EightBlack.

There’s an often used saying in the online world that “content is king”. Especially when it relates to search. And even more so perhaps when you you talk email marketing.

I don’t know if you are like me - but my inbox is somewhat out of control. It’s the culmination of being online for a while, for being on far too many email lists and for some sort of delusional fear that I have that if I “opt-out” of something, I may miss out.

So, my inbox keeps swelling. And I never get to digest the content.

About a week ago, I received an email from a marketer I respect. This guy is an exceptional copywriter. He’s also got very solid credentials in the internet marketing space, save for a couple of “unresolved issues”, of which I won’t bore you with now.

Well, ok, I will.

You see, this guy IS an authority - there’s no disputing that. But the problem is that HE thinks not enough people give him credit for being the pioneer. And this comes out in virtually everything he says and does - both verbally and in writing.

Anyway, that’s not my point.

My point is this. In an email he sent last week, he suggested to his followers that they opt-out of virtually every list they are on and just stay with the sources of information they truly value. Which I thought was solid advice. So last week, I started unsubscribing to everything that was of little value (or simply a pitch fest).

More importantly, through this guy above I met Perry Marshall. That was way back at the end of 2003. Now, those of you who have anything to do with Google AdWords, will know of Perry Marshall. He needs no introduction. Here he is.

If someone said to me - “ok, you can only listen/subscribe/engage with just ONE marketer, choose carefully”, then I would probably choose Perry.

This morning, he sent this email. I think it resonates perfectly with the work we are doing at the moment with our clients and it struck me that what Perry outlines is 100% spot on. That “context” rather than “content” is way more important.

I’ve copied the email word for word below. I thought it was a great story.

Simon,

Earlier this year a fascinating experiment was
conducted in Washington D.C.: World-
renowned violinist Joshua Bell, who wows
thousands at venues like Boston’s Symphony
Hall and performs with the world’s top orchestras;
shows up in the Washington D.C. subway in blue
jeans and a baseball cap … toting a violin case.

Stradivarius in hand (1713 vintage, original finish,
$3.5 million purchase price), Bell plays Bach’s
Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in D Minor. One
of the most difficult violin pieces ever composed.

Object of experiment: To find out: would anybody
stop and listen? Would anyone toss money in his
violin case? Would anybody take note that one of
the world’s most prodigiously talented musicians
was performing the world’s greatest music on one
of history’s finest instruments… if it didn’t happen in
the familiar surroundings of a concert hall?

They asked Leonard Slatkin, director of the National
Symphony Orchestra, what he thought would happen.
He estimated that if 1000 people walked by, at least 30
would take note. He figured Josh would collect $150.

The entire passionate 45-minute performance was
caught on hidden camera, and the results were carefully
recorded. Out of 1070 people who passed by:

-Seven people listened for more than one minute
-27 gave money, most without stopping to listen
-No crowd ever gathered at any time
-Bell collected 32 dollars and change

In reporting this story the Washington Post waxed long
and eloquent on why the commuters failed to recognize
the force of Bell’s talent. It quoted philosophers Kant,
Hume and Liebniz, contemplating the very meaning of
art itself.

But as a marketer I can’t imagine a more perfect setup
that proves the overriding priority of context. A whole host
of factors prove to be vastly more important than the skill of the musician, the difficulty of the composition or the quality of his instrument:

1) The time of day
2) The mental state of the listeners
3) How long people can listen
4) How much they paid to be there
5) What the violinist is wearing
6) Whether he’s in a symphony hall or not
7) The acoustics
8 Whether everyone is wearing tuxedos and evening gowns or not
9) Whether they know he’s world-famous or not
10) Whether they recognize the difficulty of the composition or not
11) Whether there’s a conductor or not
12) Whether the conductor is famous
13) Whether they know the violin is a $3.5 million Stradivarius or not
14) Whether the last violinist they saw was homeless or not
15) What’s announced on the PA
16) Whether there’s seating available or not
17) How quiet the hall was when the concert began
18) The amount of external noise and commotion

Bluntly, from an artistic point of view this experiment was a dismal failure. A man in a tux carrying a cello through an orchestra hall will look like a musician even if he’s never played a note in his life. And he’ll command vastly more respect than any virtuoso in a baseball cap on a subway.

Just goes to show ya: the packaging, context and positioning of everything you do takes on the profoundest
importance. The chief factor that allows Starbucks to charge $4 for a latte is the cup and the atmosphere of the store. NOT the coffee.

The core virtues of the coffee matter only after you have created a context in which they can be fully appreciated.

Finally, this is another means to recognize that when you spend money on a promotion and it flops, two-thirds - or maybe nineteen-twentieths - of its success hinges on the state of mind of the prospects at the time they received your communication. Including, literally, what was going on in the room at the time your communication showed up.

Context is everything.

Perry Marshall

P.S. I’m inviting you to come visit me in just a few weeks, at my home office right here in Chicago and spend a couple of days with me. You and I will roll up our sleeves and work together. Before you go home, your website, your sales process, your Google Ad campaigns and your marketing strategy are going to be measurably, demonstrably superior.

Only 2 seats remain for each of the 4-Man intensives I’m doing in April. Apply here:

http://www.perrymarshall.com/adwords/roundtable.htm

Do yourself a favour. If you aren’t on Perry’s list, opt-in now. You won’t regret it.

PS. No affiliate links used in the above.

Subscribe to more posts like this

Related Posts:

Add to | | | View blog reactions

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 1st, 2008 at 6:06 am and is filed under Email Marketing, People. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.