Marketing in the facebook era

Last week has been quite tough. I have been out for an exhibition almost the whole week and that has been exhausting.
I don't know if this is common to everybody but when I am too tired I cannot sleep.
Or, better, I find harder to fall asleep. Instead of counting the sheeps though I looked at Linkedin and Facebook and I realized that more and more people are using them as real advertisement platforms.

Have you realized how many Facebook or Linkedin posts are published in your profile everyday? How many of them have you read?
Is it a good way to promote something?

The more I see the markets developing the more I am convinced that the ONLY way is to base your company strategy on two pillars:

-Strategy is about being different.
-People don't know what they want. They will only ask for a quicker, cheaper, bigger product like the one you have or your competitor has. And do not ask the "so called experts"... they are clueless as well.

The key marketing activity for this kind of strategy is to find the 15% of innovators, normally well hidden among the other 85% of potential customers, and start trying to create the "Penny drop" moment. With all the problems and hurdles typical of such a "spread the gospel" activity.
The worst one is called Confirmation Bias.
Confirmation bias tends not to favour info that are too different from the standard behavior. You must then follow the golden rules of the old Rethoric that was well mastered by Aristotle. Reach the goal trough known milestones. Like reaching the other side of the river stepping on small stones.

When I start talking about these things I usually say that it is like people are holding you by the ankles. Don't worry, it's hard at the beginning but then you get used to that.

This is a quite selective and bespoke activity though.
How can you manage this with a massified communication like the one that is currently in internet?

How can you do that with internet that
- touch plenty of people that you can only partly select
- for very little time
- valid only if you promote business as usual

What does it mean?
Contents are diluted. They must be suitable for everybody so.. Good for none. You must remember that people of different cultures, ideas and experiences will read.
So it must be as neutral as possible.
In a world... Either you talk about something well known to everybody or you will loose the main benefit of this massified message. Touching quickly a big mass of people.

I grew then up a firm belief.

Differentiating messages cannot go through massification media. It would be like making meatballs with kobe beef.

Now I have a question for you. Do you see any chance to use internet for differentiation messages?

Today I will leave you with another TED Talks video. It's Guy Kawasaki, great man that worked with Apple and helped them developing the MAC.

Have a nice week

Tell me WHY

It's still a tough time. Though people start being optimistic and there is apparently some positive trend.
It is now time to push the throttle and continue promoting your strategy and ideas.

My recent posts always put the accent on the NEED of having a strategy and to continuously pursue it but are we sure that we know what a strategy is?

I have started having this doubt after a read a post of an ex colleague that was referring to a book written by Simon Sinek "Start with WHY".
Frankly speaking I didn't have a clue about who is Simon Sinek and then I read his BIO. You can find it clicking HERE.
Well, interesting guy and with good ideas and capable to communicate quite well.

Something to learn here!
Being curious, I immediately checked a TED Talk that he made and that you can find here

I can summarize this video in three titles:

1) What you do and how you do it is important but make you no different from the others
2) Marketing message is crucial... we must tell WHY you do things and find "linke minded people" to spread this message and "like minded customers" to buy your strategy
3) There is, according the "law of diffusion of innovation", a tipping point that will make your strategy going from "shared among friends" to "shared everywhere" (or almost).

So... does it mean that willing to have a great product and being the "best one" in the business IS NOT A STRATEGY? Is "WE WANT TO DO" not a strategy?

Well that's tough point to understand. That's a tough point to understand on a "me too" society, where going to a supermarket you can find 100 different types of shampoo.

But it is true. You can be in the business, even survive or grow in the business telling people how good you are in manufactoring products, the products as usual, and how good are your products but you will never be the leader.

It is not that simple though to BELIEVE in something.

Most of all

to clearly TELL PEOPLE what you believe
to PROVE PEOPLE what you believe is right
to PRODUCE THE TOOLS  (or products) that will BE ACCORDING TO WHAT YOU BELIEVE.
to TELL EVERYBODY that you have already "early adopters" that used it and it was good

need a team that is fully involved and that must be a "like minded team".
If this is not the case the message will always be diluted and without a clear and precise  message you cannot reach the tipping point. This famous 15% that will have your "early majority" users (1/3 of the market) start using your solution and paying back your investment.
People don't buy what you do but WHY you do it.
Products, technology, target markets are just ways to reach the strategy.

Ideas
People
Communication
Products

Ingredients are always the same
Recipe is different
Results will the different

Have a nice week end

Too many choices... no choice

VERONA, one of the most beautiful cities of the world.
Besides the Arena, the Juliet balcony and all the "touristic attractions" what I like of Verona is the atmosphere. A mix of new and old, roman theater with Venetian style squares with "high Street" style shops.
And, clearly, the shopping part is one of the main attraction for "my better half"... my wife.

We were there with some friends and we decided to go and look for a restaurant.
I took out my mobile and started surfing and checking on Trip Advisor. Despite some recent facts that ruined the reputation of Trip Advisor, I usually choose the restaurant and hotels after a quick check there.
So... around Piazza delle Erbe...

this wonderful place where to have a drink, there are tens of restaurants and pizzerias. We looked at them, checked them and discussed whether that was a good one and at the end we ended up going to the usual one, the "Trattoria alla Colonna" that is known for its cotoletta.

This made me think about the incredible choice we have today in all the aspect of your life.

It is something that is creating expectations and a continuous sense of "not being satisfied" because the other choice was probably better.

But also there's a waste of time. What shall I buy? What shall I choose? Is it the right choice?
And this aspect is delaying the decision.

There is a great video of Barry Schwartz about this point that is explaning this effect quite well.

Clearly I am not as good as Barry Schwartz but I do basically agree on what he says. On every point he's raised. Even the Blue Jeans even though, I must say, my style is slightly different from his.

What I am currently experiencing is the same effect also on my work.

For a salesman having too many choices leads to not being able to focus on anything and always to try and find someone that had got something more.
People are not satisfied and stressed because they have too many things to sell and they're never enough.

-No specialization
-No knowledge
-No expertise

But also this is a bad sign of the current strategy of the companies.

Everybody is offering the same thing with some small little variations. Some details. Everybody swimming in the same red sea. Everybody eating each other and fighting on... price.

The  book "Blue ocean strategy" is a good manual to find how to get out of this deadly loop.

This is also part of the strategy. Product strategy, management strategy, development strategy.

Few things. Be different. Be happy.