FREE! Now Do I Have Your Attention?

Want to attract attention?  The solution is simple... give it away for FREE.  I'm not suggesting that it is good business to give away all of your inventory and not drive any revenue, but I can confidently say that the easiest way to drive traffic and grow your awareness is to offer it up gratis.

The perennial BOGO (Buy One Get One) is a proven strategy to move product.  It's been a staple of retailers since the first caveman gave away one rock if you bought a second.  Sure, you cut your profit in half (or more) but you serve to get the product or service in your customers' hands.  It's not a long-term strategy for success but it can definitely boost sales and invigorate traffic for a short blast.  Significant discounting is a great loss-liter approach if you want to then up-sell other brands or showcase your scope of offers.  It attracts customers and no one ever refuses FREE.

There are many studies that suggest the Groupon model isn't successful and there are those who say they have had an uptick in traffic when offering an extreme discount only to have the traffic evaporate once the deal expires.  Like everything in business, there is no surefire method to be successful but try doing a BOGO or FREE sample and see if you don't increase the amount of chatter about your brand.

Now, I'll put my money where my mouth is.  Or, with FREE... where my money ISN'T!  To incorporate several principles of The Surfer's Guide To Marketing including the need to provide rewards and incentives for your social followers, we will incorporate FREE BOOK FRIDAYS!  Simply "share" The Surfer's Guide To Marketing Facebook page on your own page and you are entered for a chance to win a FREE book!  Simple as that.  Let's see if it works.

BOOK EVENT

Last night I attended a mixer for Entertainment professionals in Santa Monica and spoke about "The Surfer's Guide To Marketing"   As the presenter for the session, I was able to reveal some of my tips and tactics that have served me well across my career.  Along with explaining some of my favorite case studies, we were able to have a productive conversation to address issues and opportunities in the world of Entertainment.

The group discussion included a significant amount of time on social media and how networks and studios tend to produce the same, ineffective strategies that garner flat results.  In "The Surfer's Guide To Marketing" I encourage marketers to create a relevant story, provide continuous and dynamic content, and reward loyal followers.  Simply providing basic facts to the followers and community that has an affinity for your brand isn't going to grow your business.  It's imperative that you give this ideal market the utmost attention as they've already bought into your brand and thrive on innovative or novel information.

With Facebook's "Suggested Posts" (a finely worded term for advertisers) there is now a non-organic element to users' pages.  Ads that pop up and earn an impression by simply being on your browser when you log on to Facebook at that time are going to dilute the messages you are attempting to communicate.  We concluded that its imperative more than ever with these distractions to bring interesting content to the table.  New character details, images, or even "cutting room floor" content that has never been viewed can become vehicles to drive your followers.  Give them what they want and your brand will be rewarded.

I was personally thrilled with the chance to discuss my career and marketing experience and meet some great future innovators.  The creative, passionate audience in attendance was more than gracious and we concluded the evening signing a few copies of "The Surfer's Guide To Marketing!"

Body Glove Interview

When researching great brands and marketers for "The Surfer's Guide To Marketing" I wouldn't have considered finishing the book without hearing from Bob Meistrell of Body Glove fame.  I've spoken about Bob previously and I was excited to find video of an interview he conducted in which he relays the story of the Body Glove name and logo.  I chronicle that famous moment in the book but here it is for you visual marketing followers!

http://money.cnn.com/video/smallbusiness/2013/08/06/sbiz-hwgs-body-glove.cnnmoney/?iid=SB_Video

More Athlete Controversy Makes Brands Question The Use Of STARFISH!

A client inquired about my chapter on STARFISH in lieu of the Riley Cooper situation.  If you haven't read "The Surfer's Guide To Marketing" (and I can't possibly fathom why you haven't) STARFISH is my term for celebrities involved in corporate relationships, endorsements, etc.  We are currently discussing using professional athletes for a product placement campaign and the client brought up recent issues with Aaron Hernandez, Riley Cooper, A-Rod, and even Johnny "Heisman" Manziel.   While I would never profess to be the celebrity expert to the extent of Super Agent Leigh Steinberg, whom we featured in "The Surfer's Guide To Marketing," I do have significant experience in sourcing the right STARFISH personality to drive a company's awareness and messaging.

Recently, I wrote an in-depth post about a similar issue with Sergio Garcia and Tiger Woods so please feel free to read the post here.  But with this recent wave of stories making the news, it's difficult to avoid this discussion and as always, I tell clients to look at the individual and explore that specific STARFISH rather than just generalize.  I tend to use retired players due to their experience and availability but every brand, every event, and every STARFISH requires individual attention to determine their viability as a representative for your brand.

Much like a GM of a pro football team, you need to do your homework.  With someone like Riley Cooper (who recently made a racial slur that was caught on video) you could have probably gotten a feel for what kind of guy he is based on past record, his teammates, etc. When the video emerged, you can determine perhaps if it was an isolated incident or if perhaps he's not the best STARFISH to appear on the packaging of your product.  Obviously, in the immediate future, he won't need to be answering many calls from potential sponsors, but in general, you can get a feel for how a STARFISH carries themselves and represents themselves as a brand before they represent your brand.

Serious controversies like Aaron Hernandez, OJ Simpson, or Rae Carruth are not the typical situation most STARFISH get involved with so if we eliminate extreme cases, we can better dissect the risks involved with celebrity endorsements.  This offseason, there were reports about how over 30 NFL players were arrested since the Super Bowl and the world gasped!  Such an astronomical rate, right?  I would simply argue that these stats are not much different than that of the average 20 to 25 year old male.  Young men make more mistakes than the population as a whole and ask any insurance agent which demographic takes the brunt of playing "the law of averages" when determining rates.  While DUI, simple assault (bar fight), and other minor infractions are not acceptable under any circumstance, are NFL players dramatically worse than the average population in terms of most simple misdemeanors?

While someone like Johnny Manziel is obviously not eligible for securing endorsements as an amateur, would you be surprised that a 20-year-old famous guy in the social media age would have a few blips on the character radar? And let's be honest, his only "issues" involve maybe a few too many beers, sleeping in late, tweeting from sporting events, and going to a fraternity party.   In my day, that would have made him pretty much every other student in college not named Tim Tebow!  But seeing his reaction (which may even be a little justified with all the media piling on) would make me hesitant to recommend him for corporate opportunity if that option was available today.  I'm not defending any of the actions of players who end up in the news for the wrong reasons, but I just want to keep it in perspective.

Even when you do your homework, have worked with trusted STARFISH with impeccable reputations, or even have personal relationships, you might find yourself caught up in a celebrity's saga.  It's great PR when your STARFISH does something wonderful on or off the field.  After all, isn't that the purpose of even having the relationship?  Win the Super Bowl, donate to a charity, take time to mentor children in their community... it is all golden.  But even with a record of such service, it can all come into question when a player does something heinous... like leaving a $3 tip!

Obviously I'm being sarcastic when I bring up the Drew Brees "Tipgate" controversy.  Drew is also featured in "The Surfer's Guide To Marketing" and I highlight his community service and overall positive stance as a role model.  But even a "sure fire" endorser of brands including Pepsi and Pampers can find himself mixed up in a debate and his recent $3 tip (on a takeout order that he picked up, BTW) is quintessential ESPN filler for the nine hours of debate shows they air ad nauseum.  There is no controversy here and I would argue that Brees is one of the most courteous and generous STARFISH out there.  Nonetheless, the Super Bowl MVP has been brought into a discussion that explores his character and doesn't revolve around touchdowns or completions!

So what's the solution?  If you want to utilize STARFISH to drive your brand, you simply need to approach it like any other resource and do your homework.  "The Surfer's Guide To Marketing" explores step-by-step actions and suggestions you can take to ensure you make the best decisions possible and aside from simply creating your own mascot character for a spokesman, there will always be a variable of human error when dealing with humans!

Oh wait, didn't the AFLAC duck get fired for insensitive jokes?

The Surfer's Guide To Marketing Press Release

THE SURFER’S GUIDE TO MARKETING DELIVERS HUMOROUS INSIGHTS FROM 20-YEAR INDUSTRY PRO

Breezy and Instructive, Book Offers Case Studies, Tactics and Tales

From Across the Marketing Waterfront

REDONDO BEACH – July 13 – THE SURFER’S GUIDE TO MARKETING, the innovative new book by marketing pro Randy Rovegno, combines the rollicking worlds of marketing and surfing to do for brand promotion what “Freakonomics” did for economics. 

THE SURFER’S GUIDE TO MARKETING offers case-study interviews with innovative business leaders at ZICO Coconut Water, Body Glove and 20th Century Fox, and charismatic pro athletes such as football great Drew Brees and surfing pioneer Laird Hamilton. This entertaining book provides practical tactics for everyone from students to senior staff and is designed for use by small-business owners and corporate executive alike—even if they have never stepped foot in the ocean.

“Randy uses surfing as a great teacher and provides interesting analogies to communicate his marketing philosophies,” writes Hamilton in the book’s introductory chapter.

Rovegno is an award-winning marketing executive who has worked with internationally known brands such as ABC, AT&T, ESPN, NBC, NFL and 20^th Century Fox. THE SURFER’S GUIDE TO MARKETING connects surfing anecdotes with marketing insights as naturally as a leash to a longboard.  Rovegno's humorous style and industry expertise carries the reader through dynamic principles and real-world examples in an approach that is at once educational, motivational and entertaining.

About THE SURFER’S GUIDE TO MARKETING

THE SURFER’S GUIDE TO MARKETING is an entertaining guide to marketing strategies in today’s fluid business landscape.  Available in paperback or electronically from retailers including Amazon and CreateSpace.com, THE SURFER’S GUIDE TO MARKETING crushes boring textbook rhetoric like a barrel at North Shore, using easy-going humor and real-world perspective to encourage fresh thinking and positive attitudes. For more information, visit these sites:  

www.facebook.com/TheSurfersGuideToMarketing

thesurfersguidetomarketing.blogspot.com

###

Media contact:

Carl DiOrio

Bob Gold & Associates

310-320-2010; 

carl@bobgoldpr.com

The Surfer's Guide To Marketing Radio Interview

Hey Friends, Followers, and Fans...

Here is a recent radio interview featuring author Randy Rovegno discussing the new book, some marketing philosophies, and experience creating successful brand communication efforts.  

Please feel free to listen and post on your social media channels!

Mahalo!

The Secret To Social Marketing!

Here it is.  Are you ready?  Would you like to know the fool-proof way to drive your social media communication?  There is only one thing you need to know...

There is no single proven solution.  In a world of instant weight-loss pills and a kitty-cat video garnering three million impressions in 24-hours, we are a society that wants instant gratification and instant results.  And I hate to say it, but the way to increase your views, "Likes" and Followers is through proven tactics that have driven marketing concepts for years.

The Surfer's Guide To Marketing focuses on different tactics to increase your social media presence and productivity, though just as its easy to tell a novice surfer to "Get on your board, paddle in front of a wave, and stand up" the actual execution is a little more tricky.  But integrating some of the basic protocol and techniques can ensure that you will be on your way to greater incremental results.

In the book, I ask if it is wise to let a kid with no marketing or PR background "drive" your Twitter or Facebook simply because the tattoo covered, facial pierced entry level employee knows how to "Tweet".  Would you let that same rookie produce a full-page color ad in the NY Times?  Certainly it's an extreme example but you get the idea that classically-trained marketing does hold a place in today's rapidly changing social space.  

So if the basics for surfing involve the right board, wetsuit, wax, tide/swell, etc. then we need to ensure your social media offering provides content, consistency, and engagement.  Simply put, you need to say something interesting that users want to hear, continue to provide informative and/or entertaining content on a regular basis, and ensure that your followers or fans can have some input in the conversation.  Those three areas are the foundation for any positive campaign.  

SAY WHAT?! The Surfer's Guide To Marketing features a Case Study of two television networks facing similar situations and turning to social media to communicate with their fans and (even more importantly) their disgruntled customers.  I won't fill you in on all the details here (because why would you need to buy the book?) but I will tell you that half of the social media battle is what you say.  The messaging between the two companies was very different in nature with one being straightforward and the other trying to dance around the issues and provide "fluffy" non-relevant content.  While you would assume which one had a more successful approach based on the set-up of strategies, I can tell you that BOTH wiped out worse than a Kook at Teahupoo!

REWARD ME! Other aspects of driving engagement centers around rewarding loyal followers and user-genterated interactions.  Simply put; people like free swag so I always encourage clients to provide giveaways, rewards for input, and brand sampling across all of the platforms.   Provide incentives to stay, combined with aforementioned solid story telling, and you have a formula to increase loyalty and impressions.

More intricate interactions including sweepstakes and user-generated content are great solutions if you make it relevant, organic, and fun.  Getting users to forward to friends in a user-voting effort is a great way to ensure you increase your footprint as long as the cause is something fans can get behind.  Not every invite to get involved is successful and there are many tips and secrets we discuss in the book, but from a ten-thousand foot look, creating a fun opportunity for your Followers to become part of the story is a solid approach.

WHO CARES? And now that we have the "what", let's also ensure we target the right people.  There are three major categories of social media users: Spectators, Participants, and Creators.  If you don't believe it, ask yourself which one of these three types of user you most resemble?  Do you simply see your friends' posts or ignore when they ask you to vote/give/forward, etc?  Then you are a Spectator who is exposed to the message but not actively participates.  Or, perhaps you will vote for your friend's singing video or share their post for their cause on your own Facebook page.  That classifies you as a Participant.  Someone who will engage to some extent and put forth an effort but are not fully driven to enter the contest or promote yourself.  And of course, the last area is reserved for Creators; the person who uploads their cutest baby in the contest or drives their friends to vote or enter.  Creating a campaign that draws in all three is the secret to a successful user-generated activation.  Make it interesting for the casual observer, relevant to a friend who will support the effort, and enticing enough that people will lay it on the line to become a disciple for the contest or promotion.

LEARN MORE! For more of the social media discussion including tips, tactics, and Case Studies featuring amazing brands and their successful strategies, be sure to pick up a copy of The Surfer's Guide To Marketing.