Don't be a thought follower

Being a self-proclaimed Thought Leader isn't easy. It takes thought. And it takes leadership.

Why is it, then, that marketers are asked by managers to establish thought-leadership positions without sharing their insight into the company's original thinking on a topic?

One explanation is that the company has no original thoughts. But that seems unlikely. The more likely scenario is that the smart people who have all the new ideas are actually quite busy doing their jobs. And no one wants to bother them.

But here's a suggestion: Let's make a quick call to the person who knows the most about the so-called industry-leading idea, and ask what ONE thing customers need to know about it.

Now take this person's suggestion -- it's probably a good one -- and spin it for marketing. What pain does it alleviate? How does it work? Why is it different from everyone else's big idea? Above all, Who cares?

Then draft a short pitch for your subject matter experts -- the idea, why it needs to get out, who will listen, what action will they take, and how this will change the world.

Use the pitch in your invitation for a short interview so you can pull the thoughts from the leader's head like so much gooey brain-matter bursting from a cracked skull. Promise the interview will take less than an hour.

Prepare! Read everything you can, especially items that infringe on the new idea territory. Because if someone was there first, you can't take a leadership position on it.

Don't invite anyone to the interview who has nothing to contribute. No new ideas, not invited. No good questions, not invited. No interest other than CYA, do us a favor and stay away.

Write a solid draft and send it to the expert(s) less than 5 days after the interview. That way, everyone will remember what we talked about. And they won't have time to change their minds about it.

Set a deadline. If the reviewers don't respond after 2 reminders, tell them you're going to press (figuratively speaking) without their input. Then do it.

This actually works. And as someone I once worked for said, It's better to apologize afterward than to ask permission beforehand.

Thought leadership is not evergreen. It's a rare idea that doesn't whither on the vine or get plucked by a competitor if you wait too long to ponder it.

If marketers, managers and the experts can collaborate without wasting anyone's time, industry-leading ideas can find a voice and do some good.

Repurposing content that sells

On the verge of starting the 2011 Year in Infrastructure project for Bentley, my client has reminded me of the tremendous impact prior-year editions have had on their global marketing initiatives.

The publication, which we fondly refer to as the "project yearbook," showcases the extraordinary work of engineers and architects who use Bentley software to design sustainable infrastructure.

For the 2009 Edition, I wrote the more than 250 project descriptions and recapped all 50+ award-winners and finalists for the Be Inspired! awards program. For the 2010 Edition, I managed a team of three writers to deliver more than 350 project summaries in less than 6 weeks--then went on to write the awards profiles.

Bentley has since repurposed the content of the Year in Infrastructure into market-specific special editions, such the Water Project Showcase, which include both project summaries and in-depth case studies about projects in each market. The case studies are also repurposed content that I wrote for Bentley's Be Current magazine.

As one Bentley executive said, "This is packaged collateral that sells."

The timely reminder will serve as incentive to plow through hundreds of Be Inspired! award submissions, distilling pages of detail about each project into 125-word profiles. Wish me luck!

Brand You: Feel it. Sell it.

In "Heart & Mind Branding," you feel an emotional connection to the brand, then make logical conclusions about what the brand means. This powerful approach is the brainchild (and registered trademark) of  HEASLEY&PARTNERS, but I learned about it from Laura Cunningham of Charlotte Pelton & Associates. Laura talked about re-branding--"it's not just a new logo"--with the Treasure Coast Chapter of FPRA.

Done right, re-branding can take months to prepare and years to roll-out and evaluate. It starts with a brand inventory, cataloging every item emblazoned with the logo, tagline and colors that represent your organization. This task usually reveals appalling breaches of brand etiquette. 

A strategic planning process discovers how stakeholders experience the brand now, and explores how and why re-branding should change that experience. The creative process is more than an exercise in artistic expression. It also envisions the marketing and PR tactics that can introduce stakeholders to the new brand in a positive way. This means testing concepts on real people in surveys, focus groups or one-on-one interviews.

When you execute the brand roll-out, you're selling a new interpretation of the old brand. If you've done your homework, people will buy-in to the idea that the re-brand embodies the current company culture and articulates the brand promise to its stakeholders.

Of course, everyone's a critic, and there will be some (including media) who pooh-pooh the new look and feel. Laura gave several notorious examples, including Gap (which rolled back a new logo), the Y (formerly YMCA, now taking international heat) and Xfinity (formerly Comcast, no longer just a cable company).

When circumstances dictate a re-branding, be prepared to spend the time and money it takes to do it right. If you don't, your biggest fans could become your most vocal hecklers.

 

A 3-Step Story Format for Marketing

In the July 20th web clinic, MarketingExperiments Director Flint McGlaughlin expounded on the idea that copywriting is fast and easy when marketers tell a story in three acts.

Noting that most marketers don't have the time to craft compelling copy -- or the money to hire someone who can -- he presented three steps for effective storytelling and, by extension, effective marketing.

"Copywriting on Tight Deadlines: How ordinary marketers are achieving 200% gains with a step-by-step framework" introduced this "framework:"

STEP 1: Exposition captures attention, makes a promise and identifies a problem that motivates prospects to read on.

STEP 2: Rising Action intensifies the problem with five intensifiers that appeal to the need to resolve the problem: proof points, features, benefits, incentives and urgency.

STEP 3: Climax makes the call to action that implies value, immediacy or urgency. Falling Action and Resolution ensure follow through, achieving the marketing goal and ending the story.

MECLABs are a boundless resource for optimization metrics, so I hesitate to complain. But I believe it takes more than a template like this to tell a compelling story and craft effective copy. I'm just sayin'.

7 Tips for Optimizing Marketing Copy

MarketingExperiments Blog has devoted a category to copywriting and how to write marketing copy that works. Thanks!

In a post that sets the stage for their free webinar about Copywriting on Tight Deadlines, the bloggers present 7 mistakes markets commonly make. I've turned it around to offer 7 tips for copy that works:

1. Write headlines that give a reason to read.
2. Offer benefits in the calls to action.
3. Say just enough to peak interest.
4. Present enough details for decision-making.
5. Speak in a relatable voice.
6. Design to draw the eye through the copy.
7. Connect images to the copy.

Of course, testing copy to see what works is always recommended (by MarketingExperiments).

Giving Voice to Your Customers

"The Role of Feedback in Brand Loyalty," a white paper by the survey software company Vovici, recently caught my eye. (I was skimming.) I've been thinking about how social media marketing invites customers to have a conversation with you.

In the same way that surveys pose questions to elicit feedback, your social networking site can initiate dialog about brand perceptions, product preferences, customer experiences and complaints. You can use the question tool to create a poll, or simply ask a conversation starter with a status update.

When you "hear the voice of the customer," Vovici says, you can:

• focus on factors that are most meaningful to customers
• keep tabs on changing customer needs
• measure the success of marketing and other programs
• use customer ideas in the creative process

When customers think they are being heard, they stay with you. I guess building brand loyalty is just a new way to talk about gaining and retaining customers.

Does your value proposition appeal to customers?

Articulating the value proposition for a marketing campaign is more than just wordplay. It tell customers why they should buy from you, and it only works if you hit a hot button.

MarketingExperiments defines a value proposition this way:

"Essentially, your value proposition is the answer to a single question in the mind of every visitor that lands on your website: If I am your ideal prospect, why should I buy from you rather than your competitors?"

In the new issue of the Marketing Experiments Quarterly Research Journal, Dr. Flint McGlaughlin and his intrepid researchers test five things customers value:

• Price
• Savings
• Support
• Product Design
• Benefits (e.g., business growth, ease of use, etc.)

An ingenious test using pay-per-click ads measured what customers value most by the number of clicks each ad got. This is a pretty simple technique that anyone can use to test and refine a value proposition.

Dr. McG. concludes: "[A] value proposition is not something you dictate; it is something that you discover."

A story about parrots

In the infamous Monty Python "Dead Parrot" sketch, a pet-shop clerk ignores the customer's claim that the Norwegian Blue parrot purchased just 30 minutes earlier is now undeniably dead.

It's safe to say that the parrot did not fulfill its brand promise.

What is your brand promise, and is it being fulfilled? Spin your story in a way that guarantees happy endings for your customers. Know your value proposition and deliver on it every day.

And if your parrot dies, stuff it, mount it and tell a story about it to anyone who will listen -- an Everyman's morality tale about righteousness ... and never letting another parrot pass away on your watch.

v.2 Update your status!

After a few days away, I revisited my new microsite and postcard design and found them wanting. They wanted color and space and clarity. So I took another look at the TypePad templates and found one with circles -- tying into my homepage design -- and bright colors. The layout is more airy, with a deeper banner.

In an ideal world, I'd hire a top-notch graphic designer to create a new template for Status Update, then spin off the postcards, business card, email template and other collateral. But I think the alternative is pretty OK for now. Let me know what you think!

Here's the v1 banner:

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the v2 banner:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next challenge: Think of a clever play on words about parrots ... and stories ... and branding. Hmmm.

Introducing Status Update

Nearly three years after moving to South Florida, I am finally networking in the local business community. To help target my pitch, I've created a campaign that promotes my services in brand messaging and content copywriting for integrated marketing campaigns.

My new microsite, Status Update, anchors the campaign. Building the site using the TypePad was easy. I created a page for the front and used categories to navigate the sub-pages (brand messaging, content copywriting, integrated marketing). Then I made multiple blog posts to the copywriting samples category. Using modules in the design template, I added buttons for a bio, contact info and my full website. With a nod to local search marketing, I put my location in the footer.

The campaign postcard uses a tip list as a teaser and a QR code to drive traffic to the microsite. (If that's too hi-tech, there's a tinyurl with my phone number as part of the address.) A matching business card will feature a campaign promo on one side.

Creating these materials has been an excellent exercise in the very services I'm promoting -- articulating my brand promise and writing compelling copy for each piece. Now to execute by getting out there and marketing!