Brand Differentiation | ZAPSOCK

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So, it has been awhile since my last post.

I was finishing up my Master’s project.

So now I have an M.S. in Internet Marketing and a lot of student loans.

I really enjoyed the program and would recommend Full Sail University to anyone interested in media or entertainment.

So now that I am done with school I actually have time to finish all the books I started over the past couple of years.

One of these is ZAG by Marty Neumeier.

First time I read anything from Marty was THE BRAND GAP.

I loved it.

It is short and to the point and doesn’t aggravate my ADD.

ZAG is the same way.

It is awesome.

I haven’t finished it yet. My narcolepsy took over this time before the ADD.

But it is all about brand differentiation.

What are you doing to make your brand different?

How do you stand out from the rest of the noise?

If your brand isn’t different, you are wasting your time.

Storytelling | ZAPSOCK

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I haven’t posted in awhile.
I was doing another blog.
I was journaling my experience with the HCG diet.

http://www.hcg-uncensored.com

But I have been thinking a lot about storytelling.
Storytelling is the story that your brand tells.
What is your story and what media are you using to distribute it?

Hyper Niche Flat Tops | ZAPSOCK

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This is probably one of the worst names for a post ever.

There is absolutely no seo value.

It doesn’t even make sense.

But I like it.

Those were the first words that came to mind when I saw this barber shop.

Senior rates.

Flat tops.

Senior rates is good for the location.

Hemet, CA has a high population seniors, so that makes sense.

Seniors come in every other week to get their hair cut and they only have a half a head o’ hair.

Makes sense.

But flat tops?

I haven’t seen someone with a flat top in a while.

You know how they do a flat top?

A giant flat comb and clippers.

Vóilá!

So is this guy a genius or stuck in the 90′s?

I say he’s a genius.

Where else would you go to get a flat top?

Have you established your brand this way?

Social Media Analytics | ZAPSOCK

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I know that I don’t normally discuss analytics, I just thought that this was a great slideshow on social media analytics. It is something that I have been thinking about lately. There are some links to A LOT of great tools.



View more presentations from Taylor Pratt.

Goats in Trees | ZAPSOCK

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Goat in Tree
Goat eating in tree in Morocco. Courtesty of W. Houston.

What in the world is going on here?

A buddy of mine is a military photographer and I saw this picture that he took in Morocco on his Facebook page.

Apparently these goats love to eat these trees, so they just climb right up there.

All of my life I had held the belief that goats don’t climb trees.

No one had ever taught me that, I just knew it.

Until today.

Keeping an Open Mind

What are you doing with your brand?

Are you doing what all the other goats do and graze in the pastures and eat trash?

Or are you climbing the trees that no one else thought possible?

Just because no one has ever done it with their brand, doesn’t mean it isn’t possible.

If you can think it, you can do it.

You just have to get creative and work a little bit.

Knowing when to quit | ZAPSOCK

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Somewhere over the rainbow…there’s another rainbow. | ZAPSOCK

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Some people think that this is an inspirational song.

I have to disagree.

It encourages you to dream.

And that’s it.

A dream isn’t good enough.

It is lazy.

You need action.

When you act, you have a goal.

You are being proactive.

Do you have goals?

Or are you just dreaming?

If you are dreaming, you’re only going to find another rainbow on the other side of this one.


Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high,
There’s a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue,
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true.
Someday I’ll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far
Behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops
That’s where you’ll find me.
Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly.
Birds fly over the rainbow.
Why then, oh why can’t I?
If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can’t I?

Freebies! Get your freebies here! | ZAPSOCK

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I have been reading Chris Anderson’s “Free.”

I am loving it.

It is very informational and exceptionally insightful.

As I was reading it I had an idea, and I am going to give it to you for FREE.

Here it is, I hope someone takes this idea and runs with it.

  1. Get some investors to invest some of their hard earned $$$.
  2. Build (or purchase) a movie theatre.
  3. You won’t need to focus on fancy stadium seating or anything like that.
  4. You GIVE the popcorn away to everyone. That’s right everyone.
  5. Every ticket stub comes with a coupon for a free medium popcorn. Not small, medium.

I don’t really feel like elaborating on why this is such a genius idea, but I will.

  • Everyone goes through your concession line.
  • People will be more prone to purchase other items: candy, soda, hot dogs.
  • The lines for the concessions will be longer, so you have ads playing on monitors located in the lines. Not just up on the walls.
  • More people will come to your theatre because you have free popcorn.

Why does this make sense? Because everyone knows that a 20 ounce serving of popcorn is NOT worth $5.00. It isn’t even worth 5 cents.

Your investment into this is minimal, but the returns will be extraordinary.

I truly hope someone does this.

By the way, I hate popcorn.

Unmarketing | ZAPSOCK

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I heard this the other day. I’m not sure where.

It might have been Brian Solis. It could have been Social Media Examiner.

I apologize for not getting the citation correct. Credit should go where credit is due.

But I thought about “Unmarketing” for a long time.

I actually came across the UnMarketing Blog.

Basically, Unmarketing is Marketing 2.0.

Or 3.4 or 7.3. I don’t know which version it is. It is the latest version though.

It is all about engaging. It is about listening to your audience.

Previously, marketing was all about sending out a message to every single person on the planet (there were only three television networks then) and hoping that your ad was better than the other guy.

Now, it is about finding that niche. That tribe.

Find them and engage them with content that you know that they will love.

Create content that they will share.

Create content that is worth commenting on.

I don’t care if you have 1,000,000 fans (Likes) on Facebook or 250,000 Followers on Twitter.

If you aren’t engaging your audience, it means absolutely squat.

Do You Have a Brand Plan? | ZAPSOCK

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Yesterday I posted about utilizing scheduling tools for content.

However, this won’t do you any good unless you have a plan.

Everyone is always talking about a plan.

  • Your business plan.
  • Your diet plan.
  • Your workout plan.
  • Your planning plan.

There is a reason people will sell you this horse-puckey.

You need a plan.

What is your plan for your Brand?

What are you trying to accomplish?

Right now I want to focus on Messaging Strategy.

  • What type of message will you send out?
  • How will you send it out?
  • What channels will you use to publish and syndicate your message?
  • What platforms will you use?
  • What type of format will you use and how often will you send it out?

Create your plan. Stick to it.

Email me your plan and I will review it for you.

No strings attached. I’ll do it just because I am that awesome.