Come on now, doesn’t it feel good when you receive an email or letter from a client saying how much they enjoy buying your products or working with your company? Or when your boss tells you a customer just shared a positive experience of your company’s service, thanks to you? It comes across as some version of Sally Field’s famous Oscar speech… “You like me. You really like me!”
Which brings me to the most powerful persuader in the marketplace, apart from a customer’s own experience, and that’s the opinion of someone they know. In fact, in today’s world, the majority of prospective customers, both B2B and B2C, spend time researching online or through social media before they buy. They depend more than ever on word-of-mouth references from people who have used those brands or products – even when those references are from people they don’t even know. (Think Angie’s List, Buzzillions, or Yelp.) According to a the marketing group, ODM, about 90% of consumers trust the word of people they know and 70% of consumers trust the word of people they don’t know! That’s why so much effort goes into viral marketing or “word of mouth.” That’s why social media has suddenly emerged from nowhere in the past couple of years to what it is today.
And that’s also why genuine testimonials are so effective. A testimonial is third-party endorsement at its best. There is much more credibility in the words of other unbiased people than in your own words of self-promotion. Heck, you’ve probably asked for and have probably written a recommendation (testimonial) for someone on LinkedIn, right?
So how are you using testimonials, or are you using testimonials at all, to keep current customers as well as acquire new ones? While I wrote an associated blog post about this a while ago having to do with how to acquire and utilize testimonials, I’m finding that a large number of organizations have decided that presenting testimonials from clients isn’t something they’re interested in or want their current or prospective customers to see. On that last point, help me understand why you wouldn’t want to strengthen the bond between you and current customers by reminding them why they chose you and not “the other guy,”as well as having prospective customers see you as viable recommended option for their needs. Testimonials help overcome buyer skepticism. Which leads to trust. Which leads to sales. Just look at what Mark Zuckerberg says: “A trusted referral is the holy grail of marketing.”
With that in mind, there are times when testimonials are incredibly powerful, and times when they might actually hurt you. For example, testimonials are powerful when:
They’re specific
Specific testimonials say things like: “When I needed to find a printer at 11 pm, your concierge service found one not too far away from the hotel. It saved my presentation the next morning.” Or, “Bob in your tech support team answered my questions in plain English and pinpointed my problem in just a couple of minutes.” Specific testimonials work for two reasons: First, they sound more credible. Second, they speak to a specific benefit or address a situation or question that may help persuade prospective customers.
They overcome objections.
Some companies shy away from these type of testimonials, yet they are arguably the most powerful tool you have. Testimonials from former skeptics stand out because they come across as credible. And by addressing and voicing what many perspective customers may be feeling, these testimonials are powerful persuaders. These type of testimonials sound like: “For years, I’ve heard of products that seemed to be similar to yours that just didn’t live up to their billing. Somewhat reluctantly, I used your free trial and saw how quickly and easily I was able to forecast future sales by industry type.” Or, “I thought it would be a confusing and tough to learn your new online ordering system, but it was quite the opposite. It’s a smart system that knew my tendencies and as a result, the ordering was done faster now than it was before.” Use testimonials that bring up objections, where customers admit being skeptical. These are the most powerful testimonials out there.
They substantiate your claims.
If you say your super-duper vacuum cleaner can pick up things as large as marbles, and you get people saying that it does, than these type of testimonials are as good as gold. Like you and I, people want to hear that your marketing claims aren’t based in hype. Nothing kills a so-so product quicker than good marketing….and the ability for people to tell anyone on social media.
A good testimonial is comparative. Did your customers try another product that didn’t work before they found yours? You want your visitors to know what your product can do that other products can’t. Testimonials that set your product apart from your competition (even mentioning the name of the competitor) provides that comparison factor that people remember.
But as powerful as testimonials can be, there’s also the time when they’ll not work well…so beware.
They’ll not work well when:
They’re fake.
Once a lie is discovered (and one way or another, it will be…call it business karma), you’re discredited and anything you say from then on just falls on deaf ears.
They’re obviously edited.
People usually provide feedback in a certain way, sometimes wordy or even slightly inarticulate. The more edited, the more businessy, and more “perfect” the testimonial, the more likely the audience may distrust the speaker. Therefore when you find a customer that uses a fresh and genuine language, take full advantage. Also, please don’t exclude a comment or add information you want to hear. As readers, all of us can sense when words have selectively been added or deleted. Anything that sounds vague or cliché can smack of insincerity. Out with the bragging and in with the sincere personal thoughts.
They’re vague.
Vague testimonials that tell the reader almost nothing and lack detail are pretty much not worth posting. You know the one I’m speaking of: “I was really satisfied with your customer service,” or “Your food taste great,” or “Your golf course is the best I’ve played.” Like you, when I read these type of kudos, I’ve learned nothing about why the speaker chose this particular company versus someone else. It’s a good waste of ink.
They’re anonymous (e.g., “Satisfied Member”; P.M. – Scranton, PA).
I don’t know about you, but I just can’t identify closely with these testimonials. It’s not just a matter of trust – though certainly that is a factor – it’s a matter of emotional connection. And while we’re at it, don’t use a customer testimonial without permission.
As I noted earlier, most people would rather act on a referral than make a purchase based on a sales pitch alone because we want to know that the product actually works before we put down money to buy. Just remember, the only thing better than saying the right thing at the right time is when your customers do it for you—and better.
####
Rolf Gutknecht is vice president, director of account services for LA ads. To discuss your thoughts with Rolf on this blog or any marketing matters, email via this link, or visit www.LAadsMarketing.com. You can also connect with Rolf on LinkedIn.
Retail pioneer John Wanamaker was famously quoted “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.” It’s the dilemma of marketers whether they’re in retail or manufacturing, whether they’re spending tens of million dollars a year on marketing or just ten thousand.
As catchy as the quote may be, it’s not really that difficult to parse the answer. After all, there are only two fundamental components to advertising: what you have to say and where (or to whom) you say it. The half most advertisers spend the bulk of their money on is the “where,” which really means the media. So when the advertising results in a resounding thud, all that expensive media gets the blame. I can’t tell you how many times I hear a new client tell us “I’ve run in radio and it doesn’t work” or “We don’t use billboards, that’s a waste of money.”
Gentle readers, here’s the simple truth: if the message is not compelling, you can quadruple your advertising spend and still get dismal results.
Let’s put it in human terms. The guy who’s popular at a big party will be popular at a small party. The guy who’s a bore at black tie gala will put people to sleep standing at a car wash. So, in short, it’s primarily all in the messaging. What you choose to do at this juncture is what will affect everything that follows. So here are some ways to think about making both halves of your advertising dollars work for you:
So, in essence, getting your money’s worth starts at the very beginning, not at the end. Putting the bulk of your focus on messaging, rather than media, will be much more rewarding. Oh, and while we’re at it, D-I-Y is pervasive – but hardly ever persuasive! Try this on for size: open up 5 trade or consumer magazines and tag or cutout 10 ads that stop you in your tracks… ones that convey a strong value proposition, ones that you wish your firm had done! My completely biased but nevertheless absolutely accurate guess is that all 90% of those ads you clipped out were created by a marketing or advertising agency.
Also, don’t substitute hard-core strategic homework for a clever headline. And don’t think that the media selection is wrong when the creative you’re placing in it is what’s sending your audience running in the wrong direction. (I’ve seen humble bus benches create insanely great response when used creatively.)
There. Now you know which half of your advertising needs more of your love.
####
Rolf Gutknecht is vice president, director of account services for LA ads. To discuss your thoughts with Rolf on this blog or any marketing matters, email via this link, or visit www.LAadsMarketing.com. You can also connect with Rolf on LinkedIn.
As a partner in a thriving marketing firm that targets companies with $20-$100 million in annual sales, one of my responsibilities is that of business development. While I learn something in each conversation with people in marketing leadership positions, many times after I hang up the phone, I say to myself, “there’s another one who’s losing sales to their competitors!” Mainly that’s because these folks have adopted some misconception about marketing as the “truth” that they can’t and won’t let go of no matter what. So while they say they’d like their sales to be stronger, their year-over-year sales won’t change much or, in some cases, will decrease from one year to the next.
So, let’s do a quick run-through of 5 most common fallacies that I hear. Hopefully none of these sound as familiar to you as they do to me.
I can grow my sales and “share of pie” with a smaller budget than my competitors
When I hear this, it generally implies two things to me: 1) Either your competitors are wasting a big portion of their marketing budget on initiatives or messaging that doesn’t connect with the customers or, 2) your marketing partners are fantastic because they’re willing to work for less than the average market price in order to do the wonderful work they do…which I have a hard time believing is the case. Oh, and then let’s not forget about the inability of these companies to track how much money the competitor is actually (over) spending on marketing.
The reality is this: if your company is spending a good deal less than the competition, you’re probably not making any significant gains in market share. Yes, there might be a competitor that’s overspending, but my experience working with companies from the Fortune 100 to small mom-and-pops is that you don’t pose a serious competitive threat unless your marketing budget is in the same ballpark with your competition….it’s just one of those “marketing truths.”
Marketing’s role is to generate new business
You’ll get no argument from me that one of the jobs of marketing is to generate new business, directly or indirectly. But just as important, marketing’s role is to make existing customers come back for more, that is making customers loyal to the brand. Many businesses are so focused on attracting new customers that they tend to ignore – or even walk away from – the existing ones. Yes, new customers are constantly needed, but truly successful companies prosper on their ability to retain the customers they’ve already acquired. The reason is simple: finding new customers is expensive and time-consuming. Let the following research statistics wash over you….
New business is always good but don’t forget who’s paying the bills.
We’re looking to be more visible with our customers because it leads to better engagement
Reaching the right balance between quality and frequency of the message requires careful consideration. There is a common belief among some that the more we communicate with our customers, the more “engaged” they will become. In fact, not knowing when to “zip it” is a classic marketing mistake that too many marketing people make. If marketing is about building relationships with customers, over-marketing is the best way to kill the relationship and send the customer or prospect heading for the door. A social engagement study entitled “The Social Breakup” prepared by ExactTarget, provides clear evidence of what happens to customer relationships when the marketer comes on too strong:
Guess the biggest reason people break up with companies? (Drum roll)…Too much marketing. The study showed that:
In short, increasing the frequency of communication shouldn’t be your marketing goal. Constantly improving content quality should be.
We don’t need a marketing firm because we can do it in-house for less
It’s the #1 thing I hear the most. A survey conducted by American Express Canada shows that “84% of small business owners say branding is important to overall business success, but only 14% hire third-party experts to help with branding.” I am not surprised by the results, and I can only guess the reasons: agency expense, the desire to have full control over the creative process, poor prior experience with an agency, or possibly the ability to make changes faster on one’s own. So, instead of looking for an outside marketing partner, many companies decide to hire a “marketing person” who wears many hats: graphic designer, social media specialist, copywriter, etc. Let’s be honest, no marketer can be a specialist in everything, unless the company is willing to cut corners on how it presents itself to the world.
Now please understand, I’m not trying to bash the in-house marketing department as there are a lot of smart and talented people out there working for companies. Rather, my point is this: the right outside marketing partner will bring a focus to the marketing initiatives or project, resulting in faster execution time; will come in with an original point of view – more in line with how your customer will interpret the messaging; develop much fresher creative (no “vanilla” wallpaper stuff that gets passed over, and; deliver a much higher level of production quality. Try this on for size: open up 5 trade or consumer magazines and tag or cutout 10 ads that stop you in your tracks… ones that convey a strong value proposition, ones that you wish your firm had done! My completely biased but nevertheless absolutely accurate guess is that all 90% of those ads you clipped out were created by a marketing or advertising agency.
We’re looking for something beyond traditional marketing because that kind of advertising is dead
The internet is chock full of advice on how your company should abandon traditional “old school” communication methods and make the switch to online. It would seem like TV, print ads, billboards, and radio are dying and not worth considering in the overall communication strategy. Yet, research (and lots of it) say this is an incorrect assumption. I think we can agree that the best marketing communication strategy uses a mix of offline and online tactics to reach the target audience. (Do yourself a favor and visit www.marketingcharts.com and subscribe –it’s free. Here you’ll get daily research updates on a wide range of topics including how traditional channels are preferred over digital depending on the audience.)
While it’s true that more money is shifting towards digital, the traditional marketing channels are still heavily required in many business environments. In fact, when Google started getting serious competition, they started running…wait for it…TV ads! When Dollar Shave Club saw that their growth was limited by only online marketing, they started using those old, traditional channels that have in turn made them a rising star company. When there’s a product launch, a sale or just about any other occasion where you need to reach a mass audience quickly and effectively, there’s still no substitute for paid media…and even the dot-coms know it. Think about this, in 2014, the average cost of a 30-second Super Bowl ad was more than $4 million. No CEO or Marketing Director would ever approve such a budget without taking ROI into account, right?
So as I noted earlier, hopefully none of these sound familiar to you. But if on the other hand you’ve heard or said one of these things in the past, know that a lot of confusion, frustration and unrealistic expectations can be eliminated by seeing the world through a different set of lenses.
####
Rolf Gutknecht is vice president, director of account services for LA ads. To discuss your thoughts with Rolf on this blog or any marketing matters, email via this link, or visit www.LAadsMarketing.com. You can also connect with Rolf on LinkedIn.
As we all know, Pinterest and Instagram have become staples on the social media scene. The right visuals (from photos to quotes to inspirational messages) have great appeal and serve as motivation for many. With that in mind, here are some interesting visuals coupled with some content concerning marketing issues that face marketing teams almost daily as they work towards creating the change in the way people use and interact with their company’s products or services. Short, sweet and fun. Click away! 
The average attention span today is roughly 9 seconds…like that of a goldfish. Nine seconds to communicate a message, earn a little bit of loyalty, build a little bit of trust so you can continue the conversation before your customer starts getting distracted! So what could you possibly say in that time or less to get someone’s attention? It starts with presenting your message in clever and unexpected ways. It grabs people’s attention and has them focusing on the message and not thinking about the other stuff that could come into their mind. They’re engaged and captivated. In doing so, it allows you to persuade them, get them to trust you, get them to believe you, get them to want to connect with you. A shift in perspective from speaking about yourself to speaking from the audience’s point of view can be remarkably effective. Witness a beautiful commercial for a British online content company featuring a blind man whose original cardboard sign talks about himself, “I’m blind. Please help.” But when a caring passer-by changes the words to be more audience-focused, something powerful happens. The symbolism is powerful. To read more, click here.
Social media as a pathway to sales is almost certainly not going to work to the degree you want. There…I said it. While social media can be a valuable marketing tool, it’s not magic and it cannot and won’t replace everything that came before it. There’s no quick success and very few programs break through. Coca-Cola says it can find no correlation between “buzz” on Twitter and actual unit sales. Nissan admits it has no idea if social media helps it shift cars. MasterCard can’t tie its social investment to revenues. Don’t take my word for this. Go online and do your own research and see for yourself. In fact, there remains little evidence social media does anything to boost brands’ bottom lines. So then why use social media at all? The reason is that it is an impactful vehicle for empowering advocacy and we know that’s extremely important for brand health and profitability. Social media, if done right, can capitalize on what brand equity your company has already built up. To read more, click here.
When was the last time you/your marketing team asked the question “I wonder what would happen if we ________.”Crazy ideas have changed the way we go about living our lives. Knowing this, why is it that many marketers still don’t trust the crazy idea when it shows up unexpectedly especially, since crazy ideas, not safe ideas, are the game changers that propel companies forward? In today’s competitive, me-too world, if your product isn’t a legitimate leader in a category, it’s certainly a far better choice to come up with a new value story around your own product or service rather than trying to compete price-wise on the value that was generated by a competitor. You might want to be thinking about a crazy idea that will create a new meaning around your brand. Embrace that mindset so much so that the next time an idea is presented by your marketing department and someone outside of that department says “That’s a crazy idea,” you’ll say, “Thanks, we love it as well!” To read more, click here.
If you want to have passionate customers and dedicated partners, you must first inspire strong responses. But as you attract fans, you’re also bound to get the critics or “Haters.” It’s OK to have some folks (not too many, though) who will not like your brand. The undeniable reality is that if you’re not eliciting a negative response from someone somewhere, then you’re probably not that fascinating to anyone. Think about it, even Apple has Haters as does Starbucks and it hasn’t hurt them. Alternatively, you have the advocates, evangelists, loyalist…the Lovers. They don’t just buy your product or service, they also accept price increases and forgive occasional “issues.” They’re loyal and not just buying your products for price or utility. In the middle are the Lukewarmers. They have a really bad habit of not caring. They won’t buy your product unless it’s the cheapest or most convenient option which means they’re only buying you until a cheaper or more convenient alternative comes around. In today’s marketplace, this middle ground is death!! Not caring is not buying. Not caring is inaction. The world is not changed by people who sort of care or don’t care at all. Stop focusing on the Lukewarmer. Start by having your marketing and advertising be imaginative, original and fresh. To read more, click here.
Having dealt with all sorts of companies and people, I believe the Number One reason for boring “vanilla” marketing messages is the result of trying to please all the people all the time. Fighting the desire to be all things to all people lets you: 1. Stand out from the herd; 2) Attract the like-minded; and 3) Create stronger connections. Vanilla brands might not have enemies, but they also don’t have passionate advocates whose enthusiasm spreads. In order to win the race, you can’t stand still. Vanilla marketing is standing still. To stand out, to be different, to be memorable, takes boldness. It takes being “a real Marketer”. So, however you go about it, stop defaulting to dishing out plain vanilla marketing and start scooping out interesting flavors (think “Cherry Garcia”; “Chubby Hubby”; or “Chunky Monkey”, etc.) that stand out and are uniquely your own. To read more, click here.
So there you have it. 5 visuals that speak to different marketing challenges and opportunities. Maybe these visuals will stick with you for awhile and even change the way that certain projects, campaigns and programs are developed and executed. Seeing is believing.
####
Rolf Gutknecht is vice president, director of account services for LA ads. To discuss your thoughts with Rolf on this blog or any marketing matters, email via this link, or visit www.LAadsMarketing.com. You can also connect with Rolf on LinkedIn.
A few months ago, I came across a post on one of my LinkedIn groups that posed a great question. It’s something we don’t think about everyday as marketers, while we should. It really goes to the heart of what marketing is suppose to do for an organization. The question of which I speak was: Would you buy from your company? In short, given what your company is doing and saying to their audiences, if you were prospective customer and you came across your company for a need that they could fulfill at the level of expectation, would you do business with them? This question, or challenge, is one that is directed to anyone who touches marketing, sales or customer service. It’s a self-exam of sorts because it does mean taking a hard and honest look at the organization.
So, imagine if you will, as a potential customer, you’ve landed at the doorstep of your company as a result of a referral. What are you going to find? What is that experience going to be like? How easy is it going to be? Are your customer-facing team members all on the same page when it comes to understanding what needs to be said and done when it comes to furthering the brand?
If you don’t know, you’d better find out—and sooner rather than later.
The customer experience will determine whether or not you attract and retain customers. If you don’t provide your customers with a superior experience when they do business with you, they won’t stay with you for long. So to make that happen, I would offer up that you do a bit of walking in your customers’ shoes to see first-hand what the customer is exposed to. In some respects, it’s learning about the company in the same way that CEO’s do in the show “Undercover Boss.” It’s a real eye-opener for those C-suite professionals to see what their people encounter on the job and how they respond to the challenges of serving their customers.
Go through every step of the buyer process just as the buyer would. Pick your website apart. Is it easy to navigate? Are the questions you want answered done in human speak or in some type of business babble? Ask for a response to a question. How long does it take for someone to respond? How does it compare to competitors…not just in terms of look but in messaging that the customer wants to hear…not messaging that you want to hear yourself say.
From a SEO perspective, does your website use the same jargon or acronyms your potential customers really use? Are you thinking like your customer before creating content because in this hyper-fast world, prospective customers have the attention span of a goldfish and will immediately shut down or leave if they feel like the content doesn’t resonate with them. How does your social media marketing present your company in ways that say to the prospect “This company sounds interesting. I’ll give them a look-see.”
How does your organization as a whole treat your customers…as valued customers or as dollar signs? Want to find out? Call your company from a phone that won’t identify you and see what happens. How long does it take for your call to be answered? Is it answered by a live person, or are you faced with an endless stream of options—push 1 for company hours, push 2 for company address, push 3 for arming the self-destruct system, and on and on and on?
While you’re at it, ask about a particular product. Ask about a service. Say that you are having a problem with a product you purchased and then sit back and see how employees respond. Are they helpful? Do they respond to your questions in a knowledgeable manner? Do they empathize with you? Do they have the authority to solve your problem, quickly and to your satisfaction? An unwillingness to experience and understand what the customer (prospective and current) is having to deal with makes your marketing messaging meaningless because while you might a shot to get the business, if it’s a dismal failure most anything you say from that point out will fall on deaf ears. So is there a disconnect between your marketing message and the reality of dealing with your company?
With this in mind, here are a couple of questions that might be answered as a result of your efforts. First, are your sales, marketing and customer service departments aligned with one another? As these three groups will be what a prospective customer first sees, it’s critical that you understand what the customer wants to see and hear and then work towards making it easy for customers to get what they need..at time of purchase and afterwards. Second, what are the biggest opportunities to improve the experience? In today’s world, a relationship based on trust trumps product and price. Customers don’t want to do business with companies who only care about selling. They’re looking for a trusted solution provider.
Taking a walk in your customers’ shoes will provide you with some insights to make certain that your customers see your company in a way that will prompt them to want to do business with you…which leads to a happy customer. So, when does your “Undercover Marketing Director” journey begin?
####
Rolf Gutknecht is vice president, director of account services for LA ads. To discuss your thoughts with Rolf on this blog or any marketing matters, email via this link, or visit www.LAadsMarketing.com. You can also connect with Rolf on LinkedIn.
While driving in my car the other day, I was thinking about the recent Mazda TV commercials featuring people that invented something that we commonly use in today’s world. Suddenly, I blurted out something that had me stumped by my own question: “Where do all the crazy breakthrough ideas come from?” And when I say “crazy”, I mean crazy as in unexpected… revolutionary…the WOW kind. Well, after doing some quick online research, it turns out that “formless thought (the stuff that just pops into your head) in a creative mind” is where “crazy” ideas originate from.
Many of the products that we can’t seem to live without today started out as crazy ideas – ask the Wright Brothers or Henry Ford or Bill Gates or Steve Jobs or the “Mazda Guys” like Bill Simpson – inventor of flame-resistant racing suits or Martin Cooper – inventor of the mobile phone. Or Netflix, Costco and so on. At the time, it was stuff that nobody needed or was asking for (maybe because people didn’t see a problem that needed fixing), but once developed, it was just the thing that people were waiting for. And each idea proved to be a big success in the marketplace. These crazy ideas have changed the way we go about living our lives and it all started as a formless thought. Knowing this, why is it that many marketers still don’t trust the crazy idea when it shows up unexpectedly especially, since crazy ideas, not safe ideas, are the game changers that propel companies forward. On the other hand, safe ideas are the ones you can more easily assume will work before it takes form in the world. (Note: That said, I’ve never quite understood the concept of guaranteeing a new idea will take hold in the marketplace before it actually gets produced, introduced and marketed. With so many factors involved in making that happen, who can do that?)
In some ways, I think crazy ideas are like the ancient fire that early humans feared until proven helpful. Once these humans first learned that fire made life a lot easier – from staying warm to cooking meat – the idea spread like wildfire (pun intended) and was widely accepted as necessary for a more comfortable survival and not something to avoid at all costs. I believe crazy ideas are like that as well.
In today’s competitive, me-too world, if your product isn’t a legitimate leader in a category, it’s certainly a far better choice to come up with new value story around your own product or service rather than trying to compete price-wise on the value that was generated by a competitor, right? So, if you do find your company ranked 3, 4 or lower in your industry, you might want to be thinking about a crazy idea that will create a new meaning around your brand. Think of it like a “Blue Ocean” strategy.
Two examples come to mind…LA Gear (athletic shoe brand-late 80’s) and Swatch (watches).
In both of these cases, as their larger competitors were keeping an eye on consumer needs related to performance features, both LA Gear and Swatch had the crazy idea that people, and lots of them, were more interested in how they expressed their own personality and style, and these people were willing to pay more for products that helped them do it. In the minds of the customer, these products functionally did what competitive products did…but these products also spoke to them on another level. And in doing so, these two “crazy” companies each created a new category and a competitive advantage that they had all to themselves.
OK, so now what? Well, from where I sit, if your brand/product/service is to prosper in a world that’s driven by the daily creation of crazy new ideas, your company will need to choose whether their marketing department, and their activities, will operate from a creative platform or competitive platform.
When your company operates from a competitive platform, it can only win by having somebody else lose, similar in look to that of a “Red Ocean” strategy. Here companies try to outperform their rivals to grab a greater share of product or service demand. As a result, crazy ideas that are formless and unproven will be quickly be dismissed in favor of the known and the “proven.” Typically the marketing messaging and activities for companies operating from a competitive platform are uninspiring, forgettable, and 2nd tier level within their specific industries. They’re totally devoid of connecting with the customer on an emotional, human-to-human level in part because BIG data has played a huge role in the product coming to market. These messages don’t even register a blip on your consciousness radar screen…they’re that uninspiring.
Alternatively, if your organization operates on the creative plane, it will have a compelling reason for being. It will develop products that redefine the category, fascinating customers with the unexpected, making competition and pricing (in most cases) irrelevant. It’s the type of organization where people don’t settle for the status quo and find “crazy ways” to fill in the blank part of the question, “I wonder what would happen if we ________.” In the movie rental business, “What would happen if we didn’t charge late fees?” Thus, Netflix. In retail, “What would happen if we sold quality products in larger/bulk quantities at the lowest possible prices?” Viola: Costco. This creative plane is where so-called crazy marketing ideas are constantly brought to the forefront for consideration. Where non-traditional thinking isn’t immediately shot down because it doesn’t conform to the “we just don’t do it that way” type of thinking. It’s where your competitors say “why didn’t we think of doing or saying it that way?”
Let me ask you a question: What will your company innovate or creatively say in 2014 that will differentiate your business by bringing higher value to your customer base? My vote would be to get crazy, to break away from commonplace. Embrace that mindset so much so that the next time an idea is presented by your marketing department and someone outside of that department says “That’s a crazy idea,” you’ll say, “Thanks, we love it as well.”
####
Rolf Gutknecht is vice president, director of account services for LA ads. To discuss your thoughts with Rolf on this blog or any marketing matters, email via this link, or visit www.LAadsMarketing.com. You can also connect with Rolf on LinkedIn.
As I write this, my house is in complete disarray. We have a contractor tearing up my girls’ old bedrooms and converting them into a guestroom and an art studio for my wife. It isn’t pretty…but soon will be. As I walk past the tarp and power tools and stepladders, I’m so appreciative that there are people whom I can call on who know how to do this with an assured and desirable outcome. I use experts to prepare my taxes, to check under my engine, to tell me my cholesterol is too high. I leave the do-it-yourself projects to things that have very low consequences if I screw it up.
Marketing is not a low-consequence endeavor. If it doesn’t succeed, company fortunes and employee livelihoods are at risk. And yet, for too many companies, marketing continues to be a do-it-yourself project.
It doesn’t take an expert to see the results of this by simply flipping through the pages of any newspaper or magazine. Home-made ads are usually the ones you ignore, are plainly designed (or far worse) without style or a fresh point of view. The same goes for websites, Facebook pages, direct mail, radio commercials and company brochures.
D-I-Y is pervasive – but hardly ever persuasive!
We get inquiries all the time from businesses who have been creating their home-made ads and realize that the outcomes haven’t been what they’d wish for. But just as quickly, they pull back, fearful of relinquishing control and suffering sticker shock when they compare the cost of their D-I-Y efforts to professional services. What they’re missing is that by spending money for professional objectivity, expertise and talent, they dramatically increase the chances of their marketing actually having serious bottom-line impact.
The results of making the leap from D-I-Y to seeking out professional help can be dramatic. I’ve seen countless times sizable changes in traffic, sales and inquiries that resulted from putting the marketing in the hands of experts who excel in that craft. That’s how after 20 years, some businesses become overnight successes!
And by “experts,” I’m not talking about letting the shop that designed your banners or flyers design an ad. They’re experts in quick print projects. They’re not a marketing firm or an advertising agency whose portfolio of work comes with recognizable brands; as a result they don’t know how to help you build a long-term competitive position in the marketplace. Nor am I talking about brother Bernie’s kid who took two semesters of computer graphics and makes rock band t-shirt designs.
Every town has ad agencies and marketing firms who can provide you the ideal strategic guidance and talent required to make a difference. As you know, they come in just about every flavor, from one-man shops to multi-floor mega-agencies. Selecting the right company is a matter of chemistry, portfolio, history of success and their desire to win your business. It’s no different than choosing an accountant, contractor or garage mechanic. Price is a factor, but should never be the deciding factor – any more than seeking out the cheapest physician when you’re worried about internal bleeding. (Remember, it’s your company’s life on the line.)
Here are some tips in selecting a marketing provider (or better yet, a marketing partner!):
Just remember, success isn’t about your being able to do everything or know everything. It’s about being able to find the very best resources to complement what you do and know.
That’s why I know when to run to Home Depot myself and when to call on the guys who are ripping out the girls’ closets right about now.
####
Rolf Gutknecht is vice president, director of account services for LA ads. To discuss your thoughts with Rolf on this blog or any marketing matters, email via this link, or visit www.LAadsMarketing.com. You can also connect with Rolf on LinkedIn.
Oh, the wonder of beautifully crafted taglines. Those few strategically selected words that sum up everything your business stands for and what you want your target audience to know about you. They’ve made companies fortunes by telling people what makes them standout in the sea of sameness. Consider FedEx’s brilliant “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.” Nine simple words that tell FedEx buyers precisely what they’re going to get, while simultaneously informing all of its employees what their mission is. What if FedEx’s slogan was “We ship things!”? Would Nike be as successful if it allowed an executive committee to red-pencil “Just do it” into “When you need great shoes”? How would BMW’s vision change if “The Ultimate Driving Machine” became “Our cars are fun to drive!” My point is that these companies didn’t settle for weak platitudes or vague, generalized statements that could have applied to their competitors. Nope, they decided that they weren’t going to settle. Instead standing out and differentiating themselves was business-critical. Can the same be said for your company and its marketing? Do you have a themeline or slogan that makes you stand out? Is it unique and memorable? Or is it mediocre because somewhere down the line, people settled?
Let’s face it, we have a tendency to settle. It’s almost human nature. We settle for something that’s not just quite right, an outfit that isn’t our best look, a job that doesn’t maximize our talents or an ad or website page that’s okay or just “good enough.” While the act of compromise in life, relationships and particularly conflict is an admirable trait, compromise or “settling for” in marketing is a death knell.
You see, the whole point of your marketing activities is to get noticed; get engaged with your audience; and have your work be acted upon to bring in the business. Alternatively, anonymity, swimming in the center of a school of other fish, may be a good survival tactic if you are an anchovy, but it is not a good survival tactic for business. So you have to wonder why so much marketing – and so many marketers – feel the need to play “follow the leader” with respect to marketing trends.
The logic is that if others have done something successfully, you just need to do the same thing. Well, maybe. And then again, maybe not. As we all know, breakthrough products and breakthrough marketing campaigns are not achieved through conformity. Note the word “break” in breakthrough. These are the products and campaigns that break the rules. These are the products and campaigns that use insight, intuition, experience, sensitivity to the marketplace – and arguably the most important thing….courage – to do things differently. To break away from the status quo.
It is certainly true that most companies don’t have that innate insight and courage to be successfully different. We can’t all be like Steve Jobs. But for those are willing to do things differently and well, for those who want their companies to stand out, then the only rule that matters is: You cannot achieve exceptional success through conformity.
To that end, you can have your brand and product/service stand out if you’re willing to take a risk. For starters, ask yourself these three questions:
1. What’s can you say about your company that’s seen as a unique or fresh alternative to your competitors? This can range from the product or service you offer to the way you do business to that of sharing your wisdom. Think beyond the obvious. Dig deeper. Ask yourself a bunch of “So what does that mean?” and “Why would our customer care?” with each answer that’s given.
2. What medium makes the most sense for your brand? The goal is to create a campaign that drives conversation and ultimately revenue. So what imaginative or different ways (to what you’ve been doing) should be explored and implemented. Doing the same thing from one campaign to another, especially given all of the new technological and interesting messaging channels out there, is not only boring but could be seen by management as, well, not a great reflection on yourself.
3. How will you execute your campaign? Don’t risk looking amateurish or wasting time by trying to save money. Engage yourself with people that can help you get to the BIG idea and then help you implement it in a way that you and your executive management team are proud of. You’ll always remember the big successes, while you’ll forget how much money you saved or spent.
Clearly, whether it is investing in advertising, developing a little more creativity, spending the time to follow-up or making the effort to engage with your customers, you can easily elevate your marketing to where it needs to be. Anyways, what progressive marketer wants to settle for second best, or worse, be recognized as mediocre? That doesn’t play well either at the current company or when you need to show your portfolio of work if switching jobs. Instead, risk being brilliant instead.
####
Rolf Gutknecht is vice president, director of account services for LA ads. To discuss your thoughts with Rolf on this blog or any marketing matters, email via this link, or visit www.LAadsMarketing.com. You can also connect with Rolf on LinkedIn.
When I first started out in this crazy world of advertising and marketing, I had a co-worker who had been in the business for a while (think of the show “Mad Men”) who would pass on “things to know” in endless supply. One of those things that I’ve remembered over the years has to do with the difference between knowledge and wisdom. It goes like this: knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing that you shouldn’t put it in a fruit salad. I’ve said this so many times to friends, co-workers, my kids, etc., that I’m surprised I’m still not tired of saying it. But there’s so much truth in it and it applies especially to the discipline of marketing.
As marketing folks, regardless of the industry or size of the firm or marketing department, we’re busy trying to learn as much as we can so as to stay up with the times. And there’s so much to learn. Whether it’s new research telling us about how certain demo groups are behaving towards specific marketing channels, to new online tools, to the best lead-generation software, it’s all coming at us at lightning speed. But we have to remember the need to use good judgment given all of this knowledge. You see knowledge – having specific familiarity or understanding about something – is a bit different than having wisdom – being able to discern or judge what is true, right or lasting. In short, to be wise.
So, while all of this knowledge is important — and it is — we need to know what we can depend on and what is just a fad. What will apply tomorrow after “the next best thing” in marketing has burned out and we’re on to the next “next big thing.” So indulge me in the passing on of some marketing wisdom. Think of it as Marketing “Chicken Soup for Soul,” if you catch my drift.
Marketing wisdom is knowing…
So, when you open up your next Google Alert about a specific marketing subject or if someone from upstairs decides to drop off an industry trade journal with a Post-It note saying “maybe we should try this,” it might be worth remembering “Marketing wisdom is knowing what to put in your fruit salad or keep out of it.”
####
Rolf Gutknecht is vice president, director of account services for LA ads. To discuss your thoughts with Rolf on this blog or any marketing matters, email via this link, or visit www.LAadsMarketing.com. You can also connect with Rolf on LinkedIn.
Imagine if you had some magical warning sound that alerted you before you made a misjudgment or a social faux pas. You know, like you’re about to bet on a bad hand and, HONK!, so you pull back your bet just in time. Or you’re about to give a future employer one of those cool “street” handshakes and, HONK!”, you think better of it. There’s a clever commercial for the Nissan Altima that plays out this funny notion as it promotes a cool new feature on the car: a warning honk that alerts you before you over-inflate your tires.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9xFgyv8BJI]
Now admittedly, we’ve all managed this long without the benefit of an automatic over-inflation warning, but still, it’s pretty cool. And it dramatizes a point that as a marketer you should be asking yourself: What’s the cool feature you have to sell? What do you produce, offer or do that excites your audience and makes them think “Wow!”
This is a pretty ho-hum world we live in and we’ve all seen ads, commercials, websites and Facebook pages up the wazoo. So the challenge of breaking through today means finding the one or two out-of-the-ordinary things people don’t expect or don’t know about you that fascinates them. We all know that to be the all important “Wow Factor.”
In your specific industry, you already know what the baseline of expectations is (quality product, made from quality materials/ingredients, great customer service, affordable prices). That’s just the opening ante that anyone in your business must provide. But where is the Wow that you alone can talk about? That one thing, or series of things, that is not merely unique but deserves an exclamation point in the eyes of your customer.
In books such as Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach To Customer Service, or Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable, the authors write about the need to be remarkable or else become invisible. In your marketing, the same rule applies, that you must find the Wow Factor and express it in a fresh and unexpected manner so that it excites the audience and sets you in a league all your own. That way, it grabs people’s attention and has them focusing on the message and not thinking about the other stuff that might come into their minds. They’re engaged…captivated.
In doing so, you start connecting with your audience on a more intimate level, and that better allows you to persuade them, get them to trust you, get them to believe you, and get them to want to buy from you. So when your competitor tries to pull them away, they’ll stay loyal to you.
Back to the example of the Nissan Altima, the commercial demonstrates that promoting one small but really interesting feature is better than loads of features or bland generalities. That nugget of marketing gold for you might exist in one “small” aspect of your operation but demonstrates everything holographically about the way you do business. Whether it’s some unique characteristic about the what makes up the product (i.e., it doesn’t rust…even when submerged in salt water) or a particular service that you alone are offering (i.e., you’ll return every inquiry within 2 hours), it just needs to be a Wow. Anything short of Wow, whatever it is, will be background noise and nothing more. And if it’s a Wow, no matter how small it is, your marketing can make it big.
It’s time to do some corporate detective work and discover – or develop – your own Wow Factor.
And hey, did I mention the marketing director’s daughter who (HONK!!!!) … oh, never mind.