Dear Reader,
Happy Groundhog Day!
Yep—Today’s the day when Punxsutawney Phil is supposed to come out of his burrow.
If he sees his shadow he retreats into his cozy hole for another 6 weeks of winter.
But, given the massive snowstorm across the US, I doubt that Phil will have enough energy to paw his way through the thick, cold white coating above his below-ground home.
Since the 1993 movie, Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell debuted, the small Pennsylvania town of Punxsutawney has attracted tens of thousands of visitors.
At least until this year when Groundhog Day went virtual. In turn this has had a financial impact on the town of Punxsutawney which was dependent on this spike in visitors who spent money on lodging, food and souvenirs. (Source: Accuweather)
Actionable Marketing Lesson:
- Assess the potential impact of making a business or brand activity virtual on your bottom line as well as on your local community. To do this ask: do we or our community (brand and/or local) depend on this event to generate revenues?
Further, due to the movie’s impact on American culture, the words, “Groundhog Day”, have come to characterize a never-changing, repetitive state. And, you’re probably thinking—just the words I need to describe the past year during COVID.
Now a cult favorite, the owners of the Groundhog Day movie know how to maximize revenues. By Hollywood standards, it was a modest success when it was first released. To see it in February, 2021, you must pay to view it either on-demand or in a movie theater. So they are driving incremental profitable sales.
RECOMMENDED READING:
- Check my Groundhog’s Day newsletter from last year.
Snow Day Joy
As many of you across the US discovered this week, working-from-home (aka:WFH) has drawbacks when it comes to snow days.
Translation: You have to shovel your driveway AND work.
Since I live in a New York City apartment, I’m free from this ache-inducing chore that tarnished some of the joy of snow days when I was in school.
Rush Hour on Sixth Avenue, New York City – February 1, 2021
Why Word of Mouth Matters For Your Marketing
Our brand new cordless Dyson vacuum cleaner arrived recently. And I must admit that I’ve never talked so much or so glowingly about a product in my entire life.
Further, I’m the last person you should ask about house cleaning or the best tools to use for specific chores.
Why?
Because my mother never taught me how to clean a house.
Fortunately, my mother-in-law did a better job of teaching my husband how to clean a house. So he’s in charge of cleaning supplies and devices .
But when it came to purchasing the Dyson, I was the one who insisted on this high-priced vacuum despite owning a working vacuum.
Why?
Because a good, value-conscious friend sang its praises to me.
She told me that they bought a Dyson for their country home. Since it changed their lives so much, they bought a second one for their city apartment. So I knew it had to be a great product.
In mid-January, we used a discount coupon to buy the machine from Bed, Bath and Beyond.
When our Dyson arrived a few days later, my husband charged and tested it. Since then I’ve cleaned more of our apartment than I have in all of the years that we’ve been together.
Drum roll please—the new Dyson machine is so much fun to use and, more importantly, reduces dust so efficiently, I clean more of our apartment than I would’ve considered BD (aka: Before Dyson).
Even better, the Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner is eco-friendly with no bags to handle. Better still, it fits into the limited space of our New York City apartment laundry closet.
RECOMMENDED READING:
Actionable Marking Lesson:
Create such a great product and customer experience that your audience talks about it. Not only did I buy it based on a friend’s recommendation. But I’ve also talked about this appliance with EVERYONE!
As one of my girlfriends, who has a top of the line Miele vacuum, said to me when I told her about our new purchase:
“Seriously, all vacuums suck!” (BTW, that’s American slang for they don’t work very well.)
To which I responded,
“That’s what they’re supposed to do!”
While it took my friend a minute or two to get the pun, she’s now considering getting a Dyson for her apartment.
Word-of-mouth referrals do change minds and create sales based on trust and customer loyalty. Further, over time, research shows that family and friends are the most trusted sources of purchase information.
And the strength of personal word of mouth recommendations isn’t limited to B2C purchases. According to Hubspot’s 2017 State of Inbound Research, word of mouth referrals top the list for B2B purchases, specifically business software.
RECOMMENDED READING:
- Why Raving Fans Make Great Micro-Influencers
(Note: Includes data to persuade your boss!
Did You Say Audio Branding?
Beyond seeing the dust swirling into the dust cup and knowing that all of dirt is going out of my home, my husband loves the 1950s movie spaceship audio branding sound it makes when you turn it off.
Until I met Audiobrain’s Audrey Aubeeny, I wouldn’t have considered product sounds to be an important part of the product-brand experience.
BUT
Audio branding applies to the array of sounds that products make, with or without words and/or music.
At Voice Global 2020, Brandon Satanek of Whirlpool Corporation and Audrey demonstrated the different sound their dryer makes. Each is associated with a specific dryer function.
Click image to hear audio branding
Want to hear how experts describe audio branding?
Then put your earbuds in and listen to sonic experts, Andrew Stafford and Steve Milton, explain the magic behind audio branding (Via Wired Magazine November, 2016.)
RECOMMENDED READING:
Social Media: How To Improve Your Marketing
Do you want to up your Instagram game?
Then sign up for AgoraPulse’s Social Media Pulse Summit: Instagram Edition.
The Summit is chock full of Instagram smarties sharing their favorite tips and tricks.
The live event occurs on February, 24th and sessions will be available on demand until March 24th.
BTW, did I mention that it’s free? All you have to do is sign up!
RECOMMENDED READING:
Hoping that you, your family and friends, and your community stay healthy and safe.
As always feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or other input that can help our broader community.
Welcome new subscribers: Udemegold, Steven, Kamsi, Pam, Margie, Wan, Priti, Botanica, Manly, Rachel, Alberto, Carmela, Eric, Mary and Karol.
If you enjoy reading the AMG Newsletter, I would appreciate it if you forwarded it to your friends and colleagues.
Happy Marketing,
Heidi
P.S.: Want Heidi Cohen to contribute a quote or other commentary to your next article, presentation, video, research and/or book? Then hit reply to this email and ask.
P.P.S: Did you miss last week’s AMG Newsletter?
Previous newsletters can be found in the AMG Newsletter Archive.
FEATURED ARTICLE: 14 Ways To Romance Your Audience With Content Marketing
It’s February and love is in the air.
Want to create content your audience will love?
Then follow these 14 tips that remain as relevant today as they were in 2015.
Want to know why?
Because they focus on putting yourself in your audience’s shoes!
Something. You. Should. Always. Do.
RELATED READING:
FEATURED ARTICLE: 2021 Marketing Trends
COVID Changed 2020. Learn the 5 Marketing Trends that will make you competitive in 2021.
RELATED READING:
FEATURED ARTICLE: Annual Content Planning
5 Types of content you need to improve your results.
RELATED READING:
Welcome Mat Photo via Mabel Amber https://www.pexels.com/photo/jetty-feet-sign-wooden-128299/ cc zero
Life Sucks Baby via Thgusstavo Santana https://www.pexels.com/photo/cute-infant-in-pink-headband-lying-on-bed-4579711/ cc zero
The fine print:
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Unless noted otherwise, all photos are ©2021 by Heidi Cohen
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