Category listing: April, 2010
In reality, we all look the same. How can you expect your prospective customers to pick you when they see no obvious difference between you and your competitor?
- “Strawberries are strawberries, right. I’ll look for the store with the lowest price.”
- “All plumbers are basically the same. I wonder who’s the cheapest in town?”
- “There’s a mechanic on every corner in this town. I’ll call around for who can do it for less.”
oh . . . not to leave us out . . .
- “I just need someone to help me understand social media marketing. I’ll search online and pick the first one I see on Page 1 of Google.”
It happens to all of us. In one sense of another, we’re all a commodity. (By the way, Wikipedia defines commodity: “A commodity is some good for which there is demand, but which is supplied without qualitative differentiation across a market.”)
Nancy Beth Guptill, one of my fellow Duct Tape Marketing coaches located in Canada, shares this insightful article, drawing on John Jantsch’s ideas that “every business is a commodity business.” Differentiation is the key to winning this battle.
Scott Ginsberg also relates “How to sell a commodity and still win.” Great practical ideas from the guy with who wears a Nametag everywhere he goes (now, that’s different)!
-Randy
Has your business or organization considered hiring a SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR? You should.
NO, it’s not:
- A Waste of Time – don’t think of it as “playing” on Facebook, but it is about generating traffic, encouragement engagement with your customers, and capitalizing on new leads. And if you think it’s all about Facebook, then you need to have a better understanding of the scope of social media. Believe me, if your new hire is writing blogs, coordinating email campaigns, posting new videos and photos on sharing sites, writing articles and press releases to elevate your search engine ranking, and then also keeping up with both writing and responding on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc….well, I would say they will hardly have time for “play”!
- A Fad – social media is a new way of communicating, with new rules of marketing involved. Your customers are using it to communicate direct messages to one another and to share news about upcoming events. If you’re not using it in similar ways, they will soon consider you extinct!
YES, it’s:
- Measurable – with various analytics, you can track how much traffic is coming from your Facebook Fan Page or from different tweets on Twitter. And your blog content will drive alot of traffic and it can be tracked by each individual article you right.
- Profitable – while I can’t guarantee you’ll become the next millionaire, how can it not improve your bottom line when it costs virtually nothing! Yes, you are paying the salary (or a contract worker), but the tools/software/equipment that you put in their hand will hardly show up on your expense list. Can you say the same thing about other departments?
Here’s one Dallas real estate developer that just hired a social media maven. And here are a few things to consider when hiring your new social media coordinator.
THIS WEEK: Nighttime webinars on Twitter and Facebook Pages (Tues/Thur, 8:30p CST) – REGISTER
Facebook added a host of new features, some of which we will spotlight here over the coming weeks. Inc. magazine suggests these reasons “How Facebook’s New Features Could Help You.“ Worth a read.
3 PRACTICAL TIPS: When you are examining how to customize your Facebook page, consider 3 things:
- Will they see your “Wall” only? Or will your page drive them to sign up for your email newsletter, download a brochure, or watch a video? Settling for default is no way to differentiate.
- Consider setting up a customized tab that is for Fans Only – or (in the new terminology) for those who “Like” what you’re doing. Use it for special promotions, exclusive access to news, or coupons and discounts that only fans can see. This requires customization, but an affordable way of creating a that sense of “exclusivity” that many of your biggest fans are looking for because they like being treated special!
- Why not create a simple, customized URL for your page – set a username that can be easily remembered, one that not a million characters long, and a shortened URL that you could put in an advertisement. If you have at least 25 people who have become a fan in the past or like you now, you can set up this unique username for FREE! By the way, you can “like” us over at our Fan Page: facebook.com/marketingtwins
If you’re swamped with running your organization and still wondering if you should dive into the deep waters of social media, Michael Hyatt suggests not only a business’ ROI, but also “How Do Busy Leaders Find Time for Social Media?”
Have a great week!
-Randy
