It seems that Wix has recently attempted to launch some kind of campaign. They sent Bose headphones to several WordPress influencers.
They used it to give them a QR Code (who uses those anyway?) that takes these influencers (developers) to a video that talks about complaining or something.
It was pretty bizarre.
Who knows what Wix was trying to accomplish. They seemed to try their hand at influencer marketing with a twist, I guess.
Mark that down as one I never heard.
WordPress influencers seemed to think they were trying to trash WordPress, so the tactic didn’t land well.
So wix sent dozens of people super expensive headphones, pretending they are from WordPress, with a personalized video warning me about their new anti-WP campaign.
I still like WordPress though and it seems most of the WP community is having a good laugh. Thanks @WordPress 😆 pic.twitter.com/llpH7gNfvC
— Wes Bos (@wesbos) April 6, 2021
Marketing often seems like we are spinning a wheel and choosing the tactic on which the arrow falls. Often it seems like little thought goes into what is being done. We are throwing stuff against the wall to see what sticks.
But then we use the KPIs and the ROIs and all the other OIs to try to measure these tactics.
And if our number is positive, we celebrate it as a win, but we never really know why it works.
There is a phrase that many people use in marketing called a “big idea.” A big idea is a foundation on which strategies are built.
The definition of a big idea from Wikipedia says,
“Big Idea in marketing and advertising is a term used to symbolize the foundation for a major undertaking in these areas – an attempt to communicate a brand, product, or concept to the general public, by creating a strong message that pushes brand boundaries and resonates with the consumers.”
Indeed, there are a lot of nuances that go into a big idea in the marketing space. Books have been written by people smarter than me. For now, just think of a “big idea” as something that sets a foundation and reveals the purpose of your strategy.
Today, we will take a look at three big ideas you can use moving forward. These ideas are principles rather than tactics.
Marketing and business are all about relationships.
If you look at your customer or your prospect like they are a swath of demographics, it probably won’t work too well. They are people. They are humans, and this is where we begin.
Failure to remember they are humans will cause great harm eventually. We don’t do business with robots.
If we aren’t careful, we will build a world where we only interact with AI, and I think this is dangerous. AI is not buying products for people.
You may have heard it said before (I hear it often locally) that “people do business with those they know, like, and trust.”
Take MainWP, for example. Sure, you like the product. You love what it does for you. I am there with you, but over time, you get to know the people behind the product.
Dennis has certain principles he stands behind. He is passionate about self-hosted solutions and privacy. He keeps the MainWP roadmap available and allows people to submit and vote on features. His team works with third-party vendors to add solid tools to the stack.
The support at MainWP is speedy. You know those on the team by name.
These are hallmarks of someone who does business with humans, and they understand that.
There is great importance in relationships.
And, relationships are a two-way street. You will educate your customers and teach them the best practices in digital marketing, and in turn, you will listen to their concerns.
Remember, you are doing business with humans.
Communication is essential.
Remember that first idea: Marketing is all about relationships? Yeah, that.
Because it is all about relationships, communication is absolutely essential.
Obviously, if you say the wrong thing and you damage your relationship.
There is another side to communication; Listening.
We should probably listen as much or more than what we say.
Entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson tells of simple advice he learned from his father:
“Listen more than you talk. Nobody learned anything by hearing themselves speak.”
Listening is a hallmark of relationships. It is easy just to jump and start telling people what we think, but sitting back and just listening is something that will help us understand more.
This includes our customers.
As a teenager, while working in the local grocery store, we had a surprise guest. The governor of our state showed up.
As I was bringing in shopping carts, I saw him intently listening to a gentleman in the parking lot. He was listening, really listening. This event left an impression on me.
It was something I always admired about President Bill Clinton. He was a master at listening when he was on the campaign trail.
Therapists listen. Pastors listen. Business owners listen, and we should listen too.
Listen for what people tell you are problems. Once you identify the issues, you can then address them and help solve those problems.
Listening builds trust.
There are fewer things we can do that are more essential than communication, including listening.
Look past the numbers.
We are numbers obsessed. I certainly understand because, without goals, we rarely see progress. So we set goals based on numbers and watch them like a hawk.
It seems to take the humanness out of it. Remember the first two “big ideas,” marketing is about relationships, and communication is essential.
So we camp out on KPIs and ROIs and all of the other OIs. It is even more prominent in the digital marketing world, where everything can be measured.
My challenge to you is to look beyond the numbers. Pay attention to the context. Listen to the story.
It is tempting to see the numbers go down and cut off an area without taking a closer look.
Imagine your customer comes to you one month and says, “We aren’t getting any leads from the website. We want to cut it off. We can only use marketing channels that make money!”
What would you say?
Would you say, “I certainly understand, Mr. Customer, I will delete your website immediately, and you will not get any more invoices from us”?
Of course not! You will dive in to see why your customer is not getting leads. Perhaps there is a leak in the funnel. You will diagnose it, fix it and watch the leads resume.
Sometimes the numbers signal a problem, but it doesn’t always mean something should be thrown away.
Find solutions for your customers. After all, you value communication and your relationships with them, and you are listening.
Maybe you need to lead them into doing something very different. Perhaps you need to step outside the box.
You have created value, and maybe you can try something different. Got an idea? Try it out!
Go beyond the numbers. You might have to zoom out to 30,000 feet or zoom in to see what’s going on.
Wrapping it up
There are so many books available on business and marketing. Many of them are focused on tactics, but building a foundation on certain principles is the best way to start.
“The problem is, constantly chasing after the next trick, shortcut, or ‘lightning in a bottle’ opportunity is exhausting and can easily lead you astray. In fact, if you’re not careful, it can put you out of business altogether. So what’s the alternative?” Goalcast
When you take a closer look at business and marketing, it usually comes down to certain core principles. Business owners just do them in different manners.
Instead of looking for the next big thing, we would do well to establish big ideas, including the three mentioned today.
What principles do you stick by in your marketing and business? Let us know in the MainWP Users Facebook Group.
