tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24784219.post114364585721313642..comments2024-03-06T03:58:39.540-06:00Comments on The Viral Garden: Joining the communityMack Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723628321171539590noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24784219.post-32470923573011326052008-03-05T05:03:00.000-06:002008-03-05T05:03:00.000-06:00Fantastic article!Wonderful approach!Cheers,- Waki...Fantastic article!<BR/>Wonderful approach!<BR/><BR/>Cheers,<BR/>- Wakish -Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24784219.post-1151593882680175332006-06-29T10:11:00.000-05:002006-06-29T10:11:00.000-05:00"It's all about marketing and PROFIT my friend. Th..."It's all about marketing and PROFIT my friend. They don't become part of the community, in fact they can't be!<BR/><BR/>Blogging is only a way of many for marketers to interact with the community. Well let's correct it this way. Blogging is still an inexpensive way to ADVERTISE THEIR BUSINESS and SHAPE PEOPLE's MIND.<BR/><BR/>In the community, as a real member, we don't act like this. Or most of us don't act like that."<BR/><BR/>I think you're looking at this as an either/or proposition. It doesn't have to be.<BR/><BR/>I'm a marketer. Let's say that John Johnson at XYZ Corporation in Oregon is also a marketer. XYZ Corporation keeps hearing a lot of 'good stuff about this blogging thingie', and his boss tells him that they need to market their next product to bloggers.<BR/><BR/>Let's say I also want to promote the same product, also to bloggers.<BR/><BR/>Who do you think will be more successful, the guy that's been a MEMBER of the BLOGGING COMMUNITY for the last 9 months (Me), or the guy that first heard about blogging 9 days ago(John)?<BR/><BR/>Since I am a member of the blogging community, I have a better understanding of bloggers, and would know that the key is to market WITH bloggers, and to find ways to EMPOWER bloggers to market FOR me. I would understand that it's less about PUSH, and more about PULL.<BR/><BR/>Whereas John would likely have no idea how to successfully promote to the blogging community, since he hasn't JOINED that community, and doesn't understand what bloggers expect or respond to. <BR/><BR/>See because when you JOIN a community, you begin to UNDERSTAND what motivates its members. You realize that while your first goal is to make money, their first goal is to get the product that best serves their wants and needs. After JOINING them, you eventually realize that hey....if you meet THEIR needs(providing the best product to meet the community's wants and needs), in turn YOUR needs (mo money) will be met as well.<BR/><BR/>Funny how that works out! Over time, your goals as a marketer shift from 'How can we make more money off our communities?', to 'How can we better serve our communities?', because you realize that satisfying the NEW goal, will actually satisfy the OLD one as well. <BR/><BR/>But the key is, joining the community means that you change YOUR wants and needs (mo money) to align with THEIR's (satifsy their wants and needs better than the other guy), which means that ultimately, you make....mo money.Mack Collierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02723628321171539590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24784219.post-1149091331679569762006-05-31T11:02:00.000-05:002006-05-31T11:02:00.000-05:00Mack - ". What happens when you better understand ...Mack - ". What happens when you better understand your customers is that you can better serve them by anticipating their wants and needs. And the best part? As we correctly anticipate the consumers' wants and needs, and fill them, a trust is developed."<BR/><BR/>Spot on!<BR/><BR/>I've playing with a metaphor for this sort of "joining the community". I call it "improv marketing" - since it has that sort of anticipation and magic that appears by sharing the communities thoughts and needs. More on that later, but "great post" needed to be stated!<BR/><BR/>Thanks for exploding the conversation!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com