Marketing tips from Starbucks
Here’s a free tip for the Entrepreneurial Author: the heart of online marketing is offline. Let me explain… via Starbucks.
With 180,000 Twitter followers and 1.5 million fans, Starbucks is utilizing the free social media space very well. Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz, is kicking off a new marketing strategy that includes prizes and rewards for people tweeting and posting pictures of new ads. They are also planning a Youtube contest for ads designed by Starbucks employees. The thing that makes this unique is this: Starbucks understands that the new face of marketing utilizes people’s excitement about something in the offline world. Sharing things virtually ultimately stems from an excitement about something physical, real, touchable. Starbucks realizes that the whole point and power behind their brand is real life community… and that utilizing their loyal customers to market for them comes naturally in the social media environment.
Which brings us to books! Here’s a question you should ask yourself as you form your online strategy: what are you doing online that let’s people share their excitement about your product or business? Are there physical things you are giving away that motivate people to be excited? Are you willing to outsource your marketing to your fans?
(link to New York Times article)
On that note, if you’re excited about Morgan James, share it with us by tweeting about it (include #morganjames) or go to facebook.com/morganjames.
