Are You Remarkable?
by John R. Sedivy
Are you remarkable? It’s a simple question really and boils down to one thing – is there something about you, your product, or service that is worth commenting on? Either good or bad – will people talk about you? Or will you fade into a sea of mediocrity?
Are you remarkable? I was forced to ponder this question while reading Seth Godin’s Purple Cow. Purple Cow is a classic marketing book which made the term purple cow synonymous with being remarkable. It is an equally classic tale – the author and his family are driving through the European countryside and are at first amazed by the sight of cows grazing the pastures. However, over time the appearance of the cows became commonplace – a commodity really. And the inevitable question arose – wouldn’t it be remarkable to see a purple cow? That would be something to talk about!
Being Remarkable
When running your business or living your life you should consider the concept of the purple cow. In society there is sometimes a tendency to not want to be talked about. People talk, so it reasons that you should not give them anything to talk about. Stay within the lines and it will give them less to talk about. This is the safe path and will likely keep you away from trouble or even failure.
In avoiding failure you will also avoid phenomenal success. Average is a commodity, a purple cow is remarkable. The commodity does things the way they have always been done mainly because they have always been done that way – it’s the safe path, or so it seems. The purple cow challenges convention and strives to be different and therefore is worthy of remark. The purple cow flies in the face of this always.
Practicing What You Preach
One of the many aspects that I admire about Seth Godin is that he leads by example. Business and marketing books are supposed to be dry and serious – not Seth Godin – his work is colorful and witty! Nearly all books come in the same shape and size. His books are smaller, shorter, and interestingly enough – packed with more value. Purple Cow even came packaged in a milk carton. Talk about a purple cow!
Purple Cow is congruent in that it instructs on how to be remarkable and at the same time is remarkable in and of itself.
A Time For Introspection
Look deep within yourself and consider the following questions:
1. Are you remarkable?
2. Are people talking about you? If not, why not?
3. How can you as an individual or business become a purple cow, and therefore worthy of discussion?
Put another way, one of my favorite books Do You Matter places a simple test for determining this. If you or your company ceased to exist tomorrow would anyone care? If so, why? If not, why not? Really makes you think.
Are you remarkable?
-John R. Sedivy of Cape Cod Branding
Mention On Tuned In Blog
by John R. Sedivy
One of the most exciting parts about writing a blog is when others reference your work on their respective sites.
This past Sunday I noticed that I was referenced on the Get Tuned In blog for an article I had written about the book “Tuned In”. Snippets of what I had written about the book appeared on that website which promotes that book. That blog portion has since been retired (as of 4.9.09) however it still remains for historical reference. However, the book promotional activity still continues.
This was exciting for me not only in that it was another reference to our website by a credible source, but also it was the first review I had written that was used to endorse a product (at least that I’m aware of).
Something else worth noting. Good things take time – even with the speed of the Internet. The first visitor that we had received from the Get Tuned In blog was this past Sunday – October 25, 2009. I had written the article about “Tuned In” on May 9, 2009. While not an eternity, it did take some time – roughly 5 months. So be patient.
Visit the Get Tuned In Book Reviews page to see a portion of my review among others. For my original review in it’s entirety refer to my past article “Resonating With Your Customers”.
-John R. Sedivy of Cape Cod Branding
Three Pronged Marketing
by John R. Sedivy
There has been much talk about inbound and outbound marketing, old (traditional) and new (permission) marketing. Which is best? Which should you use? I will set out to answer these questions in this article.
Something interesting happened this past week which has further solidified my opinion on this matter. We had written in the past about how Amy had launched her wedding cake design business asa boston and has been working hard at building momentum. I have been working with Amy on this business, more as a business advisor (I am not one for baking or culinary design, although I appreciate both).
Now on to the interesting part. An acquaintance in our community mentioned that they had found a print advertisement for asa boston in The Knot Boston magazine. At first he did not realize that it was Amy’s ad. He had reviewed the ad and then went to the website and then it hit him – it was the same Amy that he knew from Cape Cod! Prior to seeing the ad and reviewing the website he and his wife did not realize Amy owned and operated the wedding cake design business.
Old or New?
So back to our original question – which is better – old or new marketing? Neither. You should use both – a combination of the two approaches. There are elements of both old and new which when combined can create an optimum marketing approach.
Elements of old and new marketing can effectively blend and correlate (in other words create meaningful associations) various aspects within the individual’s mind. Consider the opening example. The individual saw the ad in a magazine which prompted a visit to the website, which led to a conversation with his wife, which ultimately led to Amy being directly contacted. If either the outbound marketing (the print ad) or inbound (website) would have been missing the end result may not have occurred.
The Three Pronged Marketing Approach
This experience reminded me of the Cape Cod Branding Marketing Plan that I originally presented for my final project in business school. The basic approach is summarized in the diagram below.
As shown there are three sources of anticipated revenue from marketing – print media, electronic media, and word of mouth. Print media includes magazines and other print advertising relevant to your industry. Electronic media is meant to encompass electronic advertising accomplished on the Internet such as social media, search engines, and electronic marketplaces. Finally word of mouth reflects an individual who uses your product or service, had a great experience, and passes it along to their friends.
It is my opinion that word of mouth is the most powerful. Personally I hold recommendations from friends and other like-minded individuals in very high regard. This is one reason why I view electronic media as the second most powerful prong of this approach. In many instances, such as the use of social media, electronic media is a tool to pass along word of mouth but at a much faster rate. Add to the fact that electronic media requires very little investment in terms of money or time (for either advertiser or potential buyer) when compared to print media and you have one powerful medium. The ever increasing use of electronic media is one reason why viral marketing is receiving increasing attention in recent years.
The value of print media is where my opinion drifts from others. I have been noticing an increasing trend of a general devaluing of print media, and some would argue that it no longer has value. I am not arguing that print media has not dropped in overall value, my opinion is that it has simply dropped due to the emerging popularity of electronic media. Print media is not being replaced by electronic media, it must now share the space with electronic media.
Marketing Harmony
With the Three Pronged Marketing approach each prong augments one another and provides a reinforced, complete picture through correlated information. Returning to the asa boston example, the individual randomly located Amy’s advertisement within The Knot, which prompted a visit to the website, which led to discussions with his wife and Amy being contacted.
If one of these elements were missing, the message may not have been correlated and therefore the end result may have been missed. Since each element was present, they all worked together to form a picture to the potential buyer. This is the main benefit of the Three Pronged Marketing approach.
In closing I will say that there is no single recipe for success here. The right amount of marketing in each instance will vary from individual to individual and from business to business. If money were no object I would attack all three (print, electronic, and word of mouth) at once, equally. This would provide for maximum exposure.
However, as is the case with many entrepreneurs and small business owners, money is an object, especially when first starting out. In this instance my recommendation is to focus on word of mouth, place products in the right individual’s hands and once they are satisfied customers, they will evangelize (advertise) for you. In parallel I recommend electronic media – you can begin here with no money whatsoever, and it can be an effective way to get the word out. Finally, as funding becomes available, allocate money to print advertising.
Old vs. new marketing is not an either/or question, but rather how to best combine elements of each based on your unique situation and needs!
-John R. Sedivy of Cape Cod Branding
