Watch out for advertising clutter

By Kim Peterson

This topic came to mind when working with a client.  They have advertised for years, off and on, and have never had a strong branding message.  They didn’t know who they were trying to target.  They were used to  advertising a laundry list of products and hadn’t gotten the results they expected so almost called it quits.

Just recently I was able to get them on a consistent advertising schedule.  They have been working closely with Mo, our genius who is responsible for writing and producing ads.  Each commercial that was e-mailed for approval was revised and e-mailed back with a laundry list of items to cover.  After the third rejection, Mo decided it was time we give them a visit.

This brings me to my topic…“watch out for advertising clutter”. No one is going to remember everything on your list. If you clutter the message with too much information, they will remember nothing.  It’s better to be known for something.  Focus on that one thing you are good at and stick to it.

 

My client has agreed to step back and trust Mo’s advice.  They thanked us both and couldn’t believe that someone would care enough to take the time to meet with them in person to gain a more complete understanding of their business and more specifically their branding message. 

Check back with my blog in the future to see how this advertising campaign turned out.   

Personality Types

By Julie Hein

Do you consider personality types in your communications?  A little knowledge can be a great thing in any type of relationship.  Of course, these personality surveys don’t say anything about intelligence or mental health.  They’re more about generalities—like you prefer your left hand or right. 

For extraversion vs introversion—I think it’s pretty easy to identify who is who.  Extraverts are energized by dialogue.  Introverts have to go inside themselves to be refreshed.  Extraverts make decisions by talking.  Introverts make them alone where they can think things through in peace. 

So, what to do if you’re an introvert married to an extravert?  Your spouse may chase you around the house wanted to discuss things.  After a long day or if there is a decision to be made, he/she really needs to talk.  This might drive you crazy.

What if you’re the extravert and your spouse is an introvert?  Don’t be surprised if your spouse hides from you, goes into the bathroom for extended periods, etc.  Introverts just announce things.  They’re not looking discussion--they’ve decided.  

So, what to do to extend courtesy (and increase the odds of getting the communication that you need when you need it)?

For introverts, if you tell them something new, surprising or different, give them some time to process.  Give them a warning about the topic so they have time to prepare.   Make an appointment for a later interaction. Usually, trying to close an introvert is a bad idea.  They’ve either decided or they need some time to decide.  You can give them new info – and then wait. 

For extraverts, listen to them.  Talk to them more than you think should be necessary.  Try to time your interactions for when you have energy so they can also power up.  They brainstorm, make decisions and get energy when their mouths are moving. Closing a sale with them can be fine – “hey, shouldn’t we do this now?  Let’s move forward.” That’s not pushy—that’s conversational. 

It All Begins With "You".

By Jill Dennis

According to Roy H. Williams from The Wizard of Ads:
You're writing an ad that needs to produce results.  Your ad-writing teachers have taught you to say the name of the company at least seven times in every ad.  Your experience tells you that cramming the name of the company into places where it wouldn't normally be heard will just make the ad sound like an ad. 

You've wrestled with this problem, haven't you?

The teacher who taught you to say the name of the company at least seven times is probably the same teacher who taught you to use loud noises and sound effects as attention getters and that words like "discount" and "sale" are irresistible.

I won't call this teacher a fool, but I think he'll do nicely until a real fool comes along.

The most irresistible word in the English language is "you". 

"You" engages the imagination of the listener.  It puts the action of your spot in present tense active.  Skillful use of the word "you" makes the listener a participant in your ad.

HOW MUCH DOES YOUR BRAND POSITION & PERCEPTION MATTER? CONSIDER THIS...

By Jeff Taylor

In Washington D.C. , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes.  During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.  After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing.  He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.

About 4 minutes later… 
The violinist received his first dollar.  A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

 At 6 minutes…
 A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At 10 minutes…
A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly.  The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time.  This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.

At 45 minutes…
 The musician played continuously.  Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while.  About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace.  The man collected a total of $32.

After 1 hour…
He finished playing and silence took over.  No one noticed and no one applauded.  There was no recognition at all.

 The violinist was  Joshua Bell, noted to be one of the greatest musicians in the world .  He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.  Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

The event was arranged by the Washington Post as an experiment in perception and priorities.  The experiment also has some very sound marketing lessons.  If your business is positioned as a premium provider, be very careful how you present your business to your customers.  If you speak about discounts and value you will confuse your customers and they will begin to ignore you.  Likewise, if you are a value and price business and you try to discuss your premium quality you will also confuse your customer.

When Joshua Bell presents his brand as a premium entertainer and prices his tickets accordingly he sells out.  When he was presented as value worthy of donations only, nobody paid attention.  Think about your brand position and marketing approach, are they consistent?

Great News for the Corridor

By Julie hein

A Forbes blog says that Cedar Rapids is expected to see employment growth of 14.2% -- which is the best in the country.  The CR economy  is expected to grow by 30% over the next three years which is also the best in the country.  Sounds like we’ve got a great thing going on here!   We knew that.

Are you poised to take advantage of this?  Better get ready!

 

Trigger Happy

By Glen Gardner

Normally being "trigger happy" might not be such a good thing, but when it comes to marketing and effective advertising it can be a great thing.

Knowing what the buying triggers of your customers and potential customers are can be a great tool in making your marketing dollars go further. It can also make your advertising much more effective.

The triggers are the things that happen to people that will move them from being cold to hot when it comes to your product or service. An example would be body work. Until I either hit a deer or slide on the ice, I'm not a hot prospect for a body shop. Once one of those triggering events happen, then I'm all of a sudden in the market.

In the case of the body shop, talking about those specific events will make my marketing dollars more efficient. If I have repeated the message enough, people will associate my business with that triggering event. That's why it's so important to run consistent frequency. We don't know when that trigger happens, but we do know what it is.

The job of good marketing is to make sure you get the call when they are ready. So go ahead and be trigger happy!

--  Glen Gardner GG&A Public News Service YourNews.com Madison 608-848-8502 office 608-345-5291 cell 800-881-9146 fax gardner.glen Skype

Part two: Ask smart questions, they think you're smart. Ask dumb.......

By Kim Peterson

According to Jeffrey Gitomer's “Little Red Book on Selling”,

Here are the dumbest questions salespeople ask-and why they’re dumb:

·   Who are you currently using..?  Pre-call research should tell you that.  And maybe the prospect feels that’s none of your business.  Good start.

·   Are you satisfied with your present ….? Everyone will tell you they’re satisfied. So what?  Well, OK, if you’re satisfied, I’ll just leave and quit.

·   How Much are you currently paying for…?  None of your business #2.  Let’s get down to price as fast as you can.

·   Can I quote you on…?  Why send a quote- the next person who quotes 2 cents cheaper gets the business.  What about the value?

·   Can I bid on…?  Same as a “quote” only worse.  This is a 100% price driven sale.  Low margin.  Low commission.  Low percentage of success.  How low do you want to go?

·   Are you the person who decides about….?   Come on.  This is THE question that breeds the most lies.  The answer is most often “yes”, and the answer most often is false.  Why ask a question that breeds misleading information?  The correct question to ask is:  How will the decision be made?

·   If I could save you some money, would you…?  Every salesperson thinks that the customer will jump at the hint of saving money.  This tactic actually has a negative effect on the buyer and makes the salesperson work twice as hard to prove himself and usually at a lower price(and lower commission).

And the worse question of them all:

·   What would it take to get (earn) your business?  This question literally is saying to the prospect: “Look, I don’t have much time here.  Could you tell me the quickest way to get this order, and make me do the least amount of work possible to get it.”

 Sales Truth:  Salespeople become known by the questions they ask.

The sale is yours for the asking; all you gotta do is ask for it in the right way!