Category: Marketing

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Bible Marketing

The Golden Rule of Marketing

Every day, we are bombarded by messages. Some of them are based on fear. Other messages attempt to smear an opponent. Many invade our lives without us realizing it. But a quote by Garth Brooks reminds me what should be the golden rule of marketing.

“Here’s my whole marketing idea: treat people the way you want to be treated.”

Garth Brooks

If we followed this rule, there would be little fear-based marketing. We would not experience deceptive advertising practices or false claims. There would be no scams or pyramid schemes. Perhaps, we could get to the point where we could trust others because all marketing would have integrity.

It is a requote of The Golden Rule, from the Bible.

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 7:12 (NIV)

We can spot unfair rules fairly easily. This rule, when equally applied, makes it impossible to be unfair, deceptive, or manipulative. In addition, this rule makes us think of long-term gain instead of short-term results.

Would we make the same decisions if we knew we would face the person we were marketing to? Do we look at our targets as people or objects?

Practical Marketing?

Is this type of marketing practical? After all, we must focus on the metrics. We must meet the monthly sales goal or else! Can we treat others the way we want to be treated and still have a marketing career?

I believe we can. We must if we want to be a part of the solution instead of the problem. Marketing is a powerful tool. When we combine it with psychology, we can subtly influence others.

When we treat others well, we make our surroundings better. We can believe in a product or service and market it well. But at the least, we should treat others with integrity and respect. That should be the golden rule of marketing.

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Marketing

A Marketer Ponders Contentment

A Marketer Ponders Contentment

Content is one of these words in the English language that can mean two very different things, yet are spelled the same. It would be very good if we used accent marks in cases like the word, “content.”

If you are “contént,” with the accent on the second syllable, you are satisfied, pleased, peaceful. You are happy and pleased with where you are, what you have, or what you are doing.

If you have “cóntent,” with the accent on the first syllable, you have an amount of something. This word is related to “contain.” Content marketing is the art of creating materials that do not explicitly promote a product, brand, or service. Instead, the content is meant to be useful information that indirectly promotes a brand.

Marketing exists to generate discontentment, does it not? Its aim is to help a person realize they want something and encourage them to fulfill that want. Can one be content while consuming content marketing? Can one be content knowing their discipline generates discontentment?

It is something I am wrestling with. As someone who values love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23), how does this mesh with marketing? There are no easy answers. But it’s worth pondering on this fine morning.

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Marketing motivation

Marketing Doom and Gloom

Cartoon of two boys on a trail. a signpost says, "Trail of Doom." A boy says, "If they want me to take it, they should use better marketing."

The concept of haunted houses and trails of terror mystifies me. What is it about humans that we want to seek out danger and fear while avoiding it at the same time? In other words, why is marketing doom and gloom so successful?

The boy in my cartoon assumes the marketing isn’t working for him. He has no interest in something suggesting a bad ending. Yet, experience suggests it’s exactly that kind of marketing that makes the most impact. 

  • We gravitate towards the news items with disaster footage and crime
  • The headline format that states the story then adds a line like and why this should scare you, gets a lot of clicks
  • We tend to demonize someone who doesn’t agree with us

Personally, I like good news stories. I want something uplifting that challenges the belief that the world is going to pot. The other kind of marketing may get a lot of attention. But thoughtful media and marketing that inspires and motivates us to be better, now that is a challenge that is well worth rising up to!

So my advice is to cast our anxieties aside and to stay away from marketing doom and gloom!

Cartoon of two boys on a trail. a signpost says, "Trail of Doom." A boy says, "If they want me to take it, they should use better marketing."
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Marketing

No Small Stories

Cartoon of a boy and grandfather

“If your story is too small, it’s not a story. It’s just an annoying interruption.”

Seth Godin in All Marketers Tell Stories

We’ve all endured it. We’ve all had a friend who began to tell a story that had no point. It just drags on and on. We’ve experienced the person who starts telling a joke but gets lost somewhere before the punchline. What began as a potentially good story falls flat and becomes an annoyance.

In Seth Godin’s book, All Marketers Tell Stories, he reminds me that all marketing is a story. When we think of a brand, we have a story that comes to mind. Your favorite drink sparks a fond memory. Your favorite restaurant has a story you tell yourself about the quality, the atmosphere, and the service you expect.

We tell ourselves stories all the time when we shop. We expect this place to be too busy on a weekday evening. We tolerate this store because it has the lowest price. We begin to shop online and shun a store because we find an even better price and we don’t have to endure the crowds. That story of the store you once frequented becomes small because they can’t deliver what you expected anymore. It becomes an annoyance.

We tell ourselves stories every day. What story do people think of when they think about your business? How can you be sure your story doesn’t become too small to delight customers?

Let’s start telling our customers stories that are true, compelling and so good, we have to negotiate the movie rights.

Cartoon of a boy and grandfather
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Exercise Marketing

How Social Media Marketing Is Like a Fitness Regimen | HuffPost

Source: How Social Media Marketing Is Like a Fitness Regimen | HuffPost

This article caught my eye because it resonated with my exercise experience. I began running after college. But it wasn’t until I took it seriously did I experience positive results. In fact, before I took it seriously, I was consistently gaining weight and had borderline high blood pressure.

I discovered consistency with a plan is more effective than sporadic bursts with no real strategy. This article has convinced me to treat my social media strategy in a more consistent, strategic approach.