The Power of Marketing Vibes
As Marketers, we can often get caught up in marketing DOING. I mean, it's pretty easy when there are SO many marketing tasks that need to be completed on the daily; regardless of whether or not they are adding value to our business 🙄
But what happens when we pull BACK on the doing, and spend more time, effort and energy on the VIBE we're creating with our marketing efforts?
What IS a Vibe?
This is probably part of the problem. Because a vibe is VERY difficult to define in ONE way. The reason being, everyone - and every business - has a unique vibe.
For the sake of this article, let's use this definition:
A person's emotional state or the atmosphere of a place as communicated to and felt by others.
And let's also assume, for the time being, that we're talking about the vibe of a business, which happens to be the COMBINATION of various personal vibes.
And it’s MORE than just your Brand Guidelines, folks!
An Example
Think about your favorite store to go into. Or maybe restaurant. I'm going to choose Rea's Italian Cucina in Calgary (if you haven't been there, GO there; at least if you like Italian food).
What do you feel when you go into that place?
How does it smell?
Are you greeted with smiles?
Do you feel like family?
THAT'S the vibe.
And the reason you like it?
Because it MATCHES YOU. It matches your vibe.
The Secret Lies in the MATCH
I'm sure you've equally gone to places that you DIDN'T enjoy. That you wouldn't go back to. It's for some of the reasons above that I refuse to take my car to the local Mercedes dealership any more.
Because the way they show up to do business?
NOT the way I show up to do business.
It's not that their vibe is WRONG.
Or that MY vibe is wrong.
But it IS that we are misaligned.
And in order to create alignment, we have to show who we are.
Going Digital
Now, you might be thinking this is pretty easily done with an in-person experience. But what about a digital experience?
Something that's always been interesting to be is the fact that so many people think these things are DIFFERENT, when they're actually more the same than anything else.
Sure, the CHANNEL is different; and in-person vibes might be able to happen subconsciously (from both parties), but ACCESS to vibes is ALWAYS available, and they CAN be transferred through a screen.
I always think the best example of this is the No-Pitch Networking events that I host. In each of those events, although they are 100% digital, there is a vibe that flows, because there is the INTENTIONALITY to create a vibe and a connection.
This is where most online marketing fails.
We forget about US and how we share our vibe, and we replace it with vanity metrics and To-Do Lists.
So what can we do about that?
Stop, Collaborate & Listen
First, there are some things you need to STOP doing.
If you're running Digital Ads today and you HAVEN'T considered how your VIBE is being transferred in them, STOP running them. Save your money.
If you're posting a pre-planned marketing post today on ANY channel and you haven't written it in the vibe you want people to feel, DON'T post it.
If you're writing a blog post just because it's Monday and you're SUPPOSED to write a blog post, STOP it.
If you're sending out an email newsletter because it’s on the To-Do List (even though you've never gotten ANY business from one), DON'T press send.
If you're creating the 5th revision of ANYTHING (content, imagery, project plan), STOP and ask yourself if you're reaching for an impossible version of perfect (that doesn't even match your vibe).
These are the types of activities that keep marketers busy all day but RARELY (if ever) have a net positive impact on the brand.
Let's STOP this madness and instead ask ourselves,
"what are we currently doing that creates VALUE?"
And if it's NOTHING, have the courage to try something new.
That's the Collaboration piece BTW 😉
Oh, and the Listen component? Let me rant for a moment.
As marketing gets farther and farther away from actually touching customers, we STOPPED listening to them.
They like us for some reason.
They CHOSE us for some reason.
And it's NOT because our product is better, faster, stronger. As much as you want to pretend it is.
They picked us because they VIBED with us MORE than our competitors.
And if we listen to THAT...well then...now we're in the game.
I'm Bringing Vibe-ing Back
Using your marketing resources to focus on VIBE isn't something that's new. In fact, it's something that giants like Apple and Disney have built their brands on.
Not everyone vibes with Apple (personally, I don't). But MOST of the community innovators do.
Not everyone vibes with Disney (I do, in this case). But MOST people who believe in the magic of youth do.
It's not right or wrong. It's alignment.
And alignment only happens when you SHOW your vibe.
THIS is what I help my clients do. From the GetSocial! Networking Experiences to my coaching and consulting programs. It's a simple concept:
Embrace Your Vibe (and understand what's stopping you from showing it),
Show Your Vibe (in whatever channels MATCH your vibe), and
Build Your Tribe (of clients, staff, investors, partners, you name it).
The concept is simple. Yet so few people are actually doing it. Because we've been programmed to think that MORE work is MORE. But in the Vibe Arena?
LESS IS MORE.
LESS hiding yourself that is 😊
If you're ready for your marketing and sales teams to start bringing your REAL vibe to life in the digital arena, let's chat 💖
