The one constant that connects all of these points is focusing on your target audience. Too many companies try to be all things to all people. Like you say in your first point about funny videos, you don't have to make everyone laugh--just your target audience. Being highly targeted toward your niche is the key. If you alienate some people along the way, that's a good thing (as long as you arent alienating your target audience.)
Stuart Foster
· 7 months ago
Personality, target audience, and relevance. Can't go wrong. Great post Darren.
Steven Duque
· 7 months ago
Relevant live online debate today on whether a monopoly a good thing in most things digital between PayPal co-founder and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel and Harvard Law School professor Jonathan Zittrain, who leads a seminar at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society this semester called “The Internet: Ideas at the Frontiers.”
I think you made your best point before you started in on #1. "Apple or Volkswagen." -- The point is to make a great product. You can have gimmicks out the patoot, but if your product doesn't work well, has privacy issues, is constantly plagued by viruses and worms, and the various parts of your product don't actually work well together, the gimmicks won't take you very far. At least, that's how I'd like to think the world works. The ubiquity of Windows using PC's and Facebook prove me entirely wrong. *sigh*
Kathy
· 7 months ago
This post is obviously relevant if your customer base relates to these items. Do others really think these 10 points get "serious" results? I'm interested in hearing about others first hand experiences.
Darren
· 7 months ago
Quite rightfully, Mashable discourages its guest bloggers from referencing their own projects, but we apply these tactics all the time. Sometimes we hit a home run, sometimes it's only a double. In my experience, though, marketing is a marathon, not a sprint, so every bit helps.
Tony Long
· 7 months ago
Sorry to be a fly in the ointment, but this listing of "ideas" is like saying, "take the ball and go down the field and make a touchdown;" most of these ideas are very self-evident.
The main focus might have better been spent on explaining how companies and their brands should find their focus, and then craft a propagation campaign that capitalizes on their individual uniqueness.
Of course, that's what we get paid to do! ;-)
Darren
· 7 months ago
You said "The main focus might have better been spent on explaining how companies and their brands should find their focus, and then craft a propagation campaign that capitalizes on their individual uniqueness."
We call that devising "unique selling points", and it ain't rocket science either.
But you're quite right, none of this requires a PhD. Much to the chagrin of a zillion charlatans, there's no secret sauce to good marketing. It's just best practices, good ideas and hard work.
Bob Rhubart
· 7 months ago
With all due respect, within any given domain, is any company really all that unique or significantly different from it's competitors? Isn't that the point of this article? And while Darren doesn't really address the idea that humor is difficult, his ideas are sound.
Never underestimate the power of humor -- or the extreme. Done right, they grab and hold our attention and make us smile, something we all appreciate. http://Twitter.com/TrendTracker
Mark Evans
· 7 months ago
Darren,
Some great advice! It's challenging to stick out from the crowd when everyone else is trying to stick out as well, so good to get some insight into some the wrinkles to consider.
Jeff Jones
· 7 months ago
These aren't gimmicks. These are great strategies. A gimmick is something a lot more sneaky. For instance the real estate website that requires your contact info to view search results. Or the restaurant that decides to paint it's building an obnoxious day-glow orange to increase business. (It didn't work. The food was still bad.) All of these are small stories about a business that makes it more interesting. That's what being a purple cow is all about. Being more interesting.
Paul
· 7 months ago
Please add some margin/gutter to the page, it is almost impossible to read.
Facebook User
· 7 months ago
I couldn't agree more with #1! We did that for a very small open source start up at one of the industry's big conferences last summer and, as a result, are in the running as a finalist for a Sabre award, http://bit.ly/4izzCe! What's even cooler - we are up against behemoths like Microsoft, Adobe and Intuit. Thank you social media for leveling the playing field!
Jef
· 7 months ago
Thanks for the straight talk, I like 'gimmicks' better, too... isn't that what advertising comes down to anyway, and getting traffic/ attention through social media is really just... advertising, right?
I never knew the jeans commercial was for levis...when launching a social media campaign you need to make sure you are not too stealth.
AlexisCeule
· 7 months ago
Awesome post with great examples. Thanks! Loved the viral jeans vid... lol.
Lonny Eachus
· 7 months ago
I disagree completely. I have seen enough gimmicks (and had to pay for them) to last me a lifetime. I have other advice: if your job is to promote toilet paper on the web: Dude, you have a lousy job. Get a different one. If you are a good marketer you can surely find something else to promote, rather than whore yourself out and try to "gimmick" your way to success.
Okay, if you can come up with another Pet Rock or some such, more power to you. But those were gimmicks from the beginning, not some hype that was made up to promote a mediocre product.
All Comments
http://bigthink.com/ideas/peter-thiel-debates-j...
The main focus might have better been spent on explaining how companies and their brands should find their focus, and then craft a propagation campaign that capitalizes on their individual uniqueness.
Of course, that's what we get paid to do! ;-)
We call that devising "unique selling points", and it ain't rocket science either.
But you're quite right, none of this requires a PhD. Much to the chagrin of a zillion charlatans, there's no secret sauce to good marketing. It's just best practices, good ideas and hard work.
Some great advice! It's challenging to stick out from the crowd when everyone else is trying to stick out as well, so good to get some insight into some the wrinkles to consider.
that what advertising comes down to anyway, and getting traffic/
attention through social media is really just... advertising, right?
-jef
www.deceptionsecrets.com
Okay, if you can come up with another Pet Rock or some such, more power to you. But those were gimmicks from the beginning, not some hype that was made up to promote a mediocre product.
www.contentunltd.com