I’ve certainly said my part about modern marketing concepts such as content marketing in the past. If my posts have taught you anything about marketing strategy, then I’ll consider that a win. However, my knowledge pales in comparison to Jay Baer. Baer is a consultant, public speaker and award-winning author in the field of cutting-edge marketing concepts.
I have always said that when it comes to marketing strategy, reading longer pieces is preferable to skimming short blog posts. We’re all busy, but you’ll acquire more in-depth information from a book than you will from the internet. With that in mind, I started reading Baer’s book YOUtility. He has a quick, light humor that most business books sorely need. After reading only a chapter or two, I started looking at my own marketing strategy in new and different ways. YOUtility has really shaped how I view my clients and what I’m doing for them.
One of the coolest parts of YOUtility is the explanation of the three different marketing concepts that are at work today. Instead of using typical names for these marketing platforms, Baer uses his own language, which seems much more intuitive to me.
Top of Mind Marketing is Baer’s way of describing the traditional form of disruptive marketing. Baer seems to use the phrase top of mind because this platform only works if it’s right in front of people. In essence, disruptive marketing is the practice of shouting at consumers. The only winner is the brand that is shouting the loudest. Another problem with this form of marketing is that, according to Baer, the attention span of the average person is very fractured. Top of Mind Marketing worked well when there were three TV channels, but people have a variety of choices now.
Frame of Mind Marketing is Baer’s description for search or inbound marketing. Once search engines became so powerful, many marketers and businesses were content to optimize their search results and stop there. The issue Baer has with this marketing strategy is that people aren’t searching for related products or recommendations. Sites like Facebook and Twitter are where people ask their friends about products and services. As people turn to social media, the reach of search engines begins to shrink.
Friend of Mine Marketing is really where YOUtility begins to shine. Baer describes the challenge brands face now. They aren’t just competing against other brands for attention, but against a consumer’s friends and family as well. In order to get past this avalanche of information, Baer suggests the most powerful strategy of the three marketing concepts—being useful. He uses a lot of examples, but the key concept is that a brand should offer content so useful that a consumer would pay for it, even though it’s free. That concept is the key ingredient of any successful content marketing strategy.
Even though I am covering some of the core concepts in the book, Jay Baer will be glad to see I’m skipping some key points in the book. That’s because I highly recommend getting this book for yourself. Not only should Mr. Baer be supported for his ideas, but reading his book will refresh your marketing campaign!
