Go Big Or Suck: A Guide To Being Unforgettable

Today’s lesson, and I use the word “lesson” very loosely, is completely out of order. I was going to wait until later in the month to do this topic, but I’m feeling inspired.

Today, someone new commented on one of my posts. That person is Michael Brito, whose alter-ego is Bobby Street. He just published his first post today, lovingly titled “5 Ways To Keep That Shitty Job”. Taking a peek at Michael/Bobby’s About page, we learn this:

“There is this guy named Michael Brito, he is me. Nice guy, plays well with others, and all that other pc shit, oh then there’s Bobby, Bobby Street. Bobby is also me, but he is not Michael Brito. Bobby grew up in a rough neighborhood, got into fights, immigrant parents, very little money… So, Michael Brito tries to keep Bobby under control and for the most part is pretty successful, but unfortunately (or fortunately) sometimes Bobby has got to make an appearance.”

Now, I don’t exactly have Dooce-level comments, but my comment numbers are often pretty good. Since the blog/home business/husband/kids/housework/personal grooming factors are generally out in full force, I don’t always make it to the websites of everyone who leaves a comment. Sometimes yes, but sometimes no.

Now why did I make it over to Bobby/Michael’s delightfully schizophrenic blog instead of, say, yours?

He said the word “pootang” in my comments.

That, my friends, is a way to get yourself noticed.

In other get-yourself-noticed news, I’m reading a fantastically trashy novel right now (to which I will not link because you’re too cool to read that smut) and the heroine is taking over her disappeared husband’s company. It’s a jewelry company. There is much corporate subterfuge and drama. The company is about to fail, very publicly, and her son’s inheritance is at stake.

Anyway, since she is running a very upscale jewelry company, she has to find a classy way to market herself. She’s decided to throw a party and invite 400 rich chicks. She sent beautiful, hand-written invitations. She used some pretty pricey stationery. Her invitations were hand-delivered.

This is fairly standard stuff when it comes to marketing. Then she kicks it up a notch.

In the envelope, she includes a custom pendant made out of 24 karat gold, made with the recipient’s interests in mind. Horses for horsey types and so on.

I don’t know about you, but if a stranger sends a tuxedoed messenger to my house and hands me a free piece of very expensive jewelry, I’d sit up and take notice. Maybe it’s just me.

Seth Godin, generally accepted marketing guru extraordinaire, talks about being remarkable. It’s kind of his thing. In fact, he wrote a book about it.I would have called this post something like “Be Remarkable” but that would be too much of a rip-off. (I wasn’t planning on quoting him here, but I found this while I was looking for his link. “Extremism in the pursuit of remarkability is no sin. In fact, it’s practically a requirement.”)

Do not be like everybody else. Do not do what everyone else has done. Think about your own spending habits. Everything you’ve ever purchased has been to the exclusion of something else. Something made you buy what you bought. When you make yourself unforgettable, you up your chances of being the one people choose.

The point? Be unforgettable. For your business, you probably want somewhere between “pootang” and broach lady, but if you want to get yourself noticed, you have to do something noticeable.

As a general rule, traditional marketing methods suck. You don’t need to know them. Yes, you need to know traditional marketing theory, because human psychology will never change. But methods? Out with the ark, people.

Really Easy Homework

Think about what you can do to blow people’s minds. Yes, I know you have no budget, so don’t whine about it. I don’t care. Within your budget, I’d be willing to bet I could think of 100 things you can do. Since you’re not paying me, I’m not going to. You can do it yourself.

Go for shock and awe. Go for “Holy Shit!” Go for “I-don’t-care-if-this-makes -me-a-laughing-stock.” That’s what works.

IttyBiz got off the ground because I took a very big risk. When I asked Darren Rowse at Problogger if I could sponsor his giveaway with a prize worth $2000, I didn’t actually have a blog. In fact, I didn’t have a url. I didn’t have a web designer. I didn’t have content, images, nothing. When I made the offer, I kind of thought he’d say no.

When I finally found out that I was going to be a sponsor, I had about 4 days notice to create this site before it was actively publicized to a subscriber base of over 35,000.

I could have sucked. I could have ruined my reputation to someone I deeply admire. I could have left him in the lurch, looking like a jerk. I did it anyway.

Bottom line: Go big or suck.

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By Naomi Dunford - 18 Comments