Thinkspace

UnMarketing, Relationship Building and… Amazon?

Whenever I place an order with Amazon, a subconscious countdown begins in my head. The seconds start ticking by till I might have my next movie, show or, (as in this case) book in hand! Ok, well maybe I’m not actually counting the seconds, but I definitely know which day it should be showing up!
After hearing a talk by Scott Stratten on “What Makes Videos Go Viral,” I decided to take a look at his book, UnMarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging. And, after reading a couple of pages, I just knew that I had to get my hands on that book! (Don’t you just love the “Look Inside” feature on Amazon that allows you to read part of the book before you get it? Just realized I sound like an Amazon commercial today! Oops – I’ll stop now.)
In the Introduction of his book, Scott states: “Marketing happens every time you engage (or not) with your past, present and potential customers. UnMarketing also takes it one step further – it is any time anyone talks about your company… I call it UnMarketing – the ability to engage with your market. Whether you employ thousands or are a one-person show, you are always UnMarketing. It’s what comes naturally, not being forced to do things that make you ill. It’s authentic, it’s personal, and it’s the way to build lifelong fans, relationships, and customers.”
I’ve been thinking about the inter-related topics of WOM Marketing, Customer Satisfaction, Company Culture and Lead Generation a lot over the last couple of months. And, the “old school” thought that people do business with people they like seems like it never really went away. It’s the idea that business is built on relationships. In fact, in the first chapter of UnMarketing, Scott states, “When the need arises, customers buy first from people they know, trust and like.” In my (and apparently, Scott Stratten’s) opinion, marketing is so much more than cold-calling and ad campaigns; marketing is about creating lasting relationships with people.
Obviously, you need to offer your customers a reliable, useful and awesome product, but Scott’s book is offering up the idea that you need to care first and foremost about your relationships with your past, present and future potential clients. It seems to me that Scott is headed down the right track – making me even more excited for this book to arrive on my desk at thinkspace! But, what about you – what do you think?
P.S. Now that I am done with this post, I am one hour closer to seeing the Amazon guy in our lobby! (I swear, Amazon doesn’t pay me!) ;]