Yesterday was a good day. I finished a small project within an hour in the morning, tweaked another one, and got some really focused queries out the door. I’m excited because I know the queries are spot on. The only thing left is to hope the editors are buying. I managed to get a personal project finished, and I’m going to be spending the next few weeks revising. Really excited about this one.
What I’m not excited about is how often I’m seeing new Twitter, Google+, or LinkedIn followers beating their own drum to death. I’m not talking about a few extra tweets about their latest product, service, or special. I’m talking about several tweets identical to each other or ten tweets in a row that promote, tout, push, or praise that follower’s business services, savvy, or moxie. Ironically, a lot of the guilty ones are self-proclaimed marketing “gurus.”
The ironic part isn’t that they’re calling themselves gurus, either. It’s that they think they’re that good at marketing.
Here’s what I know about marketing:
Brevity gets more attention. A few well-placed messages attract more attention than a string of twenty messages all saying the same thing. It’s a little like a kid asking repeatedly for ice cream. You don’t give it to him because you want to. You give it to him to shut him up. Unfortunately, potential clients can easily lose your Twitter connection and shut you up much easier.
Demands don’t fly. I myself stopped following a few people who would practically beg for either followers or retweets on Twitter. One was practically screaming for retweets so he could hit some milestone number of followers. If your customers don’t buy into your dream, you’re going to look foolish.
Marketing is a two-way street. What most self-appointed gurus fail to realize is that marketing isn’t just delivering a message repeatedly. That’s a monologue. Marketing is interacting with your potential clients, including spreading their good news. If they don’t retweet, if it’s all about them, don’t follow.
You have to earn the A list. I predict the next round of phrases-turned-cliches will include the following: A list, guru, Top anything, Social Media Expert. If you have to resort to self-titling, you’re desperate. If you have to belong to a list in order to belong, you’re missing the point of marketing. Marketing is about bringing value to your clients, not yourself. Let your clients’ praises do the talking.
What marketing mistakes have you seen lately? In what ways are people damaging their own images?
9 responses to “Killing Your Image – Internet Style”
At an author/reader online party – a good chance as an author to interact with readers – instead, many authors were posting comments that basically amounted to repeated "buy my book" pleas. Inundated with ads – I'll remember all right, rather like the telemarketer whose product I will never buy.
The barrage of messages (as you mentioned) is what drives me nuts. It's what makes Facebook so annoying and why there are possibilities with Google+ where you can get selective about your message streams.
I was keeping FB primarily for family & friends. Then I signed up for a blogging comment tribe, which has mostly been positive, but now so many have spilled into my personal side, I need a shovel to find my family & friends' updates.
The constant stream of self promos is off-putting at best. It's the digital version of the hard sell, which is something that immediately turns me off. It smacks of desperation.
My dad was a graphic designer who worked in advertising for a good chunk of his life before going all cartoony on us, and he used to say, "Anyone who has to work that hard at selling something doesn't have anything worth buying."
Yeah, this is the same guy who, when asked if he'd like to purchase an extended warranty on a product, deadpanned, "So you're saying you don't have confidence in what you're selling?" Obviously, the sales people can't admit that extended warranties are just a way to earn extra revenue without (usually) earning it. But they couldn't say they didn't have confidence in the quality of the item they just sold you, either. Dad loved watching them squirm. (Yes, I still ask sales people the same question.)
Amen… I quickly unsubscribe when someone does a whole line of tweets etc… that's just stupid in my not very humble opinion on the subject.
the biggest mistake is any kind of over promising.
oh Paula, great story about your dad… and I'm going to use his line, probably without credit, next time someone asks me to buy an extended anything.
And now I'm into two comments in a row… oh well! 😉
Ryshia, so true. You do remember in a bad way, don't you?
Cathy, I think I like Google+ for the same reason – selective streams.
Paula, I LOVE that quote! I agree -the warranties are like little bets between you and the company that their product won't fail. Just build a better product! My sister's wrangling with TMobile. They sold her insurance on three cell phones. The deductible for each phone – $165. What's the point of insurance exactly?
Amazing how often some tweeters get it wrong, eh Anne? I'm constantly amazed at the "gurus" who inundate my Tweet Deck with a million of the same message.
Ugh. Yeah, annoying the hell out of people has to be the worst marketing tactic ever.
My promotional pet peeve at the moment is friends on Facebook (or in real life!) who all of the sudden start shilling for something constantly. It really makes me feel used when someone I thought I had a personal relationship with now just seems to want to sell me something. There's really a fine line between making the most of your network and abusing your relationships with people.
Jessica, I don't mind it if it's occasional and a cause I believe in, but I agree – if it's a constant barrage of "Buy this from me" I'm completely turned off. I have a few Facebook friends who are always trying to sell overpriced garbage that I don't need or want.
Ha, Paula, I love that! I'm going to shamelessly steal it too.
If I had "friends" who did nothing but try to sell me stuff I'd unfriend them in a NY minute.