Powerful Marketing Message

Picked up this nugget from Seth's latest post...

"marketing involves effectively communicating a story about benefits to (and among) the people who will appreciate them"

That's it in a nutshell...all the rest of the stuff you hear about marketing is fluff. Of course there's a lot that goes into it. But, that's called work. Best get busy.

Required Reading

Anyone joining my team reads these...

Linchpin, Seth Godin

Little Big Things, Tom Peters

Purple Cow, Seth Godin

Delivering Happiness, Tony Hsieh

Good to Great, Jim Collins

If you're thinking about coming on board (or you just want to be better than average)...you might get a head start.

Push vs. Pull

A friend recently ask my opinion on how he could spread the word about a new service. He was considering emailing people and posting notes on Facebook, among other things. After offering some suggestions for posting content to various online outlets (flickr, website, twitter, vimeo, linkedin, etc.), I thought about push vs. pull. Most people want to go out and tell (or yell) about what they have to offer...understandably, they're excited about sharing something new. And, while you can generate some results pushing your message with email, unsolicited ecards, etc., it's not the most effective way to get the word to spread. The best way is to allow yourself some time and create a bucket load of fabulous content that will garner some attention. Then, leak it out to some close friends, give some of your product away for free and give people access on as many relevant outlets as possible. Once you have a fan base, ask them if they would care for an occasional email update of your goings on. Repeat.

While it's far easier to hit send on an email blast, the harder stuff almost always works better and longer. 
 

Desperation

Sometimes it's obvious that companies are desperate. At least I hope that's the excuse for something like this...

 

Hospitality Marketing

All marketing/branding should begin with some hospitality framework...no matter what you're selling.

Hospitality..."Give people what they want, deliver it in a meaningful way and act like you care."

Why wouldn't you start with that?