Motivation Monday: Perspective

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Yay! It’s Monday, one of the most hated and dreaded days of the week.  Why?  For many, it is the start of the work week or school week.  It means it is the end of the weekend and any fun, rest or relaxation you may have been enjoying.  I threw school into the mix because I hated Mondays when I was in school.  In college, I tried to avoid taking Monday classes and I once had an entire semester with classes only on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  However, it also meant I had to work a full day on Mondays at my job.

I don’t hate Mondays anymore.  Not because I work for myself and love what I do (I do), but because I have a different perspective of what Monday means to me.  Mondays mean a new beginning.  It is a second chance to make up for a previous week.  Another go ‘round of trying to have the best week possible.  Mondays are an entirely clean slate, for me to start over from.  The weekend is great to recharge and “get my mind right,” to start the new week off with a bang.  A great Monday helps to set the tone for a great week.  If by Wednesday, I am feeling a bit frustrated with myself, I tend to look forward to the upcoming Monday to start over again.  Monday is like my do-over for life and business.

Another way to look at it, technically Monday is the second day of the week, with Sunday being the first.  You are already on your way towards Friday, by the time you start on Monday.  It’s all about perspective.

If You Build It, They Will Come…Nope, Not Really.

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If you build it (website, mobile app, web app, etc.), they will come.

Not likely; at least not if you don’t market it and drive traffic to it.  You just had a great website, mobile app or something else built and launched?  Great!  However, I don’t know you or that it even exists, so I probably will never see it and all of it’s awesomeness.  The point?  During the planning stages, you should also be thinking about your marketing strategy to get people to actually see and experience all of the greatness you are having built.  Do not assume that just because you put it “out there,” people will magically and mysteriously gravitate towards it.

If you tweet it, post it, or pin it; people will see it and share.

Not if you don’t have an audience or it’s not relevant to the interests of your audience.  If you have 2 followers, you are not even guaranteed that they will see it.  Not unless you post it at the exact moment that their eyes are viewing that social media network and they aren’t following a million other people posting at that same moment.  The point?  Putting it “out there” is not a guarantee that eyes will see, love and spread the word by sharing.  Build (not purchase) an audience, engage and post things relevant to what they want to see and read.

What else did I miss?  What misconceptions about digital content and business have you heard or perhaps thought?

Lack of Engagement is like Giving a Customer the Cold Shoulder

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I feel that it is very important for businesses that market in the digital arena to be engaging with their audience.  If you use social media, respond and interact with your audience as opposed to just posting.  If you use your blog as a marketing vehicle, respond to comments and shares of your posts.  If you are listed on review sites like Angie’s List, Yelp or Kudzu and you receive a bad review, try to reach out to that consumer to see how you can make things better.

Sometimes people see digital marketing methods or business practices as a bit impersonal and cold, but it does not have to be.  I truly believe that it is possible to show a human side, engage, interact and really connect with people without physical contact.  Maybe I feel this way because I am an introvert and consider myself to be pretty good at forming strong bonds digitally.  Too me, the digital sphere is no different than the physical one.  If someone said “hi, I like your blouse” to me in real life, in the physical world; I would respond kindly with a “thank you” and probably a bunch of gibberish about how I found it at a thrift store, which one, on which sale day…I digress.  The point is that I would engage with them.  They took a moment of their time to reach out and pay me a compliment, to let me know that they noticed something about me and they liked it.  They did not have to do this.

If I had ignored them, I would have been giving them the cold shoulder and probably a negative impression as to who I am as a person.  This is the same for businesses and anyone that markets in the digital spectrum.  Respond, comment, connect and engage.  My (digital) friend Tracy over at Tracyville, wrote a post on responding to blog comments here that I thought was pretty good (check her out!).  She hit the nail on the head when she mentioned how it makes people feel to be responded to or not responded to.  We as marketers, have to be mindful to stay “human” and practice the same principles of physical interactions with our digital ones.

Brand Marketing Trend: Inclusion

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I’m noticing that brands are really trying to dial in to their customers and are crafting messages that subtly speak to them.  I say subtly because most are doing it in ways that are not bold enough to alienate or piss off customers (at least in some cases).  I’m seeing it more with the visuals that are presented along with their sales pitches.  The demographics of the actors in commercials and visual graphics; the make-up of a family unit; the ages, shapes and sizes of characters being used to promote the brand…even the language used.

The message is inclusion.  Brands are trying to say, “yes, we serve everyone; including you.”  However, it seems to be a very fine and tricky line to navigate.  Marketing to the masses and including everyone within that mass, is difficult to do without alienating large groups that may not like the inclusive message.  An example of this would be the Coca Cola Superbowl ad that featured Americans singing “America the Beautiful” in different languages that were a part of their culture.  A large number of people were upset to hear the song sung and featured in languages other than English.  It was a topic of debate on the local news in Atlanta for a few days and at the end of the day, was utterly ridiculous.  Coke’s message was inclusion and a celebration of the melting pot of cultures that is America.  In this case, it was viewed as bold and pissed off many.

Cheerios faced some wrath about a year ago with a commercial that featured a bi-racial family.  Again, inclusion; Cheerios created a visual that did not just speak to one group of people.  They were also acknowledging that families do not all have the same make-up.  The new Chevrolet Cruze commercial, points out that it’s a “new world” and that we are not all so different after all.  I think brands’ realize that consumers no longer seem to fall into just one bracket set of interests and demographics.  Their customers fall across a range and to better reach them; the advertising has to be more inclusive.

Have you noticed more of a trend for inclusion in advertising?

 

Coke Superbowl Ad

http://youtu.be/443Vy3I0gJs

 

Cheerios’ Ad

http://youtu.be/kYofm5d5Xdw

 

Chevrolet’s Ad

What Is Your Brainstorming Process?

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I am always curious to learn what other people do to brainstorm ideas.  Whether it is for a creative, design project; a new business concept/idea; or a marketing strategy.  So, I want to know.  What is your process for brainstorming new ideas and concepts?

Do you embark on this endeavor on your own or do you seek out a group of people to bounce ideas off of?  Which way do you think is better, and why?

Do you look for or engage in activities that help to spark creativity?  What helps to spark your creativity?

How do you determine if a brainstorming session has been fruitful or not?  How do you make your decision on what you will do or use from your brainstorming session?

Burning questions, I know, but I am really curious.  Indulge me a bit. 🙂