Zugunruhe: Helping great people get [good] things done: Zoog.un.roo.ee

Marketing Rock Star

I have never gotten over my dream of being a rock star. It’s true. Here I am, a ordinary looking, middle aged woman. But deep inside, I’m still harboring this notion that I can be a rock chick with thousands of adoring fans. Every so often, I ask my husband if I can go to Rock Camp. So far, he’s advised me against it. To satisfy my inner rock star, therefore, I own a pair of stereo speakers that are almost as tall as I am (I’m five foot one, by the way), and I spend way too much time combing iTunes to track down all my classic rock faves. This morning, I was listening to The Who on my iPod while working out downstairs.

One of the coolest things about listening to music you love over and over again is you gain an intimacy with the details. Take, for instance “Who Are You?” which was recorded way back in 1978. Lots of people much younger than me are familiar with this song because it provides the intro and credit music for CSI (the original Las Vegas version). As I was listening to Roger Daltrey, Pete Townsend, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon this morning, it occurred to me that the song provides a remarkably good metaphor for marketing.

When you start your business, and put it out in the world--on the airwaves, so to speak--you have an intimate knowledge of the details. Nobody knows your business, your precious baby business, quite the way you do. And you’re in love with your business. Then a puzzling thing happens. There you are, listening to the music of your business, totally blissed out and groovin’, while your prospect starts singing that famous lyric back to you: “Who are you?” and not digging your business at all.

Maybe people don’t like the beat. Or they get put off by the lyrics. Perhaps it's the long guitar riffs. They never listen to the song long enough to hear the Keith Moon’s monster drum run in the background--the one that sounds amazing similar to one in Dave Brubeck’s jazz classic, Take Five. They miss the handclaps produced by actual people, not a synthesizer. They never hear the way Pete Townsend tickles the guitar to make it whisper like a wren on a soft September morning.

I’ve heard people say that they don’t need to market their businesses. Or they can’t afford to do marketing. And maybe the music of your business is so good that it really will sell itself. But I’m betting that very few people under the age of 20 would know and love “Who Are You?” if it hadn’t gotten heavy airplay on an extremely popular TV show.

In the end, most of your prospects hear a very small snippet of your tune--the core marketing message of your business--and never listen long enough to care, to dance, to buy. It’s true that nobody knows your business they way you do. That's both your blessing and your curse. And the only way to get a big crowd at your “show” is to put the message in front of people over and over again, in a myriad of ways, so that people hear the music and find something within it to which they can relate.

As I was researching this post, I visited The Who’s official website. The band has taken the title of their 1967 album, The Who Sell Out, quite literally. Practically all of the content is by subscription, one year at the time, for $50. I guess it goes to show that these guys are rock stars, not marketers…and that I’m a marketing coach, not a rock star. Ah, well, I can still dream can’t I? My next gig is on the elliptical trainer in my basement, tomorrow morning, at 5 am. Be there or be square.

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PS On Monday's post, I praised some deserving people. One more. Melanie, you are the unsung heroine of Duct Tape Marketing. Thanks for making it all look flawlessly easy!

Good vibes

The sun is shining in Oregon. These last sunny days of the fall are so precious that they deserve noting and celebrating. The leaves of the trees outside my windows are incandescent and little speckles and flecks of light are dancing over my desk. The sight of all this glowing sunshine makes me feel very cheerful.

Actually, I have a lot to feel cheerful about these days. My dad is finally well (or very nearly so). I have lots of fun travels planned over the next month to wonderful places. And I got my first newsletter out last week. Several people have taken the time to read and comment on the first issue of Zugunruhe News. Thanks so much for your kind words and suggestions! Keep them coming.

One thing that has gotten a lot of responses is the video link. The first time I saw this ad, I was enchanted by it. The ad shows people observing the actions of each other and then doing positive things. It’s a powerful idea: we are “surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.” What we do and what we say affects these total strangers who see us. They might even imitate us. I’ll try to think about that the next time someone is rude to me in traffic.

Another detail about the ad is the music. The song on the ad is called “Half Acre” and it’s by a band called Hem. When I started trying to track down the link to the video, I wound up on Scrivener’s blog (a nice find all by itself). To be honest, I hadn’t paid that much attention to the music, it was just a nice song playing in the background. Fortunately, Scrivener is better informed than I was and he pointed out that I should be paying attention to Hem.

When you hear “Half Acre,” you’ll hear some Celtic and Old Timey influences, especially in that catchy mandolin part. But I’m really carried away by Sally Ellyson’s voice. Take a listen to “Half Acre” and “Not California” (both available on Hem's website) and you’ll hear what I mean. She’s got an incredible sweetness of tone and a great range. Sally’s place as lead singer has a really cool serendipity success story behind it, too.

Those are some of the things I’m happy about and grateful for today. One more thing to be grateful for is a lovely blog called Three Beautiful Things. Clare’s writing is what I think Jane Austen’s blog might be like: very English, warm, and contented. A while back I found a quote about Jane Austen: “She learned…that the day itself is blessing enough.” Clare has learned this, too, and is passing it along to her own cloud of witnesses. Take a look and tell me: what is beautiful to you today? What are you grateful for? Posting a comment is easy, just click on the link below. I look forward to hearing from you.