Seth Godin - The Map Has Been Replaced By The Compass

The map has been replaced by the compass - Seth Godin

The map keeps getting redrawn, because it's cheaper than ever to go offroad, to develop and innovate and remake what we thought was going to be next. Technology keeps changing the routes we take to get our projects from here to there. It doesn't pay to memorize the route, because it's going to change soon.

The compass, on the other hand, is more important then ever. If you don't know which direction you're going, how will you know when you're off course?

And yet...

And yet we spend most of our time learning (or teaching) the map, yesterday's map, while we're anxious and afraid to spend any time at all calibrating our compass.

Retrieved from: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

As a student and intern, I've noticed that some of the ideas stressed in business school seem to be increasingly less relevant to what is happening in today's business world. Clearly we are building a strong foundation through schooling, regardless if what we are being taught is a bit behind the pace. I wonder how much nation wide college curriculum's will be changing in the coming semesters to meet the ever changing business world?

The Power of Video

Online video marketing is a relatively new and POWERFUL tool for businesses in today’s market place. Video is a medium that enables the benefits of products or services to be demonstrated visually. Video is also a great medium for sharing the culture of a brand and establishing identity. When done professionally, online video marketing can reach a large audience, connect with audiences on an emotional level, and increase the credibility of a brand - ultimately leading to more customers and more sales.

A huge part of my internship has been in the sharing of my hunting experiences through short films on Sitka Gear’s website. These films revolve around the experience and the beauty of the animals we hunt. They promote products, but more importantly, the culture of Sitka. Below is my featured piece for 2011, Immersion.

Immersion from Sitka Gear on Vimeo.

Targeted Advertising

Preview:	Mystery Ranch Backpacks NICE Frame! Like· Steven Drake likes this.

Say we want to target a group of potential customers through a Facebook advertising campaign on Mystery Ranches FB page. Our target market is people who live in the US, between the ages of 18 and 55, who typed 'hunting' as one of their FB interests, who are college graduates, who are connected to the Wild Sheep Foundation (one of our other clients), and who are not already connected to Mystery Ranch Backpacks. Through FB's advertising software, we can get a close estimate of the number of people who fit that description - 660.

Estimated Reach

660 people

• who live in the United States
• between the ages of 18 and 55inclusive
• who like #Hunting
• who graduated from college
• who are connected to Wild Sheep Foundation

This is a very powerful and FREE tool that tells us exactly how big a particular segment of users is on Facebook. Further, through FB advertising, ads are directed to ONLY those people in the selected target market. To track your ad campaign FB provides free analytic reports (graph below is a sample overview of a report)

Unlike traditional forms of media advertisement, Facebook advertising is directly targeted, trackable, and offers viewers a 'call to action' that takes them back to the companies home FB page where they are introduced to the brands message and culture. This 'call to action' makes FB advertising very potent at gaining new customers.

Traditional Media VS. THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Why social media?

First off, lets talk about the down sides of attempting to reach your target market through traditional media. (T.V., Radio, and Print)

People view traditional media because they want to view or listen to a specific show. When an ad appears they see it as an interruption. Viewers can fast forward past the ad, change the channel, flip the page, or ignore the ad entirely. Even if the ad does connect with the viewer, the connection is easily lost in the onslaught of other ads. No connection is a waste of advertising dollars.

Traditional media is losing the marketing race to social media. More people are watching T.V. and videos online. Online and Satelite programs like Sirus and Pandora are replacing traditional radio. Print is dieing! Across the board, traditional media is losing audiences to social media.

What is so great about social media and how does it make a connection with its viewers?

Social media allows for an open two way communication channel between the user and the brand. That communication, assuming its positive, creates a bond. That bond is then seen by the viewers network of friends which exposes your brands message to an even larger audience. Simply put, you market with social media to make relationships with people so that they will know, like, and trust you as a brand. When people know, like, and trust you, they will buy from you!

The social media accounts we manage at Seacat Creative are the number one referring traffic drivers to clientele's websites where customers can BUY products... and there lies the power of social media!

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