MARKETING TODAY IS A WHOLE NEW WORLD

Who knew a simple marketing query e-mail to Susan Goulding, a Staff Reporter for the OC Register, would receive such a quick and excited response.

Sometimes, I think, we make things harder than they need to be. Susan immediately responded, expressing interest, and said she would be in touch. She was true to her word.

The next day I received a phone call, “Mark, will next Wednesday work for you? I will have a professional photographer with me.” Talk about exciting! My first article!

THE INTERVIEW

For 2-1/2 hours I answered all of Susan’s questions and posed for photos while Susan interviewed my neighbor and his 5-year old daughter, who had purchased The Storytelling Box.

Six-year-old Milly Udzenija enjoys playing with The Storytelling Box at home with her father.

Being 59, I asked the Photographer if he wanted to back up a little, maybe to Fullerton, but he insisted on a close-up. Where was my makeup person, my hair stylist and gauze to shoot through (shades of Doris Day)?

Creating a product, in retrospect, was simple, despite what I thought at the time, when compared to marketing it. This process is 10 times harder especially when wading into unknown waters such as social media.

MARKETING IS A WHOLE NEW WORLD

A comparatively few years ago there was no such word as BLOG, much less entire websites devoted to them. Tweet was a sound made by a bird and a facebook would have described a photographers collection of portraits.

Today, they are the difference between success and failure in getting the word out on a product. It’s reached a point where companies will do almost anything to get eyeballs (a slang term today that would have referred to a gruesome hobby for a serial killer years ago).

I suppose if I make a YouTube video holding a gun to my head threatening to shoot if every parent in the country didn’t immediately purchase one of my boxes would increase sales dramatically. Not my style.

I’d rather run naked through a public park, screaming, “The Storytelling Box, The Storytelling Box”, but that’s just a personal preference. (Don’t worry to those who have seen me naked – I’m not going to do that either.)

Actually, I will be taking advantage of YouTube (with my clothes on) very soon. I will be creating a weekly Storytelling with Mark video where I create a original story on camera using The Storytelling Box. Gotta walk the talk, right?

MENTOR

I have to thank my social media guru, Oscar Gonzalez from NotaGrouch.com. He is my lifeline as I venture out into the deeper social media waters, teaching, encouraging and supporting me so I don’t drown.

Everyone needs a mentor as they attempt to learn a new path. Oscar is mine. I actually wrote about the value of mentors in another blog  (See how easily “blog” just trips off my tongue?) I find myself taking my own advice.

You can read the wonderful article here: OC Register article. I hope this is just the beginning.