I hear from business owners today that advertising and marketing just don’t work the way they used to. Why? Primarily because everyone is saying the same thing. Print, broadcast, Internet and even event marketing and new social media outlets are filled with the same old promises. Most focus on selling product benefits or pushing service solutions. Few marketing initiatives relate directly to the “problems” that customers are having.
I was recently a guest on Jim Blasingame’s radio show, “The Small Business Advocate” to discuss how non-traditional marketing combats these problems. You can listen online to our discussion of how to implement these methods in your business here.
I am also holding a half day seminar in association with Dale Carnegie training, entitled “Beyond Traditional Marketing” on June 4th. Every participant will leave with a marketing plan for their own business, so I encourage you to attend if you are interested in learning more about these techniques. You can find out more about this workshop here.
The success of Barack Obama in winning the presidency on November 4, 2008 owes much to his message like the promise to pass Democratic policies by rallying a “coalition for change.” But watching Obamamania take hold during his campaigning it became rather apparent that something more subtle was at work. It was not so much the message or the man or how his speeches swayed voters but rather the way the campaign unfolded with a compelling brand and a smooth, systemic viral marketing effort. All this was reinforced with a coherent, comprehensive program of fonts, logos, slogans, web design and strategically placed advertisements and announcements. Obama was the first presidential candidate to be marketed like a high-end consumer brand.