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Marketing a product successfully isn’t easy. But, it just got easier. Listen as Blog Talk Radio host, Liz Lynch, interviews John Follis about his effective “Marketing Therapy” program. John also discusses the value of “G-Cred“, guerrilla marketing, creating buzz, small business branding, and why working with a web, SEO or social media specialist can actually be detrimental to your business. Right click here to download.
The past decade saw a seismic shift in marketing communications as blogs, podcasts, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter led the media evolution. It’s an exciting time. Yet, with this cool evolution the focus on a clear, compelling company or product message has often been devalued. In many cases the over-reliance on media and technology has shifted the focus away from the resolving the key (and usually tough) marketing issues necessary for growing a successful business.
The most successful companies and organizations (Apple, Google, Team Obama, etc) work with top, independent marketing firms and experts to help them develop and maintain a strong brand message realizing that the media and technology is only a tool to help them get their message out.
Today I received yet another Facebook “Fan Request” from a woman I barely know for something I’ve never heard of. I’ve been getting a lot of these lately. Why I’d consider being a “Fan” of something I don’t know, sent by a person I barely know, is beyond me.
Beneath the “I’m just offering you something good” facade is an aggressive, self-promotional practice motivated by a desire to leverage social media for personal and professional gain. And, what these fan requesters fail to realize is that if they continue to bug people they barely know with these spammy requests their “friends” will not only not be fans, they won’t be friends.
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“G-Cred
“, a term coined by John Follis in ’05, and described in this ’07 ADWEEK column, is now part of the Web 2.0 lingo. This encore presentation of an ’08 Follis interview discusses what G-Cred is and why every product, service, and professional must have it. Right click to download interview.
The past decade saw a seismic shift in marketing communications as blogs, podcasts, online video, and other forms of Social Media led the media evolution. It’s an exciting time. And yet, with this evolution, the focus on “message” has, too often, been lost. In many cases, the over-reliance on new media and technology, has sacrificed the focus on development of a compelling, creatively engaging, message.
The most successful companies and organizations (Apple, Google, Team Obama, etc) work with marketing experts to help them develop and maintain a strong brand message realizing that the media and technology is only a tool — a tool to help them get their important message out.
My friend, Chris Cree, makes a brilliant point addressing the ever-popular comment, “I just don’t have time for all this Internet, Social Media stuff!”
Thanks, Chris…I couldn’t have said it better myself.
By nature entrepreneurs are a resourceful bunch. If they see a need, they fill it. If they see a problem, they try to solve it. Generally, it’s a good thing. Where it becomes problematic is with marketing their business. With few exceptions it can be an ineffective use of time and money. In some cases, it can be fatal.
Case in point — a business-owner doctor once hired us to help and then sat me down for about an hour telling me how clever he was at marketing. It was like someone showing me ugly pictures of their baby and bragging how cute he is. The doctor is now out of business. I did what I could to help, but it was a case of “too little, too late.” He had blown so much money on his own unprofessional efforts, we couldn’t recoup from the damage. So, if your business is more sophisticated than a lemonade stand, it would be wise to get help.
How do you find it? One thing I suggest when seeking any kind of help is to 1) listen to what their clients say and 2) see how well that marketing expert markets themselves. So, check out their website, read their client testimonies, and see what kind of G-Cred they have. That will give you a good perspective on whether they are worthy to be hired.
“G-Cred“, a term coined by John Follis in ’05, has become part of the Web 2.0 vocabulary. What exactly is it, and why must every product, service, professional person and business have it? Listen to the interview and read the ADWEEK article.
