Business Buzz - Making You Famous

We recently watched Seth Godin’s TED talk about messaging and marketing and pulled some great tips for you to help your brand be remembered. Marketing is constantly evolving to keep up with the fast-paced changing economy of the world. In a culture that is becoming more self-centered, marketing has had to adapt to be relevant. Simply spending millions of dollars on television or radio commercials doesn’t work like it used to.

With DVR and online streaming, there is a good chance a lot of the people you were hoping would see your ad aren’t watching – so you’ve just wasted your entire ad budget. Marketing today is not about interrupting people with the loudest message. It’s about breaking through all the noise and making sure people notice and remember you.

The philosophy of the world today is generally one of “the world revolves around me.” This type of focus has made it even harder for new brands to get noticed. There are almost unlimited choices available, and in our instant-gratification driven world, most people don’t stop to do research about which one is really the best deal or fit for them. An important lesson to keep in mind is this: People don’t care about you (or your product or service), they care about themselves. Once you understand that foundation of modern marketing, you’re ready for a few tips to help you break through the noise.

1. Be remarkable. To make it in today’s business world, your product, service or brand has to be remarkable. You don’t have to come up with something that is 100% unique or never been done before, you just have to do whatever you do better and differently than everyone else. Some say that it is impossible to come up with an original idea anymore, that somewhere, sometime, something similar has already been done or thought of. If that is the case, how much more important is it to be the best?
2. Show your audience how your product will change their lives. Soon they’ll wonder how they ever lived without it. A great example is Redbox and how they revolutionized the movie rental business. Redbox took the world by storm and drove almost all other movie rental businesses out. They were cheaper, faster and more convenient- in locations you were already going such as the gas station and grocery store.
3. Shift your aim to the front. Everyone wants to go for the big comfy middle on the consumer curve because that is where the majority lies, and where success has been in the past. A remarkable company will focus instead on the fringes of the curve. These innovators and early adapters are the ones listening to and potentially interested in your messages. If you can get this early section of curve excited about your idea, they will tell their friends about it. Word of mouth has always been the holy grail of marketing. In the digital age, it’s more important than ever.
4. Find out who cares about your concept. The Internet makes it so that micro communities can easily communicate about things they are passionate about. There is a niche for everything and you need to put forth the effort to find yours. The time and money spent on finding your niche will pay off far more for your company than simply throwing tons of money into antiquated marketing techniques that may or may not get you any results. Although some standard marketing techniques are still incredibly valuable, there is always room for innovation and improvement.
5. Take calculated risks. Being safe is risky in today’s fast-paced culture. Safe might be seen as boring – if it is seen at all. Everyone wants the “next big thing,” the newest gadget, the trendiest app, and the most cutting edge innovations. And they want to get it before their friends do. Take that into account when you come up with your marketing strategy.

If you’re ready to develop a remarkable communications strategy, contact us.