Monthly Archive for January, 2008

We’re All Wrong

Published
by
Matt
on Jan 30, 2008
in Marketers and New Marketing
. 7 Comments

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How’s that for a headline? Pretty bold, I know, but hear me out.

We all talk a lot about new marketing (see blog title), conversations, engaging customers, interaction, building relationships, etc., but is that what people really want?

I don’t think so. At least not all the time.

For one thing, consider Dunbar’s Number, which says that 150 is the theoretical limit to the number of relationships any one person can maintain. I don’t know about you, but I have a hard enough time managing relationships with my family, friends, acquaintances, and co-workers, let alone companies and brands. So what happens when my sneaker or frozen vegetable brand starts jockeying for position with my good friends? Sorry Jolly Green Giant, you’re going to lose that battle.

You’re going to lose it almost every time.

And you’re not alone. Because the truth is, for any given person, there’s only an extremely small number of brands that matter enough to be on their radar. For me it’s Polo, Google, XBox, Blue Moon, eBay, and Seth Godin. If you’re not on that list, then I really don’t have the mental/emotional bandwidth for you all the time.

Keeping the capacity for relationships in mind, we need to avoid forcing a relationship on people who don’t want one. It’s similar to banner ads versus contextual advertising. Sure you can use the old “spray and pray” method, but it probably wont do much good (the average banner CTR was 0.2% in 2007). We need to figure out a way to make sure people only get something when they’re looking for it, a way to have “targeted conversation” (hat-tip Adam Snider).

Most new marketers (myself included) spend their time trying to figure out how to get their brands on people’s short-lists.

And that’s where we’re all wrong.

We’re trying to figure out a way on, but just like 30 second spots, people tune us out. Call me cold-blooded, but no matter how much my toothpaste brand tries to become a meaningful part of my life, it probably won’t happen. They can be personable, smart, genuine, and thoughtful, but in the end, they still don’t matter enough to me.

So where does that leave us? With the people that care, the people looking to interact with you, your fans.

Our focus needs to be with these people. Make yourself easy to find and your fans will find you. Make yourself easy to interact with, and your fans will interact with you. Don’t worry about everyone else, if you’re brand is good enough and you treat your fans well enough, that will bring more people around.

The trick is to take care of the right people, and the rest will take care of itself. That’s what new marketing is really about.

14 Posts That Will Make You A Better New Marketer

Published
by
Matt
on Jan 25, 2008
in Links and New Marketing
. 4 Comments

“I’m gonna play my way and get my dollars up” - Willie Beaman (Jamie Foxx) in Any Given Sunday.

Just as Jamie Foxx was trying to get his dollars up, so must we get our skills up. Theres always an opportunity to be better at what you do, and these posts will make you a better New Marketer. Enjoy.

  • How To Get A Job - from Andy Sernovitz
  • 5 Viral Marketing Campaign Features I Learned from Clients - from Glen Allsopp at Collective Thoughts
  • Forget Influentials: in Viral Marketing, Context Matters - from Valeria Maltoni at Conversation Agent
  • All I Need to Know About Internet Marketing I Learned from David Ogilvy - from Ian Lurie and Conversation Marketing
  • The 5-Step POWER Copywriting Method - from Dean Rieck at Copyblogger
  • In The Future You Will Be… - from Greg Verdino
  • Ambient Interruption - from David Armano and Logic + Emotion
  • the easiest way to make your community happy - from Muhammad Saleem
  • Impress ‘Em Early - from Todd Defren at PR Squared
  • How to Use Twitter - Tips for Bloggers - from Darren Rowse at ProBlogger
  • The Last Interaction - from Seth Godin
  • 6 Presentation Tips From a Steve Jobs Keynote - from Garr Reynolds at Presentation Zen
  • 7 Powerful Steps to Overcoming Resistance and Actually Getting Stuff Done - from Leo at Zen Habits
  • The New Marketing Chaos Theory from Me

    • What The Fork?

    Published
    by
    Matt
    on Jan 20, 2008
    in Advertising and Bad Marketing
    . 0 Comments

    SaladWorks does not put a fork in the to-go bag.

    Roll? Check. Napkin? Check. Full brochure on catering services? (unfortunately) Check.

    Fork? No chance.

    You can call me old fashioned, but I’m not going to be the first in line to get my next event catered if they can’t even give me a fork with my salad.

    Everyone’s always talking about the “extra mile”, but before you do that, you better be sure you have that first mile covered.

    Which 4 C’s?

    Published
    by
    Matt
    on Jan 18, 2008
    in Marketers and New Marketing
    . 3 Comments

    Back in May when I wrote my first post on the 4 C’s of New Marketing, I honestly didn’t know how many other versions of the “4 C’s” there already were.

    My 4 C’s are

    Create - Make something remarkable.
    Connect - Connect with your customers and your customers with each other.
    Change - Always try and make it better.
    Cancel - If it’s not working, cut it.

    But there’s a couple different other lists that include:

    Customer wants, Cost to satisfy, Convenience to buy, Communication
    Customer value, Change, Convenience, Communication
    Customer, Cost, Competition, Communication

    And Even Armano’s 4 C’s of blogging
    Community, Content, Consistency, Clarity

    So the question is, which ones make sense?

    A Race From Both Ends

    Published
    by
    Matt
    on Jan 15, 2008
    in Communication and New Marketing
    . 0 Comments

    My Motorola Q cell phone has more computing horsepower than my first PC.

    That might seem a little wacky until you realize that there are full-featured computers out there that are smaller than my first cell phone.

    Mobile devices are getting more powerful and including a larger feature set. Computers are getting smaller and more portable. These are pretty much a given. The question is: Are we going to end up with really powerful cell phones or really portable computers that make calls? Either way, there are a few big implications.

    First, people are going to have constant access to all the information out there. Most of us do research online before buying a car, computer or other major purchase. But what happens when the cost of research (in time, effort, and expense) gets so low that we do it for almost every product? If we’re always completely connected, is it outrageous to think that people won’t look up notebooks, potato chips, coffee mugs, or work boots? As this happens, the impact and importance of what people are saying about you is going to mean even more than it does today.

    As barriers go down, the number of informed consumers goes up.

    Another major implication is that as the amount of information goes way up, and the access to it increases, people are going to need a way to manage everything. “Information Overload” is already a buzzword today, but how bad will it be when we literally have all the information all the time. Someone is going to have to figure out a way for people to manage the data flood. Think a Content Management System, but on a personal level.

    Sound a little too far out there? Consider this: in 2001 about 120 million Americans were using cell phones. As of late 2007 there was over 250 million. Compare that to the entire United States population of a little over 300 million.

    The times they are a changin’

    The End of New Marketing

    Published
    by
    Matt
    on Jan 7, 2008
    in Marketers and New Marketing
    . 0 Comments

    …may be sooner than you think.

    Gasp! (cue dramatic music)

    Then what does that mean for this blog, this book, and this company?

    Not much really, just that they have to grow and evolve (easier for the blog and company, tough for the book). The thing with New Marketing is that it only remains New Marketing while it’s, well, new.

    Newspaper ads were once New Marketing. Same with billboards, TV commercials, and product placement.

    There will aways be marketing, that’s a given. But it’s the “new” part that makes it all so much fun. “New” means we’re still figuring it out, writing the rules as we go along. “New” means that the doors are wide open for experts, pundits, rock stars, visionaries, and moguls.

    In 5 years, a blog about photography or graphic design will essentially be about the same thing. Maybe the details have changed a little, but nothing radical. In 5 years, New Marketing will be fundamentally different than it is today.

    And isn’t that the best part?

    Thoughts?

    Your slogan…is awkward

    Published
    by
    Matt
    on Jan 4, 2008
    in Advertising and Branding
    . 4 Comments

    Let me start off by saying that I love Monster.com. It’s a great tool, and it helped me land the job I have right now. But their new slogan could have used a little more thought.

    “Your calling is calling.”

    It just seems a little awkward to me, memorable but awkward. Slogans are a powerful thing, for example when I say “Nike slogan” what three words just popped into your head? How about “Pork: The ______ _______ ______”. My guess is you got that one too.

    A sticky slogan is great. A sticky, awkward slogan? Not so much.

    22 Surefire Marketing Predictions for 2K8

    Published
    by
    Matt
    on Jan 1, 2008
    in Analysis and New Marketing
    . 4 Comments

    Hello again. In case you’ve forgotten about me, my name is Matt J McDonald and I’m a new marketer. After taking most of December off, ANM will be back in full swing for the new year. In the spirit of New Year’s resolutions, lists, and hangovers, I’ve put together a short list of 22 surefire predictions. Take a look, tell me what you think, and then marvel as they come true throughout the year.

    There will be 437 supposed “digg killers”.

    A great new site will come around that people will flock too…

    And then people will ruin it.

    You will have near-constant access to your information.

    Someone will realize that marketing is really just about making connections with people.

    No one will agree on how to measure social media.

    At least one retailer will get social media right.

    A theme of the year will be “mashups”

    Apple will fail miserably at something. But look good doing it.

    At some point, someone (my guess is Google) will figure out how to integrate everything we do (facebook, twitter, digg, blogging, IM) into one platform.

    Just like with spies, information will become a currency.

    Google will deal with some serious backlash.

    A mindset of the year will be “ME + you”.

    User experience specialists will be the most sought after professionals in marketing.

    Interactive agencies will take the lead on overall brand strategy.

    Someone will skip “web 3.0″ and try to define “web 4.0″.

    There will be an emergent technology that begins to change everything.

    “Going back to basics” will be the best marketing strategy of the year.

    Marketers will continue to think they’re the coolest people out there. (But aren’t we?)

    At least one big company will do a great job with new marketing.

    At least one big company will do a terrible job with new marketing.

    There will be one (but probably many more) big marketing fad that, in the end, is mostly useless.