Read more about : (matching categories Word of Mouth Magic ) Posted byBolaji Oyejide,November 22nd, 2008
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Want me to talk about your business?
Make me popular.
Make people like me.
Make people appreciate me.
Respect me.
Admire me.
Make people see me as an authority.
A valuable resource.
A funny guy.
Make me the first pick, when kids in class are picking teams.
I don’t care what you’re selling.
Make me popular. And you won’t be able to shut me up.
It is SOOO not about you. Or what you’re selling. Or your profits.
It’s SOOOO about me.
My self-image.
My personality.
My attitude.
My friends.
My tribe. And what we care about.
In case you don’t know, Seth Godin is the leading marketing author these days. He’s writes one major Marketing book every year. And is the founder of Squidoo.
I have learned volumes from being involved in his pre book launch social networking group, Triiibes.com… I’ll be sharing a lot of what I learned with you all in the coming weeks.
See page 31: Awon Boys Club. See page 199: United States of Assimilation.
Read more about : (matching categories Word of Mouth Magic ) Posted byBolaji Oyejide,October 14th, 2008
What’s your frame of reference?
People naturally compare any new thing they see to something familiar.
For example: After years of languishing on the fringes of obscurity, for example, Apple’s Mac computers have vaulted to new heights, with these comparison ads.
But don’t assume that Seth is suggesting you make incremental improvements.
While a buzzworthy product must be to understand, use, and explain…
A buzzworthy product must also be remarkable.
Now there’s a challenge.
Be different.
But have a familiar narrative.
Don’t tell me: “My product is like the [frame of reference], but with more X, better Y, and greater Z.”
(Yawn.)
Coke and Pepsi have beaten up on each other for years. With few gains made on either side.
Then Red Bull swooped into the market and created an entire new category.
Familiar doesn’t have to mean incremental.
If you’re creating something memorable, you’re not building in features that people ask for.
You’re 3 steps ahead of that phase.
You’re building in benefits that you anticipate people needing. Benefits they haven’t expressed yet.
Example: Walkman vs iPod. Bad frame of reference.
It’s why using a Walkman as a frame of reference for an iPod is inadequate.
A better frame of reference for an iPod would be… “a portable home theater for your ear drums.”
That’s because it’s not just music.
It’s virtually unlimited music.
Plus podcasts, audio books, and subscriptions to audio content you find appealing.
Oh. And plus recommendations of other audio content you may like.
The sky’s the limit.
Walkman?
Ha. Not even close.
Example: Ning.com vs Tree house. Good frame of reference.
The web site Ning.com is described as “creating your own Facebook”.
Is better than:
“Ning is a do-it-yourself social networking application builder, that allows you to create membership web sites. Ning provides rich features like personal profiles, blogs, discussion forums, video posting, what-you-see-is-what-you-get editing, and others.”
You want a frame of reference to things usually unrelated to your product category. So an even better frame of reference for Ning would be:
“Ning is like an instant virtual tree house. For your favorite people.”
So - provide a familiar frame of reference. But don’t use that as a reason to be “Like the competition, only better.” Be remarkable. But easy to relate to.
Better isn’t buzz-worthy.
Better doesn’t generate word-of-mouth.
Better is the new boring.
Instead, make your frame of reference an oxymoron.
And watch the whisper campaign about your product bloom.
Read more about : (matching categories Word of Mouth Magic ) Posted byBolaji Oyejide,September 8th, 2008
How many of you remember Cracker Jacks?
I heard on the radio yesterday that Cracker Jack free prizes have become collector’s items. With some going for THOUSANDS of dollars!!
In the bestseller Free Prize Inside, author Seth Godin suggests that today’s companies can’t afford difficult and risky technological innovation. These complex projects are notorious for being late, over-budget, and short on meeting promised deliverables. The Return On Investment (ROI) falls short.
He also suggests that you can’t afford to spend HUGE amounts on advertising. Again, the ROI doesn’t justify the expense.
The solution? Seth says you can profit all day long with CHEAP INNOVATIONS that have a significant ROI. He calls this the FREE PRIZE INSIDE.
According to Seth a FREE PRIZE is a secondary product benefit so remarkable, that it drives word-of-mouth, and drives sales. Invest in these, instead of running huge media buys, or huge IT projects.
So you already have a product you’re proud of. How do you create a FREE PRIZE inside? Something secondary that will be so remarkable, it will drive word-of-mouth, and sales?
Some of Seth’s examples include:
FedEx truck mailing slots (drop your mail into any parked FedEx truck you see!)
As you can see, none of these are terribly complex or expensive for the company to implement. But by observing customers, finding out what they could use, you can build a cheap free prize inside.
The beauty of these soft, cheap innovations is that if they don’t work, you haven’t spent a lot of money! Scrap the idea, and try another one.
So. Go buy a box of Cracker Jacks. Reminisce on your childhood. And let that inspire you to create your first free prize inside.
Thanks for reading this blog in its entirety! To show our gratitude, here are some free prizes inside!
Did you know:
My favorite hidden track of all time, Lauryn Hill’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” on the 1999 MisEducation of Lauryn Hill, was nominated for a Grammy.
First time that ever happened with a hidden track. How’s that for a free prize inside?
Note: Seth Godin’s book, Free Prize inside, was sold in what looked like a mini-cereal box.
Bolaji Oyejide,November 22nd, 2008
How many of you remember Cracker Jacks?
The solution? Seth says you can profit all day long with CHEAP INNOVATIONS that have a significant ROI. He calls this the FREE PRIZE INSIDE.
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