That’s where Roy H. Williams found himself in today’s Monday Morning Memo talking about Facebook & Twitter – as the boy in Hans Christian Andersen’s tale telling the truth nobody wanted to hear.
Facebook and Twitter are not the be-all-end-all fix to your marketing & advertising woes.
They are just the latest dazzling jewels being passed on as our next marketing saviours. But like many jewels that have blinded us before, Facebook and Twitter will not be your knight in shining armor. They will not lead you out of the dark. They will not transform your business into greatness.
Oh they might help a little bit. But alone they are as naked as Andersen’s Emperor. They need to be clothed with the right message.
Remember the message? Your message? The one relevant, salient, memorable point that speaks to the heart of your customer? The message that makes them feel not only a connection with you but a partnership? A loyalty?
If your business isn’t growing there are only two things to blame.
- Your market is shrinking. If you sell typewriters, sorry, dude, but the game is up.
- Your message isn’t connecting.
And not just the message you give through your advertising, but the message you give through the experience in your store. Do you echo your marketing in your services? In your attitude? Do you show the same heartfelt caring towards your customers in person as you do online (and vice versa?)
Figure out your message. Put all your time and energies into coming up with that one relevant, salient, memorable, heartfelt message. And once you have your message, make it sparkle in every single element of your business from the bathroom floor to the phone message to the way your employee says Hello.
Then it doesn’t matter which jewel you use. With the right message they all shine. Even Facebook & Twitter.
-Phil
Yeah, I like to call this “Branding”. And when you understand your brand, you have all the jewels you need.