Dispatches from BMA14: a Series of Short Reports from the Tell Your Story Team at #BMA14 in Chicago

 

Jay Baer, author of the best selling book Youtility, kicked off the last day of BMA14 with a rousing discussion about useful marketing. He defined “Youtility” as marketing that is so good, your customers would pay for it. Pretty aspirational right?

 

Jay gave three great examples of “Youtility” in action:

 

1)   Columbia came out with a knot-tying app. They don’t sell rope. They could have come out with an app that helps you choose a jacket. But how useful would that be?

 

2)   In Montreal, leases all end on the same day of the year, creating a massive moving day. Ikea tapped into this by giving out free boxes around the town. Guess what? Their sales increased by 25%.

 

3)   Jay said his favorite example of Youtility is the app RunPee. The app tells you when the best time to leave a movie and use the bathroom is. Then it gives you a synopsis when you get back. Voted #1 app by Pregnancy Magazine!

 

Ready to take this concept and apply it to your own marketing? Remember that Youtility is a process, not a project. Jay warns “you can’t schedule greatness.” Rather, keep the idea of useful marketing in your head at all times, and hey, you may just come up with the next RunPee yourself.