Tag Archives: creative genius

Marketing in a virtual world

It seems like today marketers need to be a cross between creative geniuses, writers, and tech geeks to be able to survive in our digital age.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the age we now live in.  It’s like  the “wild west” for marketers.  We get to go to unknown places (mobile marketing, twitter, social networks, search engines) and carve out our own niche.

As a creative person, I’m never thrilled when I must work in a confined space.  I like to stretch my right brain.  I like to try new things.  I like to succeed.  That is easy to do when few road maps exist for business models in cyberspace.

Here’s my five ways to be successful in a virtual world:

1. Be open to learn. Although the thought of learning yet another new program or having to remember one more login can seem daunting, it is important to be open to trying new things.  As marketers we know that people get bored or loose interest quickly, so it is critical to look forward and not back.  Here’s a trick I learned, that seems to work well with men, women, young and old.  When learning some new technology, work in three’s.  Learn three things that are critical for use.  Once you know those three things inside and out, learn three more.  Keep going until you feel comfortable or have found all the things you feel are useful to your goals and objectives for using the software/technology.

2. Watch and learn. Some people can jump right in.  Some need some time to get used to the temperature of the water.  I believe is is human nature to learn by watching others.  So, if you decide to set up a new account in a social network, watch what others are doing at least 30 days.  Then, start to post comments, build your network, or whatever it is you want to do.  By then you should have a good feel for how it works and how you want to participate.

3. Be consistent. If you are going to do something, do it right.  Many people start blogs, few people keep them more than a few months.  Why?  It takes work and commitment.  Rome was not built overnight, and neither are great marketing campaigns.

4. Socialize. The great thing about the virtual world on the web is that you can connect with your peers both locally and half way across the world.  In no other time could you build a social network of business contacts that spans the globe as easy as you can today.  By socializing on the web you can expand your thinking and even build better marketing programs with the help of your new networks.  All you need to do is ask.

5. Don’t mess it up for the rest of us. Email was a wonderful tool until spammers took over.  The social networks allow us to connect in new and wonderful ways, unless hackers steal our accounts.  My only wish is that people would just use the cool tools for what they were meant to do.

Your thoughts?  Have any points to add?