A Plan Can Set You Free

Does the idea of developing a plan for your marketing and communications activities make you wince? Recoil in horror? Break out in hives? If so, you're probably laboring under some serious misconceptions.

Maybe you think planning takes too much time. Think again.

• Taking time to set objectives, define your audience and messages, and figure out a budget will save you time later. Your marketing and communications programs will be on-target and yield better results. Plus, setting objectives means you have something to measure results against. That lets you learn and improve programs over time.

Maybe you think a plan is going to be rigid. ("If I have a plan, I have to follow it no matter what.") Time to reconsider.

• A plan is a living document. It evolves based on market conditions, product development timetables, you name it. Planning takes discipline. However, implementation of any plan requires an equal measure of flexibility. 

A plan is like a road map. It shows you where you’re going and how to get there. Isn’t it better to have a map than to wander around?

5 Tests Of An Effective Message

In marketing communications what you say is as important as where and how often you say it -- the "what" being your central message or promise.

So how do you come up with the right message? Well, the first and most important step is to know your customers. What benefit(s) do they get from working with your company? What problems do you solve for them? Customer benefit is the driving force behind an effective company message.


Once you've developed potential messages, here are five questions to ask of each of them. They'll help you zero in on the promise or message that will get you the most mileage:

1. Is it unique?  Often there are many providers of a product or service. How do you set yourself apart from the rest of the pack?
2. Is it meaningful?  This is where knowledge of the customer comes into play. Your uniqueness should be based on the real needs of the people who use your product or service. 
3. Is it supportable?  Can you keep the promise you're making? For example, if your company message centers on superior service, are you committed to staying ahead of the competition?
4. Is it sustainable?  Establishing your unique position doesn't happen overnight. The message you choose should be based on a long term view of what you can deliver. 
5. Is it concrete and easy to understand?  If your audience has to think too hard to understand your message, they probably won't! Simple, straight-forward messages work best.

Growing Creativity

Creativity. It’s poorly understood. Sometimes undervalued. Sometimes considered rare.

But we can all be creative. I offer these quotes to inspire you to nurture the creativity in yourself and those around you.

Abraham Maslow:

I think...a good question might be not why do people create? But why do people not create or innovate? We have got to abandon that sense of amazement in the face of creativity, as if it were a miracle if anybody created anything.

Brenda Ueland:

... imagination needs moodling - long, inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering.

Erich Fromm:

Conditions for creativity are:  to be puzzled; to concentrate; to accept conflict and tension; to be born every day; to feel a sense of self.

Linus Pauling:

The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.

Margaret J. Wheatley:

The things we fear most in organizations -- fluctuations, disturbances, imbalances -- are the primary sources of creativity.

Mary-Claire King:

I think there are two keys to being creatively productive. One is not being daunted by one's fear of failure. The second is sheer perseverance.

R. I. Fitzhenry:

Uncertainty and mystery are energies of life. Don't let them scare you unduly, for they keep boredom at bay and spark creativity.

Tina Turner:

Sometimes you've got to let everything go - purge yourself. If you are unhappy with  anything . . . whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you'll find that when you're free, your true creativity, your true self comes out.

Claire Cunningham:

Be courageous.  Be creative.

Making advertising work -- Rule #1 Don't be boring

Advertising isn’t popular right now. It CAN be spendy, but done right, advertising creates interest quickly. Doing it right means three things:

1) Right frequency
2) Right audience
3) Right message

Frequency means repetition. Once, twice, even three times may simply not be enough repetitions for a message to sink in.   Some studies recommend 9 or more repetitions.

Audience is about knowing who buys and showing up where they are.

And then we get to message. Here we mean both what’s said AND how it’s said. Your ad – whether on TV, radio, or the web, in a magazine or newspaper, or on a billboard -- has a split second to grab attention. Promising something that’s interesting to your audience is important. Doing it in an attention-getting way is even more so.

TRUE STORY: Once a manufacturer was disappointed with their ad response. We looked at their ads and said, “BORING.” There was nothing wrong or inaccurate about them, but there was nothing attention-getting either.

We began a new campaign that used fun, unexpected, but familiar images to sell the benefits of these products. Ad readership scores went up and so did inquiry rates.

Trying to bore someone into buying usually doesn't work.

Want To Sell Something? First, Tell Them About It

OVERHEARD RECENTLY:

“We told them about it, but they didn’t come.”

“We advertised, but got no good leads.”

“We tried that once, and it didn’t work.”

Any of these sound familiar? I’ve heard similar things about employee meetings,  planning efforts and marketing programs. No matter the setting, the main problem in each instance  is that basic communications practices aren't being used.

1. REPETITION  Foremost among these practices is repetition. You need to tell your audience and then repeat, repeat, repeat your message for it to get through. Once is definitely not enough!  It’s not that anyone’s stupid or slow. People have a lot going on in their lives so you have to work hard to get through. It can take up to 9(!) repetitions for a message to sink in.
2. USING A MIX  You can boost the effectiveness of repetition by using a variety of ways to deliver your message.Think about your business and your intended audience. What avenues of communication are open to you? Public relations, mailings, advertising, newsletters, trade shows and email are usually possibilities. Use all available means to spread your news. The more, the merrier. And repeat, repeat, repeat.
3. MAKE SURE IT'S MEANINGFUL  If you’re doing the above and STILL not getting a response, you may need to take a step or two back to make sure your message is meaningful to the audience. Some marketing campaigns produce disappointing results because they promote what the company wants to say rather than what the audience wants to hear

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