Branding

Marketing insights question: What’s your legacy sentence?

December 28, 2011

What’s your legacy sentence?

Over the next few weeks, as we head towards 2012, I want to get you thinking about your business in a new/fresh way.  I’m going to ask a single question in each post — but I’m warning you, these aren’t slam dunk questions.

I’m hopeful that as you ponder my question — it will give you some ideas for making 2012 a break out year for your organization.  If nothing else — this exercise should fine tune some of your marketing efforts.

What’s your legacy sentence?   If a customer/potential buyer was going to describe your business in a single statement, what would it be?  Imagine yourself at a networking event and someone says…what do you do?

You can either say, “I’m a financial planner” or you could say, “I help women in transition get on firm financial footing.”

The first option tells me your profession.  The second tells me 1) who you serve, 2) how you add value, 3) what to ask you next (as opposed to just saying, “oh, that’s nice.”)

Which one would you want people to repeat as they introduce you to someone new?

Whether you’re talking about your personal brand/reputation or your company’s reputation — the rule is the same.  You need a single sentence.  Mary Stier wrote a blog post about this and she quoted Dan Pink‘s book Drive, saying:

“In 1962, Clare Boothe Luce, one of the first women to serve in the U.S. Congress, offered some advice to President John F. Kennedy. ‘A great man,’ she told him, ‘is a sentence.’

Abraham Lincoln’s sentence was: “He preserved the union and freed slaves.”  Franklin Roosevelt’s was ”He lifted us out of the Great Depression and helped us win a world war.”

Luce was worried that Kennedy’s attention had been splintered and he wouldn’t be able to solidify the nation’s definition of his presidency.

How about you?  Are you marketing messages laser pointed to a single sentence or are they scattered all over your features, benefits and copy hyperbole?

What single sentence can you use in person, on your marketing materials, in sales proposals, and in all of your sign offs and signatures?

 

Stock photo courtesy of BigStockPhoto.com

More

What Josh Groban can teach us about marketing

November 7, 2011

Josh Groban, the master marketer

If you also follow me on Twitter or Facebook — odds are you know that I have an 18 year old daughter who loves Josh Groban and his music.

This past summer was all about Josh for the McLellans.  We saw his concert in 3 different states, culminating in front row seats, backstage passes (see the picture of my daughter and Josh) and him wearing a t-shirt that she gave him on stage during the encore.

I tell you all of this because as we’ve done our family Josh Groban deep dive, I couldn’t help but notice something:

Josh Groban is a brilliant marketer.

You may not like his music (seriously, what’s not to like?) but you can take emulate his marketing prowess, no matter what you sell.

He has build a solid marketing foundation: Josh has all the usual things you’d expect a singing sensation to have these days.  A robust website, an active fan club, lots of Josh Groban personalized items (Yes, we do have a pair of Josh Groban flip flops at our house), and plenty of ticket giveaways on radio stations etc.

Lesson for us: While the marketing foundation might not be sexy — it’s necessary.  You can’t start off in the middle.  Build a rock solid foundation and then grow from there.

He gives his best customers exclusive content/access: He gives fan club members exclusive access to front row seats.  He also offers $25 tickets for all students at every show, which is not advertising anywhere but on his fan page.

For every concert, he selects one local fan club member to be his “road reporter.”  That person gets back stage passes, a press pass (to sit with the media during the concert and have special photo taking opportunities) and gets to write a review of the concert — which is posted on Josh’s website.  As you can imagine…every road reporter includes the photo of themselves with Josh.  Do you think that drives some traffic to the page?

Lessons for us: Rewarding your best customers transforms them into fans.  Fans who brag and spread the word.   That’s marketing you can’t buy, but you sure can influence and encourage.

He uses social media to be a real human being, not a robot: His tweets are his own and often, not about his music or singing.  (One that amused me was when he was trying to imitate the sound of a train)   He hosts webinar/chats with his fan club members and he really does just hang out and talk with them.

He does some crazy stuff on YouTube like this cooking show video.  He also did a couple where he interviews himself.  He’s goofy.  Which makes him very real and very likable.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFMMRJ9K5u0[/youtube]

Lessons for us: I don’t care if you’re a huge brand like Nike or a local shopkeeper — people want you to be real.  They want to like you.  But they can’t do that if you hide behind corporate speak or “official statements.”

He shows his heart: Josh launched a foundation years ago, but really has sharpened the focus of it to raise money for arts organizations for kids.  It might be a youth symphony, buying instruments for a disadvantaged elementary school or a theatre camp.  At every concert, he talks about his Find Your Light Foundation, offers his fans a chance to text in a donation and introduces a group of kids from that local city who are benefiting from those donations.  It’s all very nicely handled.

Lessons for us: Your customers want to know that you stand for something.  And if you truly show them your heart, they’ll join you in the fight.  Look at what Avon has done for breast cancer.  That’s not the company doing it — it’s their loyal customers.  Who are even more loyal because they share a passion now.

Bottom line — if a 30+ year old singer can launch a marketing tsunami mostly through gile and technology — so can you.  What Josh reminds us is — if it’s real, people gravitate towards it.

Thanks for the lessons Josh…and for the summer that will live in Mclellan infamy!

 

More

What can the average Joe learn from Steve Jobs?

October 10, 2011

I can’t remember a world mourning the loss of a business leader like we’ve witnessed this past week after the announcement of Steve Job’s death.  The fact that FEEL the loss, that we GRIEVE this man’s passing and that we WORRY that no one can take his place tells you something.

What other business leader do you have genuine feelings for?  What other CEO’s speech did you search for on YouTube?  For me, the answer is no one.

As I read, watched and listened to the many eulogies and memorials written for Steve, I kept thinking — but how does who and what Steve Jobs was all about relate to you and me?

Odds are, we aren’t going to work for a company like Apple.  We aren’t going to bring products to market that literally re-define the category.  We aren’t going to have hundreds of thousands of people downloading our “state of the company” addresses.

So what’s the take away?  Other than loving our Apple products and marveling at how they’ve changed our behaviors and habits — how can we emulate the legacy of Steve Jobs when we’re just average Joes?

I believe that Steve Jobs was genuine and that he would have been the same Steve Jobs had he run a hardware store or worked in obscurity for his lifetime.  Here’s what I think he would have been like, no matter what, and what you and I can strive for:

He believed with his whole heart in what he was doing: There were plenty of naysayers and we all seem to forget that Steve and Apple had a falling out.  But he believed in it to his core.  He believed in it enough to go back and try again.

How about you?  Do you believe in your product/service to that degree?  If the company fired you…. would you fight to get back there to finish what you started?

He understood the power of simplicity: Whether it was a speech or a product, Jobs boiled things down to the essential and then made it easy for us to grasp.  He didn’t blather on — he told us a story that led to one core message that we could remember and re-tell.

Take a look at your website, your brochures, your sales proposals and your presentations.  Are you trying to shove five pounds worth of information and bullet points into a one pound bag?  At a glance… could I tell you the most important takeaway?

He knew you couldn’t fake it long term: The man was who he was, warts and all.  He didn’t try to be anything different.  He knew he couldn’t sustain it.  He didn’t wear ties because a meeting was important.  He didn’t hide his giddiness over a new product because it would be unprofessional.  He wore his heart on his sleeve because he understood that for many people — he was the brand.  And brands are all about consistency and trust.

If I visit your office, your website or your home — do I see the same person?  Do I recognize the same values and beliefs?  Even if you don’t own the joint — surely you want to work for a company that shares your values, don’t you?  Do you not allow your business contacts to be Facebook friends because they might see something you don’t want them to?

He understood marketing: Watch this very old and so so quality video as a very young Steve Jobs talks about marketing and brands.  He got it.  I think much of his success can be tied to his understanding that every company, big or small, needs to stand for something.

If you asked your clients what your company was all about — would they list what you sell or would they talk about what you believe?  (Email subscribers — click here to watch the video)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmG9jzCHtSQ&feature=channel_video_title[/youtube]

No matter what you do — you can bring a little of Steve’s heart and business acumen to your work.

Godspeed Steve Jobs — thanks for reminding all of us how it should be done.

HT to our friends at brand dna for reminding me that this video was worth sharing.

Related articles

• Steve Jobs: 11 Acts Of Vision (informationweek.com)
• What I Learned From Steve Jobs (myventurepad.com)

More

Are you a speed and sputter marketer?

September 30, 2011

Are you guilty of speed and sputter marketing?

I do a lot of driving.  Between work, providing my mom (3.5 hours away) with computer support and fetching my daughter every so often at college (2 hours away) — I’m on the road quite a bit.

I found myself wondering if I’d make better time if I used my cruise control on those longer drives so I decided to experiment with it.  (I know, I’m a wild man!)

I set the cruise 5 miles over the speed limit, which if you’ve driven with me, you’ll know is a little slower than I tend to drive.  So I thought it would take me longer to get to my destination.

Long story short — I definitely shortened my drive time when I used the cruise as opposed to me manually controlling the speed of my vehicle.

It makes sense — it’s easy to get distracted by other cars, something along the side of the road, the book on CD I’m listening to, a phone conversation etc.  And if nothing else, no doubt my speed is varying throughout the journey.

But with the cruise on — I’m absolutely consistent and incredibly steady.  It turns out – that’s the winning combination in terms of making good time.

Since this isn’t a car blog, you’re probably wondering why I’m sharing.  Well — it occurred to me that the same is true of marketing.

Most companies are speed and sputter marketers.  They get a great idea, have a lot of energy around it and blast it off.  But then they get busy and things get stalled.  That monthly enewsletter becomes a sort of quarterly piece.  The print ad series never actually runs.  And the customer survey is drafted or even deployed but no one got around to crunching the numbers.

Their marketing success is very hit or miss and is greatly influenced by lots of outside factors.  There’s no consistency.  And as we’ve talked about before — consistency breeds trust which is what leads to a sale.  (I know, like and trust you)

But if your marketing is on cruise control — that is to say there’s a process that keeps chugging along no matter how busy you are — your consistency will speak volumes.  You will be able to take advantage of the DRIP method of marketing that allows you to just keep a nice, steady stream of connectivity and relevant communication out there — tethering you and your audience to each other.

I can hear you now — how can we do that?  If it was easy, we’d never speed and then sputter.  I’ve got some ideas around that so stay tuned next week.

But for today — think about how your marketing/company is perceived when you stop and start all the time.  Is that who you want to be?

 

More

Is your business really different?

September 25, 2011

It may be the greatest of all business cliches — you have to differentiate yourself.  I’ve said it myself more than once.  While it is certainly true… many businesses struggle with how to bring the idea to life.

And even when a business believes they have achieved that level of uniqueness — their customers can’t see or describe the difference.

Many marketing books push you to be different but very few tell you how.

That’s what’s fascinating about Youngme Moon’s best selling book Different. (click here to buy it*) It was just released in paperback and I finally got around to reading it.

The book’s basic premise is that we humans subscribe to a herd mentality and tend to categorize everything into little boxes.  Which is originally unique is quickly copied and becomes the norm.

So, if that’s how we are wired — how do we ever truly stand out from our competition?

Moon offers three ways to disrupt this herding pattern.

Reversal: The first way to be different is to use the “reversal” concept. Back when you hadn’t yet heard of Google, the online portal kingpin was Yahoo. Yahoo’s home page was crammed with news, stats, photos and links.

If you wanted to compete with them — you’d most likely be trying to fit even more features on your homepage, not less. That’s how things were done. But Google decided to look at it in a new way. They completely redesigned the search engine experience for billions around the world by having nothing on the home page but the search box.

They reversed the norm.

Breakaway: What breakaway brands do better than anybody else is leverage this fact by asking you to replace one mental model with another.

Kimberley-Clark created an entirely new marketplace by creating the “Pull-Up”. It’s a cross between underwear and a diaper. It’s still just a diaper put on a different way. But they completely remove the stigma of wearing diapers past the age two, and parents are now routinely keeping the kids in these “Pull-Ups” beyond the age of four.

Hostile: This method takes some courage.  It’s basically when a brand takes its most significant weakness and accents it.  A hostile brand  “doesn’t lay down the welcome mat, they lay down a gauntlet.”

It isn’t marketing, it’s anti-marketing. Mini is the perfect example of this. It took it’s biggest possible wart, and made it even bigger. All of its advertising seems to say “it’s even smaller than you think.” In one famous example of this type of branding executed flawlessly, Mini put one of its cars on top of an SUV and drove it around a busy downtown core for all to see. Where you were used to seeing a ski rack, you saw an entire car.

The book has plenty of examples to learn from and will definitely get you thinking about your organization in a new way.  It’s well worth the read.

*Yup, an affiliate link.

More

Customer service case study from Jeff the cabbie

September 18, 2011

… meet Jeff the marketing professor!

From on outset, I knew this was going to be a different sort of cab ride.  I walked out of the hotel and just like it has happened hundreds of times before…magically, the taxi appeared.

But from that moment on, it wasn’t a ride, it was an experience!

The bellman put my suitcase in the trunk as I got into the back seat.  The driver immediately turned around in his seat and extended his hand.  As we shook hands, he introduced himself and asked what kind of music I liked.

I told him to surprise me and he suggested some Carlos Santana because “you can’t help but feel joyful if you’re listening to Santana.”

As we headed towards the airport — my marketing lesson continued.  Jeff got a call (like cab drivers always do) but quickly told his wife he had to go because he was chatting with his new friend Drew.

He proudly pointed out to me that his taxi was a Lincoln Town Car and as I commented on how the leather glistened, he explained that he wipes down the interior a few times a day to keep it like new.

In the course of the conversation he gave me  his business card with his cell phone number on it.  He invited me to call and pre-schedule with him next time I was in St. Louis.  He told me that most of his fares were by referral or repeat business.  I’m not surprised.

When we got to the airport, he not only got my bag out of the trunk, but he carried it to the airport’s door.  We said goodbye with another handshake.

I bet it won’t surprise you that he received more than a healthy tip from me.  And I suspect that’s the case with most of his fares.

What are the takeaways from Professor Jeff?

People do business the people: It’s hard to imagine a less random choice than hailing a cab.  Whoever is first in line is who you choose.  But Jeff made sure he wasn’t some random cabbie to me.  He went out of his way to become a person — and a person I liked.  Next time I am headed to St. Louis, I will be calling Jeff.

It’s all about the customer: Jeff made me feel like he actually cared that I was in his cab.  He called me by my name.  He didn’t talk on his cell phone but instead, stayed engaged with me.  He invited me to partake in the music selection and we chatted for the entire 30 minute drive.

Appearances do matter: His cab was immaculate, inside and out.  He was dressed neatly and he had a warm and genuine smile on his face.  You honestly couldn’t help but enjoy doing business with him.

I’d bet that Jeff never took a single marketing course. (He was a cop for 25 years before becoming a cab driver) He probably doesn’t have a brand manual, a tagline or a company vision statement.

But he understood customer service better than many companies that have all three.

And if you’re ever headed to St. Louis, let me know.  I’ll hook you up with my buddy Jeff, so you can get some marketing schooling!

More

Is social media right for your business?

September 10, 2011

…is social media right for your business?

There are a lot of social media “experts” out there who will tell you that every single organization on the globe should be participating in social media.  They will point to the cool Facebook fan pages they’ve made or the funny videos their clients have on YouTube and say “see, you can do this too.”  And they’re right.  You can.

The question is:  Should you?

The real answer to that question is “it depends.”  It depends on whether or not it can do one of two things.

1. Save you money
2. Make you money

If it isn’t going to accomplish one of those two goals, then you have no business engaging in it.  Why?

Participating in social media is expensive.  I know everyone talks about how cheap it is…but that’s because they are not thinking like a business owner.  They’re thinking like someone who knows how to open a YouTube channel account or sign you up on Twitter.   It’s true, creating an account on many of the tools and networks is free.  But that’s where free ends.

To integrate social media into the rest of your marketing, which is an absolute if you want to consider it a business tool, you are going to have to expend some resources.  Social media requires care and feeding.  It requires brand integration.  And it requires a well-conceived strategy.  All of those are going to cost time and money.

Don’t misunderstand.  I believe in the power and reach of social media and most of our agency’s clients are using social media tools as part of their overall marketing strategy, but I am not bullish on the belief du jour that everyone must do it and it’s free.  Neither is true.

Here are twenty questions to ask yourself as you consider melding social media into your existing marketing strategy.

How will it save us money?

1. Will it allow us to stop doing something we’re currently doing?
2. Will it allow us to extend/expand something we are currently doing?
3. Will it lower our customer acquisition costs?
4. Will it connect us to existing customers in an efficient way?
5. Will we be able to use social media to create a community specifically for our customers?
6. Will it be easier for our customers to rave about us/create positive word of mouth?
7. Do we look behind the times to our customers if we aren’t there?
8. Will it introduce us to new potential customers at a low lead generation cost?
9. Will it make us more findable (either within the social network or on search engines)?
10. Will it impact our search engine results? (so we don’t have to buy results)

How will it make us money?

1. Will it shorten our sales cycle?
2. Will it create credibility/trust faster among prospects?
3. Can we establish ourselves as the expert?
4. Will it shorten customer service response time?
5. Will it create a sense of accessibility for our customers?
6. Will it increase trial of our product/service?
7. Will it allow us to connect with more prospects at once?
8. Will it increase repeat buying?
9. Will it increase up sells?
10. Can we collect/use testimonials?

If the answers to those questions indicates that social media would be a smart investment for your company to make, then you should be there.  But now you will enter into it knowing that there’s a return for that investment.

Now we’re talking smart marketing, not marketing hype.

 

More

Content marketing playbook

August 22, 2011

...get a playbook to help you create content that matters

The idea of creating content to establish your expertise, influence the search engines and create a community has been an evolution of one of the oldest marketing tactics out there — sampling.

If I share with you what I know and you learn from it, value it, want more — then in theory, you’ll eventually move from the sample table to the real deal and hire me to give you the full benefit of my expertise.

In the good old days, we might have done that through demonstrations, speaking at conferences or printed newsletters.  (All still viable methods, by the way).

But today — we have lots of new avenues, thanks to digital media and our ability to produce and publish content in a much wider variety of ways.

Every year or so, the Content Marketing Institute (brainchild of Joe Pulizzi) puts out a very informative ebook that outlines some of the best and most effective ways to create content that will connect you with customers.

The best thing about this ebook is that it’s loaded with examples that you can study, learn from and of course, adapt to work in your marketplace.

The 2011 version is out and you can download it absolutely free by clicking right here.

 

More

You need a smaller net

August 15, 2011

 

…are you fishing with too big a net?

Fear can make us take our eye off the ball and lose focus on what really matters.  In marketing, that often translates to these sorts of mistakes:

• I’m afraid this is the only ad/website/sales letter they’ll ever see so I need to cram everything I can into it.
• I’m afraid they’ll choose someone else so I’ll lower our price, even though my price is fair.
• I’m afraid we won’t have enough customers, so I’ll chase everyone that breathes.

I must admit, I get on my soapbox about this one.  One of the best things about smart branding is that it repels the wrong customers.  People who are not a good fit.

Every business has a “right fit” customer and those are the only people you should be actively pursuing.  Why would you want to win a new customer only to deliver at a so so level.

You can rock the socks off the “right fit” customers.  They’ll brag about you to their friends.  And you’ll love working with them.  Stop being content with anything you can catch in that big net of yours.  Go get a smaller net and chase after just the right fits.

Need more convincing?  I got this note on Facebook the other day from Sherry Borzo, a business woman I know here in Des Moines.

“Must tell you, because I’m pretty sure you were the one who said it so often in my presence a few years ago, but I truly GET the idea of working only with your ideal customer. It makes for a much happier environment for both business person and customer. It is like you’re building your own little community. So important. Always think of you saying that when I’m working with a customer that fits well with what I do.”

Amen to that!  Toss that big old net in the garbage and begin catching your right fit customers.

More

You’ve got a bird in your hand. Now what?

August 8, 2011

 

… Do you value what you already have?

Like the old idiom goes…a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.  I’d argue, when the bird is a customer, the ratio is even greater.

For years, at the risk of preaching, I have been banging on the idea that we spend way too much time and energy chasing after potential customers and way too little time and energy romancing (and creating a love affair) our current customers.

I’ve pushed on the idea that our math is all backwards.  It’s cheaper and easier to get more (and more profitable) business from our existing clients — and yet, our “new business” efforts are always aimed at strangers, rather than those friendly, pre-disposed to love us customers.

Which is why I’ve always enjoyed and respected Becky Carroll and her blog Customers Rock.  Becky is an Age of Conversation author and a huge believer in the power of treating customers like gold.

So when Becky emailed me and asked if I would read her new book The Hidden Power of Your Customers (click here to buy*) I have to admit — I already knew I would like it.  Because I knew it would tout the importance of creating love affairs with your customers.

I just finished it — and wanted to share it with you.  As I suspected, Becky spends time making the points that I’ve  made above.  But the lion’s share of the book is spent showing readers HOW to cultivate and celebrate their current customers.  Becky teaches us the how using the acronym ROCK.

R = relevant marketing. This is all about talking to your customers how and when and where they want it.  Which, of course, means you need to listen/ask them.

O = orchestrated customer experiences. Brilliant companies are very purposeful in crafting customer experiences that deliver delight and marvel their most valuable clients.  It doesn’t happen by accident.

C = customer focused culture. I don’t care how smart or insightful a leader you are — if honoring your customer isn’t baked into your organization’s culture… it won’t happen.

K = killer customer service. This is all about consistency. (as you know, one of the cornerstones to good marketing)  When your brand and values are woven into your organization’s culture…. your entire team is able to deliver incredible customer-centric service, regardless of circumstance.

One of the best aspects of this book is the collection of case studies.  Becky went beyond the usual suspects and tells tales of customer loving companies like Nicor National, Salon Radius and Sanuk.  (Nope, I’d never heard of any of them either!)  The fresh stories add a depth that other books are missing.  However, no book on treating customers can leave out stories from Disney and you’ll enjoy those as well!

If you want to build an organization that truly treats its current customers as a precious commodity — this book will serve as a valuable guide to making it so.

Check it out and let me know what changes the book inspired.

 

*Yup, it’s an affiliate link and I was sent a copy of the book by Wiley. However…as you know, I get 4 or 5 books a week.  I only recommend the ones I genuinely believe you’ll value and enjoy.

 

More