Random acts of marketing. We call them RAMs or RAMMIES. What are they? They are acts of marketing that are not integrated, funded or properly planned. Yes, when looked at individually they may have a great plan, cool graphics, awesome web page. However, it’s like putting lipstick on a pig. A RAMMIE is like a pig with bright red lipstick. It may even make you feel good, feel like you are doing real marketing and real business.
Random acts of marketing can come in the form of a stand alone campaign, email blast, newspaper advertisement, or a day spent tweeting.
Social media and online marketing drive many people to RAMMIES. A beautiful Twitter background may give you the false perception that your brand is rockin’! You may have a beautiful Facebook Fan Page. However, is it driving action?
What is causing so many social media newbies to take on RAMMIE behavior? Is it because they really don’t understand business and marketing to begin with? Is it because they haven’t taken the time to learn what social media really is and how it can benefit their business? Is it the fud telling people to “watch this video and you’ll be a millionaire?” My opinion is it’s a combination of all of these plus more.
RAMMIES are simply what is done when you don’t have a real plan. A real business.
How can you have a real business without a business plan, marketing plan and understanding of the mediums you are using to reach your markets.
I have attended several networking meetings lately and I am always amazed how many people are selling RAMMIES. “Buy my logo, buy my website, my Twitter background” and the list goes on. The issue is many people at these events don’t know any better. They trust the person selling the website to them. They trust that it will do something positive for their business.
Sorry folks, a website with no integrated plan is a RAMMIE! A Twitter account
and background is a RAMMIE! A Facebook Fan Page can even be a RAMMIE.
Websites no longer work in the model of “build it and they will come.” People are not surfing for a website, they are surfing for information. They are engaging with their friends, partners, clients, prospects and colleagues online. They a looking for referrals for the services they need.
For the consumer, social media applications and Facebook on their phone is becoming embedded in the DNA of their life. Yet many businesses think they can create a RAMMIE and all of a suddenly magically their pig with red lipstick is going to pop out of the page, mobile device or iPad to their target markets and they’ll somehow find their RAMMIE website that offers very little reason for them to stay longer than 20 seconds.
What is needed is for the consultants, agencies and other services providers to educate themselves and their clients on what is really needed to succeed in business today. Bottom line, if you’re not online and leveraging social media you are already left behind. If you’re not building an integrated platform to engage your customers you are already left behind.
Stop building RAMMIES. Build a business platform.
The websites of yesterday have morphed into a somewhat complex marketing and business platform today. What do I mean by business platform? A business platform enables just that, business. What enables business? Well, that would be a plan, a product, a market and a medium to get it there. Yes, it includes communications, online marketing and more.
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