While many people see\u00a0Martha Stewart\u00a0as just another craft and cooking show host, she\u2019s actually a brilliant marketer, founder, and executive. She\u2019s in an exclusive club: not too many people found a company and manage to take it public while staying CEO, putting her in the company of entrepreneurs like Michael Dell, Steve Jobs, Marc Benioff, and Howard Schultz.<\/p>\n
This success is not unwarranted. \u00a0In addition to being a gifted maker, Martha is a brilliant marketer. The company name alone \u2013\u00a0Martha Stewart OmniMedia\u00a0\u2013 suggests a certain ambition beyond individual channels, aiming for a place in customer\u2019s lives, rather than a certain book, website, magazine or television show.<\/p>\n
In this\u00a0interview with Chris Anderson at the Wired Business Conference, Martha Stewart talks about her approach to technology and how her business adapts to the ever changing digital world. You\u2019ll also notice that she\u2019s deeply knowledgeable about new technology, tries everything manufacturers send her, and is truly committed to embracing what\u2019s new.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to be where the customer is. And that\u2019s been another very important part of our business \u2013 try to be where the customer needs you and wants you\u2026 Always try to satisfy the customer.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Technology will change. People will go from desktop internet, to mobile apps, to tablet apps, to HTML5\/CSS3 web apps, to whatever comes next. And rather than betting on technology, smart marketers should figure out how to deliver a value proposition to their audience across these technologies.<\/p>\n
As Cisco says in their\u00a0Approach to Quality, \u201cNo Technology Religion: Because customer satisfaction is our number one priority, Cisco employees are to actively listen, share and explore to ensure we provide the best solutions to meet our customers\u2019 needs.\u201d<\/p>\n
2. Tap the Innovation of the Crowd<\/h3>\n
\u201cWe use a lot of Etsy contributors on our show. We go there when we\u2019re looking for a crafter that makes crepe-paper flowers, for example. We go to Etsy and try to find the best.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Martha Stewart\u2019s team finds the most talented makers on Etsy and crafts with them. Why don\u2019t marketers find the most talented content creators amongst their ecosystem and empower them with recognition and a distribution platform? Or better yet, hire them?<\/p>\n
3. Hire People That Would Do Their Job for Free<\/h3>\n
\u201cEveryone that works at the company is really a do-it-yourselfer.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
If you can, hire people that do their job (or activities related to their job) in their spare time. While it\u2019s easier to find people that are enthusiastic about crafting or cooking than say, enterprise software, everyone can look for the same function-related or industry-related traits.<\/p>\n
Do your online marketing managers have a blog or test sites? Do your engineers have github repos or side projects? Do your designers sell their work on ThemeForest? Are your sales people intensely competitive social butterflies? Does your office manager re-organize his or her closet for fun?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s too hard to get people excited about a job. Find people who are already excited, and convince them to join you.<\/p>\n
4. Use Content Marketing to Build Trust<\/h3>\n
\u201cWe have the magazine \u2013 we show how to make the perfect omelet in the magazine. Then on TV, I can also show how to make the perfect omelet. Then we have the video. Then people trust us because our recipes work so well, they also want to have the omelet pan I was using. So why not make the omelet pan? So we design the omelet pan and find the retailer that wants to sell our product.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
While there are at least three great marketing lessons in that quote, let\u2019s focus on the content marketing aspect of Martha Stewart Omnimedia. After they\u2019ve established trust with consumers \u2013 by providing written recipes, instructional videos, and other forms of content around the problem they face \u2013 they provide an excellent tool.<\/p>\n
And perhaps even better, MSO captures a great deal of the margin by partnering for manufacturing and distribution.<\/p>\n
5. If Your Content Gets a Positive Response, Go With It<\/h3>\n
\u201cWe have some amazing craft segments on our show which then morph into templates for our website, which morph into instructions on our craft blog, which morph into, ultimately, sometimes products.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Martha and her team follow their audience \u2013 if they see a television segment getting a response, they\u2019ll create templates and instructions for that project. Now their audience can engage even more deeply with their brand and programming \u2013 not just enjoying the TV show, but doing the activities in their home.<\/p>\n
6. Follow the Law. Closely.<\/h3>\n
\u201cIt didn\u2019t work to go to jail.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Follow the law to the very best of your ability. This means not just avoiding insider trading, but ensuring compliance with FTC guidelines, getting proper clearance on all of your images, and, yes, going through legal. This also means doing your best to follow the rules of your vendors and partners \u2013 it\u2019s not glamorous to get banned from Google, Facebook, or Craigslist either.<\/p>\n
7. Invest in the Future<\/h3>\n
You must invest in the future if you are going to be in the future. That\u2019s very important for all companies to pay attention to. You\u2019re not going to retain your employees if you\u2019re not investing in the future.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Digital marketing today is simply so competitive, if you\u2019re not growing your reach, traffic, and revenue, it\u2019s shrinking. You can invest in the future, or you can be irrelevant. Fortunately, the choice is yours.<\/p>\n
Matt Gratt is an online marketing consultant focused on B2B software and web companies. Follow him on Twitter\u00a0@MattGratt. He also writes about marketing, technology, and business on his blog\u00a0Grattisfaction.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
While many people see\u00a0Martha Stewart\u00a0as just another craft and cooking show host, she\u2019s actually a brilliant marketer, founder, and executive. … <\/p>\n