|
|
Like this article? PLEASE +1 it! |
|
DARE TO BE DIFFERENT? THEN SHOW IT BY YOUR ACTIONS.
|
| Guest post by: Billy Sharma |
Article Overview: One of the ways to succeed in marketing is by being different. Here's why.
![]() |
Free Download - WHEN ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS OR DONORS MOST RECEPTIVE? By Billy Sharma |
DARE TO BE DIFFERENT? THEN SHOW IT BY YOUR ACTIONS.
@font-face {
font-family: "Arial";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }
A vast body of knowledge and
experience has been built on what works and what doesn’t in marketing and that
is good.
What is bad is that most of what has
worked for one client has been plagiarized to death by another so that
look-alike pieces abound.
Somewhere along the line we have all
become so fixated on formulas espoused by gurus that we are afraid to take a
chance on something new.
And yet it was the pioneers who
dared to be different who reaped the biggest rewards before the rest of the
herd sheepishly mimicked them.
Good example: One of the
most famous marketers, Benjamin Franklin, who published his own
catalogue in the early 1700s, has been credited with incorporating the first
“satisfaction guarantee” in his catalogue.
Dr. Thomas Barnado, who coined
the first generic solicitation “Dear Friend” almost 120 years ago,
continues to be copied even today.
More recently, Barack Obama won
the election handily by employing online initiatives and new technologies using
youth to raise over 500 million dollars in small contributions — need I say
more?
And there’s the first person that
used telephone marketing as a one-two punch to sell or raise funds, or the
first face-to-face agency that helped procure millions of Pounds, and Euros in
Europe. That agency started a deluge of ‘me-too’ copycats that sprang up to do
the same.
Or the very first non-profit that
dared to create a catalogue to sell livestock, seeds or clean water online and
reaped thousands of dollars.
Gone are the days when
marketers can continue to live by keeping their heads down,
buried in the sand, for fear of being different. Given the plight of
marketing today, such conservatism is a folly. You need the guts to try
something new.
I am not advocating that marketers
sink all their resources into innovations, I am suggesting that at least 5% to
10% be allocated to creating something new each year — be it a new way of
segmenting or even a radically new way of marketing — or a dramatically
different campaign.
The worse you can do is fail, but that’s how we all learn. The
best you will do is create a stampede of followers.
Article Tags: barack obama, barnado, benjamin franklin, body of knowledge, cambria, copycats, dear friend, deluge, dr thomas, first person, gurus, herd, livestock, marketers, million dollars, pioneers, satisfaction guarantee, solicitation, telephone marketing, times new roman
|
About the Author: Billy Sharma RSS for Billy's articles - Visit Billy's website BILLY SHARMA Billy holds a Bachelor of Science degree and is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of J.J. School of Art (Bombay) and the Hochshüle für Gestaltung (Bauhaus School of Design, Germany). After many years of working for other companies, Billy founded Designers Inc. In 1999 he became Managing Director and Creative Director of Brann Worldwide in Toronto. Under his stewardship the agency grew three-fold in two years when Brann Worldwide was elected the number one direct marketing agency in the world in 2000. Billy has extensive advertising and direct marketing experience gained in many national and international advertising agencies in Europe, U.S. and Canada. This has honed his creative skills to help provide breakthrough creative ideas for his clients. Click here to visit Billy's website NOSTALGIA A POWERFUL BUT OFTEN NEGLECTED SELLING TOOL DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE REAL ART OF CLOSINGASALE IS ITS ALL A MATTER OF TIMING WHY DO MARKETERS LEAVE THEIR BRAINS AT THE DOOR WHEN THEY CREATE THEIR WEBSITES HOWTO PRESENT YOUR BEST FACE WHEN YOU SEND YOUR FIRST PIECE OF MAIL |
Related Forum Posts
Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.
Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.
Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Pay Per Click Advertising
Ten Things You Can Do To Be a Better Leader
How To Be A Management Legend
Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.



