Hands down my favorite website is CuteOverload.com. It’s not expertly designed, it doesn’t have engaging editorial, and it’s full of ads. These three things independently are a nail-in-the-coffin for me, and in combination end up on my banned list. I’m sure I don’t have to explain how this ended up on my RSS feed, but I’ll go ahead and say it anyway: RIDICULOUSLY CUTE ANIMALS
What can I say? I’m a complete sucker for all things animal related. It doesn’t matter what kind of product you have, if there is a puppy on the cover, I’ll pay attention to it. I might even buy it. Babies, not so much. Puppies, all the time! The nutty animal speak the writer uses makes me laugh every time, and yes, I do read it.
To anyone who knows me, this is no surprise. I have more photos of my dog than my daughter. Not because I love my daughter less, but well, he makes this cute doggie face.
Fritz the Dachshund
CuteOverload.com probably gets more attention than any other blog. They are mentioned in the press without even trying. all because of an extensive collection of animal pictures. This blog owner has perfected her message to an extremely wide audience– a rabid (no pun intended) audience that visits daily. You know what kills me? I click on the ads! ME! I have been in marketing for years, and tend to avoid all the tricky flashy ads I come across. But I’m a total sucker here when it comes to this particular cute blog.
As a marketer, I’ve spent a lot of time working to gain this kind of visibility for my clients. Is it tone? Is it packaging? Iz Can Haz Vizibility? The answer is, there is no answer. It’s always an experiment, albeit an educated one. Marketing changes with the tides; what works today will probably not work tomorrow…. but, it might work next year. Google’s text ads are still effective because they are well targeted, and they’re short and sweet. Pop-ups and unders still drive people crazy. Blogs are the new black. Grassroots marketing works great in social media, but paid listings can/may garner a negative reaction. Widgets are the old flash ads, and so on and so forth
Seems like a big ol’ double-edged sword, don’t it? Well, all is not lost. You can make educated marketing decisions by keeping up to date on the latest news and trends. Here aer some suggestions on where to start:
- Read the news regularly. Check out the technology sections, see what’s in entertainment, etc. What is the buzz?
- Hang out in the magazine section of your favorite bookstore and peruse the shelves.
- Blogs are a great way to attain information, just as this blog has dynamite marketing tips.
- Social networking sites and applications such as Digg, Facebook, Twitter contain a plethora of information on what people are thinking and talking about. Be thoughtful when using these channels, as you don’t want to risk overmessaging your fan base.
- Talk to people: Online networking is important for businesses of all sizes. However, you should never underestimate the value of face-to-face conversation. It’s a major way of learning about how others are marketing and through which channels they do it.
Other things to keep in mind:
- Focus on customer service, don’t just say it’s a priority.
- Create a marketing budget. Stick to the budget, and accept the fact that you have to spend money to make money. With that said, if ou aren’t marketing savvy, don’t be afraid to pay for help. In this tough economy, it is even more important to promote your business.
- Really think about who your customer base is. Are they aged 15 – 20? Are they women? Do they go to concerts regularly? Think about the obscure questions as well as the obvious. Niche marketing is effective marketing.
At the end of the day, make sure you can look back on your marketing efforts and measure the efficacy of your work. Ultimately, if something didn’t work, don’t be discouraged, be creative and try something new.
