Triumphant Forever
Many of you voted for me for Marketing Global Guru. Thanks! Turns out, AFTER the voting they decided to discontinue the category. Sheesh!
But, they are keeping the rankings up, so I guess I'm the world's #1 Internet Marketer FOREVER.
Is Your Marketing a Documentary or a Movie?
In my 30 years as a marketing strategist, I've learned an important lesson:
What you do in your business every day is way more interesting to customers and prospective customers than it is to you.
Think about how many successful TV shows are just behind-the-scenes peeks into work: Dirty Jobs, Ice Road Truckers, Gold Rush, Selling Sunset, and dozens more.
Why do they work? People want to know other people's jobs work, because they think their own job is boring.
The easiest marketing strategy is also one of the best marketing approaches. I'll break it down for you here:
Just show people what you do, why, and how
As an example, I could point to a social media superstar here, but you might not believe it's possible for you and your organization to do the same.
So here is a young woman with 26,000 followers on TikTok who makes videos about being a CORN FARMER. That's it.
You can do the same. But you have to think of your marketing as a documentary not like a movie.
Real (or real-ish) stories. Behind-the-scenes. Unvarnished.
Especially in this age where businesses are trusted less than ever, in many cases you don't want your marketing to be too polished. Ironically, that kind of perfection can diminish trust.
Just give your customers and prospects a peek behind the curtain!
EGGSCEPTIONAL EXAMPLE
My wife (more on her below) insists on eating one organic egg per day. Some kind of diet or health thing, but since I don't eat breakfast I kinda tuned the whole thing out until now, when this daily egg habit is costing me about $43,000 per year.
I may sell all the tequila and buy chickens, at this rate.
Anyway, she finished a carton of Vital Farms eggs yesterday (we may have to sell the car), and gave me the container.
It includes a website address and a special code to see a 360-degree camera of where these chickens live.
They are literally using CHICKEN CAMS as a marketing strategy.
I love this idea so much:
- Turns customers from passive consumers to active participants
- Mutes the "these chickens are abused" narrative
- Creates tracking data for the brand
It's a perfect documentary. Did I look at the chicken camera? Of course. And you probably will, right?
Vital Farms Chicken Camera: Mason Circle M
I'm not suggesting you have to set up a ton of 360-degree cameras at your worksites. But I am suggesting it would probably be a pretty good idea.
Want to test the viability of this approach? Here's an assignment for you this weekend:
Go to dinner with some friends who are not in your industry. Over some wine (or tequila, preferably) ask them what questions they have about what you do, why, and how. Once the conversational dam breaks, you'll have 20 or more ideas for documentary-style content.
Please do this, and let me know how it goes? Maybe I'll tell your tale in an upcoming issue of The Baer Facts.
The Books Report
My pal Mark Schaefer is a terrific marketing author, and he and I are often aligned on trends and opportunities.
His new book, Audacious: How Humans Win in an AI Marketing World is an excellent companion to my book Talk Triggers.
Word of mouth is the single best form of marketing and customer acquisition, and Mark skillfully illustrates how it's becoming even MORE important, because it's the one thing AI can't fake.
Great book, with fascinating case studies, and enough how-to so that it's actually useful.
Jay's Faves
If you like coconut, keep reading.
A Valentine's tradition around here is my awesome wife giving me Maccs. They are RIDICULOUS chocolate covered coconut macaroons, hand-made in a variety of flavors by a Mom in New York.
They are among the top 3 things I've ever put in my mouth.
They ain't cheap, but quality never is. If you get some (and I hope you do), please use this link so they send me a discount!
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