Are underpants gnomes running your marketing?
Marc Stoiber
Brand Strategist || I build simple, powerful brands that raise the valuation of entrepreneurial companies. Investors and M&A specialists call me their value enhancer.
We all want results, fast. But today, more than ever, understanding the steps to success is critical.
Underpant Gnomes ?is pure comedy genius, and one of the sharpest indictments of marketing I've ever seen.??
If you aren't familiar with the South Park episode, underpants gnomes are mini-entrepreneurs who have the?inside angle?on making huge profits by stealing underpants. The only problem is, they think they can get from?Step 1: Collect underpants?to?Step 3: Profit?without all those pesky steps in between. Confronted by the heroes Kyle, Kenny, Cartman, Stan and Butters about the missing steps, they simply stare blankly and reassure everyone they're awesome at making money, because they?totally know how corporations work.
I'm not proud. I've been an underpants gnome, racing past all the critical steps to success because I was so excited to launch a campaign. I'm sure you've been an underpants gnome, too. Scroll through LinkedIn, look at all the miracle SaaS products and get-rich-quick coaches - they're catering to underpants gnomes.
I thought it might help all of us to step back for a moment and reflect on how we can identify our inner underpants gnome, and curb their hasty behaviour.
If these illustrations help a few marketers hold onto their underpants, it will have been worth the effort.
Step 1: Concept. Step 2: ? Step 3: Profit.
I've lived through this one more than a few times - thanks to Nathon Gunn for reminding me to include it!
Here's how it goes.
Entrepreneur has idea. Through charm and connections, they raise war chest. Then, they discover that creating product that matches the idea is much harder than selling the idea. They refuse to take hard steps to rethink product, instead going on a PR offensive to keep the idea alive. Flame out.
Hello, Theranos.
Step 1: Create ads. Step 2: ? Step 3: Profit.
The best way to create ads that reflect what consumers want is to speak to consumers - or in their stead, speak with salespeople.
Baffling as this might be, marketers don't like speaking to salespeople. I don't know why.
Instead, they develop campaigns ensconced in an ivory tower. The campaigns are creatively brilliant, but completely miss the mark when it comes to resonating with consumers.
Salesperson is left wondering why marketers didn't speak with them before launching campaign. Campaign fails. New marketers are hired. Rinse and repeat.
Step 1: Create content. Step 2: ? Step 3: Profit.
Content was originally touted as a smart evolution of advertising. It delivers insights and information consumers value, building rapport, and creating a feeling of familiarity and reciprocity that will - ta-daa! - lead to a sale.
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No it won't.
Consumers don't walk a clear path from enjoying your content to buying your product. They're weird creatures. They do irrational things.
The solution (if you can call it that) is to recognize that your content?alone?isn't going to drive sales. Questioning and humbly testing your content, and all the sure-fire steps to conversion, is a far better approach. A few things you might dig into:
If this all sounds messy and complex, it is. Marketing has never been more complex. That's why you hire specialists to do it. Which brings me to my final example.
Step 1: Subscribe to shiny marketing platform. Step 2: ? Step 3: Profit.
I've helped countless smart entrepreneurs build their brand, and their sales. Virtually every one of them has a closet full of shiny,?sure fire tools, apps and platforms?that promise to do all the marketing work with a few simple clicks.
They try the tools. They don't work. The tools get thrown in the proverbial closet. If the entrepreneur has the presence of mind, they cancel their subscription. More often than not, they forget to cancel.
Don't get me wrong. Marketing tools serve a useful purpose. But they're sold as solutions - not a?small part?of a big solution.
Take SEO. Absolutely indispensable. Without it, your content simply doesn't show up when consumers are hunting or researching. But what happens if they find your content and, well, that's it - there's no path to lead them to a sale (or ongoing sales)?
Here's what happens: They love you, and you go broke.
The solution?
I believe the solution to curbing your underpants gnome instincts is 180o from marketing: it's?taking the time?to consider human psychology. Because only by understanding how humans behave will you be able to understand the steps you need to take to market to them effectively.
That's becoming more difficult. We're increasingly disconnected from others on a face-to-face level. Our communicating and selling is done with clicks, not shop-floor conversations.
I'd recommend making face-to-face sessions with the people who buy (or the sellers who interact with them) a priority. And really listening to their thoughts and suggestions.
I'd also recommend resisting the temptation to take the shortcuts that technology is dropping in front of you every day. Sure, the shiny new tool may provide an advantage. But thinking it will be more than a small part of your marketing solution is wishful thinking.
Finally, I'd recommend turning frustration into humble, happy learning. People will surprise you with new and interesting ways to?not do?what you expected. You can get mad that they didn't behave the way the algorithm said they would. Or you can simply smile and treat it as an opportunity to better fill in the blank under 'Step 2'.
If you think your marketing is missing a step, check out my free brand audit. You get an hour of my time, a diagnostic list of the elements of your brand that aren't lining up, and a bit of clear direction. No strings attached. Here's the link .