Artisan Blog

Are you happy with the message you’re putting out in the marketplace?

Well, it’s time to check in. Get your marketing collateral on the table. Rethink that campaign you’re working on. Take a good solid look at whether your current messaging is getting you where you want to go.

(Or, as I heard from a recent client, maybe you don’t know what your message really is?)

Fear not. Whether you’re fine tuning or starting from scratch, bring these three things to the table and you’ll be well on your way to consistent and clear communication.

1. A cool head. Communicating your message is not the best place to try a ready-fire-aim approach. But it’s also not some mysterious and complex process. Start by blocking out some time on the calendar. Use this time to step back and take in the view from 30,000 feet. Look at all of the ways you’re marketing. Are you consistent in what you communicate? What's really working? What could you be doing better? What's most compelling about this particular project you're about to start?

2. A bit of strategy. Communicating with your audience is a little bit art, a little bit science and a whole lot of common sense. Map it out using whatever tools work for you, but remember that good strategy is all about questioning assumptions. What's most important to get across right now? What does your target client or customer look like? What do they want from you? Why should they be interested in what you're selling? What makes your service remarkable? Where is your brand fitting into the equation?

3. A habit. My clients tell me that this is often the hardest part. Workdays are busy. Planning can get away from you while you're putting out the daily fires. I know. When I was a marketing manager, I struggled with keeping planning and brainstorming time on the calendar, too. But it's really just a habit. Carve out a system and some time to plan out your communication before you jump into getting it done, and you are going to be exponentially more effective -- with your time, your money and your message.

I was talking with a friend the other day about a topic that's important to him personally. At one point in our discussion -- in the middle of a sentence -- he suddenly stopped and switched gears.

"What I'm really trying to say is,..." And then he made a clear, eloquent statement. Immediately, I understood. Somehow, though, it had taken us 30 minutes to get to this point.

Now, let's admit it. We all do this on occasion. Sometimes important personal matters can be hard to articulate.

Yet, how many times do businesses dive into talking to clients and customers in the same way? How often do we completely miss the point in marketing communication?

Pretty frequently. And often it's because we're so busy that we jump into making communication happen-- creating a web site, writing a brochure, announcing news -- without stopping to consider the bigger picture, the brand promise, the desire our service is meant to meet, or the many ways to get that across. Unfortunately, when marketing your business, you don't often get the chance to go back and say, "wait... I know what I wanted to say."

Think about this for a minute.

How often does it take two pages to say what can be said in one? How many times do we bore prospects with a list of random features when what they really want to know is, "will this meet my needs?" How often do we attempt to articulate every single thing we do and leave nothing out (kitchen-sink marketing) instead of focusing on a distinct, targeted message? How many times has there been pressure to "get this out there quickly"?

How often do we muddle the message-- or miss the larger opportunity?

Chances are, it's happening more often than not unless you're sitting down and giving this some thought on a regular basis. The truth is that it doesn't take a lot of time. What it takes is a cool head, a bit of strategy and a habit. More on that next week.

In the meantime, let me know if you've had this experience-- and what you're doing about it.

Think white papers are just for high-tech companies? Think again.

Savvy service businesses are rewriting the rules on marketing and exploring educational marketing tools like white papers to educate clients and position their businesses for growth.

Business white papers are often shorter and less technical than their government or technology cousins. Their goal is to speak to the challenges that your audience is facing and offer valuable solutions or expertise. Notice I didn’t say sell your service. A good white paper will position your business as a solution provider, but it is designed to be educational reading, not a slick direct sales piece.

Case-in-point. I recently finished a series of three related white papers on the hot topic of sustainable design. My client— a top 500 firm in the architecture and engineering industry-- operates in a climate that is all about relationships. But it’s also about being experts in a highly technical field and about being looked to for solutions, advice and market-sector knowledge. And that’s why white papers make so much sense.

They're client-focused. They offer helpful information. And they effectively position your company as the knowledgeable experts you are. You can't get much more authentic than that when it comes to marketing.

Here are 5 potential ways to use a white paper (or three) to enhance your marketing plan.

• Distribute at industry conferences where you’re exhibiting or attending
• Add a relevant white papers to your business development materials and leave behinds
• Craft a press release on a newsworthy white paper and use it as a media relations tool
• Publish online to showcase expertise in a market sector or subject matter
• Use as the basis of new talks for client events and conferences

Today’s question: Can you find creative ways to put informational or educational marketing tools like white papers to use for your business?

I was talking to a client the other day about something we both feel strongly about. Something that has a huge impact on the effectiveness of your copy, your overall message strategy and even your brand. Something we're all born with and yet we often hide when it comes to business.

Emotion.

Unfortunately, emotion and our ability to empathize can be the first things to go when service businesses start talking about Marketing with a capital M. Suddenly, everyone's trying to sound good (or worse, to sound more like their competitors). Sometimes, in their effort to craft the "right" message and to use the "right" language, they forget about their audience altogether! It sounds crazy, I know. But it happens.

Sometimes we forget that marketing is a conversation. We forget that all sales are emotional. We forget that even when we are logically defending a purchase we've made or a decision on who we want to work with, it really all comes down to the underlying emotions.

Think about your own experiences. Which brands make you feel like you've made a smart decision? Which vendors give you the sense that your professional reputation is going to be enhanced by working with them? Have you ever felt that "this" (whatever it is) will absolutely meet your business need?

Now, translate this to your own market. 

Which emotions are you hoping to elicit from your prospects and customers? How do you want them to feel about your service or product?

Which emotions are they experiencing already that you can tap into, that you understand, that you know you can help them with?

Where are your audiences' pain points?

What are their aspirations? What's important to them?

If your messaging and marketing isn't coming from this deeper level, it's time to take another look. 

Marketing independence, you say? What does that mean? I'm talking about letting go of the ideas that keep you stuck in the same unsatisfying definitions of what your marketing message "has to be".

In honor of the July 4th holiday, this week I want to share four tips for leaving your old rules behind and freeing yourself to think differently about your business' marketing message.

1. Stop following the competition. Yes, you should know what they're doing. And yes, you should absolutely learn from any smart ideas they're implementing. But their message and their methods won't work for you for one simple reason: you're not marketing their business. Authentic communication and connection with your customers (and that's what "marketing" is really all about, right?) is about being remarkable. Not parroting the other guys.

2. Lose the stilted marketing speak. Start having a conversation. Show some personality. Be who you are. Throw caution to the wind and use a few contractions. This goes double for corporate lingo and triple for technical jargon. Strip it out. Unless of course, that is how you actually do talk when you're across the table from your best client.

3. Worry less about the tools and more about the message. The most common questions I hear are things like "Should I be using social media?" or "What marketing vehicles will be most effective for this?" Even those who aren't asking are sure that it's time to hire a design team to upgrade the web site or that they need press coverage. Yet what usually needs to happen is they need to cool their jets a bit and get their message aligned first. Once you've distilled the essence of what you're trying to communicate for your business and you know who needs to hear it and what that gets you, then picking the right tools is much simpler.

4. Impart knowledge. When a prospective customer/client/student takes a look at your marketing or promotional materials, does he or she learn something new? If not, go back to the drawing board. Whether it's something new about your company, your service or your field, go after the 'aha' moment. Confidently show your expertise, establish your position and differentiate your brand.

How will you free up your marketing to make authentic connections?