Marketing is a failing practice?

Hugh MacLeod

Whenever I hear the word ‘marketing’, I hear ‘advertising’. And we all know that advertising sucks. Well it does in my world, nobody truly love the adverts, they are an interruption to your browsing or watching experience and possibly 99% of them are not interesting, they are brainwashing of the highest order.

Ever found yourself buying something you then realise you didn’t actually need after all? We’re exposed to maybe 5000 ads every single day, whether it be on TV, Radio, Web, Podcasts, Billboards, Posters, Bags, Product Placement and many many other methods that we may not even realise are there. They all effect our subconscious mind!

Unfortunately advertising works, because otherwise they would have stopped it a long time ago. Further bad news for the marketers is that the discerning browser and watcher is now switching off from the constant bombardment of ads and switching to places where there are no adverts, Netflix may spring to mind. We’d rather pay for a service we can enjoy instead of getting a free service we don’t enjoy.

In our house if we’re interested in watching a show on TV channel that has adverts, we record it. When we watch it back, our remote allows us to hit the speed play button three times and it skips the 3 minute ads interlude. I can tell you we were overjoyed when we found that button!

So why do marketers continue with the ads instead of sharing stories. The temptation is there I know, everyone is doing it so you have to join the bandwagon for fear of missing out.

Truth is, stories work even better, just look at the movies. They are all stories and we love them. When they write the script they don’t think, where can I fit in an advert or product placement just so the viewer can get distracted.

You can still feature your product or service in your story, but a word of warning, don’t be tempted to explain every single detail, your story is there to make someone curious. Curiosity is so much more effective then telling the viewer or reader everything that you want them to know. They won’t remember anyway, just share a story that is relatable and will make them think a bit further. Leave it up to their own imagination, let them feel and imagine like they are featuring in your story.

Happy storytelling!

Michael de Groot

Does the sun shine on your web?

Hugh MacLeod

I’m all for creating a positive vibe on the web but I’m astounded by the amount of good news messages that are littering the place. I am not suggesting for a moment that they are fake, but once we’ve witnessed when our contacts are sharing countless selfies, group colleague pics at conferences and award ceremonies, you kinda get the idea.

They just become more content we automatically zone out from.

We must become better all round storytellers instead of content junkies and with junkies I mean addicted to the need to post content. Less is more and so what if people are not active when you’re posting, post when you think of it and ditch the scheduler. Some of you may even be spending good money on those schedulers as I did too. Yes I’m totally guilty!

Now I’m more mindful about what I’m posting, more thoughtful about adding to my overall story, creating a narrative, sharing maybe small insights to my overall mindset and thought process, allowing my connections to get a better insight as to who I am.

But that’s just me, you must do what all the content sheep are doing, read all the books and download all the free content as to how the so-called gurus are doing it.

I totally know that my way is not necessarily the right way, it just suits me to be more authentic, honest and deliberate or on purpose.

Happy scheduling!

Michael de Groot

Every seen a hungry browser?

Hugh MacLeod

Probably not. More like an hangry (combination of angry and hungry) browser. Not hungry for your marketing content though, nobody cares about you. Harsh? But true…

Every marketer is out to put their stamp on the internet. To imagine this, let’s imagine a non-digital world, no internet, no computers, just a stamp, an ink block and a stack of paper.

And all she (he) does is go through that stack of paper at lightening speed and put their stamp on it, stick them in envelopes and send it to prospects. And the prospect would just put them in the bin.

My guess is that when the same marketers do this on the internet, they are just stamping everywhere they can, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, Google, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube BeBee, WooWoo, Thingymedo etc.

Yes I was guilty, did it work? Maybe a little on Instagram, but I’ve now stopped all Facebook lookalike platforms, thanks to me cutting down and the excuse I’m using in relation to the Cambridge Analytica mistrust scandal.

Happy stamping!

Michael de Groot

They recognised me!

Hugh MacLeod

Actually they didn’t, but I heard someone say this. They were so surprised that they were stopped on the street when recognised by a complete stranger (stalker).

Is that what we’re looking for?

Plastering our happy face all over the web, so someone will walk up to us and say; ‘Hey, aren’t you the girl/guy who talks rubbish on YouTube?’

Surely not? Surely yes!

Most of us on Social would love to achieve that recognition at some level. It’s an endorsement of all the hard work you’ve been putting in day in and day out, just so that a random person somewhere points at you (I’d be quite scared actually) and shouts out to you that they actually know you. And of course they have no idea who you are, all they’ve seen is an alter ego of you on the web, very likely talking complete non-sense.

Happy spotting!

Michael de Groot

Content marketing, really?

Hugh MacLeod

A few years ago, I would have been super impressed with this top 10 list and would be looking for ways to be implementing it asap, in fact some of it I did do, today, I just roll around laughing my head off.

I am visualising all the content marketing experts, taking this list to the head of marketing, who has to take it to the board and ask for big spends to deliver this list.

She will be asked what will she actually deliver when she implements this list and actually, she has no idea.

‘It’s difficult to measure’
‘It works very impressively for (drop a brand name here)’
‘We need to do this to compete’
‘If we don’t we’re going to miss out’
‘Everyone, literally everyone seems to be doing it’
‘Well the top brass in Google say they have evidence’
‘The sales team say they need us to do this too’
‘Customers nowadays expect it’

And here we go again, spending millions of dollars, standing still.

Happy spending!

Michael de Groot

Constant and never ending content

Hugh MacLeod

Hundreds of thousands of us are now creating content, whether it’s cat pictures, birthday pics, holidays and weddings or seriously hard hitting journalism, blogging, clickbait articles or wishing to come across as a serious leading thought leader

It’s never ending…

Does it even matter?

Nope it doesn’t, we’re all living busy lives, I’m sure you agree and I love the falling tree analogy. Very few of us have ever witnessed a tree spontaneously falling over in the forest and of course they definitely do.

The same is true of all the content that’s being posted. It is very likely that this short post won’t be seen by anyone at all, never sees the day of light, it just fell over in the forest and nobody was there to witness it.

Happy contenting?

Michael de Groot

https://styin.me/2lWtY9B — by Statista Inc.

Wasting your time?

Hugh MacLeod

We’ve all decided to do it, “content, content, content” is the biggest buzzword on the Internet. And we’re all totally petrified for missing out on this trend.

But what if this isn’t the answer, if we know that the average attention span is only 20 seconds, why do we continue publishing so much content, there’s just no proof that it even works.

Everyone’s busy creating content in order to feel that they are becoming a thought leader and that will lead ultimately to customers interested in your products and services, which leads to money and an interesting lifestyle, which potentially will lead to happiness.

And that is the ultimate goal, ‘happiness’.

Happy writing!

Michael de Groot

Calls

The purpose for Social Media is what?

Growing a following?
Posting content?
Getting likes, hearts, shares?
Being popular?

Nope, none of the above.

Being on Social should have only one outcome and that’s to receive calls.

There really is no other outcome!

Calls can arrive through the phone or via a form. The only measure therefore should be how many calls are you getting.

Social should drive your audience to your website and then your website should convert them to calls. You need the right detail, the right call to action and the right form and all above ‘the fold’.

Once you receive or make calls you have an opportunity to convert.

If anyone is busily trying to increase a following or measure the amount of likes and hearts, please assure them that it’s the wrong measure.

Happy calling!

Michael de Groot