We all know that Al Gore invented the Internet to connect people from all over the world. So, if the Internet is for connecting, why do so many businesses fail to achieve this goal? Some may not know the recipe for marketing success. Others may not know how to tell their brand’s story. While many still think that going viral is the key to success.
The main reason businesses don’t connect? They don’t take a holistic view of all of the many web channels. They don’t realize that…the web is a living, breathing, integrating machine.
To get a holistic view, let’s start with the basics. Okay?
1. The web is alive.
The Internet is alive and well. Just like Frankenstein. But a lot less scary.
If you’re a small business, don’t be scared to make an impact. Respect the digital medium. And make it come alive by repeating the famous quote of Regis McKenna: “marketing is everything and everything is marketing.”
Here are a few other tips:
- Learn how to communicate in an honest, authentic way that resonates with your audience. If you don’t have time to learn, or can’t do this yourself, hire a specialist.
- Paint your walls with colorful content. And no, this doesn’t mean create a beautiful logo (although that always helps). It’s more along the lines of creating engaging experiences within every interaction you have with your customers. It goes a long way.
- Don’t shout to your customers. Talk to them like they’re people. After all, they are human, right? No? Then you belong at the end of the internet.
2. The web is ubiquitous
You can’t go anywhere without seeing the Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube logos. They’re everywhere. Which is why your business needs to be everywhere (that makes sense for your business).
If your business does not yet have social media accounts, work with a marketing or media agency to get up and running. Here are a few basic ways to stand out and get off the ground:
- Create a custom landing page for Facebook
- Get a Twitter custom background and secure your Twitter handle with the name of your company (do it right after you read this post!)
- Being ubiquitous does not mean repeating the same updates on each different channel. It’s great that you created a shortcut for yourself. Awesome. But therein lies the problem. Each social media platform has its own, unique way of communicating – which is why you should not link your Twitter account with your Facebook, or vice versa. (more on this in the next post!)
3: The web is informal
In college, we learned how to use big words. Yep, just like ubiquitous (see above). The reality? It’s not that impressive with Google at our fingertips. Unless you’re an SAT company (and even then!), don’t try to impress your customers with big words. It’s better to be authentic than academic [tweet this!]
Here’s how to be casual, cool, and collected:
- Write to the reading level of a 5th grader on the web. Yes, Wrinkle in Time style. This may or may not require 5th grade humor (use at your own discretion)
- Informal does not mean lazy. I repeat: Informal does not mean lazy. Being informal requires a lot more work than being formal. Why? It’s about doing more with less. This takes…work! Lots of it.
- Informal can still mean academic. You can offer an academic approach minus the academic style. There’s a difference. An academic approach educates and informs, without being unnecessarily wordy. Kinda like this post, eh?
Why do you think things spread on the Internet? Please comment below.
For more online marketing knowhow from Jessica Ann, click here.
Image: dgray_xplane (Creative Commons)