Monthly Archives: September 2014

September 3, 2014 · 12:27 pm

Build It And Maybe They Come

Over the years I’ve seen a lot of tech startups.  In a previous life I’d have 2 or 3 meetings a day with entrepreneurs who had the latest and greatest business idea based around a piece of technology they’d developed.  I still meet with companies built around ideas that are often very cool and innovative.  There is, however, a problem with many of them.

Tennis Racquet

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Suppose you figure out how to make a tennis racquet that always returns the ball perfectly.  Maybe it’s almost a self-driving car for tennis in that it really operates itself.  You might offer it to me at a 100% discount (that’s free for you non-mathematicians).  I don’t care.  I’m a golfer and have no interest in playing tennis.  That’s basic marketing: speak to an audience that has an interest or is predisposed to having an interest developed.  But it’s broader than that.

Unless you have an innovation – or any product – for which there is a pressing need, your chances of success are low.  Just because you build it, don’t expect that “they” will come.  While there are certainly niche products that do well, generally even that niche needs to be large enough to sustain the business.  Don’t assume that you can make up the revenue through higher prices.  Resources are scarce all around.  In fact, I generally assume that people or businesses are unwilling to pay for anything unless it is demonstrably better than whatever free solutions are out there.

You also need to remember that it’s not just money (or lack thereof) that sets up barriers to entry.  New tools require time to learn.  Look at how long it takes for businesses to move from any existing platform – Blackberries, Windows computers to name just two – even though better options exist.  It’s not even a money issue in many cases.  New platforms require support and training.

So build away – maybe they’ll come.  Maybe there will be enough of them to sustain what you’re doing.  Maybe you can convince them that you have a better mousetrap and the investment of money, time, and effort to transition is well worth it.  If those are “maybes” in your mind, you might want to rethink it.  Am I off base?

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September 2, 2014 · 11:36 am

Mistakes You’re Making With Content

Now that the summer is over (I’ll wait while you boo), many marketing teams are getting back to work.

Collection of Marteting books

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One area that is on many of their minds is content marketing.  I’m a fan when it’s done right and unfortunately it’s increasingly rare that brands are going down that path in a way I admire.  Let me explain.

As the folks as the Content Marketing Institute say:

Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action.

Putting aside how and why there is already an “institute” for something so relatively new, I like that definition because it emphasizes what’s missing in much of what’s being produced – value.  As an aside, the fact that it only implies a customer-centric view is a shortcoming but I guess that if you’re focusing on “valuable” you must focus on the recipient’s view and not your own.

That’s the first mistake many companies make.   This isn’t advertising, folks.  Yes, potential customers are after information but they are trying to make intelligent, informed decisions.  Done properly, good content marketing fills that needs and helps them to do so.  Done badly, it’s another ad they toss and ignore.

We all know people on social media who overshare.  I don’t mean that in the Too Much Information sense (no, I don’t care what you had for breakfast) but in the 100 posts a day sense.  They share or retweet damn near everything that crosses into their stream.  Bad content marketers make the same mistake.  Sure, you’re just trying to be helpful but you need to strike a balance between helpful and annoying.  When you have something useful to say, by all means say it.  When you’re just publishing to make noise, think again.

Finally, one tenet of creating any kind of content is to write what you know.  Companies who make cars shouldn’t be giving out recipes unless they’re hiring noted chefs to write them and publishing them is a way that makes sense:  here is how to use your new Model X for tailgating and here is some great recipes to help you to do so.  You can’t be all things to all people.  Be a resource in your areas of expertise and avoid all the others.  Your audience will thank you.

Oh – one last thing.  Do NOT hide an ad as a piece of research or a white paper.  I’ve written about that elsewhere so I won’t belabor the point.  Be transparent.  Be real.  Add value.  Don’t be sneaky.  Your thoughts?

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