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Friday, 27 November 2015

13 ways to convince your customer and make the sale


Marketing makes things have a value - often perceived and generally irrational.

It's about persuading people that the things you do, make and sell, really are worth their money, time and thought. Simple, huh?

The reality of producing content which connects with your customers, let alone convinces them that you can meet their needs, is often the biggest stumbling block for marketing people. So, let's get those creative juices flowing, with a few tried and tested ideas for effective content writing.


1. Make your copy answer ‘what's in it for me?’ (me, being your ideal customer)

We know that content has to deliver value, but ultimately it's your customer who decides whether your offering is valuable or not.  It's no longer about you, it's about them.

2. Give people a reason to choose you

In other words, make me care and do it fast.  Content alone is not the magic bullet. Answer questions, solve problems, make them feel cool about themselves and their decision to buy from you - anything that helps justify the spend.  These days we suffer from unlimited choice. Make sure you've earned attention.

3. Answer your readers objections upfront

Sales training is all about objection handling.  Take away the reasons a customer might say no and they'll ultimately say yes.  If only it were that simple and yet, there is a logic here.  If you were to visit your website for the first time, would it be clear what you're offering, how it would help and how much better your world would be once you'd parted with your cash? No?  Then change it.

4. Take away the risk, by including testimonials, referrals and other social proof 

Humans are pack animals.  We like the safety of the herd and even if the recommendation is from Mrs X in an unknown town, companies like Amazon and Ebay have taught us that feedback from strangers is generally more trustworthy than company spin.  In a world of scams, peace of mind is often needed to take the last step.

5. Add authenticity, by telling a true story well

Customers want entertainment, inspiration, education, anything but information.  Forget about listing product features and instead help your customers to care about your offering by making them feel something about your brand.  Tell them why you started your business, what your ethics are, what's your mission? Be real.

6. Help readers justify the purchase to themselves

In a world of hyper aware customers, you need to expect that most of the selling is done ahead of ever hitting your landing page.  Respect the fact that your customers have done their homework. Show them that you know you're not the only solution, by building a strong case for your brand over alternatives and they'll respond to your honesty.

7. Show empathy. Show you understand their pain and how to ease it

To boost your communications you need to be a peer, a good listener, an instant fixer or whatever your customer expects your brand to be.  Craft your copy accordingly.   Companies can no longer be faceless corporations.  We want them to have feelings and personalities and even the dullest companies are out there shaping perceptions (just look at Glaxosmithkline on Pinterest)

8. Build on truths

Start with established facts or widely held beliefs and show how you improve or resolve or eliminate these situations e.g. You know that frustrating moment when you're late for a meeting and realise you've lost your keys - never again with product X ...  We all know the benefits of recycling, but do you know how much you can save by using Y ...

9. Build a community with content that establishes your knowledge and expertise

There's an unwritten 80/20 rule in social media - showcase others, share third party links, collate the best articles for your readers and every once in a while talk about yourself.  Asking users to submit photographs, answer questions, take part in quizzes and the like, is a sure way to generate content and engage with those who are most likely to talk about and buy your product.

10. Paint a picture of their world after they've bought from you

The best public speakers share a big vision with their listeners.  They encourage their audience to go on a journey, helping them to see the benefits in terms of what matters to them.  Visualising what might be and sharing an experience, makes customers feel part of something beyond their everyday life.  The thrill of shopping is mostly emotional.  Help your customers to see a new reality, (with your product) and watch them reach for their wallets.

11. Outline the problems you help your reader avoid

Apathy is an often overlooked competitor.  Most of us don't actually need what we're being sold.  It's up to companies to create reasons to buy and a big motivator to risk averse humans is the ability to address problems even before they occur.  Why else would the insurance industry still exist?

12. List out three things they need to know in order to say yes

Imagine you were selling your product to your neighbour.  What questions would they ask? What would they need to hear, see, experience in order to buy.  The buyers journey is often invisible from inside the company, but asking potential users, either in person or online, provides insights that can make a real difference to your success.

13. Make your point in as many different ways as you can - statistics, images, case studies, links to other articles etc. Reiteration makes your case stronger

To get eyeballs, you need to be personal and relevant, but unless your marketing is one to one, it's hard to decide what personal and relevant looks like.  Marketing in facts, figures and pictures, gives you the best chance to resonate with your audience and makes each piece of content work harder. Create once then repurpose - your audience will thank you.


Writing for the needs of people first, forces you to simplify your ideas, remember

- what do you want readers to do?
- why should they do it?
- how should they do it?
- why should they make the decision right now?

Then all you have to worry about is optimising for search engines, but that's a whole other blog post.


Friday, 13 November 2015

Want more customers? Tools to make you more visual (in 10 minutes or less)


As the days get darker and our attention spans get shorter, more and more Marketers are relying on pictures to tell their stories.

Above it a photo of my lunch (blame it on no nutrition Friday), and although the packaging all looks very normal, it's the last lines, which made me share it. Somebody, somewhere has taken the time to add a bit of humour to the mundane, which in turn has prompted me to share the image. See how it works? A simple visual in an unexpected place was all it took to convey the personality of this fudge maker.

Today there are some great tools available to help you share your brand in words and pictures. Here are some of my favourites.


Canva

I have no tech or design skills which has made Canva my new best friend. The free version is packed with easy to follow tutorials, tips and tricks, to make you a legend in your lunch-hour. Upload your own photos or pay a minimal fee and browse the library of images available. You'll also find layout ideas and guidance on font families to make sure your message reaches your audience, loud and clear.


Flipboard


Equally easy to use, Flipboard lets you create a social magazine in moments. Curate interesting articles relevant to your audience and publish them online to provide instant value. Ipad, iphone and Android users can then view these links as a page turning book, full of glossy images, making it easy for readers to seek out and digest the articles that appeal to them. And since Flipboard users can save their favourites as they go along, there's no end to the long tail appeal.

Pinterest


If you're not using Pinterest yet - where have you been since 2009? Probably the most obvious visual communication tool, it's a feast for the eyes, letting you create virtual pinboards of images taken from anywhere on the internet. Each pin retains the link to its source so you can do more research on your own and image creators get the recognition they deserve. More and more retailers are using Pinterest to showcase their offerings and differentiate themselves from the competition and now that you can purchase directly from pins (at least if you live in the US), this tool can only grow in popularity.

Instagram


With more users than Twitter, Instagram has become the new visual hangout for individuals and businesses alike. The hashtags associated with your photos make your content more searchable and shareable than any other platform and the opportunities to connect and be noticed are huge. Instagram have recently introduced advertising to the mix and while the jury is still out on this one, there's no doubt that Instagram is currently the hottest place for your company to be found.


Visual.ly


Here it's all about infographics and data visualization (word clouds), to help you create something visually pleasing from the cold hard facts. Infogr.am is another infographic maker worth considering in this space. Rather than wrestle with an excel spreadsheet or a three page definition of what something means, make a picture - your readers will thank you by sharing your insights.


Quozio


Turn your quotes into works of art, via this simple but clever little tool. Inside you'll find a variety of templates, fonts and colour ways to help you express yourself. Just type in your words and see them take on a whole new look. Great for jazzing up your presentations.


PicMonkey


Easy photo editing to make you look like a Photoshop genius. From little touch up to transformations, unique visual content can be yours in no time. There are lots of similar photo manipulation tools out there, but PicMonkey and BeFunky are good, intuitive starting points. Try both and see which feels most natural to you, then go, create.


Unsplash


In the spirit of the collaborative economy, Unsplash provides regularly updated, free to download photos for every occasion. So much more interesting than standard stock imagery, it can instantly change the look and feel of your content, especially if you use it in conjunction with one of the photo manipulation tools.


With so many free or relatively cheap routes open to us, even those lacking in artistic flair can get themselves seen. Which tools would you recommend?



Friday, 6 November 2015

Trust - The Foundation of Great Marketing


T
Tune in.
Who cares about your business?

Be specific about your niche.
Prioritise 3-5 groups who really need you.
Find out who or what influences these groups today (hint - search via social media)
Look at what your competitors are doing - your customers have choices ...


R
Reassure.
Do your customers know your brand?

Be consistent in imagery, colours and typefaces.
Choose a tone which resonates with the groups you'd like to attract.
Make sure you're recognisable both off and online.
Optimise your marketing for search.
Make your content shareworthy.


U
Understand.
Why do/would customers buy from you?

What do your audiences want and need?
Which problems do you help them to solve?
What does your customer consider to be valuable?
Remember, it's not about you, it's about them.


S
Stand for something.
What makes you different?

What one trait do you want your business to be known for?
Does your message resonate with the groups you're selling to?
Does your product/service/store live up to your brand claims?
Give your brand a personality.
People buy from people.


T
Timeline.
Plan to make an impact.

Know what you're trying to achieve.
Build a content calendar to check progress.
Always be transparent and responsive.
Educate, collaborate, entertain and inform.
Think of it as a conversation rather than speed dating.