Get Paid Not Pwned - the Power of Slogans.
Introduction
There were a lot of fantastic marketing ideas from last week's "X-Prize" competition as illustrated by the post I made yesterday on the results.
One of the simplest ideas was from @beanz and @freedomengineer to use Steemit branded profile pages/background images on other social media.
I was also thinking of @winstonwolfe's idea from a few weeks ago on the fact that it might be better to advertise by letting the viewer or reader find out about Steemit themselves rather than trying to explain too much.
This got me thinking about slogans which are a commonly used marketing tool.
Slogans
Simplicity works. If you think about some of the most successful advertising campaigns from your own experience they have a very simple slogan.
For example if you hear the words "Just do it"- what do you think of?
I suspect most people will think of Nike. A good slogan can be immensely powerful and memorable.
So what do we have right now? Well this is what is on Steemit.io:
To be fair I don't think it was meant as a slogan but I thought about alternatives that might say the important stuff without confusing people or boring them.
Most people have no idea what blockchain is or actually care for that matter.
I was thinking about the way that other sites use, monetise and otherwise exploit our information and the contrast that creates with the Steemit model.
This is what I came up with:
The message is simple and to the point. Other sites own you and your content. On Steemit you are in control and you get paid.
I also personally find the simplicity of plain black text on a white background also adds to the power - it's a matter of personal taste though. There is no reason you can't produce other versions that cater to your own tastes. I also think this could make the basis of an effective billboard.
Note: The actual Steemit logo uses the "Netto" font which costs £1200 to buy for application use. Personally I don't think it matters for this kind of thing so have used Helvetica/Arial.
If you like this sort of look, I have created banners which you can use as your Facebook or Twitter background below. I have also created some alternative wordings in case you want some variety - including a version that refers to the censorship resistance of Steemit.
You could use these as they are, superimpose them over other images or even make your own from scratch. They are just a starting point - I have placed these towards the bottom of the post so you can pick and choose what you want to use.
How we could use these
Please let me know what you thing about the slogan as posted above (Get paid not pwned). Do you have another idea that you think would be better? Or perhaps you prefer the alternatives I have posted below (There is another way/Against censorship)?
I have already changed my Facebook and Twitter backgrounds with these images and you could do the same if you want to.
Another alternative would be to have a set day when we all agree to change our Facebook/Twitter profiles images together.
Let me know what you think.
Finally don't forget to contribute to @winstonwolfe's video here.
Images for you to use and experiment with (along with how to change them on FB/Twitter)
Facebook Banner Images
Twitter Background Images
Changing your Facebook Banner Image
This is really easy. Just hover your cursor over your current image. A button will appear (as shown below):
Click the "Update Cover Photo" button and you will be given the option to upload a new image or use an existing one.
If you want to use one of the images that I have posted above you will need to right click and download them to your desktop first (before you can do this).
Changing your Twitter background image
Log into Twitter:
Click "Edit Profile" - if you don't see it click on your profile photo (the smaller square image) and it should appear.
Click "Add a header photo" or "Change your header photo" depending on whether you already have one.
Upload the photo you want to use. Resize or reposition if necessary.
Confirm by saving changes.
Your Reward for Reading:)
If you like my work and aren't already, please follow me and check out my blog (I mainly discuss photography but I do other topics too) - @thecryptofiend
Photo Credits: All photos are personal screenshots or taken from my personal Thinkstock Photography account. More information can be provided on request.
(Verification for me here: http://www.aapicture.com/about-me)
Some of my other recent posts
- Steemit X Prize Results
- Steemit Quick Start Guide: Step by Step from Registration to First Post
- Steemithelp.net a new resource for helping new users (with an updated version of the "Missing FAQ")
- Idea for Steemit - Tiered Voting Power Regeneration According to Vests
This post has been ranked within the top 25 most undervalued posts in the second half of Nov 28. We estimate that this post is undervalued by $26.27 as compared to a scenario in which every voter had an equal say.
See the full rankings and details in The Daily Tribune: Nov 28 - Part II. You can also read about some of our methodology, data analysis and technical details in our initial post.
If you are the author and would prefer not to receive these comments, simply reply "Stop" to this comment.
Thank you:)
I have a wee problem with the content of your slogans.
Get paid not pwned - only internet savvy geeks understand pwned. So you cut out a whole bunch of people as they just won't get it.
Against censorship - you should never use a slogan that is against something. The whole connotation is negative if you do that.
The slogan needs to be positive, perhaps witty.
Something along the lines of -
I'm not suggesting that my ideas are brilliant, or that you shouldn't be coming up with slogans.
Just engaging and offering suggestions :-)
Gab.ai uses "Speak Freely", and very successfully. But, their spectacular growth has come from Twitter refugees - most especially from the alt-right (broadly defined.)
Accordingly, Steemit would benefit hugely if there were a "Trust and Safety" crackdown on Medium.com. Voat has come back form the semi-dead due to Reddit banning Pizzagate.
I guess the big problem with coming up with a slogan is that Steemit means different things to different people.
For some it is a place to write content and get paid for it. for them it is the rewards for invested effort and talent that attracts them.
For others is a place for them to spout whatever vitriol they like knowing that they won't be censored. for them it is the lack of censorship that attracts them.
For another group Steemit is about the whole emerging crypto world and that's what attracts them.
And then you have those who just want a place where they can connect with people without having advertising blasted at them constantly.
How to sum up all of those interests in a single slogan?
For me, I'm less concerned about censorship because I'm unlikely to be censored. I can make an argument, convey concepts, debate a topic without using foul language or making personal attacks. So this is not the reason I came to Steemit.
I'm more interested in the idea that I can be rewarded for my time and talent. And that I can connect with other creative people. So I'm more likely to lean towards a slogan that sell the idea that my time and talent has value, and I can be rewarded for that.
So maybe the first step is to segment the target audience(s) and come up with a slogan for each segment.
Any thoughts on that idea?
Well...I think having more than one slogan would be too complicated, or show a lack of focus. Gab.ai hit the spot with "Speak Freely," as they're aiming themselves at folks who are reankled by Twitter's crackdowns. Therein, Twitter and Jack Dorsey are lolcows. That's why an abstract slogan works for Gab.
A similar slogan for Steemit is a real toughie, at least for me. Someone else suggested, "Penny for your Thoughts": it's shrewd because it doesn't inflate people's hopes. A related slogan would be "Get When You Give," but that sounds like a slogan for a non-profit....
hehe Penny for your thoughts was me :-)
As you say with 'Speak freely' they are targets in single segment - disgruntled users.
I think (hope) Steemit should be more than just a place for disgruntled users to go.
Hence the desire to get as large a cross section of society as we can. The more diverse our users, when we come out of beta, the greater the chance the platform will take off.
Some of the questions around things like crypto and censorship wold be - Do users need to know that before they are attracted here? Or is it something they find out once their interest has been aroused?
If so, then the slogan should be aimed at arousing interest. The benefits of the platform - like no censorship, would then be explained in marketing material.
Aw jeez; sorry I forgot it was you! Me and my damn memory...
Those ideas of your do sing...but the trouble with the first two is: they connote...something like 4Chan's /b, if you get my drift. "Where boobies?": that kind of thing.
The third doesn't have that drawback. Maybe play around with it a little? "Dream huge, write large, Steem on"?
Grr... I can't post a comment more than 6 deep.
Bugger.
So @nxtblg this is in reply to your comment.
hehe no worries :-)
I haven't been on 4Chan so I don't really know about the /b thing meaning boobies.
I think the last one has merit in that it can be altered slightly for different audiences, while still retaining the same mantra.
e.g.
Dream it, write it, Steemit
See it, photograph it, Steemit
Think it, build it, Steemit
Want it, buy it, Steemit
Have it, free it, Steemit
Like it, vote it, Steemit
Find it, film it, Steemit
Create it, share it, Steemit
How's that?
This is my favourite! I think this is probably the closest to what you would see on a professional tagline for an advert. The only thing that is missing some sort of reference to earning or rewards.
Good idea and I think in keeping with that logic it might be best to start with the getting paid angle as it is the common motivator that unites all communities. We just have to be careful not to make people expect to get rich on their first post etc.
How about a double tag line. Something like -
Dream it, write it, Steemit
Real content, real people, real money
So the first line would be in a larger font and the second line would be in a smaller font, maybe italics...
Great ideas:)
That's the thing. People don't necessarily need to understand it. Sometimes creating curiosity is better than just explaining everything because it gets people asking questions.
I understand what you're saying. I'm not sure how it could be put positively though.
Great ideas. I love the "Penny for your thoughts" idea.
We don't necessarily have to use the slogan(s) that I have chosen. If someone comes up with a better one that people like more we can use that:)
Actually, "Penny For Your Thoughts" is shrewd because it lowers expectations coming in. That was the trouble with the hard-sell approach that seemed to have been used earlier: it set expectations too high, which inevitably caused frustration.
Yes it is clever and light hearted too.
Instead of against censorship you might have something like
or something better ;-)
Cool. I like your thinking. Great ideas.
My favourite is "Free your voice" - sounds awesome (no pun intended).
I could envision that as being in a TV commercial and on billboards
I might have a go with doing some mockups if that is OK with you just as examples even if we don't use them?
I'll give it a few days to see if people come up with more first then we could make a list and let people choose their favourite.
Sure :-)
Feel free to use any of my ramblings if you think it will help.
You are being too harsh on yourself:)
Here are 10 #ideasfactory ideas for slogans off the top off my head (I used to be/am an idea machine):
Some suck. Some are okay. But mostly I needed to get something out so you can build on or ignore. Explainations are availbe or they are open enought to let the potential users fill in their own reasons why they want to check us out.
We'll see...
Thanks for sharing:)
Or maybe There is NO other way :)
Lol:)
I don't know what "pwned" is.
I like two from @trevor.george, get social get paid first and a penny for your thoughts 2nd.
How about "Cash For __________" Can't think of the ________ off the top, perhaps someone else can.
How about "Cash for Content"?
Yes, I LIke It!
Cool. Let's give it a few days and see what else comes up. Then I'll put together something for people to vote on their favourite slogan choice so we can start to organise something.
This post has been linked to from another place on Steem.
Learn more about and upvote to support linkback bot v0.5. Flag this comment if you don't want the bot to continue posting linkbacks for your posts.
Built by @ontofractal
Thanks:)
I think when some people hear blockchain it may even turn them off to steemit
Yes you might be right. They don't need to understand those things to use Steemit (at least not initially).
Great post! A slogan is definitely something that would benefit the site and make marketing easier. I also like the simplicity of those Facebook and Twitter banners. Good job!
Thank you:)
I'm sort of gravitationally pulled toward the "get social, get paid" slogan. 👍 It invokes curiosity & fun, presented in a positive fashion. Who doesn't want to be 'social? Who doesn't want to "get paid"? 😀
Branding it with the steem logo in the back ground- as I said, "invokes curiosity". 💯♨️
Cool thanks. I think I will create some mockups of the favourites and get people to vote so we can decide:)
Shared on twitter
Thank you mate:)