The launch of Stripe Generator - admittedly a one-off with limited appeal - caused Seth Godin to raise a point:Not a lot of room to make stuff that everyone thinks is great. I think you're a lot better off delighting and amazing the niches.There's a lot of truth there. When I was recently mulling over two podcasting ideas, I shared my ideas with a new media colleague. Here's roughly how the conversation went:
Me: So I've got a couple of podcast ideas in development. One is for a social media podcast; the other is a literary podcast.He's absolutely right. If you want to brand yourself, if you want to be remarkable, you need to give people a solution that they need, no matter what the size of the audience. If you're doing what's already been done and you have no unique angle, you aren't going to have many evangelists who will be loyal to you. Plus - if you actually enjoy what you're doing and you're really good at it, you'll be rewarded.
Him: Doing one podcast is a huge commitment; two would be even greater. Let me ask you this: is anyone else doing a literary podcast in the space?
Me: No.
Him: Then make that your focus. There are tons of podcasts about podcasting, blogging and new marketing. But is anyone else doing a podcast about this literary character?
Me: No.
Him: Then you should own it. Be the first. Be the best. You can stand out.
Labels: brand, Marketing, New Media, Podcasting
Posted by Scott Monty at 7:03 AM
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He as been called "an unstoppable force of nature," "the best corporate social media lead on the planet," and Alan Mulally, the CEO of Ford Motor Company, called him "a visionary." But perhaps the best way to describe Scott is "Renaissance Man." Friends and colleagues that know Scott from one facet of his life are very frequently surprised to learn of his interests and talents in other areas.
Scott is a marketing and communications professional focused on the digital industry — specifically on social media. His career has spanned a wide variety of industries such as healthcare, pharma, biotech, travel, automotive, tech, and communications, from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies.
Currently on the staff of corporate communications in Ford Motor Company, Scott heads up the social media function and holds the title Global Digital & Multimedia Communications Manager. He is a strategic advisor on all social media activities across the company, from blogger relations to marketing support, customer service to internal communications and more, as social media is being integrated into many facets of Ford business.
Prior to joining Ford, Scott served as Consigliere for crayon and spent a number of years with PJA Advertising + Marketing, a boutique BtoB agency specializing in health sciences & high tech.
In addition to his consulting and agency background, Scott is an active blogger and podcaster. He writes about the intersection of advertising, marketing and PR at The Social Media Marketing Blog and also writes The Baker Street Blog, a literary undertaking. Scott has been featured in numerous news and business publications, in over a dozen books, and on a variety of broadcast media from podcasts to NPR to national television. Scott is a recognized thought leader in the social media industry and frequently speaks at industry events.
Scott received his Master's in Medical Science from Boston University's School of Medicine concurrently with his MBA from BU's Graduate School of Management. He lives in the greater Detroit area with his wife and two young sons, golfs all too infrequently, and has a hidden talent for voice over work.
Oh, and one last little-known fact: Scott coined the Oxford Dictionary of English-accepted term "tweetup."
You may download a headshot here, courtesy of C.C. Chapman and a PDF version of Scott's bio here.
Scott speaks on social media at events, seminars and conferences around the world. His topic generally focuses on corporate use of social media, becoming an online spokesperson, and specifically on the progress that Ford has made in the recent past. If you're interested in booking Scott to speak at your event, please click here to submit a speaking request. Scott's bio and headshot can be found in the "About Scott" tab above.
Some previous engagements include:
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The Webware 100 for 2008
Podcasts
For Immediate Release
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Hi, I'm Scott. I'm the head of social media for Ford Motor Company. This is my personal blog, where I share my perspectives on social media - the convergence of marketing, advertising and PR on the Web - for marketers, agencies, the enterprise and the individual. This blog contains my personal views.
This is so spot-on. My husband just created a site about filmmaking in the Carolinas. And sometimes it's tempting to try and rank for larger terms like independent films. But you're right, the niche is where its at.
It's got me filtering out some ideas of my own.
Great post!
Wait, did I say all that? :)
Hey, I hope you go for it with the podcast about that certain literary character whom I won't reveal here. You've got the interest, the knowledge, and (presumably) the passion. You've also got an idea for a podcast that would truly be unique.
So, what are you waiting for?
Quicker to make a seamless tile striped background image there than it is to just load up Photoshop!
Make more graphics on www.ImageGenerator.org (make buttons, banners, sigs, avatars, cartoons, logos, gags, wallpapers, e-cards, etc).