Latest posts from Danny Brown

Enjoy the latest posts from Danny Brown, and feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments after the post.

Promotion Commotion

Businesses spend thousands (or millions) on launching new products. Ad spend, PR, marketing, media blitzes – and that’s just the traditional approach. Then you have social media to add to the mix.

The bean counters look at the return and either class it a success or call for the promo team’s head.

What they tend to do, though, is get lost in the promotion commotion. Not all product launches are immediate successes.

Look at The Shawshank Redemption. A failure when it hit the cinema, but now one of the most beloved movies ever and frequently on movie magazines Best Of lists, not to mention normal viewers’ favourites.

Sometimes the product is right, just the timing is off. That’s not to say success won’t come. Plan to build for the long-term and stop watching the instant ticker tape results – you might just win in the end.

Are You a Shadow or a Beacon?

Take a minute to ask yourself a question ? are you a shadow or a beacon?

Are you merely following the crowd and what they think is right, or are you following your own path and leading the way?

If the answer to the question is the former, then you?re a social shadow ? always following, never questioning.

You need to change this now if you want to be more than just a shadow.

Like so many others, you?re trying to get to grips with social media, social networking, social marketing ? in fact, you?re probably all socialed out.

Everyone telling you which social tool you should use to expand your brand ? Digg this, Stumble that, and don?t forget to Twitter while you?re at it. While it?s true that you need to Socialize to make these applications work for you, it?s only true if you?re using them effectively.

Social shadows, always reacting to the social media/network scene as opposed to being pro-active, aren?t using this online social scene effectively. The result? You and/or your business is always the perennial ?almost man? ? you know, the movie co-star that never gets the girl or the audience?s love.

Yes, you?ll get the sympathy vote ? but who wants that? Wouldn?t you rather have the leading love interest in your arms?

Now take that and transfer it to your business. Your love interest is your customer ? your co-star vying for their love is your competitor. Just like you need to have the best scenes in a movie to be the star, so you need the best impressions of your company to be the star of your field. You know that social media can help you here ? but only if you?re the leading man, and not standing in the shadows of the supporting cast.

Light Up Your Shadow

Use social media and networking properly to promote your brand and business. This doesn?t mean adding hundreds of people just to try and be noticed ? instead, offer worthy participation. Leave comments on blogs with tips on solutions to a question, or recommend sites other than yours for knowledge bases. Once people see you?re not out for yourself they?ll look to you for advice every time ? guess what? That?s a new follower/customer you have.

Be an innovator. Come up with new ways to position yourself as the business to come to for your product. Grow your brand using social media as the tool instead of social media using you. Use a blog to offer your own personal and radical views that may or may not appeal to the mainstream ? initially, at least. Instead of writing what you think people want to hear, write what you want to read.

Don?t worry about interest being small at first ? after all, true pioneers are the ones that forge ahead offering real value and knowledge; all they need is time for everyone to catch up. And they will ? contrary to popular belief last generation, this public loves change.

Ready to light up your beacon and lead the way?

photo credit: Xavier Fargas

Hungover Radio ? A Social Media Success Story by Marcus Edwardes

January 16th? 2010, I?m at a party with a few friends.

We were bragging to each other about the usual things. Girls, sport, gadgets, movies. I make a remark that would change my life.

?I?m gonna launch my own Radio Show!?

The idea has been swirling around in my head for years but I?ve never vocalized it. Not even to my wife ? she just knows that I am a big Talk Radio fan. By the way, I own a Video Games recruitment company. I?m British.

?Right, of course you are Marcus. Want another beer?? Sure. Get me shot too.

Over the next week I dedicate myself to the task of setting up the show. It?s not easy.

Sunday Jan 24th. I broadcast my first internet radio show. Hungover Radio is born. People love it. Raw, full of potential. I?m loving every minute of it.

I hire a sound engineer and turn my garage into a Radio studio over the next week. A proper studio. Mics, mixing desks, computers, cables.? The show is real.

The next few weeks fly by ? largely to good reviews by my small but growing audience.

I invent a game called The Domain Name Game and pretend that it?s sponsored by GoDaddy. I send them the tape.

A week later GoDaddy call me back. ?We want to sponsor you.? What?

GoDaddy want to sponsor Hungover Radio after 6 shows. We are off to the races.

I?m on a roll. I send a tape to Rick Dees Entertainment. I?m looking for some constructive feedback. They call back. ?We want to meet you?.

I go to the Rick Dees studios in Burbank. Rick Dees extends his hand to shake mine. ?Marcus ? consider this your second home?. What?

I go to lunch with Producer Dave Lipson from Rick Dees Entertainment. ?We?d like to develop a daily radio show with you as the host?.? Get the fuck out of here.

Week 8. Hasn?t happened yet. But I?m feeling lucky. Bring it on.

About the author: Marcus Edwardes has spent his career in technology and video game recruiting. Earlier this year he started Hungover Radio, which he describes as “roast lamb for the ears”. You can listen to Hungover Radio at HungoverRadio.com, or follow Marcus on Twitter @hungoverradio.