February 5th, 2010
Who is your customer? You’ve given some thought to this question. How old are they? Male or female? Are they tech-savvy? Where do they spend their free time?
Your customer and how they think should be the driving factor in all of your marketing decisions. You may love reading The New Yorker, but if your customers prefer People, there isn’t any reason to spend your marketing budget on ads in The New Yorker. Nothing shocking here, right? We all understand this.
Here’s where it gets tricky: do you think you are your customer? You’re wrong. Disagree with me? Perhaps you’re thinking, “I’m just like my customer. I am my target market. We’re the same in every way.”
- same taste in music
- same age
- same income level
- same hobbies
- same politics
- we read the same magazines
- we watch the same TV shows
- we like the same celebrities
- we care about the same news
- we live in the same kinds of neighborhoods and shop in the same stores
All of these things will help you understand your customer. You are a part of your target demographic. This will give you extremely valuable insights for growing your business, but you still aren’t your customer.
What’s the difference? Your expertise. Your solution. Your business.
Your product or service addresses some pain. Maybe you used to have that pain, but you don’t today. Your customers still have that pain. Every time they decide to hand you their hard-earned money, they are thinking about that pain and deciding you are worth the price you set.
Why am I making such a big deal about such a subtle difference? (And it is subtle.) It doesn’t matter if you like your website. It doesn’t matter if you like your logo. Or your copy. Or your business cards. It doesn’t matter unless they motivate your customers to buy. Sometimes the small difference between you and your customer is why you like one logo when a slightly different one would resonate better with your customers.
Obviously you don’t want to be embarrassed by any of your marketing pieces. (If you grimace when you hand someone your business card, that will ultimately hurt your bottom line.) The opinion that really counts, though, is the one of someone who needs your solution and has money to pay for it.
Sometimes that’s easier to see as a business owner when you don’t have anything in common with your customer. But it doesn’t matter if it’s easy or not. Either way it’s critical to your success.
October 13th, 2009
The last couple of days I have watched as a promotional campaign has gone wrong with Pepsi. They released an iPhone app for helping men ’score’ with the women, but really, it didn’t score anywhere.
You can do your own reading up on all the routes and comments consumers everywhere have posted, but what I would like to point out is Pepsi’s handling of this situation, particularly their use of Twitter in doing so. Most of the buzz on this topic has been passed around on Twitter, so it was only applicable Pepsi release their comments via this medium too, but, we all know corporate brands sometimes miss this mark. Not only have they correctly used the medium to voice their apoloogies and rationale, they have attached the #pepsifail hashtag to their remarks. I give them big, big kudos for realizing their mistake and using the word fail – on their own behalf.
Lots of us find it easy to point out a fail when it comes to someone else. A lot less of us are able to do it when it hits our own stuff. Follow the hastag to see what else develops and write down some lessons learned from Pepsi on this one. I am guessing this will all work in their favor in the end.
September 11th, 2009
One of our services is the Market Snapshot. This service builds up to an hour presentation of recommendations our client should do to propel their business forward with marketing – to ultimately be the market leader. We did one of these presentations yesterday with Meridian Design Group, a 25 year old salon with locations in Carmel and in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. Most of their main business IS an experience service that each client gets once they walk through the Meridian Design Group door. To hit home on this experience approach, we used two specific items in our presentation to bring home the idea.
First, we took a trip to Target and found little hair clips. These clips worked as the base to hold name tags for the six individuals coming to the presentation from their management team. On each of their name plates, we placed an experience we wanted each of them to individually embrace and work on each day of their job. That way, among the six of them, the full experience they want to ensure happens in their salons will take place. One will work on beauty, another laughter, and yet another relaxation. It was a nice way to bring home a big point, and, hopefully add to their experience.
Next, one of our presentations was to begin a Hair TV project where the stylist’s introduce their personalities and passion in to the history of hair. Typically people are a little hestitant when it comes to video, so we pulled out our Flip camera, took a minute video of each of them telling what they enjoyed most about Meridian Design Group, and then immediately showed them the result. They were suprised at the level of quality and realized, hey, this is doable and really fun.
So next time you’re thinking about what you want your clients to experience, try to go one extra step and make that experience happen for them. It will be noted and make the result much, much better.
Experience name tags for a market snapshot presentation.
August 16th, 2009
The bigger the news in social mediaville, the grander the assumptions for what social media is and isn’t. For example, there was a recent reporting saying 40 percent of the tweets on Twitter were pointless. Pointless for what audience? Who decides?
When it comes to your social media activity, or any marketing activity for that matter, your audience decides what’s pointless, what’s important, what’s fun to know and what’s unnecessary. You learn by the activity, comments and links generated from your efforts. That’s the bottom line and that’s what’s important to know and understand out of this whole social media hairball. You have to figure out what marketing activity is right for your mix, and how and what those right mixes are in your strategy.
Here are two areas of advice to get you started right. You figure out these two things and the rest will flow.
- Decide what’s important. Take this opportunity to talk with your clients and prospects about what they would like to know about the area in which you are the expert. What is important for them to know? How can you help them filter all the information that’s out there and learn what they need the most? Now deliver the goods and keep asking regularly.
- Decide if it’s personal. What voice does your marketing deliver? Is it funny? Is it uber serious? Don’t be something you’re not and don’t make your company’s marketing message something it’s not. If social media is forcing anything at the marketing table, it’s authenticity.
July 28th, 2009
This one is going to be short and sweet – but the message is as solid as they come:
Tearing others down is never as helpful to a movement as building your followers up. – Seth Godin in Tribes
We have been working on a book for a client and thinking of an array of subtitles; some good, some really bad, some jabbing fun and some very matter-of-fact. I think I must be more sensitive than I let on, because when I read about bad things, even when they are suppose to be funny or trendy, I just cannot feel good about them. Something in my core says woah, that just isn’t nice and therefore it never sits well.
Next time you’re brainstorming a message, copywriting or theme for a project, remember that statement. It will work in your favor and sustain your efforts far beyond a quick-jabbing line.
July 27th, 2009
I just love that headline. It’s so true. Please say the word wretched like an evil villan, like Cruella Deville…
Why do I think, feel and believe these two words are wretched? Well, because they are overused and possibly even misused (makes me kind of remember another thing I ranted about that is overused and misused!) is a good place to start. Think about your last networking event. Who did you meet? I bet big dollars someone told you they care the most, have the best quality or provide the best service. Ech. Plf. Ugh. I hear those words when I’m out and about now and it truly makes me cringe. The only places that are allowed to talk about their amazing service would be places like Zappos or Nordstrom; those who ARE really known for their service.
Sit down with your clients, sit down with your employees and make time for figuring out what makes you unique. Something is there in that mix of conversations and discussion that will help you find your key market message.
July 22nd, 2009
We have had a lot of conversations of late about helping companies know what they sell. To know your audience and how they buy, you need to know what they are buying. This helps you know how to sell. Ask yourself this question: “What does our company sell?” and gather answers from everyone, even your clients if you can. Any surprising answers? I’ll give you a hint on the direction; it’s probably not a product or service.
Let’s take a company example in Vera Bradley. (I was disappointed in their message on their website but I’ll stay focused to the task for now) They are running a print campaign, in some national publications even a full spread, that says ‘Make life more colorful’ with a very colorful image of a youngish woman in a hot air balloon holding one of their newer fabric backpacks. The name of the pack and the price are small and insignificant to the ad. The ad is selling a lifestyle. It’s selling add some flavor to your life by adding color. Be rich with color and exude the beauty and wonder that this woman and hot air balloon are doing for you right now. It has very little to do with that backpack. Vera Bradley knows their audience has a certain lifestyle and approach to life that makes their product, i.e. handbags and such, part of that life. If they wanted to just move some product they could have lots of thumbnail shots of each new bag with a price under it and their website.
Let’s also talk about that price. The backpack was $92. If the whole ad would have been about the product with the price, in today’s economy, that may give some people sticker shock. We all know a solid backpack can be found for much less than $92. Selling the lifestyle makes the price less glaring and less painful. While some would not like to admit it, there is a price tag for certain lifestyles. Vera Bradley knows this and is banking on knowing which category their audience is in and their appropriate price tag.
Now on to their website. This is where I was disappointed. No mention of color in my world, even, (even!) lack of colorful imagery on their site. The people on the homepage were much younger than the woman in the ad, which can go OK or terribly wrong depending on the audience you’re starting with. They didn’t bring the campaign home and speak to me once I went to their site to make a purchase. This is sad. This would be the part I would suggesting making sure you don’t repeat and tie in the right online message to your offline world.
An image inside the Vera Bradley website
July 20th, 2009
I attended a Vistage meeting last week and made the commitment to call some of my clients and find out what they can buy from Silver Square that they cannot get anywhere else. The goal in this exercise is to understand what our clients are thinking about us, because really, it doesn’t matter what we think we do well or bring to the market place, it’s what our clients think we do well and bring to the market place.
When we work with a new client, we work hard to get inside the minds of what their clients think about them; do they have the time to read long newsletters, are they even in front of their computers all day, do they enjoy being outside, do they care about keeping up with the industry news, do coupons motivate them, does a freebie now and then build loyalty? We understand this practice, but we haven’t done super well at monitoring it for our own clients.
In our communication audit and marketing plan services, one of the steps in the process are to speak with clients about their thoughts and feelings on the client’s work, style, value, etc. We also facilitate a one hour strategy session with employees, sorry leadership team, you’re not invited, to further gather information about what makes the client tick and how the strategy of the company is or isn’t hitting that mark.
I challenge you to think about how your clients are thinking. If you’re not 100 percent sure what they think (which you won’t be) you need to begin asking. Make the time to work on youself, it will pay off!
July 14th, 2009
I’m sad to see Smith & Hawken must close their doors… but I’m glad to see they are maintaining their brand and style to the end. If you have to go, go out in style.
This image below was in my inbox this morning for the company’s farewell message. It’s a good reminder that even when exiting an agreement, a relationship or anything else, keep up your brand. Stay true to who you are and how you function, either as a person or a company. It will bode you well in the future.
We're closing our doors e-mail message.
July 1st, 2009
I recently went to a networking event in Chicago with Denise Praul from Accurate Tax Management. Many of us (many!) in the Indianapolis area know Denise is nothing short of a pro at her key message when it comes to networking. It’s brilliant – she takes the pain out of property taxes. (if you’re paying too much, you need Denise’s touch) She knows it’s brilliant because people call her and leave messages containing bits of her message, i.e. “I hear you take the pain out of property taxes…”
On the drive home, we were like 12-year-olds ready to get in the car and talk about the good and bad of the event. There were some indivdiuals with great focus, professionalism and key messages. There were also those not so fabulous. I could rattle off a few ways to get zero follow up from a networking event, but one thing really stood out as extra annoying, so I’ll share that instead. The next time you’re attending a networking event, do not do this – or I guarantee you’ll be THE MOST annoying person in the mix.
The number one way to be really annoying at a networking meeting is… talk over people. This event was pretty well organized. You had certain times to give your message, along with a few other things you were required to share (one of those things is what in the next six months will you be spending money on. I thought this was a good one for a solid way to pass a referral) and that message was given in an equally firm timeframe. Listen up… when you’re given a timeframe in which to speak at an event, you don’t abuse it. You don’t say one more thing, you don’t add one more word, and you don’t finish your thought. You stop. Your time is up. If you don’t stop, you’re taking the next person’s time and seriously wounding your credibility, professionalism and any chance of someone wanting to set up a one-on-one with you afterward. It’s so painful to witness this kind of stuff. Really.
Pretty, pretty please figure out your key message, or call us to help you, or ask just what the heck a key messages is on the Get Back on the Road site. Just make sure you figure it out and deliver it well. Anything less is killing your marketing, hurting your credibility and delivering a really annoying vibe among you meeting peers.
