SWIPE FILE

Throughout my marketing career, I’ve kept a Swipe File (inspiration file) of my favorite marketing ideas: tweets, thoughts, articles, podcasts, ads, Tiktoks and our favorite, memes. 

Every week I’ll be sharing 3 of my favorites from my archives + what I’m adding to my swipe this week.

1. Empathy is a superpower

Insight from: Mike Markkula in 1977 from Apple

These 3 principles worked in 1977 and still work in 2022.

1. Empathy is a marketing superpower. The ability to try to see things from your customer’s and buyer’s perspective will put you ahead of the game.

Marketing is about connecting with your audience (which starts with actually understanding them). 

Empathy is not a marketing strategy, however. It is a pillar of great marketing. 

2. Focus – A lot of potentially, not-yet-great marketing teams don’t lack ideas. They lack prioritization and focus. Teams need to distill priorities into the top 2-3 goals (and cut out the noise). 

Great marketing strategy is about deciding what to say no to, and standing firm on going after only the ideas that will move the needle. 

3. Impute – The old adage “Don’t judge a book by its cover” does not apply in marketing. 

First impressions matter. 

Every touchpoint matters.

You don’t have a second chance to make a first impression. Stick to the qualities, feelings, and values you want to portray to your customers – make sure you lead with ideas that bring those key reactions to the surface. 

2. Demand Gen vs Demand Capture

Insight from: Jack Butcher (Follow jack on Twitter here: @jackbutcher)

Capturing Demand vs Creating Demand

Capturing Demand = waiting to capture buyers when they are giving a signal to buy. (SEO, Google Ads, Paid Social – Direct Response, Retargeting, Review Sites)

Creating Demand = Educating your potential buyers and creating a brand in the market so that when your target buyer is ready to buy, they think of you FIRST. (Organic Social, Podcasting, Paid Social, Content Distribution, etc)  

The truth of the matter is that most people are not ready to buy right now.

You need to do both: You have to capture demand and create demand to win in marketing.

But, if you’re only capturing demand, you’re fighting against a sea of competitors.

If you are the one creating the demand (and creating the urgency), your buyers will think of you when it’s time for them to shop. 

Short Game vs Long Game. Balance both.

3. Can’t hack community

Insight from: JT Barnett (Follow JT on LinkedIn)

A thriving community takes consistency, patience, and the ability to stay niche.

It’s not about an individual piece of content.

It’s about the story you tell over time through multiple messages. 

Don’t create for the algorithm or for the latest trend. 

Create only relevant and valuable content that educates, entertains, inspires, or engages your audience.

If building community could be hacked, you would see so many more real, valuable communities out there.

Consistency is the biggest factor here. 

Are you showing up for the community? 

Are you listening to them?

Is the community relating to what you are saying? 

Are they along for the journey?
 

MEME OF THE WEEK

See Attached.