Several of the TopRank Online Marketing team attended a Social Media Breakfast last Friday, along with about 150 local business leaders, code warriors, internet marketers, agency peeps and social media enthusiasts, to hear a presentation by David Meerman Scott, author of “The New Rules of Marketing & PR”. TopRank CEO Lee Odden posted a short write up and video interview with Scott as well.
David started his presentation with an impromptu survey, asking the audience to respond with a show of hands to questions like:
- How many of you have been to a tradeshow as a participant, not an exhibitor, in the last year? (very few people in the room raised their hands)
- How many of you have responded to a Direct Marketing piece in the last year? (very few people in the room raised their hands)
- How many of you have seen an advertisement, either magazine or TV, and made a call or purchase based on the advertisement? (again, very few show of hands in an overly packed room)
- Now, how many of you have done a search on Google to find answers or information about a product? (almost everyone in the room raised their hands to answer this question)
- How many of you have reached out to your network for answers, either by using Facebook, LinkedIn, or other online venues? (about 95% of the room raised their hands)
From traveling around the world and talking to professionals in multiple industries, David gets the same response rate to these same questions. Only 20% of the room responds to the first three questions, while 95% respond to the last two questions, yet companies continue to market via the first three channels (ie: trade shows, direct marketing, and advertising).
The idea of a World Wide Rave, as David presents, is that others will tell your story and share your ideas for you. An example of a brand that is leveraging a creative concept that others have been able to share is the Cadbury Dairy Milk campaign. Cadbury created the Gorilla Drummer video for YouTube, which has seen over 3 Million views to-date. Others have taken this content and made it apart of their own campaign, sharing the Cadbury logo strategically placed at the end of the video.
David shared a quote with the group: To be successful online, “You must unlearn what you have learned.” -Yoda
The old rules of Marketing and PR:
- Buy your way in with advertising
- Beg your way in with PR
The new rule of Marketing and PR:
- Publish your way in directly
You have to stop thinking like a marketer, an advertiser and a communicator and start thinking like a publisher. Create information your consumers want, and they will share it, this is the idea behind creating the World Wide Rave content. “On the web, you are what you publish.”
The rules of the World Wide Rave:
1. Nobody cares about your products (except you)
There are so many overused words in marketing collateral today. These ‘gobbledygook’ words are used so often that they no longer have meaning. You have to stop creating your own language and use the language your customers are using.
David shared the top ten overused words from a recent study:
- Next generation
- Robust
- Flexible
- World class
- Easy to use
- Scalable
- Cutting edge
- Well positioned
- Market leading
- Mission critical
2. No coercion required
Viral marketing is getting a bad name. Don’t get sucked into the gimmicks (ie: Ad banners stating: You have won $1,000). Because of misleading advertisements, the back button is the 3rd most clicked button online.
3. Lose control (let your customers have control of your content)
Remove the gate and let people have your content without requiring their contact information, and in return people will share your content.
4. Put down roots
Treat bloggers just like mainstream media. Create a connection to share your story.
5. Create triggers that encourage people to share
As an example, Trip Advisor spent two days creating the ‘Cities I Visited’ application for Facebook. More than 5 Million people use this branded application to share with others the cities they have visited.
6. Point the world to your virtual doorstep
David gave an example of how Stride has leveraged a very simple concept by sponsoring: Where the Hell is Matt? A video created for YouTube, viewed by more than 11 Million people around the world. The campaign received national media coverage and continues to drive visitors to the Stride website.
David wrapped up the presentation stating that sincerity is something that is impossible to fake and hard to come by, but something people respond to. When you develop marketing campaigns, how sincere is your message?
The idea behind the World Wide Rave is to reach buyers directly online. What do you have to lose?
What creative content have you developed in your digital marketing campaigns that has encouraged people to share and interact around your brand?
