Left Brain Focus for Right Brain Creative Businesses

Image by bosela via sxc.hu

You hear a lot about having a “unique selling proposition,” or something that makes you different from all the other graphic designers, writers, and web developers in the world.

No experience, no awards, no problem

My mom is about to start a new career in real estate.  We looked at the other agents’ bios and they all listed years of experience, awards won and commitments to personal service.

For mom, highlighting experience and awards won’t work  — she doesn’t have any.

Be different

So, she’s got to take a different approach. I wrote her a bio that focused on her potential clients instead.  It’s got a section for buyers, and one for sellers: directing people to the information that’s relevant for them.

Tell stories

The buyers section starts by saying that the first thing she’ll do is ask you what you need.  The last thing she’ll do is to cook dinner for you and deliver it the day you move in.

Her background emphasizes the memorable things she’s done, like being commodore of the yacht club, running a catering business, and teaching knitting at a women’s prison.

Think she’ll stand out?  Will she be worth talking about? It’s not only more interesting, it’s a better story.  At least, I think so (I am, of course, totally objective).

Image via Wikipedia

Quick, what do marketing and trucking have in common?

Stumped?

The answer is that they’re both delivery systems. The purpose of trucks isn’t to deliver trucks, it’s to deliver goods (the products inside) to the people who want them.

There’s a lot of talk about whether paper is obsolete, predicting the death of direct mail, and using social media to market your business. The old school is dead! Long live the new school!

The truth is, it doesn’t matter which method you use. Yes, of course, you have to adapt to where your audience is, but the marketing method you use is just a truck. It’s a delivery system, not a goal. It’s how you stay connected with your current clients, meet new ones, and deliver your products and services (regardless of whether or not you use an actual truck).

The method isn’t the point. The message is.

A friend in Colorado (where apparently, this is common) stopped at the grocery store the other day to buy gas.  There’s a speaker next to the pump – which immediately started urging her to buy some fuel additive. 

She hit the button to make it stop.  It kept going… and going.  She stood there muttering at the thing, ‘Didn’t I just tell you to shut up? Stop it! Be quiet!”

Congratulations, gas company. You’ve just invented “grocery spam.”

Just because you can use technology to talk directly to people doesn’t mean  you should – or that they want to hear what you’re saying.  

That’s not permission marketing.  Ask first.  Before you send your newsletter to someone, ask if they’re interested. Same with cell phone text messages (which are illegal in the US without express permission). Or, my personal least favorite, commercials (on monitors) in public restrooms. Don’t invent new and different kinds of spam.

Image by ButchLebo via Flickr

(Jodi’s note: this is re-posted, with permission, from Jack Goldenberg’s blog at 10minutesofbrilliance.com. Ha! My first guest post. )

OK, this is just between me and YouTube, so don’t get your brain all a Twitter. I would appreciate if you would Focus and not let your mind Flickr. Since you are a close Friendster of mine, I don’t mind saying I need your Yelp.

We can Meetup on the phone, or talk about it face to Facebook at your place or MySpace. Or we can have fries and Quechup under the Big Tent at Cafe Mom. Or toss back a few at the Fubar.

I know you’ve got your life and I’ve got MyLife. Can we discuss this without having a brain Fark or getting so mad, we’re Reddit in the face?

Here’s what I wanted to Aplify: It’s A Small World, but there are just too many social media and bookmarking sites. I don’t know which ones are Delicious and which are just Deviant Art. I want to feel LinkedIn to my new online contacts unless you think that is not Posterous.

I guess it was about Foursquare and twenty days ago when I seemed to Stumble Upon the fact that there are just way too many social networking and media sites!

I think it was Ning, the first Chinese emperor who said to his Official Blogger, “You don’t have to be a Geni to realize, there are too many social networks! So many, in fact, I get a Buzz just thinking about them.”

I wish I could wave a magic wand and say “Plaxo, Orkut, Bebo” and make them all disappear. I know they won’t all stay around forever. Some will fall and some will Ryhze. If that happened, I would be the Last.fm to know.

I hope you can Digg what I’m saying or at least get the Gist of it.

Image via Wikipedia

Ever notice how Apple likes to build anticipation for its products? Their system is closed, but information (or is it disinformation) leaks out anyway.

The thrill of discovery

Apple has legions of fans carefully checking patent applications, digging into orders for parts, poring through shipping manifests, and devoting hours to building or reading websites devoted to rumors, half-truths, leaks, and maybes. Once they find something, they gleefully spread it.

Back in the days of the cold war, US officials would carefully scrutinize photos of Kremlin officials. They wanted to see who was standing closest to the premier, who was far away, and who had been airbrushed out.  They wanted to clues to see who was in power, and who had been purged.  Any hints, or inside information, was worth its weight in gold.

Inside information

Some complain about Apple’s secrecy, but that’s really part of their marketing plan – build anticipation, and make cracking the code and getting inside information that much more fun. The thrill of discovery, and exclusivity, drives people to spend time doing things that may not seem terribly rational.

Heinz ketchup once ran ads with a song called “Anticipation” by Carole King playing in the background – waiting, and waiting and waiting for the ketchup to come out of the bottle.

Build anticipation

You may not have as many raving fans as Apple, but you can do this too. If you’re working on a new product, casually mention it in your blog or newsletter before you launch. And write about whatever topic it covers.

Offer an inside peek or a discount to your subscribers or your blog visitors. People want to be first (ever notice all the comments on blogs – First!).

Then, sit in front of your (Apple) computer and have some fries. Put ketchup on them. Singing the Internationale is optional.