Tag: marketing strategy

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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 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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Marketing

The Cure For Message Fatigue

person holding smartphone white sitting
Photo by George Dolgikh @ Giftpundits.com on Pexels.com

At one time, you could put your ad in the phone book yellow pages and not think about it for a year. It just worked for you. A newspaper ad could last just as long. Then radio came along and you could blast the same message multiple times a day. Television made it even easier, but at least there were only three channels… until there was cable… and then the Internet.

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Marketing Running

3 Days Until My First Marathon: Marketing and Marathons

Cartoon of a runner on a hoverboard. He says, “What do you mean, ‘No hoverboards in the marathon?’”

In three days, I will run my first marathon on September 16, 2017. In the spring, I ran a half marathon and decided my body was up to the task of a full one. After all, I am not getting any younger and I thought it was better to try now instead of waiting until I would have to use a scooter or hoverboard.

As I have trained for this marathon, I have thought about how it applies to marketing. Both can be taxing and both take preparation. But there was one aspect that stood out to me.

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