Get an "A"!

                                                                     


     Remember the three "R's" -- readin', (w)ritin', and 'rithmetic?   Well, yeah, you should still have a handle on all three of those, even if you do use a calculator and spell check.  However, there is another set of consonants that you should also have a grip on - the four "A's".
     Today's blog is adapted from one by Kayla Hutzler on Luxury Daily,  The News Leader in Luxury Marketing.  Here it is, for those who wish to read it in its entirety:  http://www.luxurydaily.com/social-video-can-build-awareness-advocacy-for-luxury-brands/
      Hutzler talks about Awareness, Advocacy, Attention and (call to) Action.  These are four vitally important aspects of any luxury brand marketing.  However, even if you aren't selling a Lexus or Breitling watch, it should still apply to you.
     Awareness:  do your customers know who you are?  What you are?  What you are selling?  Are you out there in the marketplace on FaceBook, on Twitter, on any of the other burgeoning social media networks?  Hey, don't forget the old standbys, either.  The demise of newspaper  and magazine ads are, much like the infamous report of Mark Twain's death, greatly exaggerated.
     Advocacy:  are your customers sticking up for you and your brand?  Hey, I grocery shop at Tom Thumb, and at one Tom Thumb in particular.  I drive a few miles to get there, but I like it and the people who work in the store.  And I tell people about it.  This is an example of consumer advocacy. (I'm also a big fan of Lionel Electric Trains, but we won't go into that here!)
     Attention:  are you calling attention to yourself, and in a good way?  Heaven knows we've seen PLENTY of examples of brands calling attention to themselves in the wrong way.  To get attention, though, be it good or bad, you've got to work at making yourself known to consumers.  I'm happy for you that your company has developed a flash drive that also doubles as a mini-micro mighty mite computer with six times the speed of my MacBook Pro.  Too bad no one has ever heard of you...
     Action:  are you telling your customers to get with it and purchase your product?  In the many years that I worked in broadcast news, our mantra was:  Tell them what you're going to tell them.  Tell them.  Tell them what you told them.  
     Practice these four "A's" and get an "A" on your business social media report card!