When is the last time you went to a pond and tossed pieces of bread to ducks? It’s been a while for me, but I still remember the avian chaos that ensues. One piece of bread and there’s a flurry of feathers. Chances are about 10 ducks actually saw the bread and went for it. But the other ducks? The ducks 50 rows back? All they see is that everyone else is going for something and they madly follow.
Eagles, on the other hand, are careful scouts. You never see a bunch of eagles clammoring for anything. They stay at bird’s eye view and carefully scope out the best nest locations and the best meals.
Now, ducks and eagles, apply that to marketing. Are you following what everyone else is doing with no reason, or are you keeping a bird’s eye view and choosing carefully from what’s out there?
If you are a duck, you are dangerously not thinking for yourself. The mob you are following doesn’t care if what they are doing is best for you. Chances are they are outdated or going after the wrong thing themselves. (A plastic bottle cap will have the same effect on the duck group as bread.)
If you are an eagle, you are an investigator. Your eyes are open and your senses are keen. You have defined goals and you can zero in on your target from a mile high. Don’t be the 50th row duck, or even a duck at all. Be an eagle.
Now that you have the marketing perspective of an eagle, it’s time to leave the USA Today ad for the ducks and get the mile high perspective again. Marketing is and was always about relationships and trust. If your goal is (and should be) to build relationships with your guests, customers, or clients, you need the relational tools (also known as social technology) to match. Not every social technology tool matches every goal:
- Goal: Listening to your guests/customers/clients
- Tools: Private online communities, Ratings systems
- Goal: Talking to your guests/customers/clients
- Tools: Blogs, Online communities, Viral videos, Engage on other social sites
- Goal: Energize current guests/customers/clients
- Tools: Create a community for them & be part of it, Provide ratings/reviews system, Ambassador programs
- Goals: Helping your guests/customers/clients support each other
- Tools: Wikis, Online community forums
- Goals: Embracing the ideas of your guests/customers/clients
- Tools: Idea ratings site, Online community forums
This summary courtesy of Groundswell.
Now before you jump all over these, be an eagle and read to learn about how each of them works before you implement them: Groundswell by Charlene Li & Josh Bernoff.
