Marketing tips from unlikely sources - Father Christmas

It’s that time of year again.

That slightly manic, tinsel filled, calorie-fest that has us clapping with glee or longing for hibernation. Either way, it’s hard to escape the signs of Christmas – decorated trees, twinkling lights and the universally jolly figure of Santa Claus.

Who knew that timeless, present bringing character, was actually a black belt marketer ...

St. Nicolas? Father Christmas? Santa Claus? – think local, act global

No matter what he's called, he's globally recognized.  Across much of the planet you'll find a variation on the theme of Father Christmas, with a story to match, usually something country specific and always relevant to the present givers and getters.

• Your brand needs to be consistent in fonts, imagery, colour and tone if your customers are going to notice and more importantly recognise and remember you 
• Create a story for them.  Make it simple and easy to share 
• Be in tune with your local market.  What do they want and need?

Ho Ho Ho

Father Christmas the brand, stands for something. Ask any child who Santa Claus is and they’ll immediately talk of gifts and happiness and good things (although the odd few may be terrified).

• Do people have an emotional connection to your brand?  
• Which images spring to mind when they think about your company?
• Does your business have a personality which appeals to the audience it's trying to attract?

Santa Claus is everywhere

He’s on Christmas cards, you can visit him in stores and he can even send you a personalised video from the north pole.  Decades may pass, but Father Christmas has evolved to stay relevant to each new generation and makes sure you can find him wherever you look, throughout December and worryingly beyond.  He rocks omnichannel!

• Make sure your customers can find you wherever they currently look for information (across social media, in print and in person)
• Partner with other brands and influencers to increase your reach 
• Be involved with relevant third parties, to show your understanding of the market and the choices your customers face

He only visits once a year

I swear I heard sleigh bells every Christmas eve, when I was a child. Anticipation is a big part of any experience and having to wait all year to see if you get what’s on your list, is quite a build up.

In this age of instant everything, making your customers wait is no bad thing, as long as you deliver something of value (in their terms) at the end of it.

• Have you mapped your buyers journey from information gathering to sale?
• Do you know how long your typical sales cycle is?
• Does every part of your sales process, reinforce your brands reputation (for better or worse)?

He’s going to find out who’s naughty or nice

Santa Claus knows his customers and doesn’t treat them all the same way.

• With free analytics there are no excuses for not knowing your audience 
• Use social media to eavesdrop on topics, conversations and ideas
• We all want personal service and having a real customer relationship always pays dividends

Santa delivers on his promises

Year after year those wonderful Elfs hit the mark in fulfilling requests. Santa always delivers - supplying what was asked for, on time and to schedule.  It’s why his brand is trusted and his followers are loyal.  It probably also helps that Santa’s main audience is unlikely to call north pole customer service if things go wrong.

The magic that changes buyers into loyal customers, happens when they experience your product.

• Does it live up to expectations?  
• Do you make buyers feel so great about spending their money with you that they immediately join your marketing team in spreading the word to friends and family?  
• Delight your customers, exceed their expectations, not just once a year, but every time and watch your fan base grow

Best kept secret

There are various accounts of how this Christmas figure came into being, but ultimately he was created to capture imagination and unite an audience in the big conspiracy.

Surely there is no greater form of customer engagement than participation.  The success of projects like Kickstarter reinforce our need to feel involved and our love of supporting ideas that resonate with our own ideal world.

• How do you make customers feel like they belong to your brand?
• What could you do to keep your company in the customers mind, after the initial sale?
• Humans love best kept secrets and find it difficult to keep them - tap into these traits 

Merry Christmas!

P.S. The festive dachshund of joy is my dog Walnut paying homage. Hat models own.

36 tips you need to follow from the Content Marketing Academy Conference

TCMA 2016 The Hub, Edinburgh

Earlier this month, I was lucky enough to attend TCMA 2016, a two day event bringing together the great and the good of content marketing from around the globe.  I could blog for years on the people who attended and the inspiration they provided, but I'll start with some tips worth remembering.

1. Being consistent in the content you create makes you unique, builds credibility and ultimately trust

2. Choose how you communicate to attract the audience who need you most

3. Spend more time thinking about how you'll distribute your content once it's produced

4. Create content that addresses problems with solutions, painpoints with remedies, questions with answers and rituals with ideas

5. Use predictive search to see what mainstream searchers are looking for.  It shows demand and gives insight

6. Have a goal for every piece of marketing you create

7. When you make a video, treat the viewer like they've been a friend for years

8. Aim for visually pleasing on Facebook - the initial image will attract a viewer to watch more

9. Make the first couple of words in any content reiterate the search that brought visitors to it

10. Be transparent

11. Create Ebooks

12. Become the wikipedia for your industry

13. Commit to creating regular new content for your website and do it

14. Think about the words your audience might use in a google search and make your titles fit

15. Always tell people what they should do next.  No call to action = no action.

16. Invest in good images and design.  Perception is everything

17. Share every piece of content multiple times, in different formats for each platform

18. Hone your skills to do the right things in the most efficient way possible

19. Build a team around you to do specific tasks, so you're open to opportunities

20. Try running webinars - an hour builds trust and speeds the time to sale

21. You are not your customer.  Serve your audience

22. Inject your personality to educate, entertain and inspire your audience

23. Don't sell the thing, sell the dream

24. The biggest missed opportunity is playing it safe

25. Engaging content is far more about brains than budget - show your passion

26. Be bigger, be bolder and aim for fanatical fans

27. Think like a teacher to deliver value (in your audiences terms)

28. Strategy is the plumbing of content marketing - where do you want to go?

29. Make life easier and you'll gain customers.  Walk in their shoes.

30. Look for and dominate an unsaturated niche

31. Have an aggressive keywords strategy so Google only looks at you

32. Know who shares your content most and work on delighting them

33. 'I will never let you down' is a differentiator

34. It can take 3 to 5 years to create the awareness that results in sales - aim for reliable reach

35. User generated content is gold

36. Make your brand human

Ready? Go!

Write to be read - what are you saying?!

They could have written no smoking in capital letters on an A5 card by the bedside.

They could have put a sticker on the back of the door with the familiar anti-puff sign.

It might have featured on the room key.

Instead, this hotel, turned a boring ‘thou shalt not’ into a humorous note, conveying what they need to, but in a way that also shows their personality and reinforces your choice of accommodation in the first place.

With so much information bombarding us every day, it's easy to ignore the details, dismissing the little things like the no smoking sign, rather than seeing it for the fantastic marketing tool that it is.   Today I challenge you to look at the supposedly insignificant things that could add weight to your sell. Are they helpful, do then entertain or somehow emotionally appeal to your audience?  Would anyone ever be inspired to blog about them?

This same hotel lobby bathroom -

I'd love to see your examples of great communication.

Are You Speaking Your Customers Language?

Knowing the "voice of the customer" is marketing speak for

a) understanding who buys your products
b) gathering, interpreting and using customer intelligence
c) talking benefits rather than features
d) all of the above

Unsurprisingly, the answer is d) all of the above, but the ad below shows that you could of course, just take the term literally.

Who cares?

A survey by MarketingProfs found that just over half (56%) of the companies who took part, thought they had a clear understanding of their customers tastes and needs, which means that almost the same number do not. It's this vague understanding of who to market to, that results in all those wasted marketing budgets.

One mouth and two ears

Despite the logic that we should be listening twice as much as we speak, hearing what customers have to say is often way down on the priority list, unless you're a completely customer centric organisation like Zappos.

The majority of companies ask their audiences for feedback via focus groups, surveys etc. Some are even clever enough to add customer service (a.k.a. complaints) to the mix, and while this is listening, it tends to be a rather misleading snapshot in time.

Make it social

Social media now gives everyone a constant, two way chance to speak, (or at least type) and be heard.  No matter what size your business is, it's easier than every before to know what your customer thinks, feels and cares about.

My favourite and free tools for this job are

• SocialMention - monitoring over a hundred social media sites, Social Mention interprets how the world is feeling about a particular word, phrase, industry etc. in terms of strength, sentiment, passion and reach of those currently contributing. 
• Twazzup - one for Twitter lovers, this little tool is a mine of information, including top influencers, retweets, link sharing and best associated keywords for your search. 
• Addictomatic - similar to Twazzup but with a longer reach, since this monitors across platforms such as YouTube, Flickr and Delicious.
• IceRocket - pulls in FaceBook, Twitter and blog coverage and has the nifty advantage of scanning across languages, so international rantings won't be missed.
• Google Search By Image - image based, you can now start your search for what customers might associate with a particular photograph to help you rethink keywords, web links and overall communications.

You might not always like what you hear, but knowing what's being said, at least lets you join the conversation.  Today, there are no excuses for being a wallflower.

Could sharing your business, double your revenue?

Children are taught to share toys and husbands are often encouraged to share their desserts, by people who didn't order them.  It feels good to have something that others want and it’s more fun to play if you’re not alone.

While sharing is not a new thing, it just might be the next big thing. Think of it as a way of getting what you want, without having to part with your hard earned cash all at once.  

Social networks are driving it and mobile devices and the internet sustain it.  Information is the new global currency and we spend it every day.

For our friends across the pond, collaborative consumption, (as it's rapidly becoming known) has sparked a new kind of entrepreneur and with it a host of companies intent on building communities of like minded individuals.  Welcome to crowdsourcing.

Food - eating and growing

Feastly

landshare

Accommodation

airbnb

onefinestay

Love Home Swap

Work

oDesk

Liquidspace

Travel

Surfair

Lyft

GoCarShare

As you can see from the companies above, this model celebrates access rather than ownership of our hearts desire.  It makes sense to use existing local resources.  It promotes sustainability.  It opens new market opportunities to those willing to embrace change.

So, is this brave new sharing economy possible for every business?  I think so, albeit with a little tweaking.  

1.  If you make a physical product, consider renting it as well as selling it?

In other words, could your product become a service?  There are a number of companies moving into this space, particularly in fashion and transportation.  If your customer has to make a significant investment to buy your product, then it's sure to speed the decision process and shorten the sales cycle, if they can get what they want at a fraction of the cost, even if it's not theirs to keep.  

Car manufacturers know that they can either sell a car once or take that same car and sell it multiple times through a rental agreement. Could your customers become subscribers?

2. If you have a community of people, but no product or service, could you build one?

Crowdsourcing brings large groups together to produce a product or complete a project. Wikipedia is a great example of this, being a volume of information compiled by numerous authors.  Reddit and Digg similarly look to the masses for content. Kickstarter is now a well established route to market for many and has repeatedly demonstrated that letting your customers fund your product development, is the very best way to ensure loyalty and engagement. Could the crowd be your supply chain? Deliv think so.

3. If you run a consultancy or deliver services, could you encourage your customers to resell?

Amazon and Ebay now have thriving second markets, which let customers share/sell their used goods to others.  Brands are now joining the fun, such as Patagonia who enhance their brand by ensuring that their products are used and reused. 

Are there opportunities to lend, swap or resell what you're currently doing so that you build a marketplace for your customers, underpinned by your brand? What if you shared staff training costs by opening your doors to your top customers to have their employees join your company sessions?     

With a little thought the possibilities are endless.

I'd love to hear your experiences of sharing and collaboration - good or bad.  Feel free to leave me a comment below.

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?

Who's going to buy this? Three questions between you and the sale.

I work with companies big and small and one problem remains the same regardless of size, industry or product.  How do you get people to buy what you've produced?

If I had a time machine, I'd whisk company Directors, back to the point their business idea first took hold.  That lightbulb moment, ‘wouldn't it be great if there was a ... insert fabulous business idea here.’

The next question should be, who would be willing and able (both attributes are needed), to buy this bright new thing, but 9 times out of 10 the concept of a customer is overlooked, in favour of rushing to secure the patent and produce the prototype.

No matter how old your business is, taking time to think like a buyer will have a huge impact on how you market your product and most importantly, how you find people who need it, value it or can at least justify the purchase to themselves (most of us).

Start with a blank piece of paper.

Think about your ideal customer.

Draw a stick figure and give them a name - whatever it takes to remember you are selling to a real person.

Now answer, in as much detail as possible

1. What will your customer be thinking and feeling to show they need your offering?

Let's take the latest technology as an example.  None of us really needs wearable tech, but now it's here, we're all trying to find ways to indulge.

• If only I didn't have to carry this bulky smartphone around
• I keep forgetting where I've put it
• Wouldn't it be great to be able to monitor my health levels anytime, anywhere
• Just think of the kudos I'd get to be the first in the office sporting an Apple watch
• I need a new way of accessing the internet

2. What are they doing and saying, which shows they're looking for a solution?

Following the wearables example

• Which smartwatch is best for cyclists/travellers/joggers etc.?
• I'm reading the influencers in this field and using Google to study reviews, video demonstrations
• I'm going to TechWorld next week to draw up a shortlist 

3. What do they see and hear about your product when they type it into Google, pick up the newspaper, search Youtube etc?

When was the last time you audited what the world knows about your product?  Beyond Google search, you should type your company and product name into the search functions on Twitter, Google+, Slideshare, Vimeo, Youtube and LinkedIn.  Additionally, you could check socialmention and socialradar.

By getting into the mind of your customer, you'll quickly see the information they need to help them part with their cash. The more specific you can be, the better.

Your marketing needs to answer your customers' questions. Show that you understand their problems and give them a glimpse of a happier future all because they spend their money on your brand. 

Answering the big three questions above, gives you a framework for your marketing and will help you focus your efforts on content which delivers value in your customers terms.

Going back to basics is a great antidote to producing bland marketing content.  After all, the customers perception is your reality.

23 Ways To Make Your Small Business Bigger

1. Know your customers.

2. Define your goals.

3. Know your market. Make a list of reasons your customers need the product/service that you offer and what the alternatives are if they don't buy from you.

4. Have a plan for communicating your idea with the waiting world.

5. Produce a marketing plan.

6. Remember you're building a brand.

7. Ask your customers why they buy from you.

8. Be generous and aim for loyal rather than satisfied customers.

9. Check what your website looks like on a smart phone, ipad, tablet, in various browsers.

10. Double check that all the links, buttons and forms work on your website.

11. Build a LinkedIn Company Page.

12. Have a Twitter account. Add periscope too.

13. Decide whether a Facebook page is right for your business.

14. Consider how Pinterest might help customers to see what you do.

15. Add any social media contact details to your website, email signature, voicemail message, business cards etc. The more visible they are, the more people you'll potentially reach.

16. Ask your friends to like/follow/repin until you draw your target audience.

17. Start a blog.

18. Measure the impact of your marketing.

19. Do something to delight your best customers and get them talking about you.

20. Google your business name and know how you rank as well as who you compete with.

21. Set a Google alert for articles and blogs featuring your business name and any associated search terms. This will let you contribute to discussions and engage with audiences you don't yet know.

22. Rethink your advertising.

23. Invest in design - first impressions count.

3 Simple Ways to Build Your Brand

Our world is very noisy. Thousands of pieces of marketing content are hurled at us every day and yet our ability to consume these communications remains unchanged.  What has changed is the attention we're willing to give any one thing, so much so, that it's even got it's own term - continuous partial attention.

Our brains are finely tuned to respond to messages which touch our hearts, teach us something new and, or present content in an unforgettable way.  In other words, nobody is interested in information anymore - entertain us, educate us and leave a lasting impression by all means, but don't expect a response if all you serve are the facts.

So how could your business take advantage of this human condition? Think like a publisher.

1. Make an emotional connection

Who is most likely to buy your product or service?. How are you going to convince them to choose your brand over the alternatives available? Answer -  make them feel something. Since hearts often rule heads, those brands which challenge us to become emotionally involved, often pique our interest and therefore get the sale. They don't call it retail therapy for nothing.
e.g. Hyundai message from space commercial 

2. Add the novelty factor

Using the very prim lady in the advert below, to talk about the delicate subject of poo, is both unexpected and funny. It's often the novelty of a companies approach which grabs our attention in the first instance. We like the new and the surprising, but be sure to tailor this to the audience you're trying to attract. Humour is a delicate balancing act.
e.g.  Poo pourri

3.  Be memorable

Making your brand a household name, is every marketers dream and yet much of the content on offer is full of well worn stereotypes and pat phrases (see this is a generic brand video).  We see the same things so often that they become invisible to us, losing their magic.

The mad men of yesteryear made products memorable by adding jingles and bold images.  Some things never change - Apple think different commercial or Nike Just do it 

Think of what you've liked, shared and talked about today and remember that your marketing has to resonate with real people in disguise as consumers, audiences and personas.

In the words of Viggo Mortensen “There's no excuse to be bored.  Sad, yes.  Angry, yes. Depressed, yes.  Crazy, yes.  But there's no excuse for boredom, ever”.

Go, create.

33 ways to get likes and engage visitors on your company Facebook page (works across other platforms too)

So, you've got a company Facebook page. Tick. Now what can you do to get Likes and engage people outside of your immediate friends and family ...

Well, it's all about engagement.

Each post must be relevant to your product or industry and to the audience you're trying to reach. Inform, advise, entertain, but don't be bland.  Make them care and do it fast.

The following tried and tested suggestions should get your creative juices flowing and if you really want to see those numbers climbing, make sure you add an attention grabbing photograph or video.

1. Post updates at least once a day.  The most successful company pages post up to ten times each day using a mix of images, inspiring posts, questions and links to other resources.  Don't be afraid to show some personality. People buy from people.
2. Give sneak peaks of future plans and ask for further suggestions 
3. Make personal recommendations and ask for your readers favourite/most loved/best X 
4. Ask visitors to ‘like’ a picture and/or submit their own 
5. Set a weekly trivia question related to your product or industry (remember to post the answer)
6. Run polls to solicit opinion and start discussions
7. Celebrate milestones and rally your audience to reach them e.g. help us get 200 likes by June
8. Use images to tell a story/highlight a situation, inviting feedback 
9. Have a weekly discussion topic 
10. Answer an FAQ each day 
11. Be seasonal and timely. Comment on relevant stories in the news, festivals etc. 
12. Share posts from others and third party content 
13. Ask multiple choice questions or those where a yes/no answer will suffice 
14. Educate your users in how to share and endorse your page e.g. Hit the like button and comment yes if you agree or click like if you enjoyed this video 
15. Expand each conversation by responding to responses 
16. Post top tips and challenges e.g. try this and tell us what happens
17. Provide lists e.g. top 10 (insert something to inspire/educate/entertain your audience)
18. Ask your audience to provide one word descriptions for something
19. Align your company page with similar complimentary organisations by liking their pages and tagging them in your status updates 
20. Run competitions.  There doesn't have to be a prize.  Sometimes a mention on the company page is enough reward and it's likely to be shared as the winner tells their friends
21. Use your other social media accounts to highlight your Facebook page and directly ask people to like it.  This works best if you encourage them to do it within a time limit, but make sure there's a good enough reason to pump up the urgency
22. Post photos and invite visitors to guess where/what/who they are
23. Visualise data by turning it into charts or an infographic so it becomes information worth sharing
24. Highlight stories of day to day happenings to help visitors feel they know you/your employees
25. Excite and surprise fans whenever possible to keep them talking about and sharing your brand
26. Share expertise, with an ask the expert day
27. Admit where you've made mistakes and publicly apologise
28. Make sure each post is authentic so you attract a like minded community
29. Invite feedback on new product ideas
30. Ask fans why they liked your page
31. Put your fans in charge of naming something
32. Invite fans to suggest a caption for a photograph
33. Include links to your website and any other web presence you might have

Crank up that newsfeed.

I'd love to know what works best for you?

Storytelling - Invented authentic content?

This week, the UK celebrated Bonfire night (also known as Guy Fawkes). It's an excuse to party and set off fireworks in remembrance of a foiled plot to blow up parliament in 1605. Who knew that such a rebellious act, could result in a reason to celebrate? Maybe there were switched on content marketing folks even in ye olden days...

Consumers today still love a good story.  If you can make your audience care about your product, you're half way to the sale. Trouble is, we need to forge that emotional connection faster than most corporates can get their content through management, accounting and legal.

Guy Fawkes was a real person and the gunpowder plot an actual plan, but what if you don't have an event to write about? Could you make one up?  Inventing an authentic piece of content is all the rage.

Movember

National Boss Day

Take your children to work

National Grandparents Day

In each case above, the creators have manufactured a situation, to raise the visibility of their product or cause.  Their next task is to ensure the public engage, by showing them how to get involved while imprinting their message into the mindset at the same time. Think of it like a mass call to action.

As Kickstarter has shown time and again, involving your customers in content creation is the best form of engagement a company can hope for. That sense of personal responsibility drives word of mouth and builds a loyal following.  Rallying behind an event gives us a purpose, makes us part of the crowd and now through the wonder of social media, lets us share our efforts with the wider world, for extra credit. Win, win.

Be warned though, invented content will only work if it's true to your company values and brand.

By all means, capture imagination, but to be believed, your idea has to match the expectations your customers already have about your company. It should reinforce what they assume to be true, rewarding their decision to spend their hard earned money with you, rather than the competition.

Stories in keeping with your company values and your customers understanding of why you do what you do, have a way of ingraining themselves on public perception for generations to come.

Now, stop reading and go create!

Marketing tips from unlikely sources - dog breeders

Image from 123rf.com

Dog owners used to fall into one of two categories - pedigrees or mongrels. Recently a third category seems to have developed in the form of the pedigree hybrid. Such mutts would have been classed mongrels, were it not for the power of marketing.

Though the Kennel Club may be in denial of their existence, the world (or at least my little corner), has gone mad for Labradoodles (Labrador/Poodle), Cavapoos (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel/Poodle) and Pugels (Pug/Beagle).

What can we learn from this explosion of fluff?

1. Combining two products which are already popular into a whole new package, provides up-sell and can tap into an entirely new customer market

Think of the brands/products you buy regularly. If you see them paired with a new unknown name, you're more likely to give them a try because you already trust the original brand - in marketing speak, it's up-sell.

Yet even if you're not a regular buyer, but you know of a product or service by reputation, a 'two for one' type offer could encourage you to spend.  Afterall, it seems like a great deal and some of the cost risk has been removed by your familiarity with the brand, making you more likely to give it a try.

2. Customer led product development often produces new ideas

Labradoodles were originally bred in Australia as guidedogs for the blind.  A number of technical innovations came from customer feedback at places like Apple and companies are born everyday to fill niche demands.

What would your product/service look like if your customer designed it?

Are the features and benefits really features and benefits or just the pieces you could create in time for launch?

Have you ever asked your customers why they bought your product rather than an alternative?

Our world gets more hybrid everyday as people seek to distinguish themselves and their purchases. While people want choice, there will always be opportunity.  The trick is creating an opportunity for people to choose.

Shared fate - are you ready for the collaborative economy?

This week, I was fortunate enough to listen to a presentation by Jeremiah Owyang and his shocking predictions for the Collaborative Economy. Jeremiah's vision takes us from today's world where ownership is everything, to a future where sharing drives the economy.

You can read Jeremiah's full report, see his slides and have your mind blown here.

The premise is a simple one.  The crowd, i.e. you and me and all our friends, use social media to engage with one another, share ideas, critique goods and services, compare prices and basically do all that we can, to meet our wants and needs without ever consulting the corporations who used to dictate our aspirations.

This, always on, globally linked approach, is possible because in todays world, more people now have mobile phones than toilets (I know, I couldn't believe it either). Mobile phones, ipads, tablets and all those other internet connected devices, have made it easier than ever to access what we want, as we want it, so the crowd ultimately decides what's made, delivered and consumed.

If this sounds like futurology, consider how the crowd could currently be contributing to your business.

Need a presentation produced, questions for your focus group, an SEO action plan for your website?  Look no further than fiverr.com  This is collaboration in action.  Those with the skills offer their services for a small fee, usually $5, and hey presto that irksome little task that's been loitering on your to-do list since the start of the year, has been delegated to a safe pair of hands to complete.

Need a freelance copywriter, project manager or other short term team member then skills-hive.com could be the answer and there are any number of similar services worldwide.

If you're lucky enough to be a New York dweller, your office needs by the hour/day/week, could be met by liquidspace.com, without any of the search, overhead or relocation delays.  

It may seem a bit of a hippie throwback, but with an ever increasing global population, scarce resources and short attention spans, it's the obvious way ahead.

No doubt the lawyers are already worrying about what this means for intellectual property, copyright etc but for the rest of us, a brave new world of possibility awaits.

Bring it on.

Marketing tips from unlikely sources - children

How do you pick up a swan?

Do you remember that wiggly thing that you jump over at school, can we get one?

Can a blackbird kill you?  No.  Even if it had a drill?

Oh the random questions my children ask.

Contemplating this mornings round of curiosity, I was struck by how visually descriptive children often are.  They want you to ‘see’ what they're talking about, using language which helps you build a picture in your mind.

As a marketer I often advise my clients to write in pictures as a way of drawing the reader into the story that's unfolding.

Why tell, when you could announce, shout, whisper, confess, leak or reveal.

Instead of encouraging your customers to get something, why not offer the chance to seize, pluck, grab, earn or land.

Analogies are another great way of adding imagery to your communications, helping you to explain and position your brand in an easily recognisable way.  In the UK, people regularly use phrases such as ‘fish out of water’ and ‘quiet as a mouse’, but every country will have it's own variations on this theme.

So, next time you're writing copy, challenge yourself to use language which helps your reader to immediately identify with you, or should I say, publish a blueprint your readers can easily follow.

Be seen as well as heard.

Great advertising must tick these marketing boxes

How many adverts have you been exposed to today?   How many do you remember?

As a marketer, I'm pre programmed to read messaging, ever hopeful of finding a pearl in the sea of mediocrity (a bit dramatic, but you know what I mean).  

This week I was rewarded for not automatically hitting the pause button as soon as the ad break started, by a rather unexpected source of inspiration - Wall's sausages.  Watch below.

This is great advertising because it ticks so many marketing boxes.

1. Engage your audience

The first job of every marketer is to grab the attention of those who are likely to buy the product and encourage them to keep reading, watching and finding out more.  Only then, can any selling begin.  Cue cheeky chappy voice over, suburban setting and all important wallsie outfits.  Two seconds in and we're hooked.

2. Tell an authentic story

This ad pitches the Wall's brand as the everyday choice.  In under a minute it depicts seven easily recognisable characters, (uk based because that's the target market).  Like a mini soap opera, each personality type is dressed in the all important wallsie, uniting them in the brand and entertaining the viewer in the process.  Genius.

3. Opens infinite channels of communication

Now that we're all clammering to join the wallsie set, Wall's have a fabulous opportunity to use this concept as a real product - linking on and offline marketing.  Think tradeshows, competitions, social media, blogs etc.  A Pinterest page of sausage photos has limited appeal, but the wallsie has endless possibilities.
Giving the old onesie trend a new twist, encourages audiences to think of Wall's as a brand that understands what makes people happy.  Wall's becomes a friendly, down to earth, good spending decision, rather than a typical food manufacturer and to show your appreciation you can now join the community on Facebook, Twitter etc (ideally while wearing your wallsie).

4. Differentiation from the competition

Name three sausage manufacturers?  Most people would be struggling to answer, but in this advert, Wall's have given viewers a reason to remember them.  Their storytelling and entertaining visuals, make sure the audience is rewarded for their watching time and links the brand with a feel good factor, worth talking about.  As a hook for the brand, the wallsie now provides instant recognition and differentiates them from the competition at the same time - pleasing investors and buyers alike.

5.  Great content sells

People buy from people and by creating a personality around the Wall's brand, this ad makes sure they're top of mind the next time you're shopping.  Great content makes the product desirable and accessible to the audience, by building emotion and trust.  Getting your customers sharing the message on your behalf, (over 7,000 viewers on youtube in its first week of posting) is marketing gold.

So, will I be rushing out to buy Wall's sausages?  At this point I should probably confess to being a vegetarian, but I've written this post in appreciation, so in my own little way I'm contributing to their empire.

Has any great marketing grabbed your attention this week?

What's your story? 3 hints to help you create brand buzz

Once upon a time, all a brand needed was a website, a shiny corporate brochure and a stand by the food concessions at the local trade show. This trinity reassured shoppers that you were a legitimate business and helped them to trust you enough to part with their hard earned cash. But that was many moons ago. Now content, (anything you create or share to publicize who you are and what you do), is king and brands need a personality. Eek!

So, what's your story?

Hint 1 - Your story is NOT about you

Yes it should convey what you stand for and what makes you unique, but it has to be communicated in a way that shows what you do for your customers. It's all about them. Your aim is to make your audience care. Drive empathy, inspire them, build an emotional connection. These are the things that prompt action and create a sense of urgency about the sale. Dollar Shave Club is a great example of storytelling in action (https://www.dollarshaveclub.com/)


Hint 2 - Your story needs to resonate with your audience

It's not just what you say, it's how you say it and where you post it too. Think about the audiences you're trying to reach and craft your content to match their lifestyles. Portray your brand as the antidote to their problem, using language they would typically use, in a format which will be most appealing to them.

The devil really is in the detail, so make sure your imagery, typography, colours and layout attract and are suitable for the channels you're using. Example? A funky young sunglass company, based in New York, realised that their audience couldn't always wait for even next day delivery and so the vending machine for sunglasses was born http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/first-vending-machine




Hint 3 - Start with a big idea, then get layering

Red bull make an energy drink to perk you up faster than coffee, but rather than dwell on the ingredients or the recyclable packaging, they focused on what their customers might do in their new caffeine fuelled state. The resultant stories have made this brand synonymous with extreme sport and daredevil antics. This little Austrian company, which used to sell drinks, is now a TV, record and radio producer, sports agent, game maker, app developer, events creator and so much more - worldwide. Red bull drinkers supply much of the content directly to the company. No wonder they've sold over 40 billion cans of fizz. Watch their storytelling below and tell me you don't feel inspired.

Now, grab a blank sheet of paper and get answering

• who are we?
• what are we not?
• who would we like to be?
• which qualities do we want to be known for?
• who would find us most useful/valuable?
• what do they need to know about us?
• what's the best way to tell them?

Go on. Create your story.

The 2 minute tool that positively shapes your brand perception

Perception is 99% reality

Since waking up today, I bet you've judged strangers, chosen one brand over another, skimmed your favourite website and ignored at least one email. Why? We humans are a fussy bunch, each with our own opinions, built on our life experiences to date, or maybe just what side of the bed you got out of this morning.

We've made up our minds, don't confuse us with the facts

We rarely question why we buy one product over another or what makes us take the risk on something new.  Companies spend millions every day, building brands that make us feel something and trying to influence our spending decisions in their favour.  They know that customer perception can make or break their business, but it's easy for employees to forget they are the brand when they attend meetings, make presentations or populate that twitter feed.

Know the brand, be the brand

The 21 minute video above, adds science to the universal truth, that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. I must admit that I watched it with some scepticism at first, but having tried it myself and referred it to several friends, I'm now convinced that Amy Cuddy is onto something. In this video, Amy shows that our body language not only influences others, but can also affect how we see ourselves and that's the revelation.

Do you meet my needs?

As we make our daily choices, we often weigh up the pros and cons based on what we believe to be true.  So, next time you want to influence someones decision about your brand, consider how two minutes of posturing could change your outlook and therefore your success. 

Go on, nobody is looking ...

How to grab attention and make your audience care

We are the audience. Our mantra is “make us care and do it quickly”. I'd say this Central American boutique has nailed it.

Assuming your customers/legal departments have more of an issue with privacy than those showcased, how can you cut through the noise?

Create content that works for your audience.

1. Make a story worth sharing.
This might mean being controversial, going that extra mile or simply finding a new way to be remarkable (think Seth Godin's purple cow).  Worth sharing should also be teamed with easy to share.  In this wonderful world of social media, you have no excuses - include the icons, wherever and whenever you communicate with your audience.

2. Address the audience your audience already look to for advice.
Influencing the influencers is a sure fire way to get attention.  If you're not sure who the influencers are, search the blogs, google keywords and see who's mentioned most.

3. Be where your audience are.
This means not changing their behaviour, but helping them to find you in the places they already go and from the people they already relate to.  Your content should be so in tune with your market, that it appears wherever they are.

4. Is consistent.
Your style, your voice, your personality needs to be recognizable, so even if the brand logo is covered over, it's unmistakable to your audience.  Erika Napoletano is a great example of this.

5. Remember, above all, you're trying to reach fellow humans.
For each piece of content you produce, ask yourself ‘so what?’ Is this message worth interrupting someones day for?  Would I read this and if I did, how would it make me feel? If more companies asked these questions before posting, (virtually or physically) my recycle bins would be easier to close.

We care about brands and content that reaches us on an emotional level. Brands that connect, create loyal fans and make money.  Those who don't, don't.

Customer dis-service

As everyone predicted, yesterday was the biggest online shopping day so far, as we all rushed to splurge on that perfect gift. I joined that rush. I found the perfect gift, paid my money and got my online receipt. Then today I received an email which said

In the interest of online payment protection, please respond to this email to confirm that you as the Paypal account holder placed the order.
Your order will now be held for 48 hours from the date at the top of this email. Failure to verify this order will result in the order being cancelled and a full refund will be processed.

Call me old fashioned but this seems to be the equivalent of being held at the store exit until I show my passport. I'm a new customer. I stumbled onto their site, bought a rather expensive gift and should be on my way to a wave of monumental customer service, designed to build my loyalty and secure repeat business. Instead, my first 'touch' from this company is one which doubts my humanity.

At this time of year when everyone is a little bit more frazzled than usual, we all have a great opportunity to win new business and pamper our existing customers. Imagine if your website was a physical store. How would your assistants behave?

1. Can you look and buy products without registering?
2. Is the Search button obvious to find and easy to use?
3. Do you ask for the same information twice when you could prepopulate?
4. Does your content read like an instruction manual or sound like you're having a conversation with your visitor?
5. Do you say thank you for their custom and then keep them engaged with other links to follow?

Bring back the ho ho ho this season or risk finding yourself on Santa's naughty list.

Communications - Speaking your customers language

One of the delights of living in Edinburgh again, is hearing the English language spoken in a Scottish accent and readjusting to the colloquialisms that result.

The current summer exhibition at the National Library for Scotland, beautifully summarises this http://www.nls.uk/exhibitions/cinema. It not only shows how Scotland has been portrayed through the ages, but also how using local expressions might have rewritten the famous big screen one liners.



Often our working knowledge results in us speaking a different language to our customers'.  If you are an SME or even a larger entity launching a new product, the chances are your customers' won't search by product name or description. They'll look for what they need, using their terminology. Reflecting this, in your on and offline marketing, is a great way to build confidence and encourage your visitors to read/hear more.

Where to start

1. Customer conversations. Note the words your customers are using and try to incorporate them in your marketing. Ask your sales team, attend events or simply talk to them.
2. Google Adwords Research tool. A free and easy way to see which words and phrases are most popular when you're deciding on keywords
3. Google Suggest. Similar to Adwords this helps you find related words and phrases for particular search enquiries
4. Join relevant LinkedIn group so you can monitor the discussions for terminology, how people typically describe your product/services etc. It's also a great way to test ideas by participating in such groups, but that's another blog post
5. Read your industry blogs. Not just the technical ones but especially the customer focused ones. They are likely to shape perceptions, plant words in the minds of your web visitor and generally provide a window on best communications

What you want to say to your customer may be very different from what they hear, so build your communications as you would a conversation. Think about how much a particular group already know about you. Do they need education, reassurance, guidance, a reason to buy? It's likely to be a mixture of many things, so tailor your outreach accordingly.

Haste ye back.