When the Internet No Longer Works

We've come to define "viral" or "buzz-worthy" as what happens on the internet. But if you're anything like me, you've become numb to the goings-on at Facebook, the blogs and Twitter. Oh and HTML e-mails - don't forget about those. The internet is full, as Seth Godin would say.

To create something buzz-worthy, it has to defy normal convention. And these days, normal convention is the web. It's time to return to actual paper... snail mail... old fashioned in-hand collateral. Can't tell you how many social media campaigns cross my desk each day, but a Fed-Ex package stops me cold. I blindly delete a dozen e-newsletters a week, but a full-color piece of mail grabs my attention.

And yes, I'm doing a Twitter give-away today, so I'm speaking out of one side of my mouth. =)

Comments

[Jesse Phillips]

Great point. I agree - direct mail, something out of the ordinary is HUGE.

real stuff has become a "purple cow." However, I believe u can achieve a "purple cow" online, just have to do things different.

[JFRadosevich]

I sent a handwritten thank you note to a few volunteers and one of them was really surprised and impressed

Thanks for bringing that up. I'll keep 'real stuff' in mind when I want to make an impression or get attention.

[Kevin Rush]

"And yes, I'm doing a Twitter give-away today, so I'm speaking out of one side of my mouth."

Love it! Thanks for the laugh.

[Ben Arment]

Jesse always makes me feel smart with his responses. That's a gift Jesse. miss you bro

[Daniel Decker]

Speaking on things that create buzz, no doubt it has a lot to do with doing something unique in a nonconventional way (standing out from the crowd) but I also think there is a cycle aspect to it.

THING B gains in popularity so everyone moves to it. Eventually THING B loses its impact (normally because it gets exploited to a point where awe and authenticity are no more, it still can be effective but the return diminishes substantially). So then there’s THING A, the thing that everyone moved away from to run after THING B. In some cases THING A then becomes attractive and effective once again because... well, it was a THING B once as well.

I play in the internet buzz world but I also recognize the cycle above. That’s why I also allocate 30 minutes to an hour every Friday to send hand written notes to people via Snail mail. Often random notes, encouraging notes, notes just to say hello or thanks.