I was getting ready to leave the house this morning when my little 4 year-old, Nathanael, came at me with cool hotwheels truck that he wanted me to bring to the office with me.
It’s the small metal kind that I used to play with when I was a boy – you know, the one that still sells millions to kids everywhere. It’s a red Fire Department truck that looks like it’s a 4X4 meant for off-roading. Tons of fun!
I ended up leaving it on the counter near where he was eating breakfast as I walked out the door but before I reached my car, he came running after me in tears, “Daddy you forgot your toy..!”
What a jerk I was – to spurn his gift. To not receive something that he just knew I would love playing with when I needed a state-change during the middle of my day.
I grabbed it and assured him I’d be playing with it at work…
This is significant because in business, especially in marketing, there are all kinds of “shiny objects” that are pushed by the latest “guru,” or old products that you’ve never tried but even at the recommendation of trusted advisors you still haven’t incorporated into your strategy.
…you’ve left the building without grabbing the toy.
The one thing that could change everything
One of our clients owns a large ecommerce website with thousands of pieces of fine gold and diamond jewelry. The CEO has always had his hand on all the marketing, so when I introduced him to a new concept of using video and blogging to start dominating, he was all ears, but clueless.
Instead of walking away without the “toy,” he decided to have one of his local colleagues come over to show him exactly how to shoot and record video, then upload it – then blog around it, then share it.
Omnipresence is in his future. He took the red pill, and he’s going to join the elite.
Simplicity in Marketing vs. Shiny Objects
Have you ever been told to do something that sounded too simple? Too easy with not enough rules or promise of exact ROI?
Have you ever considered implementing something that didn’t cost you money – but instead was a minor investment of time that if done often enough, with messaging consistently enough, could actually become the most effective channel in all your marketing?
I’m talking about YOU, getting in front of your target audience in a new way that dominates. One that seems omnipresent to your potential clients.
It’s authentic.
It’s connection.
It’s your moral duty and obligation.
Picking up your phone and recording specific videos around what your target audience is searching for is not only a good idea, it’s easy to do once you get the reps in.
The phone they hold in their hands while Googling a solution to some kind of pain they’re experiencing can connect you with another human in a genuine way that will silence all other competitors in the mind of your new potential client.
And it’s something you can get started on right away.
It’s not shiny. It’s not a DFY service. It’s just you. And your audience… connecting over a problem that YOU can solve.
Your competitors aren’t doing it.
You’ve probably never done it.
So don’t break the rules, change them.
THE END