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Awesomely Creative Social Media Marketing

19 March 2009 | social-media | 7 Comments

alpo dog

Alpo is Awesome

The Alpo brand recently launched a new marketing campaign called “Operation: Quick, get that dog some ALPO!” Take a minute to watch the video below and while you’re watching, note how Alpo chooses to set themselves apart, is authentic to their brand, is a little silly and especially note how they are breaking stereotypes of Alpo alternatives that some see as superior:

Are YOU Awesome?

The answer is yes. By using social media in your marketing, be it blogging, video uploads or audio podcasting, you have a unique opportunity to let your hair down a little bit. You don’t have to be a comedian to create new media marketing strategies that are effective, nor do you have to spend a trillion dollars. Take some time to think about how you’re different than your competition (and “I’m just better” is not an acceptable, marketable difference).

For example, we pitched to a local artist that they film themselves painting then speed up the video, add cool music in the background and illustrate their skill with a unique time progression film. Uploading it to vimeo, viddler or youtube allows the artist to embed the video in their blog sidebar so people instantly know about that unique artistic niche of the particular artist. Are you a creative? Do you produce a tangible product? Consider filming yourself doing your work, speeding it up and showing it off!

Food vs. Dirt

For example, do you own or work at a restaurant? Film taste tests like “Mexican Food versus dirt” where Mexican Food wins every time and dirt makes people mad. Are you a vet? Interview the animals on film with answers you want silence to, so put a microphone up to a cat and say, “hey kitty, demurely blink if you think Dr. Vet is the best vet ever… [cat blinks] …and there you have it.” Are you in a band? Write an article with a chart comparing you to yodelers, a group of stray dogs and a pair of shoes (with your band being superior in every category).

Remember, YOU are awesome, YOU are marketable and social media provides the perfect opportunity to showcase that. You can be a little silly, just differentiate yourself with something truthful and memorable.

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7 Comments for this entry

  • Clint Miller
    March 19th, 2009 on 9:13 am

    Lani — Awesome article and fantastic advice for anyone that does any form of social networking or marketing! Video was awesome, but more awesome was the suggestions for average individuals to use that concept for their own marketing online. Great stuff!!

  • andrea schulle
    March 19th, 2009 on 9:43 am

    Fabulously creative ideas, Lani! Would love to collaborate with you sometime. Wicked fun. :)

  • Lavanna Martin
    March 19th, 2009 on 10:18 am

    yep, what everbody needs – meat and love, and Egyptian cotton sheets.

    Go, Lani!

  • Lani Rosales
    March 19th, 2009 on 11:03 am

    @recr- clint, thanks for the kudos! any ideas you’d like to share? :)

    @andreaschulle- i hope so too!

    @lavannamartin- and grass. and meat. lol

  • John Cranstoun
    March 19th, 2009 on 12:10 pm

    Great article with great advice. A few weeks ago my sales office discussed the Flip video recorder and it’s potential to promote our real estate business in accordance with other social media. I intend to record some first time home buyers after closing and definitely want to lighten it up I’m just not sure how yet.

  • Lani Rosales
    March 19th, 2009 on 1:12 pm

    John, we have a Flip that is so much fun and anyone on your team can use it! So right now I’m really into a “compare this vs. this” mentality, but you could also film your buyers in a “lifestyles of the rich and famous” way with THEM showing you around their new pad and if someone else films, you can be in the video too as one of the amenities, “and THIS is our Realtor, John who slaved over getting this deal done, we’re glad that we worked with him and recommend that *anyone* in the market look into this feature for your home search!”

    There are a lot of lighthearted ways you can do real estate video, especially when buyers or sellers are excited- make it about them, less about you and you’ll do well!

  • Mark Eckenrode
    March 20th, 2009 on 12:45 pm

    nice article, lani.

    in regards to comparison marketing: prospects are already comparing one business vs another. if a business isn’t helping frame those comparisons by doing this in their marketing then they’re going to lose business.

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