See Andy's other stuff:

Contact Me >>

Newsletter #904: The “Get to the Right Place” Issue

[Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.]

Sometimes it’s not about who you are or what you’re selling — it’s about where you are or where you’re able to go. In this issue, we’re looking at a few examples of how smart marketers are getting to the right place with a few simple changes.

How it can be done:

1. Change the shape
2. Change the format
3. Change the altitude
4. Check it out: Your Away Message

1. Change the shape

The shape of your stuff will affect where it’s able to go, how it’s used, and where it fits. Tissues, for example, are an essential tool to have in the car. But in their clunky box, they’re not an easy fit. That’s why Puffs came out with their “Car Cup” dispensers that slip into your car’s cup holder. Same product, different shape. It’s a tiny change, but it gives everyone a whole new reason to choose it over competitors.

The lesson: When was the last time you sat down and looked at all the different ways customers were actually using your stuff?

Learn more: Drew’s Marketing Minute

2. Change the format

Put out the typical job ad, and maybe the typical job feeds pick it up. But that’s where everyone else’s job ad is too. How can you get in front of candidates in a different way? The team at Ogilvy Brussels needed a designer. But instead of the traditional design ad, they uploaded a job ad as a file that looks like it’s Adobe’s latest design suite. They shared it on several famous file-sharing sites — and guess who’s downloading it? Unemployed web designers who can’t afford the incredibly expensive software and would love a shot to work for a legendary agency.

The lesson: Stop going where your competitors are going with your marketing, your advertising, and your recruiting. Instead, focus on where the people you’re trying to reach are going.

Learn more: Springwise

3. Change the altitude

Every election cycle there’s a push by various groups to get people registered to vote. Registering to vote takes only a few minutes — but yet so few do it. But a new partnership between Virgin America and Rock the Vote could make a difference. They’ve made it possible to register while in flight. With more than 1,000 flights a day, that’s a whole bunch of potentially unregistered voters with a few uninterrupted minutes on their hands.

The lesson: Look for places where your fans and customers have fewer distractions. Can you get there? Can you help them with something?

Learn more: U.S. News

4. Check it out: Your Away Message

Remember AIM? Remember all those silly away messages you posted? This Twitter account does.

Check it out: Twitter

[contact-form-7 id="27185" title="contact-form 3 TellAFriend-Post"]