In this issue: The communication techniques behind MLK's famous speech mean his dream still lives on. Why listeners become leaders. And the marketer's crash course to the Metaverse (just one book and one video).
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Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream": The Speech that Changed the World |
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TLDR: Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech has reached iconic status as a turning point in U.S. civil rights. King used many rhetorical devices to give his speech more power and to sear it on the hearts of those who listened.
So What? King's powerful message lives on because he communicated it with strong images and unforgettable language. As communicators, we have much to learn from King's choice of language and delivery.
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The Marketer's Crash Course to the Metaverse |
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TLDR: The Metaverse is expected to expand over the next few years, with most people spending significant time in this "second reality" as soon as 2026. Businesses will also be moving into the Metaverse to sell and advertise products to new audiences.
So What? The Metaverse is a digital arena that will likely change how we shop, interact, work, and play. In our experience, most marketers know it's a big deal, but they're overwhelmed by the hype, and have no idea how to prepare for it.
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Better Content Best Practices |
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Annie* was a client whose marriage was crumbling.
When we met with her to review the results of our latest content marketing campaign, she would tell us how difficult it was to raise kids on her own.
When we asked her for the logo files or the brand guidelines she had promised us, she would lash out. Sometimes she would break down. It was clearly a difficult time in her life, and her business and personal lives were in disarray.
Sometimes at Media Shower, our job is to be a therapist. The way we learned to work with Annie was to listen.
Anyone in marketing -- and in fact, anyone in any organization -- may need to play therapist. The secret, again, is to listen.
"That's not my job," you may protest. "I'm not paid to be their counselor."
But actually, you are.
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If a co-worker or a client is so flustered that their personal life is spilling over into the workplace, they need someone to listen.
Listening -- real listening -- is hard work. You have to shut off the distractions, stop checking your phone, lean forward, and make eye contact. (If you're on Zoom, gaze at the camera.) You have to repeat back what you've heard.
But listening has amazing workplace benefits. First, you forge a deep and lasting bond. That's good for building teamwork. That's good for building a business.
Beyond that, however, listening is the right thing to do. It's a caring human response to suffering -- when clearly, the other person is suffering.
Some people, of course, will take all the energy you have to spare. Listening may be part of the job, but it's not your full-time job. There's still work to do.
Listening earns leadership. Eventually you can steer the conversation back to the work to be done. And you will usually have more success in getting it done, because you've earned their trust.
For those of us who are Type A, driven personalities, listening can feel like a waste of time. We just need to get the Q4 presentation finished; why won't Annie just run the report?
Counterintuitively, listening can help get things done more efficiently than just forging ahead with the work.
Leaders listen. And better listeners build better businesses.
* All names and details about clients changed.
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Marketing Hack: Multiple Tweets Per Day |
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Does it seem like your tweets disappear as soon as they’re posted? That’s because the average life of a Twitter message is about 18 minutes, meaning it probably isn’t around long enough to be viewed by the right people.
The answer is to tweet multiple times per day; at least 10, according to Inc.com. More posts will keep you fresh in readers’ minds, thus increasing your chances of turning them into prospective (and then paying) customers.
Good marketing is a numbers game, and Media Shower has the knowledge and experience to build high-performing marketing content. Download our spreadsheet below to estimate how much business we can drive for you.
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Burger King “beefs up” its menu to reclaim top franchise title. The chain is reintroducing its Quad, Triple, and Double BK Stacker burgers after they spent years off the restaurant’s menu, as part of its “Reclaim the Flame” campaign. The idea is to boost sales and surpass Wendy’s as the #1 burger joint in America. The burgers' comebacks are slated to entice the 18-24 crowd, a once-prominent consumer group for the fast-food brand.
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Wendy’s isn’t giving up without a fight and enlists the aid of French toast sticks. The classic drive-thru isn’t forfeiting its crown so easily, however, and the company is offering French toast sticks at all its Canada locations to ensure it has a fighting chance. Available in three, four, and six-piece containers, the restaurant says it’s working hard to bring “flavor innovation to the table,” and a syrup-drenched breakfast item could be the real clincher.
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Home Depot will recycle your Christmas trees. The holidays have come and gone, and that once lush, decorated evergreen at the center of your living room is turning brown and dropping a few needles. The home improvement chain is now collecting all unwanted trees and recycling them to reduce waste and the costs of landfill maintenance. Trees dropped off at participating locations will be turned into mulch for future plant life, while others will serve local communities and be added to lakes, parks, and neighborhoods.
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Marketing Meme of the Week |
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