Vulnerable Marketing Outline

by John R. SedivycloseAuthor: John R. Sedivy Name: John R. Sedivy
Email: john@capecodbranding.com
Site: http://www.capecodbranding.com
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Introduction
Roughly a month ago I had announced that we will be writing a book called Vulnerable Marketing. Since that time I had been kicking around ideas with Amy and mainly pondering what form this book would take. Mainly I wanted to hit upon the main aspects that we have each found to be of success for our businesses and in particular this blog which I have placed in outline form. Today I will discuss the outline of the book and give a brief description of each chapter. Of course this is very preliminary and over the next year information is subject to change as writing progresses. I have found that as I proceed with an idea  I encounter new ones along the way based on new experiences, education, etc. that often shape the final form of a product. Best to modify an original idea with the potential for substantial improvement than obligate yourself to a dated idea for the sake of obligation.

Outline
It is envisioned that Vulnerable Marketing will contain thirteen chapters as follows:

1. Dare To Be Vulnerable
2. Be Authentic & Sincere
3. Get To Know Your Customer
4. Align Perception To Reality
5. Simplify Your Brand
6. Strive for Consistency & Exclusivity
7. Manage Your Relationships
8. Persistently Drive Your Passion
9. Embrace The Entrepreneurial Culture
10. Immerse Yourself In Customer Communities
11. Create Beauty
12. Think Systematically
13. Next Steps

It is purposeful that each chapter is action oriented; each chapter is outlined in verb-noun format, prompting the reader to accomplish some action. This is using a content to action approach where the content of the book, either in part or in total, is intended to add value while driving the reader to action. I will provide a brief overview of the form each chapter is expected to take.

Dare To Be Vulnerable
“Dare to be vulnerable.” These were one of the first words spoken to me by faculty adviser Cris Howard at my inaugural session at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. They were also the last words spoken by her at our graduation ceremony in Baltimore, Maryland. These words and the underlying concept changed my life in unsuspecting ways. I will share with you why this concept was important to shaping who I am in recent years, why it continues to be of great importance to me, and why it should be important to you. Vulnerability is not without risk and pain, but both are worthwhile in the end.

Be Authentic & Sincere
One of the most important concepts I had discovered while writing CCBbuzz was the importance of being authentic and sincere. Individuals – especially when they comprise an audience – are interested in transparency, of which authenticity and sincerity are foundational. People are not interested in fluff or false claims – the world is full of that already. Many individuals (including myself) are jaded by glossy marketing without a solid product or service to back it up. It is the rare individual or organization who is truly authentic and sincere, and this shines through while serving as a true differentiator.

Get To Know Your Customer
Relationships serve as the foundation for all human interaction. If your relationship is positive with a person they will enjoy socializing with you and generally go out of their way to do so more often. If people like you they will want to be in your company. On the other hand, if you are difficult they will go out of their way to avoid you and will not want to be in your presence. The same holds true for business – the more an individual likes you and the easier you are to be around, the more they will do business with you. This chapter will focus on getting to know your customer through relationships and employ some resources used for this blog such as Cofebuz which focuses on relationships and The Buyer Persona Blog which focuses on buyer personas.

Align Perception To Reality
Whether you are a an individual or business, managing perception of your brand is key. This chapter will use my original article titled “Perception Vs. Reality” as the foundation to discuss this concept and why managing your brand perception should be instrumental to your overall strategy. Facts are important, however the perception that others have of you and/or your business is of equal importance. Guidance will be provided on how to simultaneously manage the perception of you as an individual or business so it is aligned with your sincere and authentic reality.

Simplify Your Brand
Somewhere along the way our society picked up the idea that more is better, that complexity equals value. I have found the opposite to be true – less is more. One should strive to simplify their brand. Simplification allows for your brand to be approachable which in turn makes others relate to you and feel comfortable in interacting with your brand. Less is more – great companies such as Apple not only know this but embody this concept.

Strive for Consistency & Exclusivity
This chapter will be based upon my original article titled “Consistency And Exclusivity”. Consistency is one of the most difficult attributes to achieve – especially for human beings. Doing something once may be great, a second time even more so, but to consistently perform the same task in the same manner without missing a beat is truly remarkable. Of course perfection is impossible, however if one strives for perfection they may at least achieve excellence.

Exclusivity is also an important trait worth considering. To try to please everyone is to please no one. Your brand should be exclusive in that it caters to few, thereby maintaining focus and avoiding dilution. Exclusivity makes your brand something to be desired, something to be attained and therefore cherished.

Manage Your Relationships
This chapter will expand upon the initial chapter on relationships discussed earlier. While authoring CCBbuzz I had come across information that suggested that having many “weak” relationships was more beneficial than have very few “strong” relationships. This concept transformed my approach to social media as well as relationships in general. My approach has morphed into a melding of the two – maintaining a few very close confidants while casting the net wide to gain many more relationships. I will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this approach while delving deeper into the concepts of weak vs. strong links. At first glance this may appear counter to the concept to be discussed in the previous chapter but I assure you it is not. The differences will be clear upon completion of the book.

Persistently Drive Your Passion
Former business school classmate Gene Theus once commented that “passion and persistence” are necessary ingredients to succeed in business, especially an entrepreneurial environment. I could not agree more. If you find your passion you will never work another day in your life. Persistently pursue this passion regardless of naysayers (there will be many) as one consistently beats a drum.

Embrace The Entrepreneurial Culture
Entrepreneurs are part of a rare breed which form a culture unique to this breed. Entrepreneurs “never say die” and are obscenely optimistic – regardless of how gloomy the outlook. Entrepreneurs are also very vulnerable individuals, many have amassed and lost their fortune and livelihood many times. Whether you are an individual, small business, or large business there is something to be learned from entrepreneurs and embracing the entrepreneurial culture is worthwhile and advantageous.

Immerse Yourself In Customer Communities
When originally considering this chapter I had social media in mind, however I would like to make it more timeless, to be relevant even when the usefulness of social media expires – which eventually will happen. Social media will be used as an example, as it is the most relevant at this moment in time, however the concept can be readily applied to physical as well as virtual communities. One should strive to join a handful of communities – I recommend a maximum of three, and fully immerse yourself in those communities. Facebook tends to be my favorite, so I plan to use that as an example on how to accomplish this.

Create Beauty
People love beautiful things and will go out their way to interact with them. People are more receptive to beautiful people, work hard to drive beautiful vehicles, and strive to build a beautiful home in a beautiful environment. So why do most forget this concept when creating something of their own to share with others? Design matters and in turn helps answer “A Simple Yet Profound Question”. Leading brands such as Apple and BMW get this, and so should you.

Think Systematically
A discussion on systems thinking may seem strangely out of place in a marketing book, however it is important in the overall concept of Vulnerable Marketing. Completing tasks in a systematic, repeatable process allows one to free their mind to concentrate on creating unique value for themselves and customers. Think about the fun stuff that you enjoy, mindlessly and efficiently accomplish the mundane as fast and repeatable as possible.

Next Steps
The final chapter is really a placeholder of sorts. It is envisioned that upon completing the book I will outline a series of content to action steps that are recommended to put the Vulnerable Marketing philosophy into place. It will be the culmination of all concepts outlined within the book and will essentially be the nice bow that wraps the gift all together.

As work continues on each chapter I will post the material to this blog which will be open for comments.  I plan to use the comments as a means of improving the book and the results of which will be implemented in Vulnerable Marketing. Feel free to offer suggestions via this comment forum for this outline as well – I would appreciate any suggestions and feedback. In closing, I will leave you with another quote from Claudyne Wilder’s “The Presentations Kit” which I deem relevant to this discussion:

You can do whatever you wish to do if you are capable of sustaining concentration and take the time necessary to practice what you are learning. – Jack Valenti

-John R. Sedivy of Cape Cod Branding

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