Jeff Koons Balloon Dogs, a remarkable example by Seth Godin
What comes to mind when you hear the word remarkable? For that matter, how often do you hear the word remarkable being used, and when you do, is it really used in the right context? How many times do you use the word remarkable? I haven’t given this much thought until I spent some time on the TED.com website. Thanks to a recent post by HubSpot, the selection was narrowed down to view what they felt were the 13 Must-Watch Marketing TED Presentations While I agree that the presentations mentioned in the article were all top notch, Seth Godin’s was truly remarkable.
Seth calls it simply: “Best Thing Since Sliced Bread” and I have watched this video for the 6th time this week. This is something I have never done with a presentation video before. How often does this happen to you? I have read several of his books, and heard him speak before, but this video made such an impression on me that it made me want to share it my husband, my friends and with my readers immediately.
Go ahead take some time to check it out. Go on, I’ll wait….
Seth Godin’s TED Presentation
OK you are back and you are exhilarated…yea I get it!
First let’s take a look at the word remarkable. In his presentation, Seth mentions that the definition of the word is “neat”, but also means “worth making a remark about” Leave a remark! This is the concept that lays at the very heart of a company’s strategy on social networking. To anyone who is responsible for blogging, or maintaining Facebook pages and YouTube channels, etc. this is your Holy Grail!
How this plays into the importance of social media
Seth created this video in 2003 and while he doesn’t use the word “viral” he does mention how vital it is that the content you contribute in the social networking space is viewed and passed on by as many people as possible. Wouldn’t it be great if we could get people to pass along every last video, or business message with their friends and colleagues? Or perhaps a special message of hope and awareness such as the one that was started by one person in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. You might have heard of this groundswell where women posted the color of their bra in their Facebook status in support of the cause. This was quite a unique approach to getting people to react which quickly grew into newsworthy status.
They elected to follow you, they want to hear from you on a frequent basis and they look forward to reading your updates about what’s new
With the availability of popular networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, it would be detrimental for a brand not to spend time and money on staff to monitor and maintain these mediums. Likewise it has become necessary to develop an execution plan to work within the social media space as well. This doesn’t necessarily mean spending an absurd amount of money on an agency to come up with a celebrity voiced over character for your brand’s Facebook wall. Rather it means taking time to listen to your followers and to find out what may engage them. Discover what will ignite their passion for your brand. As Seth says over and over again in the video, “Give the people what they want and maybe they will tell their friends”. Otaku! What people are obsessed about that may just get them to tell their friends… [Fast Forward to 2011] …on Facebook.
Strategy sustainable?
While being remarkable is a key to viral marketing, I would also argue it’s equally important to develop a sustainable strategy. Will you have interesting content to continually and effectively communicate with your followers once the buzz dies down? Can the networks continue to communicate your message while adhering to your campaigns direction? Was the campaign worth it in the end? Did it give what the followers wanted and was the message delivered in a creative way that made people talk about it and pass it on to others?
Lastly on a personal note, people make a difference
I am training for my first Triathlon this year, so getting in the enjoyable workouts that are required has become important to me. Luckily I find myself fortunate enough to be a current member of the Woodbury NY Equinox Fitness Club with their excellent team of instructors such as Tripp Doherty. Tripp was a stockbroker sometime ago, and as we continue on our journey with him, we learn more and more of how his life back then hit a very dark point. Now as a full time spin instructor, accomplishing things he never imagined back then like completing the Ironman triathlon, he claims he has never been happier. One liners of passion scream from his lungs such as “Carpe Diem” and “All battles were won before they were fought”. I am not the only one who writes about Tripp, Jack Briant started a blog dedicated to the “Tripp Experience” and calls it ” Svengali“. I just read one of his latest post’s “Enthusiasm” on how he didn’t know what to make of Tripp at first. I chuckled at this knowing the feeling all too well. I remembered when I entered the spin room for the first time a year ago as he was jumping up and down and talking the whole time while playing a whole bunch of random music throughout the class that took place at the twilight hours of the morning, I couldn’t help but think… what is this? Now his remarkable style, and motivational personality continue to drive in a loyal group of spinners that go so far as to sign up for his class at 4am the day before his classes are held to be guaranteed a seat for the show. I like to think of it as a movement, a remarkable movement.
So what or who is your purple cow? What are you obsessed about that makes you get up early or drive far away to get to? What is your otaku? Tell your friends here and consider this when laying out a social media strategy.
