We hear a lot of buzz about innovation. Everyone is trying to create the next iPod.
But sometimes, the most powerful way to reward current customers and gain new one is not by inventing something new…but instead, by removing an irritant.
Amazon announced on their home page yesterday (I think) that they’re waging war on Wrap Rage. This is the frustration people experience when they try to open something they’ve bought that has been sealed as though it contained the key to Fort Knox.
In a letter from Jeff Bezos, the company announces it’s multi-year initiative to create Frustration Free Packaging from Amazon. (Read the announcement here. Click on it once to enlarge enough to actually read.)
They go on to announce that they’ve partnered with Fisher-Price to unveil this initiative with the first results of their efforts.
Bloody brilliant.
In addition to waging war on Wrap Rage (who knew it had a name?), they’ve also created a place where customers can upload videos or photos of their own wrap frustrations.
Two big takeaways for all of us:
Sometimes the most innovative thing you can do is eliminate something that’s a barrier or problem.
When you create an easier, better, faster way — shout it to the world.
What is the biggest frustration your customers experience? If you don’t know — ask them. If you do know, why not remove it?
And they want to give YOU two free hours of coaching. No matter where in the world you live or work.
I can (and do) personally vouch for the quality and confidentiality you’ll receive because I’ve worked with them for years. They push, pull and cajole me into seeing myself and my business from a much more objective perspective.
Congratulate them on their name change to E-Myth Benchmark.
Ask to schedule your two free hours of coaching.
I’m not kidding….you’ll be elated at the results. They promise no hard sell and you are under no obligation to go beyond your two free hours.
By the way…they did not ask me to write about this or mention it to you. (They don’t even know I am.) I’m doing it because I know you’ll enjoy and value the experience.
I’m in LA for a conference. So naturally, I went to Disneyland over the weekend.
I was waiting for the parade to start and I was standing next to a couple in their mid-50’s, Bill and Ellen. (It’s amazing what you learn when you evesdrop a little!) It was Bill’s birthday and he was wearing a button (provided by Disney) that announced the fact.
I had positioned myself along the parade route in one of the spots where the floats stop and do little mini shows. Once the parade started, I witnessed an amazing thing.
If you’ve ever been to a Disney parade, you know that the cast members go out of their way to interact with the street crowd, especially the kids. They wave, point, smile, etc. It’s a rare person in the parade crowd that does not feel acknowledged.
The first float in the parade was carrying the Peter Pan crowd. Peter was "driving" and he noticed Bill’s button – waved and mouthed…"happy birthday." I thought…wow, impressive.
By the time the parade was done, Bill had been wished a happy birthday by at least 10 parade entertainers. Whether they were a dancer in the Lion King, Peter Pan himself, Belle, or one of the dwarves…Bill had to feel as though the parade was in reality a birthday celebration for him.
Do you suppose that happened by accident? Hardly. Those cast members were trained to look for those buttons and make the wearer feel special. That’s one of the details that brings the Disney brand to life.
How about your brand? What are your employees trained to look for? It doesn’t have to be a physical sign, like a button. Maybe it’s a customer who seems frustrated. Or a change in an ordering pattern. Or perhaps they express a concern repeatedly.
The point is….what have you trained them to watch for? And how have you trained them to react to that?
I walked into a client’s boardroom to make a presentation. The room looked like many other boardrooms, but there was one thing that immediately caught my eye.
They had party mints on the table.
I’m not telling you the industry, location, brand or any other detail about this client. But…close your eyes and imagine what kind of a business would consciously choose to put out party mints.
Party mints are not good or bad. But they are a cultural clue.
We leave cultural clues everywhere we go. Think about your office décor. Your office location. Or a typical meeting. Or your voicemail/e-mail signature. All places that cultural clues hide. Or can be purposefully hidden.
At MMG on our conference room table, you’ll find freshly baked M&M cookies, with MMG logo colored M&Ms. No accident.
What clues would I see if I came to do business with you? Are they accidental or is it part of your brand plan?
Each year, Dan Schawbel’s organization recognizes some of the standout brands with Personal Brand Awards. Last year, Rohit Bhargava won the gold award, and this year Jeremiah Owyang was presented the 2008 gold award. An esteemed panel of judges made the selection and people were graded based on a few factors, such as value proposition, differentiation, and marketability.
I’m humbled to tell you that I was one of the 6 people honored with recognition. It’s quite an honor and even more so, when you see the other recipients. I’d like to take a minute and introduce you to each of the honorees (well, except me…you know me!)
Jeremiah is probably one of the most trusted and sought after experts in the social media space. As a researcher for Forrester following media trends is his day job. He’s very generous with his time and knowledge and the judges wisely selected him unanimously.
Daniel is certainly a go-to-guy for blogging, people trust him and he constantly rewards his community. He offers up tips and strategies on blogging and currently holds the #29 spot in terms of popular blogs (according to Technorati).
Laura’s focus is on social media consulting, specifically "microsharing" which is all about harnessing the power of tools like Twitter, Pownce, Plurk and Jaiku. She’s often quoted on and offline about where the world of social media is headed.
Jim’s thing is all things affiliate marketing, social media and internet marketing each and every day. He communicates his brand through both video and written entries and is a common face at industry events.
Wendy introduced herself to us as eMoms at Home which has now evolved into SparkPlugCEO. Wendy’s message is about the power and possibilities of working for yourself and from home. Her personal story inspires many to take the leap.
Drew’s Note:As I try to do every Friday, I’m pleased to bring you a guest post. Meet another thought leader who shares her insights via the blogosphere. So without further ado…Isobella Jade. Again. Enjoy!
Podcasting isn’t just for those with pursuits to be the next Howard Stern; podcasting is also a marketing tool for your business. Even if that business is yourself.
The question is: Are you getting all that you can out of your podcast?
Podcasting is a tech savvy way to speak to your customers and build awareness of your brand and self. But, is anyone listening to your podcast? Having a podcast isn’t enough; you need to market it the right ways. Here are some tips on how to get more out of your podcast by cross market on the web to build awareness and maybe even make a couple bucks too.
Podcast for Credibility. Podcasting isn’t just a trendy ‘add on’ for your blog or website, it is a serious way to gain credibility for your business. Whether you are talking for fifteen minutes a week about marketing trends, or speaking about the latest in the beauty world for an hour each day, speaking on a podcast is to build an archive of your own expertise and get credit for it within an audio format. Having a podcast can be leverage for other speaking engagements, entrance to events, and of course to promote your own services, company or product. Whether your business is one person or a huge corporation, podcasting makes you, and your image, showcased as an expert on what you know and what you can offer.
Let Search Engines do the Work for you. Be discovered. Many of my podcast downloads come from new listeners. People who are searching on Google and find me. With this in mind, be marketing conscious when titling your podcast segments. Name each show topic something that has to do with the interest of your potential listeners. Ask yourself what do your listeners Google? Your goal is to get your podcast to appear when they are searching on the web. My podcast is about modeling, so I try to base my shows on topics that would interest an aspiring model or those in the entertainment business, such as "How to Get a Modeling Agency No Matter Your Height." Or " How to Find a Quality Photographer for Free." You want your show title to be Google effective and show up when people are searching for terms that relate.
Be Even More Friendly with Google. Better Google ratings can mean more listeners and more downloads. If your show is about "green living" then research on Google what appears when "green living" related search words appear, try "green beauty", "green fashion" and " green condoms" and see what comes up. It will help you shape the content that you share on your podcast so that your listeners will find you. Choose the guests that you interview more carefully, if you know what people are researching on the web then interview people about topics that would appeal to your potential audience’s interests. Include your guests name in the segment title with the topic subject. Just watch, in a matter of seconds, when your guest is Googled your podcast will be found too.
Marketing today is Business Tomorrow. Podcasting is not just for the now; it is for the later too. Your podcast feed will be carried over the internet, so remember it isn’t just about the listeners you have live, it is also about getting listeners after your show too. To get more downloads why not try to get your podcast placed on other blogs, websites, and social sites that related to the topic of your podcast as well. When their blog gets a download or hit, so does your podcast.
Cross Market and Build Your Brand.Myspace, and Facebook, Twitter might seem like a teenager’s hobby but it isn’t. It is business. Place your current podcast feeds on a social site, and before upcoming shows send an invite out, this will lead listeners to your website, to your blogs and to your product and back again. I let my books, my blogs, my podcast, video blogs, and my t-shirts all connect and mesh together on the web. Each social media tool crosses and entwines into the next.
Get your own buzz. When I was featured in the New York Times my podcast received over 10,000 downloads that week. The idea is to keep your downloads as high as possible so that you can make some ad revenue. Sometimes that can mean cross marketing and even getting press on your radio show. The topic of your show could be included in a newspaper story based on that topic. Think inventively and think about promoting your podcast in all areas,-print-web- even on other podcasts. You could be a guest on someone else’s radio show talking about what you know and your own podcast. It is best to write a press release about your podcast to pitch. Then you should start researching reporters and editors who write about the topics involved on your podcast segments. Whether your podcast is about cooking, pregnancy, sexy lingerie news, or eco-friendly fashion, there is a reporter, editor, blogger, or another person podcasting out there, who might want to include you within their next project too.
Make some extra cash while you’re at it. Once you have an audience, and get a decent amount of downloads per week and month. Use the amount of downloads your podcast receives as an Advertising incentive. You can approach brands, and companies that relate to the topic of your podcast, who might want to expand their marketing to radio. If you are planning to get your own advertisers, set it up with a manageable system, such as $40 per 1000 downloads.
See, without leaving your computer, you can market your podcast and build your brand.
Isobella Jade has one of the top shows on Blogtalkradio.com and speaks weekly about the modeling business. Ms. Jade is an author of Almost 5’4" due from an imprint of HarperCollins, The Friday Project in April 2009. Isobella produces and hosts beauty video tips on AOL‘s Stylelist.com. She can be found on over 30 pages of Google, or at her website: www.isobelladreams.com
Every Friday is "grab the mic" day. Want to grab the mic and be a guest blogger on Drew’s Marketing Minute? Shoot me an e-mail.
And the envelope says…..hopefully your direct mail envelopes are saying, "Open me!" Many marketers put a great deal of time and effort into what’s inside the envelope but completely miss the opportunity to grab the recipient’s attention long before the package gets opened. Here are some simple strategies for making the most of the envelope.
And these tips work, whether you are a business to business mailer or you’re mailing to individuals at home. The trick is to catch their interest as they stand over the waste basket, decided what to even open.
Teaser copy. Entice them to open the envelope. Say something that will leave them wondering.
Make it personal. It goes without saying that with today’s technology a personalized message is not only possible, it’s also highly effective.
Don’t fake it. We’ve all gotten those "official" looking envelopes that were not from the government, an overnight letter or a telegram. Unless it plays into your creative execution, don’t annoy your audience by being deceiving.
Hit the flip side. Don’t forget about the back of the envelope. That’s one of the most visible spots on the envelope and often the most underused.
Don’t take a chance that your mail piece will get tossed without at least having one shot at delivering your message. Make every element, including the outer envelope, work for you.
Image by andrewodom via Take 237 generous authors. Cull them from 15 different countries. Add in 8 topics of discussion and what do you get? Hopefully, $15,000. But for sure, you get…
Age of Conversation 2. Why don’t they get it?
After a very long process, the hardback, paperback and e-book versions of Age of Conversation 2 are on sale, starting today.
As many of you will recall, Gavin Heaton and I got a wild hair in the spring of 2007 and solicited 103 authors to help us create the first book, Age of Conversation.
With that book, we were able to raise over $14,000 for Variety, the Children’s Charity. Surely, with twice as many authors, we can top the $15,000 mark. I’m hoping for $20,000 – truth be told.
Each author contributed a single page chapter and wrestled with topics like:
Manifestos
Keeping Secrets in the Age of Conversation
Moving from Conversation to Action?
The Accidental Marketer
A New Brand of Creative
My Marketing Tragedy
Business Model Evolution
Life in the Conversation Lane
Put it all together and you have insights from social media pros, traditional agency veterans, authors, ministers, directors of marcom, artists, PR experts, non-profit directors and many others in between.
The book will make you think, shake your head and on occasion, laugh. It will also mean that you helped us raise money for a very worthy charity that cares for the world’s children.
As my friend (and one of the authors) John Rosen succinctly said…Buy this book. Period.
Image via WikipediaI don’t know about you but sometimes it can be a little overwhelming. Okay…that’s a lie. It can be incredibly overwhelming.
We’re all juggling as fast as we can and no matter how many balls we have in the air, there’s always another one being tossed into the rotation.
There’s a new project (or three) at work, a new book to read, 5,000 new blog posts in your RSS feed reader, six fresh social media tools to explore and 200+ e-mails. Daily.
That doesn’t even take into account your family, friends and just carving out some down time. Have a hobby? Like to travel? Well, sleep’s optional, right?
Never before in my career have I seen a more turbulent time. Turbulent is not necessarily a bad thing. There’s just so much swirling around us, our customers and the work we do. And it’s exciting. Intoxicating. And important to continuing to be relevant in our jobs.
So…how do you juggle it all? How do you stay sane AND productive?
Here’s my plan. Help me spread the word that we’re looking for Sanity/Productivity tips. Once we get a good collection here, I’ll create an free e-book that we can offer to others suffering from the same manic juggling that we are.
Come on…share a tip, idea or solution that works for you.
There are many stress filled days on the job. But for many people, their first day at the new gig ranks right up there. Why not take the opportunity to really seed your company’s brand with the new employee from day one?
Sure, they need to fill out the paperwork and do all the normal HR stuff. But that doesn’t mean you can’t communicate your brand loud and clear, above the din of payroll forms!
At McLellan Marketing Group, we’ve created an entire system for welcoming a new employee. But my favorite part of the process is that every new employee receives a copy of Steve Farber’s book Radical Leap – with a personal note from me inside.
The book is about Extreme Leadership – a leadership fable that celebrates love, energy and being audacious in the workplace. It is about how we try to live at MMG.
I can’t think of a better way to accent that first day and to communicate – this is a different sort of place. We’re glad you’re going to be a part of it.
How about you? What on boarding ritual could you weave into your new employee’s experience? What message would you want to send?
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