10 Things to Do Before the End of the World

For those of you who do not know, apparently the world is going to end on Friday, December 21. This date is regarded as the end-date of a 5125-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar.

There are a couple of theories on how the world will end:

Mr. Earth meets Black Hole and the ensuing chaos will destroy mankind.
North Pole will play musical chairs with the South Pole and destroy mankind.
Aliens will visit the planet, consume all the fast food, and destroy mankind.

Many scientists have shrugged off the notion of the world ending, stating that the 2012 phenomenon is purely a conspiracy and an "Internet phenomena." However, just in case the world does end on Friday, we wanted to give you a few last-minute tips to put your digital marketing house in order.

No joke. This is important.

1. Create Relevant Offers with Personal Appeal. Picture this: Jim, a guy in his mid-fifties who loves fishing, receives an email promotion from his favorite sporting goods store advertising 30 percent off on sports bras. Jim is going to be upset because, frankly, the end of the world is on Friday and YOU sent a poorly targeted offer. And with many of today’s targeted messaging tools, there’s really no excuse for missing the mark.

Looking toward the end of mankind, it only makes sense to offer your customers products that interest them. So we suggest building targeted email campaigns and Facebook tabs based on the attributes of your subscribers and fans.

2. Put Together an Apocoplaylist (Brisbane Times). We couldn't let this one go. Reminds me of the days running back and forth to the boombox to record a song off the radio on my tape deck. Here's the list from Brisbane.

It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) by REM
Till the World Ends by Britney Spears
It's Not the End of the World, But I Can See It From Here by the Lostprophets
Apocalypse by Holyhell
The End of the World by Skeeter Davis
It's All Over Now by the Rolling Stones
The End is the Beginning is the End by Smashing Pumpkins
Fire Water Burn by the Bloodhound Gang
Eve of Destruction by Barry McGuire
Survivor by Destiny's Child

3. Compel Them with a Coupon. Withstanding the test of time (hopefully even after Friday), the coupon has transitioned effortlessly from news pages to webpages, finding new life in the digital age. Studies repeatedly show that Facebook campaigns offering coupons receive the highest response rates. In fact, according to a 2011 ExactTarget study, one of the top reasons consumers like or follow a brand is to receive special deals and discounts.

4. Watch Every Episode of Mad Men. At ExactTarget, we use Mad Men as a great example of the changing world of customer communication, marketing, and dress code. Enjoy a dirty martini and watch the first five seasons of the AMC hit show.

5. Hold an Affordable Social Media Focus Group. When a major snack brand heard it was the end of the world they decided to introduce a new potato chip flavor to its line of products. Rather than following the traditional practice of formal market research, they turned to their loyal fan base on Facebook. The brand invited participants to pick their ingredients, name their flavors, and share their inspiration for their entries for a chance to win $1 million dollars. To-date, 1.1 million people have participated.

6. Cater to Customers All Over the World. Best music to listen to before the end of the world? Jamaican. When a young music lover started a fan site for Jamaican music enthusiasts, it seemed only natural to create a Facebook fan page for the project as interest began to grow. But it wasn’t until he began to geo-target his engagements with his diverse following that his page’s fandom began to skyrocket. Geo-targeting enabled him to attract major sponsors and a growing audience of fans from more than 230 countries. Today, the page boasts over 2.1 million followers.

Geo-targeting allows you to initiate engagements that are more relevant to specific segments of your diverse fans and followers. We suggest tailoring your messaging to create stronger connections with consumers around the globe.

7. Make a Time Capsule. You remember them. Heck, go dig up the time capsule you made in your first grade class in 1974. Create a time capsule and fill it with terrible rap and pop albums from 1990-2010. The aliens will appreciate it.

8. Use Social Media as a Mobile Messaging Medium. You might as well build different messaging platforms before the end of world, and social and mobile go hand-in-hand—literally. According to ABI Research, 73% of mobile device users in the United States use their phones to visit social networking sites at least daily. It’s important to gain a thorough understanding of how to market on Facebook and Twitter. Once you establish your social strategy, you can start integrating mobile. There’s no magic formula for success with social, so test until you have a clear picture of what your fans and followers engage with most. Then, make it mobile-friendly.

9. Drive Down Customer Service Costs. Honestly, what better way to impress the boss before the end of the world than driving down costs! Providing superior service for your customers should be your number one priority. But keeping your customers satisfied can be challenging and requires ongoing maintenance. That’s why SMS can be an invaluable weapon in your marketing arsenal. By launching an SMS response program, you make your customer service representatives available to assist your most critical customer interactions and provide a more convenient experience for those who choose to accept assistance via SMS.

10. Focus. You have huge amounts of data that can be used to deliver personalized and relevant messaging to your customers. Spend some planning out your next couple of days (or next year) to focus on leveraging data more effectively in your communication strategy.

While it is highly unlikely that the world will end of Friday, hopefully some of the tips will help you in your daily routine leading up to 2013.