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Articles filed in: Marketing
Marketing In The Connection Economy
Traditional marketing, conceived for an industrial age asks us to believe in the wisdom of the funnel. Create something for most people, compete for the interest of some of them and convert a handful to customers.
Ironically what works in the connected economy, where our potential customers have access to information and choices, is the reverse. Create something that isn’t for everyone, focus on delighting those and only those people, then give them a reason to spread the story of how you exceeded their expectations.
We don’t win today by reaching the masses, we win by becoming meaningful to the few.
Image by Jason James.
The Art Of Selling
Buying is defined as the acquisition of one thing in exchange for something else. Of course it goes beyond ownership or the trading of things. Buying is an exchange of trust and value—a belief in promises we expect will be kept.
Selling is described as the transfer of goods or services in exchange for money. Of course it’s much more than this. Selling is an exchange of trust and value—a set of promises we intend to keep.
What we’re really trading in is promises—assurances upon which expectations are based, which means that our intention is a big part of what we sell.
Image by Kamyar Adl.
How You Market Is Who You Become
filed in Marketing, Storytelling, Strategy
“EXPOSE YOUR BUSINESS TO 40,000 CARS A DAY.”
Read the big sign at a busy junction that would exposure your business to 40,000 cars a day.
The way you tell your story asks people to believe something about who you are and what you stand for. It sends us (and you), a signal about what you value and sets the bar for the kind of business you want to build.
You get to decide who to be meaningful to and how you’re going to do that.
How you choose to market is who you become.
Image by Billboard Art Project.
The Value Of Giving To Give
A supermarket loyalty card helps the company more than it does the shopper. We all know that it’s less a way of rewarding customer loyalty and more a way of collecting useful data. Much of the ‘giving’ we do in business is because some kind of return is expected down the track.
This drawing that illustrator Johanna Basford gave away for free on her blog got her a book deal. That book went on to sell a million copies. Her colouring books are at #1 and #2 on the Amazon Bestsellers List (no affiliate link) as we speak. That’s across all books, not just books in her category. How is that possible?
The ROI on real giving is hard to measure, which is why it’s not easy to implement into a hard headed, metrics-driven business strategy, and exactly why it’s worth doing. There is no handy metric for the meaningful—generosity, courage, beauty or love which is why we value them so much.
Just because you can measure it doesn’t mean it mattered.
Image by Oakley Originals.
The Awareness Conundrum
Which is better for your business—more people who know about your brand, or fewer people that it matters to?
It’s not hard to make our marketing more urgent with better calls to action, bigger ‘buy now’ buttons or a hundred and one other attention-grabbing tactics that don’t scale. What does scale though is affinity. The magnetic pull a person experiences when they feel like they belong.
Attention and awareness can be fleeting, random and accidental, but affinity if nurtured, endures.
There’s a difference between getting people to notice and getting them to care.
What is your marketing designed to do?
Image by Geraint Rowland.
Too Cheap To Be Good
filed in Marketing, Storytelling, Strategy
When a friend was shopping around for a logo designer she got several recommendations and then asked for quotes. The range was extraordinary, but no more extraordinary than her reaction.
The companies that quoted below what she felt was reasonable were immediately discounted and they lost her business. They were just too cheap to be good.
Why do we pay more to sit in row F than row Z?
What makes a $10 chocolate bar worth $10?
Why is a ticket to TED worth $8,500 when you can watch all the talks online?
Value is always measured in more than the sticker price. Everything we do is sending a signal to our customers and giving them a story to tell, both to the world and to themselves.
Three questions for you then…
1. What’s the story your prospective customers tell themselves about you?
2. Is it the story you want them to be telling?
3. What do you need to change or amplify to make that happen?
The assumptions we make and the answers we give are not necessarily true—they are stories we (need to) believe.
Image by Rigmarole.
The Story Creates The Customer
filed in Marketing, Storytelling, Strategy
Have you ever noticed what happens at the organic cafe?
As the customer places an order he asks what’s in it. This happens almost every single time.
The experience, our posture and products—the story, create the customer. When we encourage people to believe something matters, we attract the kind of people who care about that something into our fold. Soon buying from us becomes part of their identity—their story.
In this way Apple taught us that design mattered. Lululemon taught us that health and fitness was about mind, body and soul. Patagonia taught us to make caring about the planet part of our purchasing decisions.
What does your brand story ask customers to believe in and become a part of?
Image by Ahmed Hashim.
How To Tell The Story Of Your Products
filed in Marketing, Storytelling, Strategy
Why is real estate copywriting so terrible? Maybe it’s not that bad in your town or city, but wherever I have lived the copy seems to serve one purpose—to fill the space between the images and the floor plan in the brochure.
Here are a couple of examples of copy written to sell million dollar plus homes.
The Finest Traditions – Attuned To Today
Renovated with a respect for its period origins, defined by a distinctive designer edge, [address] is a stunning Victorian terrace that’s entirely in tune with the contemporary era. Impressive internal proportions that make the utmost of a traditional inner city allotment include refined sitting and dining rooms, each retaining elegant marble mantles around efficient gas Jetmaster fire places. To the rear, northern light and memorable luxury complement a living/dining area accompanied by a kitchen featuring marble and stainless steel surfaces and a walk down wine cellar. Three upstairs bedrooms surrounding a central bathroom provide instant appeal, including a main bedroom with a superb ensuite and evocative original balcony. A sunny tranquil garden of signature [Company] Garden Architecture style creates an ideal conclusion, complemented by rear access to Smith Street, in a great setting close to the best of [names of good suburbs].
And the other.
Designer Style, Definitive Location
Beautifully appointed, this contemporary three-bedroom town residence flows over three levels, situated moments from vibrant [street name] and the beach. Dynamic distribution of natural light fills the stunning whole floor living area including lounge/dining and pristine open-plan kitchen with stone benchtops, and patio doors open to a north-facing entertaining terrace. Neat mezzanine main bedroom with glass-walled ensuite complements two further bedrooms (BIRs), main bathroom, additional powder room and laundry. Sensational internal and external storage, two secure underground parking spaces and polished floorboards complete this modern abode, a short walk from light rail.
What a huge missed opportunity for the entire industry.
Contrast that with these stories from Kit and Ace written to sell an $88 scarf and a $78 t-shirt.
A cashmere hug on a cold day
Like the first sip of soup on a cold day or a warm body curled up beside you under the blankets, surrounding yourself in warmth tops the list of simple pleasures. The Nolita Scarf brings that feeling to your everyday, whether it’s under your jacket, around your neck, or draped across your shoulders, bring cashmere comfort with you wherever you go.
Everyday is like Sunday
You’re out there changing the game Monday – Friday, making the power women of the world proud. When it gets down to the weekend, let this tee take care of the rest. In soft Technical Cashmere and a relaxed fit – it’s a strategic decision you won’t have to run by the board of directors.
Magic. All the measurements and specs come later because they can and should.
A short guide to writing meaningful product descriptions
1. Pay attention to copy that you respond to.
How does it make you feel and why? What makes it great?
2. Understand the story of the person (singular) you’re selling to.
Don’t put a finger to keypad until you can describe a day in her life.
What does she care about most? Write about that first.
3. Speak to one person.
Treat your copy like a conversation rather than a description or a broadcast.
4. Write like people talk.
Nobody uses words like residence or abode any more.
If you wouldn’t say it don’t type it.
5. Help your customer to imagine.
Describe her life after she owns this thing.
Evoke feelings and emotions instead of listing the facts.
6. Simple is better.
Write something that means something.
Avoid jargon, meaningless adjectives and words that you think make you sound good.
The best product descriptions don’t describe the product—they describe the feeling.
There is your customer’s life before the product and her life afterwards.
People don’t buy the thing, they buy the feeling.
Image by Maria Morri.
The Importance Of The First Stroke
The coach leaned forward on her handle bars and across the bike path at the side of the lake.
The four girls in the boat who had been training since sun up hung on her every word.
“I want you to focus on the first stroke, nothing else. Just keep thinking I am going to move the boat forward with this single stroke. This stroke is the only thing that matters.” she said.
The team didn’t nod, but you could see that they got it.
Once we’re in the boat and we’ve got a strategy the thing to care about is how we execute on our first stroke. Often in business (as in life), as soon as we get hold of the oars we have a habit of worrying about the next stroke and the one after that. We’re mentally clearing tables in our head as we offer customers the menu. Laying out our terms and conditions before we’ve had a chance to understand what the customer really wants. Eliminating the backlog, getting through stuff and onto the next thing.
We win by getting the first stroke right, moment to moment. Because that kind of considered effort doesn’t just pay off—it shows.
Image by Ed Dunen.
Your Brand Story Is More Than What You Say
filed in Marketing, Storytelling, Strategy
It’s a chilly autumn morning and the waitress in the cafe down the street is folding blankets to put over the chairs outside just in case customers are feeling the cold. The local doctor who is half way through her busy surgery, comes out to the waiting room and invites Adam into her consulting room with a smile and a handshake.
The newspaper headline reports that global food brands are not taking part in an initiative that improves food labelling, so that Australians (obesity rate 63% and climbing), can be better informed, because the truth is inconvenient. Their truth is apparent for all to see.
“Not in a position to comment,” is your comment and your values laid bare.
If you’re not in a position to comment when we ask questions, then you have given up the right to speak to us when it’s convenient to you.
Lack of transparency is not a case of innocent until proven guilty, it’s a signal that there is something to hide. What you don’t do says more about your brand than slick ad campaigns and lines of clever copy on a billboard. What people don’t know can hurt them.
Marketing, in the best sense of the word is an understanding—an exchange between you and the people you hope to serve. People you care enough about to empathise with, help, inform and inspire. People you want to create an affinity with. It should never be about pedalling half-truths down a one-way street for short-term gain.
Thankfully our stories, contributions and legacies are measured in more than share prices, profits and units sold. It’s our actions, not our words that define us.
Image by Roey Ahram.