I guess I have this mental image of a business owner who is attempting to break into youth marketing. He’s an overweight, middle-aged and rosacea-nosed man who has a passion for thumbing through yachting magazines as he rolls a rocks glass in his button-tufted leather office chair. Then he kicks up his Italian loafers and lets out a sigh. That instant, an apprehensive secretary tiptoes into his office.
Gone are the days when great ideas travel around the globe due to the simple fact that they are great—supposedly. Henry Ford never had a need to market the concept of the assembly line. He changed the world simply because he had one magnificent thought that transcended industries. An age of heightened analysis and accessibility has increased the amount of quality thinking that goes on in our world today, making the notion that a good idea equals widespread recognition obsolete.
Let’s face it, corporate buzzwords usually deserve an eye roll. Viral marketing is one of those terms that have been floating in the business vernacular for some time now, to many existing as a murky Web 2.0 whisper. It often raises eyebrows and inspires smirks towards what is believed to be a secret society of marketing counterculture. Conversations with sideline-sitters usually go something like this:
It’s a typical afternoon scene in a city park. That is, besides the crowd that has decided to gather around a garbage can. Are they huddling for warmth? Maybe talking to a not-so-friendly sock puppet? No, they’ve been drawn to the “World’s Deepest Bin,” a trash receptacle that makes the whistle of a Looney Tunes free fall whenever trash is disposed of.
Last week, I strolled into a certain local department store. To be frank, I’m not really sure what spurred my visit. Maybe they had 2-for-1 on dandruff shampoo, or a killer deal on a Huffy. But if there is one sagely piece of advice I can give to you this day, it would be this: do not model your business after this department store. And yes, that includes your Internet storefront.
Online video is one of the most engaging, powerful and influential social media tools available today. It can create realism and build credibility to your brand. Better yet, it is easily shared. Videos that engage users can to become viral almost instantly. Businesses have the opportunity to not only embrace video, but get creative in how they incorporate it into their business strategies.
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