Mauricio's Marketing Blog

The next step to embracing the big changes that are part of our society and will continue changing how things are done (this means to surf the AI tsunami before it smashes you,) is to become adept in AI, which means to "get directly involved with developing AI, by learning coding and how to work with related data"  Kelsey, 2018, p. 118). It is very important that you still continue learning to adapt to and adopt AI, even if you have already done it in the past, You must have the habit to make it part of your life. That is becoming adept in AI. Fortunately for us, there are plenty of videos and other sources of knowledge on the internet. Some of them are free and some others need you to pay; however, whatever option you pick is worth it if you learn from it. Just make sure you pick the challenging ones too, not only the easy ones. In the book, Surfing the Tsunami, various options are offered. The ones I find more interesting are the games for learning coding and Khan Academy. ...

This week we will see the most lethal marketing method for your campaign. Of course, there is no one secret method that only certain successful companies use. The idea of having "the secret" is unreal; however, there is something you must do to meet your goals: use various methods and try every method from newspaper to phone calls and the internet. The goal is to maximize your utilization and mastery of each.  When you learn the advantages and disadvantages of each method and the value it adds to your product or service, you are applying effective guerilla marketing. Of course, there are some MUST DOs. For example, even if you have to try the various methods available, you must select those that relate to your audience and evaluate if you can apply the method properly and whether you can afford it or not (In the image below, you do not want to take the banana.) Consider also that you want to share a message - transmit that message. You cannot just say everything to everybody....

Now, so far we have been following steps as if ascending your start-up was a linear process - like when you write a story; however, it is not this way. At this point, you need to explore your brand through the lens of your customer. This process will make you take steps backward and forward so that you learn from your customers. See this as a sort of acclimation - you need to adapt to a new temperature, altitude, climate, environment, or situation. To do this, listen to your customers, especially those who know your product well and have invested in your product (Yu, 2021, p. 93).  A common mistake that many companies commit when they grow, is to consider expansion more important than their base customers (the ones who invested in you, your product, and your company). Consider having close contact with them and LISTEN, or have someone do it for you, like a customer success team. It is essential to address your customers' concerns in a timely manner and understand the root cause of ...

Last week, you learned the importance of learning and paying attention to how things are changing and in what direction in the field of AI. This first step is called "adapt." Once you have adapted to the AI environment by consistently researching various sources, you need to "adopt" your knowledge in AI and make it yours in your daily life - this is the second step. Using the traditional techniques of doing things is unsustainable for most people. People who have adopted AI in their lives are much more productive than people who have not because the shift to AI is inevitable.  Image an assembly line of a company where routine work is done every day. That was the norm in the past, even if many companies still rely on routine work. However, things are done much faster because of automation. Automation made things easier and faster for everybody. Now think of automation of automation: a computer system that can read how many resources are left and order more if needed,...

To develop truly creative marketing, consider one thing: if it generates profits for your business, it is creative. Your marketing campaign must sell the offering. For it, establish your own positioning -not just imitate other marketing campaigns- by practicing writing creative strategies for current advertisers and your competitors. Then, follow a seven-step process to make it successful: (1) Find the inherent "drama" within your offering and what makes your product interesting. (2) Convert one or two of your product's most interesting features into a meaningful benefit. For example, do not just sell garden flowers, sell a positive, emotional, and brighter garden. (3) Choose carefully the words you use so that the message is believable. The public is most likely to believe in your product's features if you are honest but also use the right words.  (4) Create appealing advertising that gets people's attention to your product, not only to your advertising. (5) Tell...

Once you have your product developed, it is imperative to know that you need a solid distribution channel to connect your product with your customers. Think of the best strategy to fit the needs of your customers and your capacity to respond to the demand. Then, define what are your indicators of success by using a data-driven methodology. It may take into account the lifetime value of a customer, the cost of acquiring a customer, and the payback period on the cost of acquiring a customer. If these metrics indicate your strategy has flaws, consider changing your strategy! (Yu, 2021, pp. 80-87). Before setting a price for your product, develop a strategy too - a price strategy. There are many pricing strategies but think of your targeted buyers, their ability to pay, any direct and indirect costs, your customer acquisition cost, etc. Make sure your strategy is competitive not only to make profits but also to compete with rivals. Finally, think of how you solve your customers' proble...

As learned before, to take advantage of this AI tsunami we need to embrace it. And, to embrace it, we need to remember the words "adapt," "adopt," and "adept." Adapting means learning and paying attention to how things are changing and in what direction. A helpful tip to adapt to something as complex as AI is to write down what you learn. For example, you can write a blog or journal. Please, be careful with inconsistency. Starting something is very easy but building a habit is one of the most complex things to do for many people. So you can help yourself with reminders or a calendar of things to do and add your daily or weekly practice of learning about AI. You will notice how important it is to seek consistency. Finally, encourage yourself to look for sources that challenge you to learn more and more. You can start with articles, then take books more and more specialized. As you learn more and more, you will find it fascinating (Kelsey, 2018, pp. 80-93). ...