Are you compelling?

You need to earn the right to get your consumers out of lurker mode.

That was what Mitch Joel, president for Canadian-based digital marketing agency, Twist Image wrote in his blog which if you haven’t read yet – you should – because he’s one marketer who has a real understanding of the digital space and how to use it.

He describes ‘Lurker’ mode as someone who is on your website, but has not identified themselves, be it through leaving an email address or a comment. So what irked him enough to post a blog about marketers needing to earn the right to get consumers out of lurker mode?

Well I had the pleasure to meet Mitch once at an event in Singapore and after you’ve listened to him give a talk about digital marketing, social media etc, you’ll see how passionate he is about the subject. So when he stumbled upon more examples of traditional media asking consumers for “their stories”, he “shook his head in disbelief” and started typing.

He reckons, and rightly so I might add, that User Generated Content needs to be something so compelling that the people creating the piece of content are compelled to do it.

His advice to marketers:

It's also important to, sometimes, take a step back (and a deep breathe) and ask the toughest question of all: “does anybody care about us that much that they'll take time out of their busy schedule to tell us why?” And the next (logical) follow-up question, “If they do... what will do with it, and how do we honour their efforts?”

Well it isn't rocket science to figure out that there are a lot of lurkers on The Pitch and I can admit that our inability to update the blog regularly has also driven many users away as well. I’ve been trying to update the blog as much as I can, of late, but I think it’s going to take a bit more than that to get the ‘comments’ coming in again. Watch this space, one day soon we’ll start becoming more interactive, adding podcasts and videos and of that.

Marketers beware

When an idea seems so good that you’d be crazy not to do it, please take a moment and consider the following: Does this ad tactic really fit your brand?



If your answer is, “maybe not but I still want to give away a new car to every member of the studio audience”, then have a read of what Steve McKee, president of McKee Wallwork Cleveland Advertising, writes in a BusinessWeek article.

In ‘When Your Ad Tactics Don’t Fit Your Brand’, McKee cites numerous examples of how marketers fell in love with an idea without thinking about whether it created long-term value for the brand.

He wrote that when marketers are faced with a new tactical opportunity, no matter how exciting it appears, you should run it through the filter of your overall brand strategy. If it's consistent, it may be a good opportunity to generate additional, relevant exposure. If not, you can find better uses for your money.

In other words, don’t assume that creating a ‘most watched’ viral video on YouTube means positive things for your brand. We just don’t know what the real value of the messages put on YouTube are…yet.