Girls just wanna have fun

I've been doing Voice of the Customer research on my own while working as a food demonstrator at a large grocery chain. 100% of the time, the selling points provided by the manufacturer are dull, dull, dull. Where's the fun?! What people respond to is FUN.  An upbeat attitude and a playful manner trumps zero transfats, low sodium, and all natural ingredients every time.

"You can't BORE someone into buying your product." So I'm told by a wise friend. Memorable consumer ads have a funny or dramatic hook to get you involved.

But what about the serious world of B2B marketing communications? Aren't we just presenting facts? 

Certainly facts are important, but ONLY in terms of what's relevant to your buyer. To be relevant you need to understand how users benefit from using your product or service. If you aren't sure, ask! A little research can go a long way toward building your company's sales success. 

Once your message is relevant, it's time to develop a personality. People buy from other people, right? Since they're your company's public face, marketing communications pieces need to present a consistent, likeable personality. 

Injecting humor can do this. It might be light-hearted visuals or tongue-in-cheek headlines. Either way humor requires that you relax and take a fresh look at what you're selling. It can be tricky but pay off big-time.  Done right, an attitude of fun creates a strong bond with prospects.

Here's a little 80s fun to inspire you:

      http://youtu.be/PIb6AZdTr-A

      http://youtu.be/HId2jQBEbYY   (live in Paris)

Love that Cyndi!

Grow your own.

Creativity. It’s a talent that’s little understood. Sometimes undervalued.Sometimes considered rare.

I believe we can all be creative. After all, nature is infinitely creative.

Hope these quotes inspire you to encourage the creativity in yourself and those around you.

Abraham Maslow:
The key question isn't "What fosters creativity?" But it is why in God's name isn't everyone creative? Where was the human potential lost? How was it crippled? I think therefore 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.

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.

John W. Gardner:
When Alexander the Great visited Diogenes and asked whether he could do anything for the famed teacher, Diogenes replied, "Only stand out of my light." Perhaps some day we shall know how to heighten creativity. Until then, one of the best things we can do for creative men and women is to stand out of their light.

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

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.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter:
Creativity is a lot like looking at the world through a kaleidoscope. You look at a set of elements, the same ones everyone else sees, but then reassemble those floating bits and pieces into an enticing new possibility.

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.

Dōmo arigatō, Mr. Roboto

One of my blogposts has gotten over 800 page views. Over 800!


I know this doesn’t seem like much in the world of big-time bloggers who get hundreds of thousands of page views. But for little old me who started with about 10 page views per post, this is HUGE! That’s either a 800% increase or 8000%. I’m too happy to do math. I think I’ve gone viral.


But now I’m experiencing the dilemma marketing folks in many companies feel about social media. What did I do that attracted these people? (Was it the catchy headline? Something in the content? Was it the guest post I wrote for another blog?) Who are these readers? Are they the people I want to reach? Will they come back? What can I do to make them come back? And is this worth the effort?


AARRGGHH! Success can be stressful.


Upon reflection what I keep coming back to is gratitude. So…Thank you, readers, for your attention and time. I hope you found something of value. Thank you, Geoffrey Cooling, for inviting me to expound in your great blog, Just Stuff, (http://geoffreycooling.blogspot.com/). Thank you, LinkedIn and Twitter for being my forum. Thank you, universe.


Thanks. Gracias. Danke. Merci. Obrigado. Grazie.

Part Deux: Something completely different...

I've been blogging about marketing and communications for a long time. So I'm going off script to share my four rules for living.

Ready? Here they are.

 

Show up.
Pay attention.
Think before you act.
Act before you think too much.

Simple enough, huh? Yeah, until you try to live them!

 

Remember, the first two were about being PRESENT.  Here are the last two.
 

THINK BEFORE YOU ACT.

Do you ever feel like you just need to DO SOMETHING? Be careful. That urge may be a form of avoidance. Is there something important you’re ducking or putting off?   Lack of thinking can also lead to the READY-FIRE-AIM syndrome.  That's when you do something and then say "Oh, shucks.  That missed the mark.  There goes a bunch of money."
 

Rather than pulling the trigger too soon, consider your objectives. Are you trying to increase your share in a market? Build sales? Will your action take you further along the path to your goals or will it lead you in another direction?
 

ACT BEFORE YOU THINK TOO MUCH.

Sometimes we get stuck. We’re so afraid of taking a wrong step we don’t move at all. Analysis paralysis. Inaction leaves us in limbo – an uncomfortable and stressful place.

Thinking before you act is good. Thinking too much is not good. Where’s the line between enough and too much? Good question.  If you find you're stuck, try taking a small step and watch the results.  Taking initiative by taking action can break you out of that stuck place.

And now for something completely different...

Marketing...schmarketing.  I've been blogging about marketing and communications for a long time.  So I'm going off script to share my four rules for living. Ready?  Here they are.

1. Show up.
2. Pay attention.
3. Think before you act.
4. Act before you think too much.

Simple enough, huh?  Yeah, until you try to live them!

Here's what they mean to me -- two at a time.

1. SHOW UP

To really show up, you have to bring your whole self to whatever you do.   Bring your A game, as they say.  You've heard the saying, "Live in the present moment"?  Well, this means the same thing to me.

We value multi-tasking right now.  In fact, I've lost count of the job postings I've seen that list multi-tasking as a required skill.  But there’s a down-side because multi-taskers miss things. While checking email and sending a text you may miss a chance to connect with a co-worker or client.

For one day try doing things in sequence rather than at the same time. You may find you actually get more done in less time because you’re focused.  Or not.   It's worth trying. anyway.

2. PAY ATTENTION

Paying attention goes with showing up.  If you’re doing several things at once, something’s going to suffer. People sense when your attention's divided and may think you don't care.  (Think of how you feel at a store where the clerk is talking on the phone rather than helping you.)

It comes down to choices. You can’t pay attention to everything all the time. Decide what's most important at the moment. That's where your attention belongs.


Enough said.  On to the final two next week.

Say it again, Sam

Animals learn through repetition, right? If you want a dog or a horse to learn something you work with him over…and over…and over.  Did you know it's the same with people?  Repetition is a key element in successful marketing.

Think about big-time jingles, brand icons, and ad messages (McDonald’s “I’m lovin’ it”; Nike’s “Just do it”; The Geico Gecko). These words and images stick with us for one big reason – REPETITION. You’ve heard and seen them again…and again…and again.

If you want people to absorb your message, repeat it. And I don’t mean two or three times, either. Current wisdom says it can take nine or more repetitions for a message to sink in.

Wonder why it takes such an effort to make an impact? Consider these facts.

· We’re inundated with messages – from public bathroom doors to computer screens. You have to break through the clutter. Repetition combined with an intriguing presentation increases your odds of being noticed.
· Folks buy when they’re ready. You need to be visible consistently to capture their attention when the time is right.  For them.
· We retain only about 10% of the information we’re exposed to each day. Repetition increases the chance your message will be part of that lucky 10%.

If this advice sounds familiar, it's because I'm repeating a point I believe is critically important.  Yes, I take my own advice.

3 Marketing Secrets!

Don’t you hate ads that scream about supposed secrets to success that can be yours for $9.95, $19.95, $99.95 or whatever? Well, here are some really useful “secrets” for you –  no price tag attached.

Ever wonder how other organizations keep their momentum going? Smart marketing and communications programs are critical. Here are three key marketing strategies you can put to work.

 
VISIBILITY 
This is where selling starts. After all, it’s hard for someone to buy from you if they don’t know you exist.    To find the tactics that will get you the visibility you need and fit your budget, ask yourself these questions.

• Who’s your audience? 
• Where/how can you get your name in front of them? 
• What can you afford? 
• What return (response, KPIs) are you looking for?

  

CONSISTENCY
Brand and brand management -- what do these words really mean? If you’re a company like Target, it can mean complex product naming schemes and identity standards.  For many other organizations it boils down to consistency. Determine your message, look and tone and then stick with it. Consistency can boost cost efficiency, plus it’s easier to make an impression if you look and sound the same over time.


REPETITION
Forget everything you’ve heard about the evils of redundancy. In marketing, persistence pays.  Human beings learn through repetition. Plus, only a few things, like Christmas décor and snow removal, have predictable buying seasons. Most of the time, we don’t know when someone’s going to buy. Since people often don’t pay attention to messages until they’re relevant, YOUR message needs to be out there over and over and…
.