Danny Brown

podcaster - author - creator

Insights

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?

apocalyptic sunsetTake 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?

Creative Commons License photo credit: Xavier Fargas

Back to Business and Thank You

It’s been a while since I’ve been on here, as I took an extended break for health reasons.

While I’m still undergoing some treatment, I’m a lot fitter and healthier than I was six weeks or so ago. I’m still not quite back to 100% me, but I’m feeling stronger and healthier every day.

To that end, I’m looking forward to getting back into the groove that I’ve had to miss these last few weeks.

I just wanted to say an immense thank you to everyone who has offered amazing support, love and well-wishes during my sabbatical. Emails, blog comments, phone calls, physical help and a lot more – I’ve been truly speechless as people have reached out to me, and I can’t convey enough how much it has meant and helped.

I will be responding to the emails and calls more personally soon. One of the strange quirks of my treatment was blurred vision, so it’s been difficult to read at times without getting crazy headaches. Oh, the joy…

I also want to thank the great guest bloggers who have appeared here over the last few weeks and shared some amazing stories, action plans and more with you. This is why I love the blogging and online community so much – everyone wants to help in any way they can, and the insights these folks have shared has been simply awesome.

There will be more guest posts as I get back to normal over the next couple of weeks or so, so I look forward to seeing what else there is.

Also, there are some big announcements to share with you as well, and I’m excited to do that in the upcoming days and weeks.

Until then, I just want to say again how grateful I am to know you, and have you part of this little place on the Internet. I talk a lot about community and its power, both personally and professionally, and you all show that every day of the week. It’s an honour knowing you, and I’m grateful for your friendship.

Here’s to continued journeys together.

Taking Time Out for Health Reasons

The blog has been really quiet this last week or so, as has my Twitter stream and other online outposts. This is due to some serious health issues I’m having at the minute, which is leaving me drained.

Therefore, I’m taking an extended break to hopefully work myself back to full health. I’m currently waiting on some test results to see what the next stage is. There will still be the odd post here as I hand over the blog reins to other writers. 12for12k will be looked after by the core back-room team, so please continue your awesome support there as we move more into 2010.

Thanks for coming by here like you do, and hopefully you’ll still be around when I’m back online. Until the next time, take care.

Why I’m Not Missing SxSW

mehDown in Austin, Texas, the South by South West (SxSW) festival has started in earnest.

A collection of music, film and interactive mediums, it’s an event that always sees a large social media presence.

And precisely why I’m glad I’m not there this year.

Scanning through some tweets about SxSW it’s clear to see that, while not everyone has fallen for the malaise, the same social media circle jerk love-in so visible last year has already set in.

Comments about there being no-one left to do social media if a tornado hit an event there (obviously the only folks that can make social media a business are all at SxSW); the name-dropping of who people are hanging out with at barbecues and dinners; the rehashed buzzword bingo that we’ve all heard before.

And this is only the first day.

Here’s the thing, folks. It’s not rocket science what you’re doing. It’s not earth-shattering revelations. In fact, it’s almost a little embarrassing how self-important it all comes across as. Not to mention a little demeaning to all the folks doing great social media work who would most definitely be able to continue if a tornado did indeed hit Austin…

Now, there are some great reasons for being at SxSW, and hearing back from some of the folks down there about the really cool stuff is where the real interest lies. At least for me. As for the social media love-in?

Well, I guess that’s what selective hearing is for.

Creative Commons License photo credit: ?ick Harris