referring: an ad on Facebook from a week earlier. It looked a lot like this:

Used Without Permission

Did they ask him first?

It annoyed me at least a little – since I’m a big fan of Tim Ferriss, the author whose image was being used.

But what was even more interesting here was the chain of events leading to this email. In fact, it went something like this:

  1. Dave sees PPC ad.
  2. Dave signs up for webinar from advertiser.
  3. Dave listens to first few minutes of webinar, throws up a little in his mouth when watching Joe Shlabotnik talk about his 14,000 square-foot house.
  4. Dave exits the webinar, only to receive a few more emails from Shlabotnik Worldwide.
  5. Dave opts out of future emails from Shlabotnik.

All this happened, mind you, before I got the scolding email from Joe Shlabotnik himself.

This, Gentle Readers, is no way to build a team.

What’s the takeaway here? A couple things:

1. Guard Your Brand Carefully

Joe Shlabotnik himself told us he created so many techniques that are being used by Internet Marketers that we’re probably using them right now and don’t even know it. So why does he need so many Affiliate Marketers to help make things happen for him?

In this case, he probably decided that he needed to “Funnel” us all through his marketing program, casting such a wide, uh, funnel that it was a pure numbers game. Get 1,000,000 eyeballs and even if you convert at a tiny tiny number (let’s say 0.1%) you still have 1000 paying customers.

But at what price? Did the guy or gal who was sending out the offensive emails really need them to draw eyeballs to a marketer so successful he practically invented Internet Marketing?

2. Choose Your Affiliates Carefully

We are in the middle of our Affiliate Recruitment campaign for 12 Minute Marketing right now, and I can tell you this: we are turning some people down. Once you get too big, you lose control of who is saying what about you – and that may have been the case with Mr. Shlabotnik.

Or, it may not matter to him – it may be more important to grow a big team and have no control over it. Don’t know, but that’s no the way we plan on doing it.

3. Have a Moral Compass

And use it. Whether or not this was authorized by Mr. Shlabotnik – and maybe it was – it’s definitely toeing the line.

In this case, using someone else’s image to sell your own product? Not cool.

What’s most interesting here?

Shlabotnik doesn’t need to use another author’s image to get ahead.

Learn from this, fellow marketers. Guard your brand carefully, Choose your affiliates carefully, and have a moral compass. Please.

 

Filed Under: 12 Minutes, brand communications

What’s NeXT For You?

October 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Legacy of Steve Jobs is without question. But the comeback from failure – lost in all of the discussion of product development success – is a book we can all take a page from.

When Steve Jobs passed away yesterday, the world mourned a titan of industry – and, when the San Francisco Chronicle’s article on Jobs’ life mentioned his name in the same sentence as “Ford, Edison and Disney,” well, you have no argument here.

Read the article from the Chronicle Here: SF Gate Link.

His successes were much ballyhooed, and rightly so; when people like President Obama and Mark Zuckerberg are mourning your loss, your legacy is safe.

Zuck Status

Zuck Status Oct 5

NeXT

The NeXT Computer was a high-end workstation that, frankly, didn’t catch fire. At a cost of $6500, it was too expensive for a world that, in the late 80s and early 90s, didn’t have the concept of the office computer fully ingrained into the culture.

NeXT

Didn't work like a charm


(You can read more about the computer itself on this Wikipedia entry, which is quite light on content.)

As a consumer product, it failed.

We’re all going to fail. It’s what comes next that’s important.

Jobs once said that “getting fired from Apple was the best thing that happened to me.” The firing led to the launch of NeXT, which, while not a commercial success, did have a good chunk of infrastructure that was trailblazing.  In fact, the intellectual property at NeXT was valuable enough to get the company bought by Apple Computers in 1996. (Another Wikipedia entry here.)

Turns out there wasn’t much of a market for the computer itself – 50,000 units were sold. But the operating system served as the precursor to Apple’s OS.

Failure Is an Option.

Failure to Learn From Failure Is NOT an Option.

We’re all going to get dealt cards in life. Businesses rise and fall. Promotions come and then the new boss comes in and they’re meaningless. Your startup will be groundbreaking but it won’t make you money.

You may not be as gifted and brilliant as Steve Jobs, you may not give a rip about computers or tech or iPhones or what have you.

Whether you sing on stage or sweep up after the performance, you’re going to screw up – and you’re going to get the chance to learn from the screwups.

Fail miserably then ask…

What’s NeXT For You?

Filed Under: brand communications Tagged With:

Creating Buzz That’s Out of This World

October 4, 2011 By 1 Comment

As you’d expect from this site, we bring together a couple elements in a post about Integrated Marketing…

CloutReach Logo

More than a Logo

Okay, we’ve talked about brand and messaging and how important it is to get people talking about you.  We’ve also talked a lot about effectively using social media to support that goal.  And, because so many of you asked us to help you do all of that, we created CloutReach.

I’m not pushing product here.  Many of you don’t need someone to help you.  If you do, find someone you trust who can help.

90 Days?

The other day, someone asked me what the 90-day ROI is for CloutReach.  My reaction to that?

“A+ for thinking ROI and F- for thinking that integrating social media with your traditional marketing communication is something you can do for a few months and then quit.”

Let me say it again…  You want people talking about you!

Take a look at the video we’ve embedded below and its Starbucks “plug” (http://12mm.co/aliengirl).  How great would it be to find someone talking about your brand like this?

Twitter Logo

Lower Case "T" Stands For...

The use of social media isn’t a passing fad.  We’re not going to suddenly stop talking about our likes and dislikes and our customer experiences.  If anything, we’re all just starting to speak up, and we’re going to get a lot noisier.

So, once you’ve got the hang of using social media communication holistically and integrating it into your overall marketing strategy, stop paying us to do it with you through CloutReach, but don’t lose focus on the need to have people continuing to talk about you.

See you.  I’m off to Starbucks…

Want more information about CloutReach, or 12 Minute Marketing, or how everything we’re doing at Area 224 can potentially help your business? Use the links above, or get in touch with us using the Contact Page on this site.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Filed Under: 12 Minutes, blogging, CloutReach