Book Reading: The Age of Engage: Reinventing Marketing for Today's Connected, Collaborative, and Hyperinteractive Culture

(Pardon my typos. These are my notes from this presentation)

During this presentation, the speaker talked about the “Rule of One”. Her basic hypothesis (which is not really anything new) is that as marketers we can only be about one thing. One single feature or benefit. One value. One thing that we choose to set or selves apart form the rest. Otherwise, we are making the consumer think too hard. For example, Apple is about style. And they continuously push that one core competency in everything they do and every communication they create. Everything Apple does is about style. They made style important where before it was not important.

Once you ask yourself what it is that one thing you can do best, you push that one core competency into people’s lives.

It has long been agreed that people purchase things with their emotions. Even after thinking about it rationally, they always make emotional purchases. So your core competency needs to rooted in an emotion. We purchase with our heart versus our brains. That includes B2B purchases. (We buy the safe choice and we’ll get to keep our jobs; look good to our friends/coworkers; or be more successful. Emotional messaging simply does better whether personal or business.

Don’t make your customers think about and analyze their purchase too much cause they’ll do the research and might not pick your product because there was not an emotional connection. Emotional connection is a lot stronger bond and motivator.

So, once you have your unique value defined, how do you get people’s attention?
1. Controversy gets people talking. Say something people do not agree with.
Think in terms of what people do not agree on. (Comcastmustdie.com)
2. Be the visionary. Always think about what’s next. Give your consumer the info that will get them hooked to you.
3. Try Contest/voting/commenting. Anything to get them to push a button.
Especially if you give them immediate results.
4. Create content and self with others. Wikis (Web based equalizing tools) that allows in a community to share in answering difficult or complex questions. It build credibility allowing people to know what the company is doing right and wrong.
5. Get customer on video saying what a great job your doing. (Word of mouth) Give away free ebooks. Let them redistribute your story (Viral)
Think user experience. (Nike Plus is a great example). They built a community around a shoe! Word of mouth: people will spread what is relevant and funny.
Don’t do new media just for new media sake.