Marketing: Are we ok, or do we need help?

[flots am]

I personally am waiting on some content. Last time I clicked through, I got a 404, this time I get a coming soon with an e-mail signup. I guard my e-mail addy pretty jealously, as when I am offshore, I pay $18 a meg for e-mail. I want to see the content before I sign up for it.


But, believe me. I'm watching.

Use this:

wookie@bobmail.info

It's real when you bother to look at it and fake when you don't.

 

[RJP]

97^% of purchasing decisions begin on the internet.

Hmm... smells like BS to me. And the link links to nothing other than a page that says - literally - nothing but the exact same thing. When you click on the "learn more" link it takes you to an unrelated page on NFC. Huh?

Consider what it means if 97% of all purchasing decisions begin on the internet...

• The vast majority of all purchases are REPEAT purchases. My wife's decision to buy Tide last week was made about 15 years before there was an internet.
• Have you ever thought "gee, I'm hungry" and pulled into a drive-through? Did you google "Big Mac" first?
• Ever gone to a grocery store and bought anything without research it on the internet first?
• Did you you "begin" your purchasing decisions for 97% of this year's christmas presents on line?
• When does a purchase decision "begin" anyway? If I think "I'm going to buy Julie some LL Bean boots for her birthday" while I'm driving home, doesn't tht decision "begin" in the car?
• Ever buy gas for your car? Did you you search for a business blogger with rich content first?
• I see lots of people in shopping malls, making lots of impulse buys?
• Ever wonder if TV, radio, print, newspaper, or out of home ads begin someone's "buying decision"? They do.

But your sourceless statistic suggests that only 3% of purchase decisions "begin" someplace other than the internet. I guess if I knew what it meant for a "purchase decision to begin" I would say that it sounds ridiculous.

What I'm really excited about is the Internet. I don't think anyone is cashing in on this phenomenon.

Did you just come from a "Tony Robbins" seminar on how to make money selling things on the internet? Seriously. Because you sound a bit like it.

The internet is not a "phenomenon" (noun: "a fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, esp. one whose cause or explanation is in question.") The arora borealis is a phenomenon. One Direction is a phenomenon. The internet is a communication medium. It is ubiquitous. Yes, it's a powerful medium if used correctly. There are many specific areas that can be leveraged further. But I gotta tell ya... at this point in time saying "What I'm really excited about is the internet" sounds a bit like saying "I'm really excited about the whole world!"

Your whole spiel reminds me of an IBM commercial I saw circa 1994 where two partners are in a room and one is obviously reading a newspaper. He pauses from what he is reading, puts the paper down and says to his partner...

Partner 1: "We really need to get our business on the internet."
Partner 2: "Why is that?"
Partner 1: [PAUSES, PICKS PAPER UP, SCANS ARTICLE]
Partner 1: "I don't know... it doesn't say."

That was 20 years ago.

We haven't brought up Unique Selling Position (USP). In order to be successful at marketing and business every LDS needs to have a USP. That is, what is it that your business does better, faster, different than anyone else???

Julie, for someone who took me to task early in this thread for suggesting you look at a seminal Ted Levitt article, I'm a bit surprised to see you bang the "USP" drum. That concept is from the 1940s. Interestingly, the idea of a "USP" has essentially become considered incomplete... since about the mid 1960's. (Sure, it gets rehashed on the internet all day long.) It is the old-school "sales model" approach of hitting your audience over the head with a key feature or features. The "better, faster, different" you cite. It is but a small part of a brand or company's overall positioning and messaging. (As described by Levitt in the 60s.) It is entirely feature based... and therefore entirely not sustainable, because any brand can be out-featured. Further, you cite "cheapest price shouldnt be your USP" but I'm not sure why you would say that. That is certainly a unique selling proposition, no? WalMart has amassed a $250billion dollar market cap based on their "every day low prices" USP.

All that said... you tell us "In order to be succesfull at marketing" everyone needs a USP. Why is that? What does one do with a USP? You say that Frank has one... what is his USP? It certainly can't be "The Spree is not an Aggressor boat" as you seem to suggest. What is it that Frank does better faster, different than an Aggressor boat?

 

[DiveNav]

.....Is anyone in the industry interested in the answers to these questions? .....

I am in the industry.
I am interested.

Alberto (aka eDiver)

---------- Post added January 5th, 2014 at 07:18 PM ----------

......More details available to anyone who wants to sign a non-disclosure/non-compete agreement...

PM sent

 

[Pullmyfinger]

I'm on the industry's side. My vision is less of a parasitic situation and more of a survival of the fittest. I have ways to help those that want to survive.



And why haven't any of you signed up for my newsletter on HighVizMarketing.com? I'm going to give away a whole educational series on Inbound Marketing there. (sorry for the pitch)

What ways would that be? Are you really offering anything that is helpful to the industry ?

I haven't signed up or your newsletter because I haven't read read a compelling reason to do so.
I remain hopeful, and will continue reading.

---------- Post added January 5th, 2014 at 08:16 PM ----------

Did you just come from a "Tony Robbins" seminar on how to make money selling things on the internet? Seriously. Because you sound a bit like it.

I thought so also. Her post do seem to have that seminar vibe.
I'm trying to be open minded, because this has been a very informative thread.

I appreciate your posts.

 

[Julieofthesea]

I know that Tony Robbins is a successful entrepreneur, but I wouldn't know what someone who attended a seminar of his would sound like. I guess I'm just really enthusiastic. And yes, I did just finish a copy writing class. :nervous:

Look, what I'm saying is if you are a newer diver and search for "where's the best place in the world to scuba dive." The dive resorts and liveaboards that are host to the best places to dive, don't come up in the first few pages. If XYZ Dive Resort in Raja Ampat had a blog that talked about how they are the best place in the world to dive they could get customers from this. The effort would help their business and it wouldn't be that expensive. Other niches don't have such a wide open field for growth.

And USPs are still important. The always have been and always will be. LeisurePro has the cheapest price. If a LDS picks that as their Unique Selling Proposition then it wouldn't be very unique. If you're going to compete on price nobody wins. Be different instead. This link is better than my last one... it states what I think about USP better than I can here. Take 15 Minutes to Find Your Winning Difference - Copyblogger

RJP, play nice. Tell us more oatmeal stories. That was fascinating. Let's discuss the real reason people go diving. Is it to escape? Is it to look cool? Is it to prove to their (now ex) husband they can be good at something? Oh wait, that's me.

 

[Pullmyfinger]

Julie,

Is the service you are selling, better search engine placement for businesses?
I was hoping you could clarify this.

 

[Doppler]

Wow, this is going round and round.

Julie, you begin to sound like an apologist for DEMA. Several of the folks here have shared with you their concerns and hesitations with that organization and its focus and effectiveness. Listen up: Quick re-cap... It's Broken and Unfixable in its present form.

Moving on. This internet thing you mention: sounds great. 20-odd years ago, one of our clients (a consultant at the Ontario Ministry of Tourism) called us up and asked about it. I think you may be onto something... However, webinars, blogs, eNewsletters, mobile-marketing, et al are ineffective for most retailers (and you seem focused on the North American LDS species) when those retailers apply the same misguided approach to them as they do to traditional sales. Huge generalization this industry is based on discount, and apologies, backed-up with poor product knowledge.

Very few dive "professionals" know how to close the sale... few have the skills or the self-assurance to ask for the money at the end of their pitch (should I have said: after they have finished presenting their value proposition). IF THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO IT FACE TO FACE, they ain't gonna do it in a blog entry.

Your approach may not be based on a fatigued idea, but we are not hearing much that's new or exciting. Yes the industry needs help: but let's hope it's creative and innovative and has some fresh ideas.

 

[The Chairman]

Unfortunately, DEMA has been a "Good ol' Boys" club for a long, long time. If you are looking to them for guidance or help remember the first rule of diving: Don't hold your breath. ScubaBoard can say without equivocation that we are the dominant internet force for Scuba in SPITE of DEMA and not because of it. They freely use other online media but when we approached them to offer assistance for free, we were told that the lawyers won't allow it. BS. They go so far as to tell Dive News Wire that they are not allowed to post DEMA related news releases on ScubaBoard. They don't like SB because we refuse to protect them from the evil interwebs. It's not that we allow for vendettas to be waged here, but we do encourage users to give us their unvarnished opinions about who they dive with and why. It seems that DEMA wants to injure the messenger in this case rather than deal with the very real issues that are brought up from time to time.

Gene Muchanski and the Dive Industry Association are not so encumbered by the Good ol' Boys network. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the industry behind him much. DEMA has the numbers but no integrity. DIA has the integrity, but not the numbers. It's frustrating.

 

[The Chairman]

RJP,

the idea that over %90 of the people make their decisions on the internet is a long time urban legend. It was first proposed just after the turn of the century and the article presented all sorts of facts. Unfortunately, we know that 90% of all the facts presented on the internet are made up... just like that one. I've never been able to find anything to support the suppositions. However there is this: How Travelers Use Online Sources for Travel Decision-Making | Frederic Gonzalo I really think that the internet has the biggest impact on travel, and these figures are way less than %95.

One of my favorite sites to look at from time to time is www.SocialMediDouchebag.net. I first did it to make fun at all the people claiming to be Social Media Experts. Then I realized that I could see a bit of him in me. Yikes! Now I read it with an eye to avoid ever resembling that guy. Social interactions, just like this one, do a lot to bring me back down to reality especially when I think I have all the answers. They really demonstrate that I don't always have the answers or the insight that I need. Sometimes my answers are shown to be overly simplistic or outright wrong. Being open to those lessons leads to a better understanding and even some humility. Sometimes I have to take stock and realize that SB is this big in spite of me. Don't worry about my self image: it's just fine. The day I stop learning and improving will be the day of my death. If you don't give yourself the room to grow, you never will. If you feel you are an expert, you never feel the need to learn from others. That's bassackwards in my book.

 

[Wookie]

Look, what I'm saying is if you are a newer diver and search for "where's the best place in the world to scuba dive." The dive resorts and liveaboards that are host to the best places to dive, don't come up in the first few pages.

Yes, they do, because "the best place in the world to dive" is completely subjective. I am an adventure diver, and I operate the Spree as if all of my customers are just like me. If I knew that there was a place no one had dived before (within limits, the water has to be warm), that would be the best diving in the world. That's where I'd want to go, and I'd charter a boat to get there. For others, the best place in the world to dive involves 3 dives a day, a cabin over the water, and Monkey La-La's for dessert. Still others don't want to leave their home state, not will they get on a plane, so the local area is for them.

Having Wakatobi show up at the top of the search engine isn't going to give the New Jersey wreck diver a single piece of information he needs to dive the "Best place in the World". Having the Odyssey show up might give him something to dream about.