360DigitalInfluence

Yesterday I was given the opportunity to see Seth Godin speak at the  University of Maryland Marketing Forum 2007.   The Forum was geared towards grad students, but alumni and outside companies were invited as well.   Seth Godin is a well known name in the marketing industry and especially well known in the “new age” social media market. If you think that his books have interesting titles (e.g. The Purple Cow or All Marketers are Liars), you should hear him speak.  

Before the presentation, I was able to meet a few Maryland MBA students and learn a little about what they were doing at the University of Maryland and where they wanted to go from here.   One student, Chirag, president of the MBA Consulting Association (and the one who spearheaded the Marketing Forum), comes from the West Coast and hopes to become a venture capitalist when he graduates in May. But how many of those students planned on marketing their future product or service to just one person - how could that be profitable? After Seth’s presentation on Friday, I think a few more students are thinking outside of the box.  

If I had to take one thing, and one thing only, away from Seth’s presentation, it would be to “make it remarkable”. The premise being that if it is not remarkable, no one is going to have anything to remark about.  To pull the idea from Godin’s Purple Cow, a cow is just a cow unless its purple. Then it is remarkable, because who has seen a purple cow? It is not “new” or “improved”, it’s just remarkable - something to talk about.  

Here are a few other insights from the presentation, all VERY relevant to Digital Influence strategy:  

- There has be be  a problem that needs to be  solved if we want people to “see” what we are marketing, if the consumer does not recognize a problem, he/she will not realize the need for a solution and therefore you will be invisible.

-Don’t be a hunter, don’t try to catch the consumer like he or she is your prey. Harvest and grow your customer. Each consumer needs a certain  amount of nourishment  in order to  become a loyal customer.  Identify what your customer needs and market to that, don’t try and fit the customer’s needs to what you are marketing.
(FYI: Seth says we need to find another word for “target”, since that is a hunting term. Any ideas?)

-You are only a commodity if you want to be.  You have to feel the same way about your product or service  that you want  your customer to feel. If you want your customer to feel like they cannot go  another day without your new multi-vitamin, then you have to feel the same way.    

-Remove yourself from the age of “TV Thinking”, where power and money are used to interrupt the consumer life and force attention on the product or service. With today’s shift in power, the consumer has the choice whether or not they want to allow you to interrupt their lives - and unless you have something that is remarkable to them, you are more than likely going to get the door slammed in your face. So,  

-Instead of trying to sell to the masses, focus on one person, identify their problem and then aim to solve it. Once that individual’s problem is solved, they will want to share with their community (e.g. DI’s Circle of Influence) and a natural marketing phenomenon will occur.  

-This practice is often most successful when  the conversation is started with the innovators and early adopters. These are the consumers that are a little more open-minded and willing to try new things.   Once they have “tested” the product or service, these are the guys that will get the mass market on the band wagon.  

-Don’t force word of mouth.  Use loyal customers, those truly interested and passionate about the product or service to spread the word. Let your customers talk because they want to talk, let the buzz happen naturally.  

-The last key point is to iterate the importance that not every consumer out there is the one to market to. We need to feel out the market  and  ”date” our prospects. We should only be committing to long term relationships with those consumers who are interested in our products or services and are the “right fit”.  

These are just a few of the powerful ideas that Seth covered in the hour and a half he had at the forum. I know I am not doing him justice. So the best advice I have for you is to read his books, and go see him speak (maybe we can even get him to Ogilvy PR, I would love for the rest of Digital Influence team to experience this first hand).

I know I am  looking forward to reading Seth’s new book, “small is the new big”, I am sure that it will provide insight into the realm of social media. Sooner rather than later, because soon it’s going to get crowded!