Mashable - The Social Media Guide - Latest Comments in Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

alisonjuli23 — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 09:39:53 -0000

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Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

Michael Edwards — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:15:04 -0000

RT @mashable Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow - http://bit.ly/eXFZM

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

Guest — Tue, 05 May 2009 00:38:21 -0000

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.

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

AlexisCeule — Mon, 04 May 2009 22:42:38 -0000

Awesome post with great examples. Thanks! Loved the viral jeans vid... lol.

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

Tom — Sat, 02 May 2009 19:19:18 -0000

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.

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

Mike — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:24:41 -0000

Discount Electronics Store, Cheap Security Systems http://AtxElectroics.com

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

Raul — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:04:43 -0000

This was great, Darren.

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

Jef — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:28:30 -0000

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?

-jef

www.deceptionsecrets.com

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

Facebook User — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:32:18 -0000

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!

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

Paul — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:23:20 -0000

Please add some margin/gutter to the page, it is almost impossible to read.

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

Jeff Jones — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:17:44 -0000

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.

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

Mark Evans — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:54:46 -0000

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.

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

helen — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:28:08 -0000

you may want to click http://www.convertmts.net

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

TrendTracker — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:11:16 -0000

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/TrendTra...

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

Christian Zgaljic — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:23:41 -0000

hrmmmm cool

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

Darren — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:13:39 -0000

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.

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

Darren — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:09:47 -0000

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.

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

Tony Long — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:56:13 -0000

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! ;-)

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

Kathy — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:50:33 -0000

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.

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

barefootmeg — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:33:42 -0000

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*

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

aaron — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:31:26 -0000

excellent article! loved it so much, i created an award for you: http://gr8werk.com/?id=000078

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

Steven Duque — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:24:29 -0000

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.”

http://bigthink.com/ideas/p...

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

Stuart Foster — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:16:47 -0000

Personality, target audience, and relevance. Can't go wrong. Great post Darren.

Re: Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow

Gerald Weber — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:01:05 -0000

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.)