Here’s a cartoon from Tom Fishburne of Brand Camp. I love it because, as all good cartoons should, it reflects reality.
What should you do instead?
- Get creative. Treat each new campaign as if the whole world has changed since the last one (because it has – even if the last one was yesterday).
- Be aware of your competitors, but don’t imitate them. Be better. Work harder. Add more value (yes, your marketing should deliver value to your prospects).
- Social media ‘likes’ are a good thing, but they aren’t the point. The point is to nurture prospects with useful and relevant content. Useful and relevant content builds trust. Trust sells.
- Fancy ad shoots are fun, and sometimes they’re worthwhile… but do a cost/benefit analysis before spending your client’s (or employer’s) money.
- Partnering with any affiliate who will have you is lazy and risky. Be selective. Have a good reason for linking your product/service/brand with another company’s, and research them for potential liabilities.
- Don’t spam. Just don’t.
- Everybody enjoys a pat on the back, but awards should be a byproduct of your efforts… not their objective.
Do you have a reaction to Tom’s cartoon you’d like to share?
Tags: content strategy, digital relationships, relevant content, return on influence, social media, useful and relevant information
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Great and pithy list. The whole “like” thing is becoming more and more meaningless as studies reveal that many people like things out of habits, or in hopes of prizes — even though they are out of the geographic boundaries of the business and so could never become a customer. Then there are companies selling likes on FaceBook. Right. Those are real prospects? Sort of reminds me of the mindless fascination with “hits” that in the end meant nothing until you started looking at bounce rates, and conversions.
Great cartoon and comments! Thanks.
Understanding point 2 about being aware of your competition is at crux of great marketing.
Successful marketing comes down to answering two critical “what’s”. What is your product or service’s point-of-difference? And different than what?
How well you position your product versus current products will determine your potential sources of volume, but the added value your product is perceived to provide will dictate your slice of the pie.