By Andy Valadez, StealthMarketer/The Marketing Evangelist
Summary: Market leadership looks different for every company. Your clients become fans of your company’s service. They especially love when you give them the tools to champion your customer oriented focus and provide a platform for them to “rave” about your company. Marketing is about developing and cultivating a following of your brand. Real quick think of some of your favorite brands? Send me an e-mail or comment below, the reasons why you like them.
On the mean streets, no one wants to be followed. As a former Marine, I am always on the alert for the unexpected. However, this article is not about self-defense or counter-attack measures or paranoia for that matter, it is about Market Leadership (my favorite subject).
In business, our strategic goal is to attract a following, cultivate raving fans, and influence purchasing decisions or donations (for not-for-profit organizations). The exercise of discovering what people value, the mediums they choose to respond to, and opinion leadership plays a critical role – price, place and time, product, promotion, psychology, etc. all play a part as well.
Someone once told me, “Leadership is looking back and seeing that you are indeed being followed.” I have managed to develop some really unique relationships, as I work to build my company and have gotten to meet a few unique people in music like rocker Ted Nugent and Chris Sligh from American Idol, Authors like Ken Blanchard and Tom Peters, movie maker Chris Gardner subject of the movie “Pursuit of Happyness” and his executive producer Mark Clayman, and once met Butch Patrick, “Eddie Munster” from The Munsters. It is cool to cross paths with people who have built successful brands. In America, we like our celebrities.
I want those closest to me to value what I have to say about Marketing and take my advice. One of the first goals when working with a client is to see if we are going to work well together and if they are going to take my advice. The client has to be willing to learn, apply and try.
So, as a Marketer, I work on developing a following of those that will influence potential clients and I work up the chain. Working with celebrities, opinion leaders, etc. is an investment in the long-haul. I tell many of my clients, “That if you really want to be heard, invest in a few.”
In my last article, I wrote about the new Technology, Twitter.com a micro-blogging technology. I have been investing some time micro-blogging on-line and developing a following. I checked my e-mail tonight and noticed that Anderson Cooper, as in Anderson Cooper 360 from CNN had been following me on Twitter.com since 1/18/08. Some of my following on-line, now include Guy Kawaski, Apple Fellow, technology evangelist, and Author (see “The Art of the Start” below), Robert Scoble (Microsoft tech leader), and others. It is cool when you show up on the radar of opinion leaders. More importantly for me is that I am following their posts and discovering what is coming to Market in real time, faster than I would ever get it on the news or some publications.
Of course, prior to Twitter.com I have managed to build up a database of movie makers, media personalities, business leaders, musicians and authors, who all care to take my call, e-mails, and recommendations. My good friend Ken Marsh, The Fearless Networker, is a champion for those who network. Always be Marketing!
Marketing Resource Tip:
You may have heard Kevin Price, radio host of Houston Business Show, and I talk about the use of YouTube.com or Google Video. We are now looking seriously at UStream.TV to aid our “live” broadcasting goals. UStream.TV allows you to set-up your own live streaming video complete with chat, polling, and self-archiving links and .html for later posting by your affiliates or followers.
To learn more visit: www.UStream.TV and see this YouTube.com video (below)
If you are interested in learning how to take get people to follow you, we would be happy to talk to you. You can reach us at 281.463.4560 or e-mail: info@TeamMarketingDynamics.com Call TODAY, why wait? Are you dialing yet?
Andy Valadez is President and Founder of Marketing Dynamics, a Strategic Marketing firm working with emerging entrepreneurs and growth-oriented companies, movie makers, authors, musicians, media personalities fashionistas, television shows, technologists, networkers and bloggers, non-profit organizations, and real estate professionals with gross annual sales under $50M. Andy graduated from Texas A&M University with a BBA degree in Marketing focusing on Public Relations, Promotion Strategy, and Sales. He also received an Applied Business Certificate from Tulane University in New Orleans and served our country as a United States Marine during Desert Storm/Shield. Visit www.TheMarketingVortex.com (blog)
“A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed better than silver or gold.”
– Proverbs 22:1
(A verse given to me by Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A)
This is interesting, marketing is the weakest aspect in my entreprenurial skills and I want to improve on it.
You might be interested in the Young Entrepreneur Society from the www.YoungEntrepreneurSociety.com. A great documentary about successful entrepreneurs.
Posted by: Heinrich | March 14, 2008 at 02:32 AM