Week 7 -- Online Marketing & Social Media

Pillars:

(Coming soon.  David.)

Skills:

Alexis Ohanian of Reddit, “How to make a splash in social media”
Seth Godin, “How to get your ideas to spread”

After watching the following video presentations, our Students led a great discussion around these points: 

• The Internet provides a level playing field for anyone with great idea. 
• The greatest advantage of Internet marketing is that it costs virtually nothing. 
• The disadvantage is that the marketer may have to give up some control over the direction and outcome of the business or movement.  
• The key to getting noticed in the Information Age is to create something remarkable (the purple cow example).  That's what ultimately gets noticed, build, sold, and moved. 
• Taking the traditional "safe" road in marketing can be the most dangerous path of all. 
• Find the people with Otaku, the early adopters who really car about the product or idea you are selling, and they will do the marketing for you.

Guest:

Kelly Cassady, owner of Letter 23, a ad/marketing agency.  (Check out Kelly's print ads in his sample portfolio -- very funny.)

Kelly shared 5 rules to pursuing our marketing plans:

1. Know your goals.
2. Know your audience (customer and competitors).  
3. Be creative (purple-cow principle). 
4. Be consistent.  
5. Repeat often.  

He also helped our crew generate ideas for cheap web development.  

Challenge:  

Get your business online.  Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (even if it is just to show your future customers what you’re up to on a blog).  Explore simple website building tools.