Key Takeaways
1. Youtility: Marketing so useful, people would pay for it
If you sell something, you make a customer today. If you help someone, you may create a customer for life.
Youtility defined. Youtility is a marketing strategy that focuses on being genuinely helpful to customers without expecting an immediate return. It's about creating marketing so valuable that people would be willing to pay for it. This approach stands in contrast to traditional interruption-based marketing or attempts to be "amazing."
Why it works. In today's crowded marketplace, where consumers are bombarded with marketing messages, being useful cuts through the noise. Youtility builds trust and long-term relationships by providing real value to customers. Examples include:
- Geek Squad's YouTube channel with free tech support videos
- Charmin's Sit or Squat app for finding clean public restrooms
- Columbia Sportswear's knot-tying app for outdoor enthusiasts
2. The decline of traditional marketing and the rise of useful content
Companies of all sizes and types can and should take steps to buttress their trustworthiness.
Trust matters. Traditional marketing strategies like top-of-mind awareness are losing effectiveness due to media fragmentation and consumer distrust of businesses. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer:
- Only 58% of global consumers trust businesses
- When a company is distrusted, 57% of people believe negative information after hearing it just once or twice
Information is the new currency. To combat this, companies must shift from solely promoting products to providing valuable information. This builds trust and loyalty over time. Key trends driving this shift:
- Consumers need more information before purchasing (5.3 sources in 2010 vs. 10.4 in 2011)
- B2B customers complete 60% of the purchasing decision before contacting a sales rep
- Search engines are becoming less dominant in website discovery (83% in 2004 vs. 61% in 2012)
3. Self-serve information: Empowering customers with knowledge
We've always tried to build loyalty with people, and now we must build loyalty with information.
The passive-aggressive consumer. Today's always-connected consumers prefer to find information on their own rather than interacting directly with companies. This shift is evident in:
- Decreasing phone usage (12% drop in voice minutes for women from 2009-2011)
- Increasing text messaging (35% increase for women in the same period)
- 71% of UK residents aged 16-24 search online before contacting a company
Adapting to self-serve preferences. Companies are responding by creating robust self-service information resources:
- Life Technologies' interactive product selection guide using YouTube annotations
- Clorox's myStain app for on-the-go stain removal advice
- Angie's List's comprehensive database of service provider reviews
These tools allow customers to research and make decisions at their own pace, building trust and loyalty in the process.
4. Radical transparency: Answering every customer question
If you don't supply the information your prospects need to choose your company over the competition, they'll get that data somewhere else, and the outcome might not be as favorable for you.
Comprehensive information provision. Companies are embracing radical transparency by anticipating and answering every conceivable customer question. This approach:
- Builds trust through openness
- Differentiates brands in crowded markets
- Addresses customer needs at various stages of the buying process
Examples of radical transparency:
- McDonald's Canada's "Our Food, Your Questions" program, answering tough questions about their food
- Holiday World amusement park's detailed ride descriptions and statistics
- River Pools and Spas' comprehensive blog answering every swimming pool question
Impact on lead generation: Companies with 101-200 website pages generate 2.5 times more leads than those with 50 or fewer pages. Blogging 15+ times per month results in 5 times more traffic.
5. Real-time relevancy: Being useful at the right moment
Youtility today may not be Youtility tomorrow.
Context is king. Real-time relevancy means providing useful information or services based on:
- Customer location
- Customer situation
- Seasonality or external factors
Mobile-first approach. The shift towards mobile devices amplifies the importance of real-time relevancy:
- By 2014, mobile Internet users will outnumber desktop users
- 45% of American social media users research products on smartphones multiple times weekly
- There are 2.9 billion mobile subscriptions in Asia-Pacific vs. 969 million in the Americas
Examples of real-time relevancy:
- Meijer's Find-It app for in-store product location
- Vanderbilt's CoachSmart app providing real-time safety information for sports coaches
- Scotts Miracle-Gro's region-specific lawn care advice
These tools provide value precisely when and where customers need it most, strengthening brand relationships.
6. Insourcing Youtility: Leveraging employee knowledge
Company experts are trusted by 66 percent of people; regular employees are trusted by 50 percent; and CEOs are trusted by 38 percent.
Employees as information assets. Insourcing Youtility means tapping into the collective knowledge of employees to create useful content. This approach:
- Increases the volume and diversity of helpful information
- Leverages employee expertise and credibility
- Aligns with consumer trust in company experts and regular employees
Four models of insourcing:
- Circumstantial: Involving employees as needed (e.g., McDonald's Canada)
- Voluntary: Encouraging employee participation (e.g., SAP's Business Innovation blog)
- Assisted: Providing support and training (e.g., IBM's Social Eminence Program)
- Mandatory: Making content creation part of job responsibilities (e.g., OpenView Venture Partners)
By involving employees in content creation, companies can scale their Youtility efforts and provide more authentic, expert-driven information to customers.
7. Measuring and sustaining Youtility as an ongoing process
Youtility is a marathon, not a sprint.
Continuous improvement. Youtility is not a one-time project but an ongoing process requiring constant refinement. This is necessary because:
- Customer needs change over time
- New technologies create opportunities for different types of usefulness
- Better ideas for being helpful emerge through experience
Measuring success. To justify and improve Youtility efforts, companies should track four types of metrics:
- Consumption metrics (e.g., downloads, page views)
- Sharing metrics (e.g., social media shares, reviews)
- Lead generation metrics
- Sales metrics
ROI calculation. While some Youtility efforts have easily calculable ROI, others require longer-term correlation analysis. The key is to focus on both short-term gains and long-term relationship building.
Commitment to usefulness. Successful Youtility practitioners understand that becoming truly helpful takes time and persistence. As Freezer Burns creator Greg Ng notes, his return in the first year was just "twenty-three cents an hour," but his goal was to own the niche through consistent, useful content creation.
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FAQ
What's "Youtility: Why Smart Marketing Is about Help Not Hype" about?
- Core Concept: "Youtility" by Jay Baer is about transforming marketing strategies from traditional promotional tactics to providing genuinely useful information that customers want and need.
- Marketing Shift: The book emphasizes the importance of being helpful rather than hyping products, suggesting that businesses should focus on creating long-term customer relationships through valuable content.
- Three Facets: It introduces three facets of Youtility: self-serve information, radical transparency, and real-time relevancy, which are essential for modern marketing success.
- Practical Examples: The book is filled with real-world examples of companies that have successfully implemented Youtility, demonstrating its effectiveness across various industries.
Why should I read "Youtility: Why Smart Marketing Is about Help Not Hype"?
- Modern Marketing Insights: It provides insights into the evolving landscape of marketing, where traditional methods are becoming less effective.
- Actionable Strategies: The book offers actionable strategies for businesses to become more customer-centric by providing useful information rather than just selling products.
- Real-World Examples: With numerous case studies, it illustrates how companies have successfully adopted Youtility to build trust and loyalty.
- Long-Term Benefits: Reading this book can help businesses understand how to create lasting relationships with customers, leading to sustained success.
What are the key takeaways of "Youtility: Why Smart Marketing Is about Help Not Hype"?
- Be Useful, Not Amazing: Instead of trying to be amazing, focus on being useful to your customers by providing information they need.
- Three Facets of Youtility: Embrace self-serve information, radical transparency, and real-time relevancy to meet customer expectations.
- Customer-Centric Approach: Shift from a product-centric to a customer-centric approach by understanding and addressing customer needs.
- Long-Term Trust: Building trust through helpful content can lead to long-term customer loyalty and business success.
How does Jay Baer define "Youtility" in the book?
- Definition: Youtility is marketing that is so useful, people would gladly pay for it, but it’s provided for free.
- Upside-Down Marketing: It turns traditional marketing on its head by focusing on what customers want rather than what companies need to sell.
- Trust and Loyalty: By being genuinely helpful, businesses can build trust and loyalty, creating customers for life.
- Information Over Promotion: Youtility emphasizes providing valuable information over direct promotion, aligning with modern consumer behavior.
What are the three facets of Youtility according to Jay Baer?
- Self-Serve Information: Allow customers to find answers themselves, reducing the need for direct interaction and empowering them with knowledge.
- Radical Transparency: Provide honest and comprehensive answers to customer questions, even if it means revealing less flattering details about your products.
- Real-Time Relevancy: Be useful in the moment by providing information that is relevant to the customer's current situation or location.
How can businesses implement the concept of Youtility?
- Identify Customer Needs: Use tools like search engine data, social media listening, and direct customer feedback to understand what your customers need.
- Map Needs to Marketing: Determine the best format to deliver useful content, whether through blogs, apps, videos, or other media.
- Market Your Marketing: Promote your useful content effectively to ensure it reaches the intended audience and achieves its purpose.
- Insource Youtility: Encourage employees to contribute to content creation, leveraging their expertise and insights.
What are some real-world examples of Youtility from the book?
- Hilton Suggests: Hilton Worldwide provides real-time travel recommendations on Twitter, even for non-customers, to build long-term trust.
- Phoenix Children's Hospital: Their Car Seat Helper app helps parents choose the right car seat, demonstrating a commitment to customer safety.
- Clorox's myStain App: Offers stain removal tips, showing how a brand can be helpful beyond just selling products.
- McDonald's Canada: Their "Our Food, Your Questions" program answers customer queries about food quality, enhancing transparency and trust.
What are the benefits of adopting a Youtility approach?
- Increased Trust: By providing valuable information, businesses can build trust with their customers, leading to stronger relationships.
- Customer Loyalty: Useful content can create loyal customers who appreciate the brand's commitment to helping them.
- Competitive Advantage: Youtility can differentiate a brand in a crowded market by focusing on customer needs rather than just products.
- Sustainable Growth: Long-term customer relationships fostered by Youtility can lead to sustained business success.
How does Youtility differ from traditional marketing strategies?
- Focus on Help, Not Hype: Traditional marketing often relies on hype and promotion, while Youtility focuses on being genuinely helpful.
- Customer-Centric: Youtility prioritizes customer needs and preferences over the company's sales goals.
- Information-Driven: It emphasizes providing valuable information rather than just pushing products.
- Long-Term Relationships: Youtility aims to build long-term relationships rather than short-term sales boosts.
What are the challenges businesses might face when implementing Youtility?
- Cultural Shift: Transitioning from traditional marketing to Youtility requires a cultural shift within the organization.
- Resource Allocation: Creating valuable content requires time and resources, which may be challenging for some businesses.
- Measuring Success: Determining the ROI of Youtility can be complex, as it focuses on long-term benefits rather than immediate sales.
- Consistency: Maintaining a consistent flow of useful content can be demanding but is essential for success.
What are the best quotes from "Youtility: Why Smart Marketing Is about Help Not Hype" and what do they mean?
- "If you sell something, you make a customer today. If you help someone, you may create a customer for life." This quote encapsulates the essence of Youtility, emphasizing the importance of helping over selling.
- "The difference between helping and selling is just two letters. But those letters make all the difference." It highlights the subtle yet significant shift in mindset required for successful modern marketing.
- "Youtility is marketing upside down." This quote underscores the transformative nature of Youtility, which challenges traditional marketing norms by focusing on customer needs.
- "Content is fire, and social media is gasoline." It illustrates the power of social media in amplifying useful content, spreading it far and wide.
How can businesses measure the success of their Youtility efforts?
- Consumption Metrics: Track how often your content is accessed, such as app downloads or video views, to gauge interest.
- Advocacy and Sharing Metrics: Measure how often your content is shared or recommended by others, indicating its value.
- Lead-Generation Metrics: Monitor how many leads or inquiries your content generates, showing its effectiveness in driving interest.
- Sales Metrics: Evaluate the impact of your content on actual sales, determining its contribution to business growth.
Review Summary
Youtility receives mostly positive reviews, with readers praising its insightful approach to marketing that focuses on being helpful rather than promotional. Reviewers appreciate the practical examples and actionable advice provided. Some criticize the book's length and repetitiveness, suggesting it could be condensed. Many find the concept of "friend-of-mine awareness" particularly valuable. Readers commend Baer's writing style and the book's relevance to modern marketing strategies. Overall, it's considered a valuable resource for marketers looking to adapt to changing consumer behaviors in the digital age.
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