Startup Revolution

Social Streaming, Smart TVs & theFuture is how our social streaming collaborative future is already in the house despite few acting on the many implications. Smart startups will step into the breach. Hope we are one of 'em :). Marty 

 

http://www.curagami.com/social-streaming-smart-tvs-future/?v=7516fd43adaa

Amazon is a monster, but SMBs & smaller merchants can compete playing David to Amazon's Goliath. We discuss online marketing tactics to compete with Amazon.

Two years ago, we published a two-part post on social media marketing safety with Internet marketer, curator, cancer survivor, entrepreneur and Friend of Paper.li, Marty Smith.

Well, guess what? Marty is back. And this time, he will share his journey and thoughts on entrepreneurship, e-commerce, social media and how his battle against cancer has shaped his thinking.

Never Ending Battle Truth, Justice & American Way
Tough "Dog Days" of summer for "Super Hero" marketing tactics. Here is a list of the dead and dying tactics:

SMB Marketing Tactics Costing More, Getting Less:

* Yellow Pages (near death). 
* Print ads (near death).

* Val-u-pak coupons (near death).

* Coupons of any kind (losing relevance with smartphone users)..

* Groupons (blows brands up almost beyond repair).
* Email marketing (sick due to social / mobile web). 
* Social Media Marketing (sick and getting sicker fast). 
* Content Marketing.(content shock sick).

* Ecommerce (too many stores, same offerings).
* PPC (paying more to get less). 
* Retargeting (cat out of bag, so sick efficacy declining).
* Video Marketing (steep learning curve, expensive). 
* Viral Marketing (everyone has that cold now & hit or miss). 
* Cause Marketing (not as unique as once was & live or die with partner).

* Celebrity Marketing (expensive and live or die with branded celeb).

* SEO (don't even get us started, all but gone, baby, gone). 

Many of these "SMB" tactics are in a startup's launch plan too. Good luck with that. Startups have to double down on asynchronous tactics since their money is tight and they have little or no brand awareness yet.

Favorite startup asynchronous tactics of ours include:

* OPN (tap Other People's Networks).
* OPM (tap Other People's Money via crowdfunding).
* Crowdfunding.
* Friends-of-Friends marketing.
* Community (start handing of the keys to your content early).
* Partnerships.
* OPC (Other People's Content via content curation with attribution(.
* Video Marketing (learning curve and expense scares most away).
* Events.
* Training.
* Contests & Games.

That last bullet can be especially powerful for startups. Remember to create tools needed to empower advocates, contributors and Sherpas. Make it easy to help you by providing graphical tools, listening and curating content into a social space (curation is a form of social reward).  

What's Next?
What's next may be the most important and urgent mystery.. Late last night I wandered around in the future a little thinking about how David Amerland's call for a "New Value System" http://davidamerland.com/seo-blog/692-what-if-we-had-a-new-value-system-for-goods-and-services.html might collide with a few other favorite ideas such as:

* David Edelman on Aligning With the Customer Journey:  http://hbr.org/web/ideas-in-practice/aligning-with-the-consumer-decision-journey

* Mark Traphagen on Google Plus https://plus.google.com/u/0/+MarkTraphagen/posts

* Phil Buckley on overcoming FEAR:
http://www.curagami.com/featured/fear/

* @David AmerlandWhat If We Had A New Value System For Goods and Services
http://davidamerland.com/seo-blog/692-what-if-we-had-a-new-value-system-for-goods-and-services.html

* Me on @ janlgordonCuratti sharing lessons in the new #branding from Red Bull: http://curatti.com/red-bulls-branding-lesson-media-companies-now/

Somewhere in there somewhere late at night and when its HOT is where the future starts and every thing changes...again.

The Social Startup explains how a competent content marketing program coupled with great social support helps startups increase valuations and lower costs.

Want to know what's working on social media? These 9 free analytics tools can help!

Tools discussed:

1. Followerwonk (New to us, but plan to use).
2. Buffer (Use and like).
3. SumAll (New but plan to test).
4. Quintly (New)
5. Cyfe (New)
6.  Keyhole (New)
7. Klout (Use and like)
8. ViralWoot (New)
9. Addictomatic (New)

Startups & Social Media (Marty Note)
Startups are so widget focused they often forget communication about their widget is just as important as creating the thing itself. Here are 15 "viral" social nets for 2015.

If you are going to spend a fraction of your time creating content and social marketing use the best tools. Several of these social nets are new to me and even though I believe setting out to create viral marketing is a fool's errand some of these "new to me" social nets look interesting.

I agree with the focus on VISUAL MARKETING this list implies too. Why is seeking to create viral marketing a "fool's errand"? Viral marketing HAPPENS. Trying to make viral marketing happen usually REDUCES your chances.

Best way to create viral marketing is to create great MARKETING or marketing that consistently earns more shares, likes and links.One day you will create something that goes BOOM and it will only be half a surprise.

They forgot one of my viral marketing faves - Scoop.it!

I like the linked post's ability to create a list of social nets rated by their viral marketing POTENTIAL:
http://blog.viraltag.com/2014/12/12/best-social-networks-2015/

DIY Customers Are Important
Do-It_Yourself customers may be the most important customers on earth. Here are a few ways DIY customers create benefits for digitial marketers and websites:

* Social Shares on Facebook, Twitter and +Google+.
* Creates #ugc (User Generated Content) or the best content you can't buy.
* Drive links into their content on your site.

We are working on a series of http://www.Curagami.com posts on how to engage and benefit from DIY Customer Marketing. If you have tips, ideas or experiences you think would help please share (martin(at)Curagami.com).

You’ll often find me in some huge debates online on anything related to politics, religion and capitalism… all the red-hot buttons that most people avoid. It’s why I have personal and branded presences across social media. If you want marketing only, follow the brand. If you want me, follow me… but be careful… you get all of me.+

While I’m an unabashed capitalist, I also have a big heart. I believe we should help one another and not depend on bureaucracies that are inefficient and ineffective. I truly believe the way we change things is by taking personal responsibility and helping to be the catalysts for change. Our agency is always donating time, money and other resources to not just help charities… but to also help businesses that don’t have the resources but have promise. +

It’s no longer good enough to just have a social media presence. Marketing 3.0 will be won by those who become purpose-driven social brands, and to do so, the CMO, CSO, CSR, and Foundation leads must align to bring a cohesive brand story to life. Check out We First’s infographic below with some cold hard facts that make it clear the future of profit is purpose, and the most iconic brands of the future will be those that drive the most meaningful social change. Simon Mainwaring

It’s not just the right thing to do, being purpose-driven is also becoming an expectation of businesses, the motivation for employees and a growing buying habit by consumers. People want their money to go to businesses that are environmentally aware, treat their employees well, and invest time and energy in making the world a better place. +

I’m glad purpose-driven marketing is becoming a growing strategy and topic of conversation – I’ve written before about the frustration I have when people criticize cause marketing (we discussed this with the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge… ugh). I’d encourage every company to promote the efforts they’re making to help those around them – this inforgraphic points to why!

"Startups face tremendous pressure while competing with their bigger counterparts. They neither have large manpower nor big infrastructure. Social media can become an effective solution in helping them grow. This infographic shows how startups should utilize the power of social media."

SHARE First & Worry About Everything Else Second
This Business 2 Community post is written for "business" but certainly applicable to startups. Startups must realize that "process is product". 
Process is product means everything you are doing right NOW is a product. 

The soon a startup begins publishing, broadcasting and sharing the easier it gets, the richer the fast feedback loops become and the more chances for success they create. 

Many startups think what they have is so amazing that it can't be shared. With few exceptions (biotech) it is NEVER the case that your thoughts are unique or so unknown that your share will quake the world. 

Any business is created in the execution developed for the idea. To worry about someone stealing your idea is to worry about the tide. Focus your energy on getting as much information out and in as many hands as you can as fast as you can. SHARE. 

Realize that the most important "product" you build is the team capable of building something, pivoting on a dime and responding to what they hear with meaningful and amazing results.  

If you don't have a way to capture your journey find one (write, video, infographics, animation, stories). Your goal should be to create the means of production - the framework where you can easily harvest UGC (User Generated Content) anytime needed. 

UGC is more important to a startup than oxygen. UGC helps gauge reaction, shape your product and determine a startup's future.  

Related Reading
Process Is Product on ScentTrail Marketing
http://scenttrail.blogspot.fr/2009/11/process-is-product.html