My presentation from Gentle Teaching International Conference 2024 in Regina

You Don’t Need Marketing, You Need To Start a Movement

byJeph Maystruck/Nov 11, 2024/inAdvice, Motivation, Regina, Research, Strategy

Stop Marketing, Instead Start a Movement

Marketing is dead, long live marketing.

In its traditional form, I think marketing IS dead. The 4 p’s, develop your USP and define your competitive advantage all pale in comparison to telling a story. So I guess marketing isn’t dead; word-of-mouth (the most powerful form of marketing) is still alive and well. And word-of-mouth, with the power of reach on the internet and social media make if the choice of organizations to communicate with their audience.

Stop marketing; instead, start a movement is about thinking like someone who’s starting a movement. Who’s going to follow you? How will you get people to participate? What are you willing to let go of? In movements, you’re never in control of everything, your community is.

As Derek Sivers points out in the video below:

“The first follower turns the lone nut into a leader.” -Derek Sivers

Who are you following? Who are you being a cheerleader for?

Push vs. Pull (Stop “pushing your message, instead “pull” your audience in)

The world is a busy place. If you think your message stands out amongst the crowd, think again. You must be different if you wish to be remembered. Sure, you can try to communicate like we always have, but you’re competing with everyone else in the marketplace.

Instead of “pushing” your message on people, “pull” them into your brand by telling a story. Stories are powerful; they’re literally how knowledge was passed down from generation to generation. Across all cultures, stories were about how we celebrated, grieved, and made sense of this weird place we call Earth.

If you aren’t telling your story, someone else is, and they may not be telling the story you want.

Pushing your message doesn’t work anymore.

Instead, be unique, be different, and be worth remembering.

In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is failing. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible

Message vs. Mission – What’s Your Mission?

When you think the work you do doesn’t matter, remember that it matters to someone.

The story of the boy throwing starfish back into the ocean. Another boy comes along and says, “What are you doing? You won’t make a difference!” and his response, “It matters to this one starfish.”.

All you need to change the world is to help one person. That’s how change happens, with small groups of people who care about something beyond themselves.

boy throwing starfish back into the sea

Audience vs. Advocates – Build Advocates

This is a fantastic short video with an inspriring message that launched World Down Syndrome Day. It’s a powerful message, it really hits home and is worth a watch. What are you assuming someone else can’t do?

Awareness vs. Action – Have a bias for action.

13 ways to kill your community

People will inevitably get in your way when you have a bias for action. It would be best if you didn’t let that deter you. This book is such a great read for anyone who works at trying to grow something. The obstacles that you’re going to encounter, the things you need to focus on in order to not kill your community. He writes it in a funny way, I was laughing throughout.

Here are some hilarious terms Doug Griffiths laid out in his great read on how to build community, ironically titled 13 Ways to Kill Your Community.

NIMBY’s – Not in my backyard

BANANA’s – Build Absoluretly Nothing Anywhere Near Anything

NOPE’s – Not on Planet Earth

CAVE’s – Citizens Against Virtually Everything

FEAR’s – Fire-up Everyone Against Reasonable Solutions

Quote from Doug Griffiths-13 ways to kill your community

Promotion vs. Participation – Build Your Community

This is a lovely video from COR’s 100 Acts of Kindness Campaign from 2019. The year some students and Anastas got stuck in an elevator in downtown Regina. As the story goes, someone has a real positive moment because of a gift a student gave her. A phone call to the principal of the elementary school about how it impacted this individual in a profound way.

A small act of kindness can change a life.

Control vs. Collaboration – You don’t have control; collaborate instead

Stop assuming you have control of your brand, you don’t. Your brand is what we say about you when you aren’t around. Your culture, though, can be made better every day. You can create a self-reinforcing positive workplace that people actually enjoy coming to. It’s not as hard as you think. And if you don’t know where to start, visit an organization that’s known for a great culture, and do what they do.

It’s that simple. But you have to try to improve your culture, and if you do, your brand will reflect it.

The First Follower Turns the lone nut into a leader

You don’t always need to come up with the idea or be “the one”. Nope, you can champion a cause, you can champion another organization. You can be the best cheerleader in your industry, and your reputation will follow you. But please don’t think you have to lead at all times; sometimes, we need you to follow.

Remember when times get tough

I don’t know why I feel this is so inspiring, but it really is. Maybe because it’s such an honest message, because “not bad” IS really great. It took a lego movie to remind me of that.

Everything's Not Awesome Quote

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