Marketing in America….

So here I am. A British music publicist in Washington DC. The land of hope and dreams. Obama and coffee refills. Sauna summers and icy winters.  Politics, power and… MUSIC! Washington DC is the new New York (okay not quite), although I’m determined that it going to be for me! There is an abundance of music talent and creativity here, just more greenery, government and historic buildings.

Since moving here my eyes have been wide open, and I have been eager to discover what (if any) are the differences between PR and marketing in the USA to the UK.

Not surprisingly, Americans are the ultimate marketeers. Not only in their general every day attitude (I think therefore I am!), but in the new marketing tools they pioneer. Here are a few of the things I believe the US really excel in:
Permission Marketing - Coined by the legendary Seth Godin (Mr Godin I love your books), permission marketing is the essential armory for any marketeer (newsletters, blogging, micro-blogging etc). Creating marketing strategies to encourage consumers/fans to “opt in” to listen to your message is the most organic way to create an audience for yourself.
Sharing Knowledge -  Americans embrace the notion that the sharing of knowledge is a wonderful marketing tool, and there are a numerous free e-articles and e-books on offer. Sharing your knowledge with others will always increase your market value, never decrease it.
PR 2.0 – I learnt a lot about PR 2.0 by reading Deirdre Breakenridge’s book “PR 2.0 – New Media, New Tools, New Audiences”. Amongst many other things, Breakenridge highlighted to me the importance of the social media release. The social media release is basically a multi-media press release with an interactive social media element. A great example of this is Pitch Engine where you can create your own social media press releases for FREE for your clients, or create a social media newsroom for your website. The advantage of the social media release over a traditional press release is that it increases your clients’ social media footprint, allowing them to be discovered (and shared) organically by media and consumers alike, on one easy multi-media platform.
Online & Offline Networking – I’m overwhelmed by the amount of associations and “meet ups” there are in this city (check out www.meetup.com). DC, in particular, is network central due to its transient nature.  Reaching out and helping other people is the norm, and everyone really wants you to succeed. The US also really embraces new social media platforms. I have found social media tools such as twitter to be a very powerful networking platform both for business and friendships. Two favorites of mine are DCTweetup and the DC Social Web Meet Up.
Believing in yourself - The US is a “can do” culture which actively supports entrepreneurship. Self-deprecation is not a phrase that exists in this society. Positivity rules. An example of this, is in the use of business titles. No one is afraid to call themselves an “expert”, “guru” or “pioneer”. Believe in yourself and others will believe in you too.