Great Marketing Advice I Learned from The Death of Scott
Marketing Advice
Two men set out on a mission. It was a mission of discovery, adventure, and misfortune. 1400 miles in total.
One had all the resources at his fingertips and the other did not. One man was well funded and had all the training and talent necessary to win the prize and the other did not.
A David and Goliath story.
The goal…The South Pole
Scott had all the resources necessary to succeed and bring home the prize, but it was Amundson who would arrive at the South Pole and live to tell about it.
It all came down to decisions.
Scott made bad ones Amundson made great ones.
Make no mistake about it: Scott and his men had heart and hardihood in spades. But Amundsen was the superior tactician.
Here is a great example…
A day when Scott should have been in a mad dash to get to the next station he decided to stop and collect rocks. This was after they were already starving and frost bitten.
He took horses and skis instead of dogs
He didn’t plan and prepare
He took one navigator compared to Amundson’s four.
His depot stations were too few, too little, and too far apart.
It was a disaster, which would eventually cost all of them their lives.
They froze…
Amundsen’s route had never before been taken, but it put his starting point 60 miles closer to the Pole than Scott’s.
Amundson, on the other hand, did the exact opposite.
He planned for emergencies.
Instead of one depot station he would set up multiple.
They had so much food on the trip back they were eating all they could to lighten the load. They were even feeding the dogs delicious chocolate. (don’t do this at home, your dog might leave you some presents)
His men reached the pole 30 days before Scott and were back home about the time Scott was dying.
You might be asking how does this apply to marketing, especially video marketing?
Let me elaborate.
There are two companies that have similar products. They are both looking for success, but one makes millions while the other shuts it’s doors.
It all comes down to decisions and preparation.
Are you going to spend the time and prepare for success? (due diligence)
Are you going to make sure your video and marketing efforts are really producing results? (measure results)
Do you have different lead sources? (preparation)
Who are your marketing partners do they know what they are doing?
I continually consult with business owners and find that some are prepared but unfortunately most aren’t.
The majority never makes it back from the South Pole.
It’s the perfect time of year to go back over your marketing efforts.
I did…
When Marketing You Make Your Own Luck
Here is what I found
- Facebook ads are still working great, but you have to make sure the target audience is dialed in.
- YouTube is still our poster child. We love video ads and video marketing.
- 2015 is going to be a big year for video marketing. Platforms are only getting better and Google is always improving the target audience options. I will we harping on this throughout the year so expect to see a lot more in terms of video marketing. It works
- PPC ads – Adwords are still working, but can get very expensive.
- Bing and Yahoo Ads are gaining market share so make sure you are using them
- We stopped running Twitter and Linkedin ads. They still need to improve conversions and results. I might look to test them in a couple of months
- Video SEO – organic search marketing is awesome
- Google and YouTube autocomplete is going to be a big part of our strategy for 2015. We have created machines.
- Email marketing is a must. The money is in the list
- Customer retention and customer service is also a must. Look for ways to improve it.
“I may say that this is the greatest factor—the way in which the expedition is equipped—the way in which every difficulty is foreseen, and precautions taken for meeting or avoiding it. Victory awaits him who has everything in order — luck, people call it. Defeat is certain for him who has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time; this is called bad luck.” -Roald Amundsen
That should cut it.
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- The logistics of Scott’s expedition were complex; he started out with 16 men, 23 dogs, 10 ponies, 13 sledges, and 2 motor sledges. Since the different forms of transport varied in speed, they had to each start out at different times from the camps, so that they’d all arrive near the same time at the next camp. The party was slowly winnowed down to the five men who man-hauled the rest of the way to the Pole. In contrast, Amundsen’s expedition was very simple: 5 men and dogs all the way there, and all the way back.
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- Why take horses? Bad Decision by Scott
We want to be your strategic partner and see how quickly we can get to the pole and back.
Jace Vernon
(your video marketing consultant)
PS. Hey guys I think it has been a month since I have written a blog, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do better in 2015. We have some great guides and advice coming.
I’m serious we have some amazing stuff coming so keep a look out.
Great Marketing Advice I Learned from The Death of Scott
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