F.O.M.O

It’s madness. That’s what it is.

Reminds me of Patrick. Patrick was probably the reason the word bar-hopper was coined. He simply didn’t know how to find one joint, and spend an entire night there. And back then a night out meant entering bed at 0630hrs the next day. Otherwise you didn’t really “go out” or the night wasn’t turnt.

Patrick wasn’t your ordinary bar-hopper. His was more of bar-cycling – he’d go to a particular number of bars more than once on the same night. A night wasn’t a night unless Patrick said “See y’all in an hour or 3” at least twice that night.

I never really got to the bottom of Patrick’s reasoning for his behavior, but I’d wager it had something to do with F.O.M.O (Fear of Missing Out). F.O.M.O was the only sane explanation that I could come up with for the madness.

I refuse to think that the F.O.M.O explanation cuts it when it comes to the madness that is digital and mobile marketing. Of course it doesn’t help that there is a new app or invention every 3 seconds.

How do businesses choose which digital and mobile marketing platforms they will use for their products or and services? Are there criteria or guidelines of sorts?

There are a number of regular thoughts that run through my mind every time I see marketing on digital and mobile platforms:

True it might seem like every business has a Facebook page or Twitter account, but it sure aint compulsory for yours to have one as well.

There are products/services that have NO business being on Snapchat. It doesn’t matter that it is considered to be one of the hottest apps at the moment – although it would be a shame if that is the basis for a business to choose its social media platforms.

Just because Ugandans are coming to terms with using their data to stream videos off YouTube, doesn’t justify your business having a YouTube channel – especially if you can’t generate content for your products/services.

It might look like every business has moved to the ‘Gram, but if your company doesn’t need an Instagram account, it doesn’t. And that is okay.

It’s totally okay if Periscope, Vine, Pinterest, Google +, Tumblr (insert a thousand more apps) are not relevant to your product/service. Just don’t force them into your business’ marketing strategy.

You don’t need to have product/service banners on every website because Ipsos says that it has the “numbers”. You probably don’t need a banner to begin with.

It is okay if your product/service doesn’t have an app. Hundreds of products and services have apps that either people have never heard of or don’t use regularly.

Having an app that consumers do not use is worse than not having an app ~ Pearl  🙂

It is okay if your business doesn’t use SMS to market its products and services. Heck the average person doesn’t appreciate receiving a product/service message when they were waiting for a Mobile Money message. Not. Cool.

I am not saying that Patrick didn’t have a good time, but he probably would have had a better time if he had taken the time to find out what it exactly he wanted from a night out.

There will always be a newer/hotter/better app with amazing stats, so you need to find what works for your business. I can assure you that being on all digital and mobile platforms is not it.

There’s no formula (well none that I know of) for digital and mobile marketing. I do know that every platform has a voice/vibe. Depending on the target audience, message, objective, vibe of the business – it is virtually impossible for a business to need every digital and mobile platform.

Get rid of the clutter. Focus. Otherwise your business will get lost in the noise.

Whatever you do, don’t let the madness win.

Images from Google