by Alyse Mitten
I am going to go a bit off course this month and not focus on just social networks. Why you ask? Well, I wanted to talk about a book written by David Meerman Scott called The New Rules of Marketing & PR.
I love the one section of his book that talks about creating a “World Wide Rave,” which is how to take something you have created and let people run with it. The “Rules of Rave” are what really hit home with me and are in line with what I teach.
1st rule: Nobody cares about your products (except you). That is so true. That seems a bit harsh but if you think about it, you will come to the same conclusion. We care about what WE want. Can your product make me rich? … healthy or beautiful? … or make my life easy or fun? It’s the Three Me’s. I’m sure there are more me’s, but those are the three that stand out the most in marketing and advertising for me.
2nd rule: Stay away from coercion. The Internet has made the word FREE a very dirty word. How many times have you clicked on a free button on the Internet only to find there are conditions and it sends you off to buy something? Trust what you have. If it is great, the crowd will love it.
3rd rule: (I love this one.) Lose control. You have to lose control of your message to allow the raving fans to make it viral. You have to let go and trust the crowd.
4th rule: (This is social networking 101.) Put down roots. If you want your idea to spread like wildfire, you need a presence where your clients gather. I always tell my clients never market or advertise your business if you don’t see your competitors there. Why? Because that’s where you’ll find your clients and future clients. Think about why fast food restaurants are all next door to each other.
5th rule: Create triggers that encourage people to share. What makes you unique? Make it simple and easy for your fans to share what you have.
6th rule: Point the world to your virtual doorstep. Make sure you have a lot of virtual doors for people to find you, but have the same message as not to confuse them. Make sure search engines can find you through many different means.
Make it easy for your raving fans to make you a “World Wide Rave” through these six rules. Find that idea you would like to promote, create a plan of how to have your raving fans spread your idea and share your stories.
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