Back story

I’m at an appointment with @Chrisandersonis about a year ago at the St David’s North Austin Medical Center. The receptionist tells us to take the stairs, because they’re “quicker” and points to a door about 10 feet away. Not for nothing, but how often do you really take an elevator that’s slower than walking up eight flights of stairs?

Long story even longer, we get to the top floor with our laptop bags and suits like we’re doing a tag team interview, and we both take that exaggerated sigh after the last step-“whew”. I turn to Mr. Anderson (ten years my junior) and say I’m old, with three kids, and spend the whole day sitting behind a desk , I’m supposed to be in bad shape-what’s your story? He proceeds to tell me that he “runs all the time, but stairs are different”-yada, yada, yada. I reply, how often do you run? And I’ll never forget his response: “I once ran 477 days in a row”. He wasn’t putting me on. It turns out there is a site www.runeveryday.com and you become a member of this running group by running everyday for a minimum of one mile, without stopping, without missing a day-for a minimum of 365 days.

The Point

Many years ago a great friend, boss, and mentor of mine Ric Torres told me consistent activity leads to consistent results. I’ve never forgotten that. Whatever you do whether it’s getting in shape, making sales calls, or marketing your brand, product or service online-consistent efforts will yield better and more consistent results. Certainly there is the caveat that you have to have the other three P’s of the marketing mix, but even a mediocre product (or service), poorly priced, with less than perfect placement will yield better results with consistent promotion.

Social Media Marketing, not unlike traditional marketing requires commitment. You must execute a plan which may consist of a number of different campaigns, tactics, and strategies over the course of the year. In Social Media you have to dedicate resources (time and/or money) year in and year out moving forward period. There is no “single effort activity” like a Superbowl commercial in social media, because it’s about building relationships and brand equity over time.

Coca Cola is the most recognized brand on the planet and depending on your information source they spend between 5%-12% of their annual earnings on marketing, and Microsoft spends upwards to 20%. Why? To gain and retain market share and dominate their competitors and they do perennially.

Since few companies have Fortune 50 resources to throw at marketing – Social Media can help level the playing field. I’m sure you’ve read about how Dell drove over a million dollars in revenue through Twitter in 2008 as it was well documented and Tweeted. What we should all take from that is the solace that we have at our disposal the same Social Media tools to market our own respective brands.

If you take the time and effort to consistently execute some of the same best practice tactics the big brands are using-you will get results. If you consistently save (spend less than you earn) you’ll accumulate wealth. If you consistently exercise, you’ll be in better shape. This works both ways mind you- If you consistently spend more than you earn (see also US Economy), consistently eat McDonald (see also Supersize Me), or consistently avoid marketing your business you will get consistently bad results.

BTW-Tomorrow is Day 224 in a row running for me-rain or shine.

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We all talk about it, blog about it, and tweet about it, but I witnessed the most effective grass roots marketing campaign ever during the month of September-and the months not over yet. Within hours after announcing her free-agent status, she not only got her first gig – but she had neighbors coming by to discuss her availability. Side note-price was never an issue! Makenzie doesn’t have a marketing plan, published rates, heck she doesn’t even have her own phone line in her room (which she doesn’t need as she can make it from anywhere within a 30 yard radius of our house to the kitchen phone in ¼ of a ring), but what she does have is the most effective weapon in a marketers arsenal-a MOM.

Women in general, but moms specifically are pound for pound the best word of mouth marketers on the planet. They generate ridiculous amounts of targeted traffic which converts at (in our example) 100%. When a mom tells another mom about a product or service, that endorsement is GOLD.

We’ve all witnessed it at some point in our lives when two women get together and woman number one says to woman number two “what a cute ________( <–insert any clothing item here)”. To which woman number two provides the following unsolicited information: “This? I got it at ABC company for only $1.67).

It is a mystery to me why woman number two feels compelled to share the post sales tax price with woman number one every time whether they’re related or just met, but that’s not the point, and what I don’t know about women could fill a warehouse.

The point is if you have a brand, product, or service that markets to women between the ages of 8 to 80 and you’re not engaging in a strategy that can leverage their WOM prowess-you’re missing the boat!

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