Marketing Must Be Remarkable

This week I was searching online for some inspiration and was lucky enough to find it.  As is usually the case, I found more than enough to get me thinking about today's post:  Social Media, SEO, Search Marketing, YouTube... I mean, where should I begin?  The good news is that I found the inspiration I was looking for.

One of the biggest challenges we all face as marketers, online and offline, is cutting through clutter.  This has always been a challenge but has grown increasingly complex with the addition of social media and portable devices.  I don't know about you but I'm pretty much addicted to my gadgets.  I always feel the need to be plugged in and I know that I'm not alone.

Cutting Through the Clutter
Okay, so back to my online search for inspiration.  I came across a video of a well known marketer (name omitted on purpose) who had a great solution for cutting through the many messages that our target segments hear on a daily basis.  I was amazed at how simple the solution truly is to this growing issue. 

To reach your target audience and stand above all the "noise", you need to do one thing, be REMARKABLE.  That's right, be remarkable, stand out from the crowd by being different.  Think about the brands that capture your attention.  One of the reasons that Starbucks has such a strong brand is because it charges almost four bucks for a cup of coffee.  Some of the "marketing gurus" will disagree and say that Starbucks can charge that amount of money because of other factors (quality, store experience, etc.) but the reality is that Starbucks does it differently.  

Another great example is the Mini-Cooper.  When you look at the car, it's different, unlike virtually anything else on the road.  The lesson is clear, to cut through clutter you must be different, you must stand out from the crowd.  Me too brands and me too marketing won't get the job done in today's market where we must compete for just a few moments of someones attention.  

Mee Too Marketing

How can you make your marketing different?  Remarkable?  It all begins with a big idea and some original promotions. Once you pick a theme for your campaign, a big idea - something outside the box, you can use different media to communicate your message over and over again.

Whenever rolling out a new promotion it's always a good idea to test your campaign with a small portion of your target audience before you make any significant investment.  Once you work out the bugs, go big!  And think remarkable.  Even if you're hanging on to the traditional letter, stick something in the envelope:  a pen, a cube, a button.  How often do you get an envelope with a bulge in it?  See my point?

The last thing I want to mention is that you should start paying attention to other promotions, products, and experiences, that you notice - that capture you.  Notice what they all have in common and think of ways that you can differentiate your marketing, your products, and your campaigns to get people to stop and take notice.  It's my belief that what you pay attention to are the things that are different and unique!