Have a product you want to sell? A service you need to promote? Be sure you also have a story you’re willing to share.
Marketing is changing dramatically.
Sure, you can spend money on any form of advertising and generate some business. But what happens when the advertising budget runs out, or that initial slug of new business doesn’t repeat?
Yes, there are products out there with any number of advertising messages and purchases people make because of the price and availability, but those are mostly commodity products and have been around for quite some time. And unless you plan on spending head-to-head against Proctor & Gamble or Kimberly Clark, you better have a story to tell that resonates with potential customers.
With the unlimited number of products and services to choose from, where do retailers and business owners start?
Word-of-mouth and word-of-mouse.
Word-of-mouth is nothing new. Everyone knows that it is the most powerful form of marketing. You also hear that you have little control over word-of-mouth. I beg to differ. You have control over your story, the quality of your product and the level of your service. If you deliver (or better yet, over-deliver), your word-of-mouth chances have just increased.
Now take the word-of-mouth concept to the online world (word-of-mouse), and the theory is the same. With the advent of blogs, social networks, Digg, YouTube, forums, etc., …and the ones yet to launch, your opportunities of spreading your story and product or service have dramatically increased.
It’s more important than ever in today’s crowded marketplace to have a story to share. A story that resonates and connects with and for people. A story that spreads.
It’s one thing to have a great idea for a new product or service. But nobody cares. Nobody cares, that is, until you have a story to share and a way to involve them.
