Marketing | Marketing Insights From N J Vallone

Archive for the ‘Marketing’ Category

Will The Steve Jobs Playbook Work For You?

Monday, March 19th, 2012

Despite his obvious quirks, well documented mercurial personality and often abrasive management style, there is no doubt that the late Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs, was an exceptional CEO when it came to developing and marketing blockbuster products.

With all that has recently been written about Mr. Jobs, some are calling into question fundamental marketing principals by pointing to Jobs’ lack of belief in both marketing research and identifying the wants and needs of potential customers. According to his biographer, Walter Isaacson, Jobs once shared this opinion of market research: “Did Alexander Graham Bell do any market research before he invented the telephone?” His point of view was that customers didn’t know what they wanted, until Jobs told them.

Obviously this flies in the face of conventional marketing wisdom. Yet how does one argue with Apple’s success? The company reported over $100 billion in sales in 2011 making it one of the top technology companies in the world. Clearly much of this success came from such innovative products as the iPod, iPhone and iPad, all introduced under Jobs’ direction.

Accordingly, some CEOs may feel that they should follow Steve Jobs’ example and stop worrying about how well their products and services align with the wants and needs of their customers. Frankly, I think this would be a very dangerous strategy, unless the CEO shares Jobs’ uncanny ability to intuitively develop innovative products that resonate with his or her customers. Even then, remember that Jobs had his share of failures (remember NeXT Computers?) as well.

Fact is, we all make product and process decisions based on our understanding of what we can provide our customers that will solve their problems, make their lives better, or meet some other desires. We can get these insights through formal research, Customer Relations Management (CRM) systems, or simply being well tuned in to our customers through social media and other information tools.

Regardless of how Steve Jobs was able to tap into the minds of his potential customers, whether through intuition, observation, osmosis or witchcraft, he recognized unmet desires and developed unique ways to address them. He understood, for example, that many people were unhappy with the clumsy nature of early personal computers and software, and so applied new technologies (initially developed by others) to create a more user-friendly product. When digital media was in its infancy, he rightly figured out that people would be interested in a more convenient method of obtaining and managing their music, videos and other content.

Regardless of how he obtained this information, Jobs’ genius was in what he did with that knowledge. His greatest strength was in applying creative design, pushing the limits of technology, and seeing beyond what was commonly accepted as possible.

So before abandoning the concept of aligning your products and services with the wants, needs and desires of your customers, consider this: Innovation and success comes from understanding your customers, no matter how you achieve that knowledge, and then creating new and exciting ways to make what your company does relevant to your customers.

If you can do that, the enterprise you lead may someday enjoy the same kind of success and customer loyalty that Steve Jobs created for the company he helped found in his parent’s garage.

Norman J. Vallone helps businesses achieve their goals by advising, training and empowering them to strategically market their products and services. You can contact him via email: njv@njvallone.com or by calling 937-272-2051.

Tags: CEO, Marketing, marketing research, Steve Jobs
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Hiring The Right Marketing Person

Thursday, March 1st, 2012

A colleague recently mentioned that one of his client companies decided to create a new marketing position. Those in the company who currently handle marketing chores typically have technical or sales backgrounds. The CEO has strong financial and administrative capabilities but virtually no marketing experience, so he asked my friend, his business adviser, to help him define the kind of person he should hire. My friend then asked me to give him some suggestions.

My initial comment was that the nature of the marketing position would determine the skills and other traits to look for in the new hire. If the position is an executive one reporting to the CEO or other C level individual, the person should be a strategic thinker, not simply a tactician. Presumably, this individual would be charged with thoroughly understanding the company’s business goals, and developing marketing objectives, strategies and action plans that enable the organization to achieve those goals and turn the CEO’s vision into reality.

For such a position I’d look for a marketing generalist with broad experience, not necessarily in the same industry. Although many CEOs look for an individual who is successful in the same field, it’s more important to find people who can apply their solid understanding of marketing concepts and techniques, along with lessons learned from past endeavors to their new organization’s needs. Contrary to popular belief, smart marketing people can ramp up their industry knowledge quickly, assuming they’re working among knowledgeable people.

Along with a successful track record and an excellent command of marketing fundamentals, there are a number of other strengths I’d look for. You may not find all of them in the individual you hire, but I’d be wary of someone who doesn’t exhibit at least these four talents:

• Critical thinking is one of the traits we tend to overlook in the hiring process. You want a marketing person who can drill down to the core of an idea, not one who only sees the superficial. Sometimes what sounds like a great idea can be a costly disaster if the implementation isn’t well thought out.

• Creative thinking is an equally important trait. Your marketing chief must be able to conjure up new approaches that help your company outdistance the competition. Moreover, he or she should create an atmosphere that encourages others in your organization to develop creative ideas. Once these ideas are on the table, critical thinking takes over. And although some will argue the point, the two types of thought are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

• Excellent communication skills are essential in any marketing position, particularly at the top. Clear, concise communication is equally important whether writing ads, building relationships with the media and stakeholders, or informing those to whom you report and those who report to you.

• It should go without saying that the person you hire must have high ethical standards. Unfortunately there’s plenty of evidence that some companies still turn a blind eye to questionable marketing activities. Most of us learned before Kindergarten that lying, cheating and stealing are simply wrong. Yet, being human, we have a great capacity to rationalize our actions. No one is perfect, but look for an individual who shares your company’s values and who will err on the side of what is right, not simply expedient.

Of course there are many other attributes to look for, depending on the specific nature of the marketing position you have in mind. Clearly you’ll want someone who understands the value of your brand and how to burnish it. He or she should also have a good perspective on the value of research, including how much is enough. If you run into candidates who have never written a marketing plan, thank them and send them on their way.

A final thought: Don’t be overly impressed with the number of academic letters candidates claim, even those bestowed by a prestigious business school. If a person is not well grounded, lacks common sense or is missing a strong work ethic, all of the education in the world won’t enable them to achieve your marketing goals.

Tags: hiring, Marketing
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Marketing Credibility

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

Marketing is about (1) identifying the most advantageous audience for your product or service (2) establishing its value by explaining how it solves the customer’s problem or otherwise serves his or her needs, and (3) making a compelling case for how your product does so better than the competition’s. All of which are key components of a carefully crafted message that you consistently express through all available channels.

As the 2012 national election period continues to heat up there are marketing lessons to be learned. Some historical perspective: The 1960s ushered in a new era for politics as network television became a decisive marketing tool and politicos realized that they could use it to “sell” candidates to the American public. Author Joe McGinnis chronicled this powerful process in his book, The Selling of the President, which followed Richard Nixon’s successful 1968 presidential campaign. In recent national elections, candidates discovered how to harness the power of the Internet in general, and social media in particular, to raise awareness, promote inclusion and, by so doing, raise enormous sums of money to finance their campaigns.

However, while new media technologies can be game-changers, success in politics and business still requires fundamentally sound marketing strategies. As one candidate might have said: It’s all about the message, stupid. And that message better resonate with the majority of the audience. In the same way, the historical and current actions of the business or candidate must be in tune with this message or they lose credibility and, more importantly, the support of the customers or voters.

So what does all of this have to do with running a business? Just this: The marketing messages you issue to your potential customers must also align with the values and actions of your organization, otherwise you lose credibility. And as we all know, our customers also vote: With their feet.

The easiest way to kill a new product is to exaggerate its benefits through outlandish marketing communications and salespeople’s claims. If you say that your brand of snake oil cures more woes than Dr. Flimflam’s Magic Elixir, you’d better be able to prove it. Otherwise customers will try it one time, be disappointed and never buy it again.

In each election cycle we constantly hear candidates berate their opponents for not delivering on their promises. If a business is guilty of promising more than its products or services can deliver, you can be sure that their competitors are using such facts to win customers away.

Although they may seem to go on forever, political campaigns have a relatively short lifespan. Legitimate businesses, on the other hand, are in it for the long haul. Which means it is vitally important to not just capture, but also to retain good customers. You can’t do so with broken promises or unsubstantiated claims. So as a business leader, pay close attention to what your marketing communications say about your products, services and capabilities. If you’re listening to your customers and fulfilling their wants and needs you’ll win and retain their trust and their business.

Tags: advertising, Marketing
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It’s All About The Content

Monday, January 30th, 2012

Before the Internet and assorted digital marketing tools that followed, B2B marketers largely relied on print vehicles to convey their messages. These included magazines, newspapers, brochures, other promotional literature, public relations and various forms of event and direct marketing. They also used video to demonstrate product benefits and applications.

On the B2C side you could add television and radio. Both B2B and B2C, of course, also used plenty of personal sales and sales promotion. Naturally, smart marketers still integrate many of these media into today’s promotional mix, along with social, Web, mobile and other “new” media.

One thing that hasn’t changed, regardless of the media you use, is the importance of meaningful content. And although the term lately seems to be used primarily for digital media, the fact is that what you say and show – in any context – must convey value to your target audience or they will not consider doing business with you.

This means we must understand what it is our potential customers want to know and provide it to them in as many venues as possible, depending on how they wish to access it. That is the big difference between today and BI (Before the Internet). Marketers can no longer control the flow of information with any certainty, because the customers decide when and where they will seek answers.

When choosing the kind of content to provide your audience, the trick is to put yourself in their shoes. What are they really looking for? Facts? Figures? Comparisons? User reviews? Price and delivery? All of the above? Most likely, yes. However, they’re only gathering this information for one reason: To find a means to satisfy a perceived need. So unless you understand what that need is, you’ll be hard pressed to provide the kind of information they truly want.

What most customers are looking for, of course, are facts and feelings that justify their buying decision. This means that, just like in the pre-Internet days, the most powerful content is not a blatant sales pitch, but rather a demonstration of the value the customer will receive from your products and services, including:
• Case histories in print and on video that let customers see how one of their own benefits from doing business with you.
• White papers that present unbiased information customers can use to make an informed buying decision. Such information also positions your enterprise as an expert in its field and demonstrates that you have the customer’s best interests at heart.
• Testimonials that honestly support your customer satisfaction claims.
• Helpful facts, figures, performance or payback calculators that customers can use as they sift through the sea of data.

Where you place this information depends on the nature of your business and target markets. Clearly the majority of customers access this information via Web sites, social media, blogs and other digital venues. And the more information, videos, photos, downloads etc. you populate, the more likely the audience you seek – and the search engines – will find you.

A word of caution: Don’t discount the ability of traditional promotional vehicles such as PR, advertising and direct marketing, to make your audience aware of the helpful information you offer and where they can find it. Finally, eliminate printed product brochures and other literature at your own peril. There are likely a substantial number of potential customers who prefer their information served up on what we call “paper.”

Tags: Internet presence, Marketing, Web site content
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Want Good Advertising? More Questions To Ask Yourself

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

In last month’s column I shared some thoughts about building a solid marketing platform for creating effective advertising. I suggested you begin by answering a few fundamental questions:

1. “What do I want to accomplish with this ad?”
2. “Who is the audience for this message?”
3. “What does my audience want or need that my product or service will satisfy better than any competitor?”
4. “What do I want the audience to do after they see or hear this ad?”

These answers help you develop a strong framework for your creative process. Please note that “creative” is not used here as a synonym for “graphic design.” Although design is a critical component, an effective ad is more than photography, illustration, typography or color choices. And while TV, radio, Internet video and other media provide the opportunity to reach your audience with sound, movement and special effects, good advertising involves seamlessly blending ideas and imagery to convey a compelling message.

So the first step in the creative process is to determine precisely what your clear, concise and compelling message is. Once the message is firmly established, you have a creative platform on which to build. Now you can combine the words, visual and aural elements that best present your message to the chosen audience.

Personally, I believe that the creative process is a bit of a mystery. You can read books and articles that espouse various creative formulae and, no doubt, these work for some practitioners. However my experience is that creative people must find their own methods and, in fact, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Moreover, the real issue is not how you get there, but rather how effective the finished ad achieves your advertising objectives.

To that end, here are a few key questions I ask when evaluating the advertising we create for our clients:

1. Will the intended audience clearly understand the benefits this product provides to them? Your customers don’t buy from you because they think your ads are clever. They are also unimpressed with your product’s newest bells and whistles, unless they can clearly see value for themselves. So be certain that you translate features into benefits, and don’t obscure your message with distracting visual or other effects. Again, all of the elements in your advertising should work together harmoniously to convey the value message.

2. Does the ad use language that the customer understands? There may be technical or scientific reasons why your product is superior, but unless you present these facts in easy-to-understand words and images, your audience may simply ignore them. This doesn’t mean “talking down” to your audience. It means using everyday language, just as you would if you were explaining your product’s benefits to your friends and neighbors. And although there may be justification for more technical terms in B2B situations, remember that these business people are human beings, too.

3. Can you keep the promises you make in the ad? The worst thing an advertiser can do is to get a customer excited about the rewards of a product or service and then fail to deliver. It should be common sense, but overstating a product’s performance is one of the quickest ways to alienate customers. And if the product is as good as you claim, please make sure you have enough inventory to meet the demand. Remember: in today’s world of instant digital communications and multiple social media platforms, bad news travels incredibly fast.

4. Are you insulting your audience? Granted, you want to capture the attention of your audience, and sometimes that calls for doing something outrageous. However, making your intended customer the butt of a joke, or having them appear inept may well backfire. There are, indeed, circumstances in which the customer can see the humor in his or her own shortcomings, as gently portrayed in an ad. However, making your customer look ridiculous, or portraying them harshly can easily send the audience elsewhere.

Of course we all draw on our own experiences when deciding whether or not an ad is worthy of carrying our company’s name and reputation. If you’d like to share some of your thoughts on creating effective advertising, send them to me so I can pass them along in a future column.

Tags: advertising, branding, Marketing, marketing communications
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Want Good Advertising? Ask Yourself These Questions.

Monday, January 16th, 2012

Seen any good advertising lately? Neither have I. Well, to be fair, there are some good ads out there. The problem is, there are far too many really bad ones. “But wait,” you say, “There’s that really funny one about some car and the one with the cool computer graphics…” Yes, but do you remember the advertiser’s name? Do you know what the marketing message was? And most important: Did it make you consider buying what they were selling? No? Then the ad was a failure.

The fact is, creating good, effective advertising is more complicated than it looks. It takes skilled craftspeople to do so consistently well and, unfortunately, not every advertiser understands this. Sad to say there are also some so-called “professionals” who, frankly, should not be practicing the art of advertising. Then there are the talented designers or graphic artists who are forced to work in a vacuum and who could really use marketing guidance and the help of a creative writer to balance their efforts. And pity the one-person “communications” or “marketing” department in a small enterprise who is given the responsibility for creating advertising, but whose skills lay elsewhere.

So how can you help the people working on your marketing communications create good advertising that gets results? Well there’s no shortage of rules, opinions and formulae expressed by past and present advertising luminaries. You can certainly learn from these master craftspeople and may pick up some techniques that will serve you well.

However, without a sound marketing foundation upon which to build your advertising, you may still fail spectacularly. So before you think about copy, art or production values, please ask yourself four very important questions:

1) “What do I want to accomplish with this ad?” Yes, of course, you want your audience to buy your product, service, or argument, or donate to your cause. However, depending on what it is you’re selling, your objective will likely be to move the audience along the path to the sale in one or more of these ways: by informing (“Introducing a new, safer way to get a good night’s sleep.”), persuading (“Here’s why you’ll get at least 5 more miles to the gallon than with any other gasoline.”) or reminding (“You’ll love it just as much today as you did when you were a kid.”). With your objectives firmly defined, you’re less likely to get off track as you develop the ad.

2) “Who is the audience for this message?” Again, without a clearly understood target in site, your ad can easily miss the mark. Age, gender, income level and many other factors will influence choice of words, colors, typography, music, images and other creative elements. The answer to this question will also give you the information you need to choose the best media channels for your advertising.

3) “What does my audience want or need that my product or service will satisfy better than any competitor?” Obviously this is the key to your marketing message. For example, are you selling safety and peace-of-mind through your alarm systems and monitoring service? If so, what sets you apart from the other security companies? Is your system proven more reliable? Can you guarantee faster response times? Do you have useful technology that no one else offers? The more your message differentiates you from the competition while addressing the needs of your audience, the more powerful your advertising will be.

4) “What do I want the audience to do after they see or hear this ad?” Come to your store? Go to your Web site? Call for a free estimate? This is, of course, the “call for action” that every ad should have. Since it is quite often found at the very end of the ad, you may think it’s premature to worry about it at this point. On the contrary. When you know what the end game is, you can better structure the ad to make the call for action a logical next step.

Once you have the answers to these fundamental questions, you’re ready to begin the creative process. And that’s the subject for another column.

Tags: advertising, Marketing
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Take Time For A Marketing Review

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

A fashion designer I know works for a well-known American apparel maker. In her current position she is tasked with projecting future fashion trends. These include styles, color, fabrics and other factors. Based in Manhattan, her work takes her to Paris, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Milan, Hong Kong and other fashionable locations.

Why does her company go to the expense of sending her on these expeditions? Because they recognize the importance of understanding the many factors that influence the future of their business. Or to put it another way: They know that timely, accurate information is critical to making sound business decisions.

Now, your business may not be as trendy as the fashion industry; changes in your markets may not come about as quickly or frequently; and it may not be necessary to send someone to far away cities. Nevertheless it pays to be constantly aware of the environment in which your enterprise operates. That’s why I advise my clients to regularly review their business landscape and adjust their marketing strategies accordingly.

The best way to do this is by setting aside one day each month or two, away from your day-to-day operations, to perform a simple marketing review. Ideally your key players will prepare by compiling all of the market intelligence that’s come their way in the intervening time. Then you’ll conduct a classic SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats) analysis for your products and services, pricing and distribution schemes, promotional activities, and human resources (also known as people). Naturally, you’ll also take a hard look at your financial health, especially cash flow.

It’s best to have someone outside of the organization facilitate these sessions to help keep everyone on track. When I assume this role for my clients, my chief task is helping them focus on the big picture and not get bogged down in minutia. Typically this means enforcing a few agreed-upon rules of engagement such as these:

1. The goal is to move the company forward, not dwell on what is past. Therefore these sessions are about finding solutions, not assigning blame.

2. Although it is natural to look inward when performing these analyses, you must also consider each issue from the perspective of your customers. For example, is R & D aware of what the users like and dislike about your products? If so, are there actions you can take that will benefit these customers while still maintaining profitability? On another front: Are you getting feedback that indicates your customer service isn’t all it should be? Knowing it’s more cost-effective to keep existing customers than to find new ones, what can you do about it?

3. Make sure you have a clear understanding of the situation before making any decisions. Too often our tendency is to rush to judgment before we have the complete picture. Taking action without thoroughly defining the issue can lead to costly mistakes.

4. On the other hand, don’t get caught in “analysis – paralysis.” If you have a clear understanding of the issue and a reasonable amount of information with which to make a decision, do so and move on.

5. Leave word not to be interrupted unless life and/or property are in immediate peril, and turn off your cell phones and other mobile devices. The idea is to focus on the job at hand. You can check in during meal breaks. And if you don’t believe that your people are capable of handling things for a few hours, that should be your number one issue to attack.

Although it may seem counterintuitive to action-oriented entrepreneurs, taking a day off to work on your business this way will actually help you move ahead more quickly. And if you discover that you need to send someone to Paris, give me a call. Have passport, will travel.

Tags: marketing branding
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A Marketing Education

Friday, July 29th, 2011

Recently I was a guest on WHIO radio’s Marketing Advisor program (Saturday afternoons from 4:00 – 5:00). A listener called with a question toward the end of the broadcast that we didn’t have time to answer properly on the air, so I’d like to address it now. The question concerned the importance of having a degree in marketing.

Like most seemingly obvious questions, this one requires further information before giving a precise answer. Does the caller want to limit her career to marketing? Is she more interested in eventually rising to be the CEO of a substantial enterprise? Would she like to run her own company some day? Without the answers to these and other questions, the best I can do is offer some general thoughts which, by the way, CEOs and business owners might find useful when interviewing a candidate for a marketing position.

Formal education is, indeed, important. However, I think we put far too much emphasis on having a specific major. I’ve worked with many CEOs and other business leaders whose education ranged from business administration, finance, law, marketing or economics, to engineering, education, physics, English literature and fine arts. Overall, I can’t say those with business-specific degrees were any better leaders, made better decisions or were any more successful than the others. Frankly I think being a successful business leader is more about your personal values, skills and personality. Education is, of course, important as a foundation. However, it’s how you apply that knowledge that separates the exceptional from the mediocre.

Most enterprises need people with specific capabilities to address financial, legal, technical or other important areas. Marketing, however, is concerned with a wider assortment of the most important aspects of the business including:

• Defining the true purpose of the business
• Understanding the relationship between the company’s products and services and those who buy and use them
• How the firm’s customers go about making their purchase decisions, where they look for information and how well the products and services align with a customer’s wants, needs and demands
• Developing the right pricing and value proposition
• Ensuring that the company’s distribution structure makes it easy for customers to do find and buy their products
• Establishing customer support systems that build a strong relationship with and retain good customers
• Projecting an authentic image of the company that establishes credibility with the customer

Given this range of responsibilities, it seems to me that a serious marketing person must have a broad-based education. Do you need to understand the fundamental principals of marketing and management? Yes of course! But you also need to understand people – how they think, what motivates various behaviors, how they react to different stimuli. So in addition to marketing and other business courses, I think you need a hearty helping of humanities, especially sociology and psychology. I also recommend a heavy dose of art and literature to stir your own creative juices and to give you a better understanding of the creative efforts of those who craft your promotional messages. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt to write, speak and present well, either.

Obviously, all that you learn throughout your college experience is merely the root from which your education grows. Much of what you learn in your business classes will be obsolete or at least greatly altered in a very short time after you graduate. Moreover, the world in which we live continues to change at an increasingly faster pace. This means the ways in which your customers interact with your business are constantly evolving. Want proof? Then ask yourself: Is marketing today different than it was in the era of the TV show “Mad Men”? Has the American way of life changed since 9-11? Of course. Which means anyone in the filed of marketing – or any other aspect of business – must never stop learning.

So get a good, well-rounded education and commit yourself to continuously learning and developing as a professional and as a person throughout your life. And when you hire others, look beyond the words on their degree to see their true value.

Tags: education, Marketing, marketing skills
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Social Media For B2B

Thursday, July 14th, 2011

A concern I often hear from clients and others these days goes something like this: “As a business-to-business company we’re struggling with how to use social media effectively. We’re on the popular sites, but I don’t know that they’re doing us much good. I wish we knew which ones to use and which are a waste of time.”

Like any good counselor my first response is to ask a question, “What, precisely, do you hope to achieve through social media?” The top four answers I hear are (1) “More sales, of course,” (2) “Get our name out there,” (3) “I don’t know exactly, but everybody says we have to do it,” (4) a blank stare.

None of which, of course, is the right answer.

Social media is simply one more tool we can use to achieve our marketing objectives. However it’s a newer tool and one that is changing daily, which makes things a bit confusing. Nonetheless it’s still critical to have clear goals for your social media program and to think strategically (long term) rather than tactically (short term).

Much like effective networking, social media is about giving to get. It’s about sharing, not selling. Social media exists because people want to share information with others. Most traditional marketing channels have long focused on pushing a message out to an audience and many still do. That’s not the role of social media. If you look upon it as simply another advertising or PR channel, you won’t get the most out of it. In fact, you’re likely to turn off your intended audience.

What you can do through these platforms is engage your audience in a conversation about your company, its products or services, and provide information that is of value to the audience (by their definition, not yours). If they enjoy the conversation and believe it has value you will establish and strengthen the bond between you. And because we tend to buy from people we know, like and trust…well you know the rest.

So what are reasonable objectives for your B2B social media program? Here are just a few to consider:

• Monitor online conversations about your company, products and services. Being aware of what people are saying about you presents the opportunity to engage in the conversation. Don’t have time to stay on top of all the various sites? Use Google Alerts to regularly receive a report to your email “in” box of online mentions of your company, products and services. Let’s say a customer is unhappy and complaining to the online community. By stepping in and attempting to satisfy the customer you can build credibility – not just with one customer, but also with all those following the conversation.

• Keep an eye on the competition. In the same way you can track mentions of your key competitors to gather intelligence for developing marketing strategies, learn what they are doing well and not so well, and even uncover opportunities on which you can capitalize. For example, one of my clients picked up complaints of slow delivery of certain products by a major competitor. By making potential customers aware that they had the same products available for immediate delivery, my client enjoyed an immediate bump in business and won several new accounts.

• Enhance Search Engine Optimization. By establishing an ongoing presence in one or more of the leading social media sites (and through blogging), you increase awareness among search engines. Although the rules of SEO engagement are always changing, in general the more Internet presence you create, the higher your SEO profile.

A final bit of advice: Once you determine your goals for social media, don’t try to jump into every platform. Figure out which one or two are best fits and concentrate your initial efforts there. Remember what Mom told you: “Better to do a few things well than a lot of things poorly.”

Tags: B2B, Marketing, social media
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How Clearly Do You Communicate?

Friday, May 13th, 2011

Marketing professionals know that promotional messages should be clear, concise and compelling. Why? To (1) grab your audience’s attention (2) quickly register your main point, and (3) motivate the potential customer to take action.

Pretty simple, isn’t it? Yet how often do we ignore these fundamentals – not just in advertising, but in all business writing? The point is, whether you’re crafting marketing messages or other business communications, the reader should understand exactly what you mean – whether he or she is the intended audience or not.

Remember: As an executive or business owner, anything you write may be read by one or more of the many publics with which you communicate. These include customers, employees, associates, vendors and the various communities you touch. If you’re a publically held company you can add shareholders, financial analysts and the business press to the mix.

All of these audiences are important to your continued success and, thanks to the omniscient world of digital communications, anything you say to one individual or group may well end up being heard and seen by many (think: Twitter, YouTube, texting, e-mail, etc.). Add to this our society’s ever-diminishing attention span and you can see how clear, concise, compelling communication becomes even more important.

Here, then, are a few writing tips to help you get your points across more effectively.

Use plain language. Ever since a well-meaning English teacher encouraged us to expand our vocabularies, we’ve delighted in using “big” words or phrases where often a simpler one will do. Instead of saying your product applies to “a homogeneous market,” for example, simply say that the people who buy your product share many common traits.

Avoid wordy sentences. Unlike Charles Dickens you aren’t being paid by the word, so try to say things as economically as possible without losing the meaning. Instead of “In order to make this happen…” try “To do this…”

Don’t sacrifice clarity for brevity. Although you want to be as concise a possible, it’s equally important to provide enough information for the reader to understand precisely what you mean. This is especially true in brief exchanges on social sites or via email.

Read before you send. The quotation, “If I had more time I would write a shorter letter.“ is attributed to various sources including Mark Twain and Blaise Pascal. Regardless of the origin, it is painfully true. Clear, concise writing requires time to re-read and edit your words. This step also allows you to correct embarrassing typos, spelling and grammatical errors.

Cut to the chase. How many times have you read an opening sentence like this? “I’m writing you today to tell you about some important changes to…” Better to say: “Here are some important changes to…”

Avoid jargon. There may be times when it’s acceptable to use industry shorthand among peer groups, but not for the broader audience. One software developer writing to another might say that a new application is “backward migratable,” but most of us simply want to know that the latest release lets us open documents created with the previous version.

Be active, not passive. Wherever possible use the active voice in your communications. “Bill Wilson made an important presentation at Tuesday’s staff meeting,” is a clearer, stronger statement than “At Tuesday’s staff meeting, an important presentation was made by Bill Wilson.”

Communicating clearly and effectively does take a bit more time but it will, I assure you, pay for itself. How? By increasing productivity from your employees as they carry out tasks correctly with a clear understanding of your expectations. Through greater sales because your customers clearly see the benefits your company offers. And by reducing interruptions to your workday by people asking you to clarify your messages.

Tags: business coaching, business communications, Marketing
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Marketing Insights From N J Vallone