bwagy, the blog of Ben Young

Here’s just a list of all the cool things you can do:

• Run your own tv show | Wine Library
• Have your own Podcast
• Be an author through lulu.com or Createspace
• Be a rockstar using iTunes + Myspace + Last.fm
• Build your own entertainment network by syndicating youtube videos
• Build your own Facebook with Ning
• Design your own products (virtually anything) through Ponoko
• Brand your own products, drinks, beds, jeans by sourcing products through AliBaba
• Design your own t-shirts with Threadless
• Become an expert in your area through blogging
• Talk to anyone, skip secretaries, connect with them via Twitter / Facebook / Linkedin

Are you planning ahead? or trying to build / create something new?

Quite often during this process.  I will say stop.

Take a step back.

Take an overview.

What happens next? What are the next steps?

Are we doing the best thing to make that happen? yes / no?

How can we make sure Step 1, sets up Step 2 and 3 (all in light of the bigger picture).

For example, I am doing a joint venture to do a series of workshops.

We wanted our selling point, so I took a step back and said, What is the conversation that’s going on in our target’s mind?

What are they going to say to their boss that makes them say yes I will pay for that.

Stop. Take a step back.  Think two steps forward.

Today is as some of you may know BlogActionDay.

Blogs all around the world are going to talk about Poverty.

Their take on it.

Objective: stimulate conversations around poverty.

Many of you will know i’m a huge advocate of Kiva, discussing it here Giving something back.

However.

We all know Poverty exists. It is just out of touch.  We can’t touch it, or feel it, or have it affect our daily lives.

It is easier to let it exist, somewhere over there, out of sight out of mind.

To be frank, it’s bullshit but it’s a fact. 

So how could we change that?

How can we make Poverty real.  To everyone.  

If we expose it, people will just block it out.

Stop looking at the bad.

Start looking at the good.

And no i don’t mean, the upsides of poverty.

Share the good times, the experience, the world through which people in poverty live in.

Take Mara Triangle for example, a wild life game reserve in Kenya.  They brought it direct to us via their blog and twitter.  Raising both money and their profile.

Or 

EnglishRussia.com, something cool happens daily on 1/6 of the earth.

Take one or both of these models.  

Bring the experience direct to us.  Give us stories to discuss, give us a conversation to tell our families, give us a connection.  Give us meaning!

That’s how marketing can help Poverty.

Thoughts? 

Blogging is a marathon.

There are hills, dips, long stretches.

The context weather changes…

Keep your eyes on the end goal and keep

Taking step after step.

Momentum is valuable, maintain it, if you lose it, it’s like starting running after you’ve stopped (painful).

Just keep taking those steps, even if they’re baby steps, do it!

Work in a startup? Different context.  Same application.

(and for those that haven’t yet read, look at my Blogging Strategy, takes 30 seconds to read)

Traditionally media were given press packs.

However I think there is a huge lack of Blogger packs.

(Isn’t it frutrating as a fan of a product to have to rip logo’s from the site, photoshop them, find quotes)

In fact I haven’t seen any.

I am building my own at the moment.  Kind of a mix of the social media press release.

If someone is going to blog about me, why not give them free stuff to help them, such as:

• Photos
• Quotes
• Background Story
• Graphics / logo
• Contacts / Social Profiles

Let your fans talk about you easily and give them materials so they can make it their own way.

Great for people setting up communities around your brand, facebook pages, groups.

Help your fans help you.

What else do you think a bloggers pack needs? how should it be prepared?

Through polarising people.

You are either at this extreme or that extreme.

Create a void space for others to rush in and converse.

I don’t want to be at that end or that end, i want to be here.

What can you do to create that void? how can you give people a voice to talk? How can you ignite their own passion?

Simple question.

Hard answer.

Every fortnight or so, someone will approach me and ask, hey Ben I want to pick your brain.

We have a Marketing Budget and want to do something online.

What do you think we should do?

Hang on. Stop.

Who are we selling to first?

What is the objective?

Sure this is new marketing. Fundamentals are still the same. So take a step back and ask Who are we selling to?

(Next question: why are they buying?)

Of recent there have been posts around Do What you Love, Life Marketing, Those that turn up

What do these have to do with Marketing?

Simple they are all marketing.

If you as a person, are doing what you love, turning up where others are not, thinking of the bigger picture, what do you think this says about you?

What is the conversation going on in people that surround you?

The conversation is going to be much more engaging than otherwise.

Now imagine:

• Your company is built up on people that do all of these
• Your customers deal with these kinds of people day to day
• In rough times what kind of people are going to stick it out?

Let’s connect three ideas:

Great but not Great Enough + The Infinity Assumption + Do What You Love

Creating content that is great enough, making the infinity assumption and around topics that I love.

This is what life marketing is about.

Now it’s not reputation mangement or image management, it’s about life marketing.

Content you create is going to be out there for life, sure you can control it, but in all likelihood it could just as easily be read by your great great grandchildren.

So think about it, does my online image not only represent me as a person professionaly but as a person.

It’s doubly, triply important now.

In this day and age you should be doing what you want.

“do what I want”

Life is so much more rewarding when you are doing what you love, what your passion is, whatever it is that makes your heart soar.

It’s much easier to motivate yourself, create a balanced life and hard work pays off in magnitudes.

Given recent economic changes, now is the best time to get into doing what you love, as weaker competitors will be knocked out of the market thus leaving room for you to dominate.

So if not now, when?

(if you don’t think this has anything to do with marketing, think again, the bigger picture is coming soon)

Woody Allen said:

“Eighty percent of success is showing up.”

However when you go to turn up, you get a sudden fear, a feeling in your stomach, so you stop.

That’s why free events have high rsvp low turn out rates.  

Rather than endure the feeling in your stomach you just don’t go. No pain if you don’t. 

However same thing happens in life, only your letting yourself down.

You need to stop.

Ignore this and dive in.

Been contemplating blogging? building a website? learning a new hobby? always let this pain stop you?

My advice is to learn to love the pain, thrive on it, throw yourself into it, scare yourself.

Some call this throwing yourself in the deep end.

If your not scaring yourself your not pushing yourself, so scare yourself and turn up. 

(that’s where success is hidden)

ps

also read I Fail Lots if you haven’t yet.

I have been thinking a lot about Twitter and the communications channel it provides.

A few points:

• Captive audience (9 – 5 office audience)
• Short, sharp, snappy messages
• Low interaction cost
• Anonymity & transparency (for those who operate under their name)
• High authenticity

So what services would then bode well under these conditions? Quite a lot, Competitions, Market Research, News…here’s one I have been chewing on:

Fitness Plan

Offer a free fitness plan, where you have a trainer, throughout the week putting out exercises you can do in your office (or from your desk).  

Imagine engaging several hundred local people to do the same exercise at the same time and report back (kind of flashmobbing but in the office).  

Keeping fit is a big problem for office workers.  You can then engage with the audience and help them keep fit.  

Monetisation models are numerous: upselling, selling gear, consultations, build a community, sponsorship. 

Take it further, exercises to reduce Occupational Overuse Syndrome (oos), dietary?

Oh and you can use it as a feedback tool to find out immediately the difficulties your market are having and help them. (Help me help you)

We all exist in little pods, groups, communities, tribes

I prefer pods, as they describe the structure, better.  separate distinct pods.

Here are some i belong to:

• Last.fm 
• Twitter
• Facebook
• This blog

There are some overlay between these (majorly twitter/myblog) however they are all separate.

Offline i belong to other pods, families, groups.  

We always have, but as interaction platforms change (from meeting a pub to online) our membership increases.

I wonder if over time we are only going to exist in more and more pods? how about in a crisis like a natural disaster?

This is on the tip of everyone’s tongue at the moment.

How do you turn your customers into fans?

Fans will rave about you.  Tell their friends.  Sell your product for you.

There is no perfect mix, but some questions I would be asking myself are:

– Who are the key influencers whom use my product?

– How can i excite them about my product?

– Am i excited about my product? Why?

– Are you the best? or the worst? Either way.  Pick a spot at each extreme.

– Am i selling the sizzle? do customers know what the sizzle is?

– Have i provided a platform or catalyst for customers to become fans?

– Have i provided tools for my customers to become fans (blogger kits, graphics, competitions)

– Is my product actually making their life better? am i helping them?

Well not quite a sabbatical.

More of a break.

A time to pause / reflect.  

That’s why there is no post today.  (well there is now).

Every now and again, stop, refocus, adjust, push forward, dominate.

Let this be your mid week reflection (as I do the above).