So, the first week of January is already over and I have not gotten around to making any New Year’s resolutions. I am blaming it on a case of strep throat that went through the family, building up speed until it took me out of commission for a several days.
Instead, I am going to start off with a couple of articles that I think are worth thinking about as 2010 gets going.
My son got an educational toy globe over the holidays. The front control panel of the globe is almost overwhelming in the number of modes you can select (see the picture above for a close-up).
If you look right in the center of the controls, next to the volume buttons, you will see the demo button. Your first reaction may be that this is a strange place to put the demo. Why not put some other function here and hide the demo button out of the way?
The truth is, demo modes are very important and should be easy to find. You don’t have a lot of time when a consumer is evaluating your product so you need to hook them fast so they want to learn more.
A good product demo should do the following: More…
Don’t buy market share. Figure out how to earn it.
Every morning on my way to work I pass Napalm Motor Sports. Usually, I am driving by just as the the crew assembles their product display. They take at least 20 of their coolest looking motorbikes, scooters, and ATVs and line them up on the patio for all the cars going by. In the afternoon, they continue to tease by firing up the smoker for BBQ. Now, I am not a biker, but you can’t help wanting to stop and check out everything on display and grab a bite to eat.
Have you ever heard the recommendation that looking outside your industry can be great way to find inspiration? Well, I have a great example to prove the point.
I had a chance to listen to John Wood, founder of Room to Read, last week at the Kellogg Innovating Social Change conference. John was nothing but impressive and so is his book, “Leaving Microsoft To Change The World“.
One of the corporate principals that John carried over from Microsoft was the belief that knowing your numbers is critical for driving results. John went a step farther and put his company metrics front and center in his communications (even adding it to his email signature). He wanted to make sure there was no doubt about the firm’s priorities and achievements.
If you have not heard of the MouseDriver Chronicles you are in for a treat. It is a tale of two guys trying to start-up a business around a novelty golf product. I had the opportunity recently to here John Lusk, one of the founders, talk about his experiences and share his wisdom. There was some great advice for entrepreneurs, marketers, and product managers.
Here are some of their lessons learned they captured at the end of the experience:
Rocketwatcher had a great post last week reminding people that marketing is not SPAM. My favorite quote from April’s article,
Spam is what happens when there is an absence of marketing. It’s what happens when you don’t think about what customers want and don’t care about building offerings for them. It’s what happens when you don’t care about market segments and you believe a cat, a CEO and a teenager are equally likely to click on your link.
I was reading an article on Amazon’s brand this weekend that really helps make the point that marketing is not just advertising either (though the term marketing is often used interchangeably with advertising).
The Business Week articles Amazon’s approach,
Instead of shelling out big bucks for lavish trade shows and TV and magazine ads, Amazon pours money into technology for its Web site, distribution capability, and good deals on shipping. The result: a smooth shopping experience that burnishes the company name.
If your marketing strategy is focused on your customers, your customers will rave about you. Amazon understands its customer and knows that the best way to delight is by delivering amazing service and focusing on ease of use. This focus has led to a sterling reputation and increased brand awareness all without spending on advertising.
Advertising can be a very effective marketing tool but it is definitely not the only tool you should pay attention too.
On a recent trip to L.A., I found myself at a hotel I was not familiar with. From the moment I arrived, I was impressed. I am not sure if it was the personal concierge that took care of the check-in while I waited in the hip lobby or the complementary fridge full of soda and juice, but either way, I was sold. From there the list goes on of all the things they did to make sure my stay was as enjoyable and hassle free as possible.
Reflecting after the trip, it occurred to me that that from the first minute I stepped into the hotel, I had the feeling that this was going to be a good experience (first impressions!). The place just had that feel. To get that feel, the hotel had to do a lot of planning (and probably research). I can’t put my finger on it and am not an interior designer, but leather couches, the reception stations, the artwork on the wall, all worked together to create that welcoming ambiance.
Talk about immediate return on investment. I hadn’t even been in the hotel for 5 minutes and I was already making a final judgment that this was the place to be.
Dan Ariely helps explain this in his book “Predictably Irrational“. Dan talks about a behavioral experiment where they alternated serving containers and then asked for feedback on the coffee. When the coffee was served along with fancy glasses and metal containers vs. white styrofoam cups, the coffee received better feedback. Dan explained,
When we believe beforehand that something will be good, therefore, it generally will be good – and when we think it will be bad, it will be bad….This is also essential for building the reputation of a brand or a product. That’s what marketing is all about – providing information that will heighten someone’s anticipated and real pleasure.
From a product management standpoint, I think a good question to ask is: What are the perceptions about my product? Are there things that I can do to enhance my positioning in the minds of my customer? The tricky part here is that your customers will not be able to tell you directly what to do to make a great (perceived) product experience. You have to figure that part out yourself.
Ries and Trout went as far to capture this critical point as their Law 4, The Law of Perception (from The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing):
There are no best products. All that exists in the world of marketing is perceptions in the mind of the customer or the prospect. The perception is the reality. Everything else is an illusion.
UPDATED: Check out the Personal Branding blog’s article for a great post on digital first impressions.
Picture via nyominx.
