We all know how it goes: marketers ruin everything. I made a video all about it here that you should really see, but essentially, it goes like this: something new comes into our world (radio, TV, the internet), and they’re for the people. Then, marketers (much like myself) see that people’s attention is there. So they want to use it. They want to get into it. And that ruins it. Then, it’s on to the next one.
This is why it is so incredibly important to be a first mover. I want to make sure I give you guys as much help as possible in getting places early, so here are three tactics to get into right now, before marketers have ruined them.
1) Pinterest
Pinterest currently has an ad product that is tremendous. It’s an amazing product, and I’m seeing awesome things from it for some of my own ventures. Read and learn all about that product here.
But, even if you don’t have the ability to pay to play, Pinterest still has opportunities for you, and you’re going to want to get in on them now. It’s a great platform for creating content for your brand because it’s a platform where users opt in to follow themes, styles and trends just as much as specific influencers. Because of that, they are much more open to seeing a diverse range of content. Being able to place your pin in the middle of someone’s feed in a way that feels natural and unobtrusive means a tremendous amount.
On top of that, the options for what kind of content belongs on the platform is enormous. Run a hardware store? Make content about DIY projects. Small coffee shop? Post your favorite coffee hacks or recipes. Real estate agent? Post your favorite home decor ideas. I could go on and on.
2) Facebook video
If you post videos on YouTube, you need to be posting them on Facebook too. End of discussion. And I don’t mean a link out to YouTube: you need to natively upload the video to Facebook.
Facebook has the potential to becoming a massive competitor to YouTube when it comes to distributing video content. All because of the very thing I have been yelling about for the months now: the data. Data data data. There is an enormous amount of it that you can target against. It creates an ultimate machine. At the moment, it gives you the ability to target like we’ve never seen before. I’m spending a huge amount of time on it; it’s at the top of my concerns.
Facebook also added features in the last few months that point to the fact that they are increasing the amount of attention they give video: view count. Embedding options.
Now, of course, the caveat here is Facebook video requires a budget of some sort. But the dollars go on a long way; with the precise targeting we have available through the platform, you are sure to reach an audience with an interest in your subject matter.
3) Snapchat. Snapchat, Snapchat, Snapchat.
This one is getting big, so hop on now. I highly recommend everyone pay attention to the Discover feature and how people are consuming content there. Swiping left to right for new stuff, up and down for depth. If you want to market to twenty year olds in the next twenty-four to thirty-six months within a mobile environment, using that cadence and feature set might be a great place to start.
Everything ages up. People don’t leave forms of communication behind. They stick to what will allow them to communicate the most and at a large scale, and for the current young generation, Snapchat plays a huge role in that. Pay attention to where the younger generations are going. That’s all there is to it. And get into Snapchat before you miss your chance entirely.
