{"id":10003,"date":"2022-02-05T00:41:14","date_gmt":"2022-02-05T00:41:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/02\/05\/looking-for-better-marketing-ideas-channel-leonardo\/"},"modified":"2022-02-05T00:41:14","modified_gmt":"2022-02-05T00:41:14","slug":"looking-for-better-marketing-ideas-channel-leonardo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/02\/05\/looking-for-better-marketing-ideas-channel-leonardo\/","title":{"rendered":"Looking For Better Marketing Ideas? Channel Leonardo"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n

Take Leonardo da Vinci<\/a>. Please.<\/em> Yup, the guy who painted the Mona Lisa<\/a> and The Last Supper<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He was curious about everything.<\/em><\/strong> And very observant. And he wasn\u2019t afraid to let his imagination run wild.<\/p>\n

How do you suppose he got the idea for Vitruvian Man<\/a>??<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

OK, I\u2019m speculating there, but he succeeded because he thought outside the box.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

He was curious, observant, and imaginative.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the good news, courtesy of Leonardo biographer Walter Isaacson<\/a>: we can all<\/strong><\/em> cultivate those same traits. It requires effort, but we can choose<\/em><\/strong> to be curious, observant, and imaginative.<\/p>\n

Creatives and marketers share the same challenge:<\/strong><\/em> how to come up with ideas and create work that gets people\u2019s attention and prompts them to take action:<\/strong><\/em> to read, buy, subscribe, hire, commission, etc.<\/p>\n

If you sell a product or service, you need to market<\/strong><\/em> yourself. One way to demonstrate your expertise is to write a blog.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

But how do you come up with ideas?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

You do what Leonardo did:<\/p>\n

Stay curious<\/strong>: be open to learning new things.<\/p>\n

Be observant<\/strong>: we miss things that are right under our nose.<\/p>\n

Be imaginative<\/strong>: ask yourself how you can use something in a new way.<\/p>\n

\"Advice<\/p>\n

I called a local nursery last summer. I needed to buy some dirt<\/strong><\/em> to level out a spot in my backyard.<\/p>\n

I asked if they knew where I could get some. Turns out they sold<\/strong><\/em> dirt. (No mention of it on their website\u2013 I checked before calling.)<\/p>\n

They explained the difference between loam and compost, and how you could mix them in different ratios.<\/p>\n

I learned a lot. I thought: it\u2019s a perfect blog topic:<\/strong><\/em> interesting in itself, and it would clearly demonstrate expertise.<\/p>\n

But they just assumed<\/strong><\/em> people knew they sold dirt, and how you could mix the different kinds.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Brands hit it big when they come up with something that gets people talking and creates word-of-mouth.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Marketing expert Jay Baer<\/a> calls them talk triggers:<\/strong><\/em> something unexpected that happens to every<\/strong><\/em> customer, and prompts them to become volunteer marketers.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Jay<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

In one of his podcasts, he talks about how CVS Pharmacy<\/strong><\/em> created a talk trigger using something most of us throw away: receipts.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re used to getting store receipts with some coupons attached. But if you belong to CVS\u2019 Extra Care Membership Club, you get a mile-long receipt<\/strong><\/em> no matter what you buy\u2013 even if it\u2019s just a pack of gum.<\/p>\n

And people love it.<\/strong><\/em> They tweet about their receipts, and post stories, photos, and videos on social media. It\u2019s word-of-mouth advertising<\/strong><\/em> that keeps on giving.<\/p>\n

I love Jay\u2019s good-humored delivery. He knows entertainment and learning are natural allies.<\/strong><\/em> You can watch the entire podcast below.<\/p>\n