Make your marketing wild. Be bold. Interesting. Stand out from the rest. Be unrestrained. Don’t fall into the trap of using safe, tame, lame advertising. Be noticed. Be remembered. The goal is for others to think of you first and feel the best about you.

What is Wild?

Wild is as surprising as a chickadee landing by your chair. Unpredictable as a wild animal. Wild is the magic of a beautiful sunset. Melody of the sea. Music of the birds early in the morning. Wild is a walk through the woods and noticing bear tracks. Remembering what it feels like to climb high up into a tree. Watching a butterfly climb out of its cocoon and fly. Wild is entertaining. Special. Attractive. Wild captivates with enthusiasm and energy like a pod of dolphins. Limitless and natural.

We are attracted to wild.

What is Tame?

Tame is predictable. It’s the commercial we ignore. It’s what everyone else is doing. Don’t be restrained by others. Be original. Be yourself. Don’t let AI word-mashing make your marketing mush.

Break out of every kind of mold. Be wild.

Take your inspiration from wherever you find it, no matter how ridiculous.

—Roy H. Williams

Don’t be Wild Without Purpose

Your marketing must be backed by strategy. Your strategy must be built on a thorough understanding of your business.

In his book, Brand Your Own Business, Tim Miles explains “Until you know your goals and values, you cannot come up with a strategic plan…Values dictate how you treat the customer (including your most important customers: your employees)…Your values, your goals, your plan, and your customer experience determine your message.”

Tim asks the very important question, “What are you trying to make happen?” Do you and your team agree on what this is?

Find your way.

Your business is uniquely qualified to fill a niche. That is why you began your business. To succeed in business, you must have a fierce commitment to embrace the enthusiasm and energy of wild.

Passion doesn’t create commitment; commitment creates passion. To what are you committed?

—Roy H. Williams

Your story

You have a story within — one you don’t usually share. You may not even know it’s there. You’ve overlooked its importance. It’s a buried treasure you haven’t seen because you’re so close to it. It is the why and the who you are that others will relate to in you. They will understand and trust you and want to do business with you. It is the beginning of Relational Marketing. Building trust. Building understanding. Building value.

Your story is uniquely yours. Wildly original. Yours. No one else can tame it or claim it.

Why is it So Hard to be Wild?

It isn’t easy to do the unexpected. You don’t want to look foolish by standing out from the rest. It’s easier to follow the leaders. Copy them and do what everyone else is doing. It’s safe. It’s expected. And it’s VERY ignorable.

You will be criticized for being wild because it doesn’t sound like a typical ad. You worry that it might offend someone, so you sand off rough edges and polish your ad to sound professional. Your instinct is to talk about your business and all the great things you want your customers to know. It’s why you are excited about it. But you are not your customer.

It takes time, effort, and creativity to create wildly effective marketing. It must be based on strategy. Tame advertising is like the cute cat curled up in a corner of the couch. But you paid money to be noticed. When that little cat stands up and roars like a thundering lion, it will be impossible to ignore or forget.

Good marketing will feel uncomfortable at first. Effective marketing must be bold. Ryan Chute, Mick Torbay and Chris Torbay discuss challenges for the business owner in their podcast: Advertising in America: You’re Not a Professor — So Why Do Your Ads Sound Like a Lecture? Mick Torbay says “…the hard thing for the business owner is that they sometimes have to go against their instinct and this is a very difficult thing to do when you sort of feel in your heart, this is what I have to do, and then make a conscious decision to say, I’m not going to do it.”

Ask your Wizard of Ads partner to find your story. Your wild. They have experience in digging deep and asking the questions that lead to the discovery of your buried treasure.

Make your marketing wild and interesting.

It will stand out from the rest.

Be wild.

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