Marketing | Words For Hire

Why You May Not Be Smarter than a 5th Grader

June 24, 2009 by Karen Swim

I stood up from the pile of work on my desk to stretch. I was hot, my hair was sticking up and I was tired and cranky. I looked out the window and sighed. It was a beautiful summer day. The branches lifted ever so gently, the cloudless sky was clear and blue and the sun seemed to beckon me with its rays.

As I took in the moment and simply breathed in, two little girls came into view. Both wearing brightly colored shorts and tops chatting happily. They part ambled, part skipped as they made their way closer to my window. I watched them with a smile remembering the summers of my youth.

The little girls sat down across from my window where there’s just a bit of curb at the end of a grassy hill that leads to a pond. They sat facing each other in intense conversation (which at age 10 could be about anything from Hannah Montana to world peace). I cocked my head as I watched the ease they exhibited. One of the little girls held up her cell phone and snapped a photo as they continued to chat away (now that’s one thing I didn’t own as a kid!).

Children buy, sell and negotiate every day of their life. They do it naturally, without sophisticated strategies and tools. They sell their ideas to other kids (which is how you find yourself playing boogey man instead of dress up); they negotiate with teachers and parents. Children do it without questioning the ROI or metrics, it is as natural to them as having a conversation.

Those two little girls reminded me of our “new era” in marketing. We talk about engagement, transparency and conversational marketing but are we really doing it? Have we simply took our fancy corporate branding and toned it down with everyday language or are we really talking to people?

While I am very much in business to make money, I want to do business with other human beings. I want my marketing to talk to and not at people.

If you really want to reach people, then talk to them. Lose the industry jargon and corporate speak and talk to them as though it were just you and them sitting on a stoop on a hot summer day. If you want your messaging to convey authenticity then be real. What would you say one on one in a non-sales situation when asked about your business? Compare that message to what’s on your website and in your printed collateral – how does it match up?

We have fallen into this trap that people will only take you seriously if you use the “right” language. So, we start there and we strip our messages of all humanity and warmth. People are smarter than that, give them a little credit. Talk to them, really talk to them and you may be surprised at how they respond.

Do you find that you describe your business or even job differently in social settings? Are you more natural in social settings? What makes you not use that approach all the time?

Authenticity, Transparency and Poetic Musings

May 26, 2009 by Karen Swim

Written by Karen D. Swim

The sky blushed with soft shades of rose, clouds softly rolling in darkening the sun
A heart that was heavy lifted as emotions floated on the wind, I exhaled and the sky blushed.
Soft droplets of rain falling gently from the folds of lavender robes as a clap of thunder trumpeted the arrival of a majestic display of power and humility
Branches bowed low in worship, leaves danced in delight

Emotion seeped from hidden spaces, riding waves of tears pushing past floodgates of fear
The sky blushed and I exhaled.

____________________________

Over the long weekend I began reading a fabulous book, Collapse of Distinction: Stand out and move up while your competition fails (NelsonFree). (Big fat huge hugs to Kelly Erickson for the book!) There are a wealth of lessons which I will share liberally in later posts, but the book got me to thinking about authenticity and transparency.

We all agree that transparency has its boundaries. We do not need nor want to know the intimate details of everyone’s life. We need not be privy to every dark thought or struggle. It is my belief that ultimately it is not transparency or authenticity we seek; we crave humanity.

We want to know that there are real live people who think, breathe, cry and don’t always have the answers behind the logos and branding messages. We want to know that you feel, and care about many of the same things we do.

Yet, we require that humanity in a silo. In my own life, it is time to bleed the lines. I have always been fairly “transparent” yet I realize that my self imposed limits may be stunting my own growth. I am a writer desiring to grow, stretch and learn yet until now have been fearful of sharing certain kinds of writing on this blog.

Yes, there is a fine line to walk here. You cannot do what you feel in spite of what your market wants BUT to innovate and grow you must be willing to test.

: Image by krandolph via Flickr

There are many things we use and like that we never could have predicted.

McKain’s book inspires the question of whether we want to be different or do we truly want to be distinct? I am not out for fame, fortune or even market share but I do want to be my own class. I want to be wanted for me and not as the writer or marketer that is like so and so.

To achieve that end, I have to find my own voice and be willing to make mistakes along the way. I must break down silos and share the other pieces of me – yes the bad poetic musings, the half baked fiction and the often really good ideas that emerge from the schizophrenic process.

How can I be authentic in the market if I am not first true to myself? While I will not use this space as a laboratory, I will blur the lines as I create that crayon in the box that is clearly marked “Karen.”

What about you? Do you want to be different or do you want to be distinct?

Wednesday Links, Laughs and Loves

May 20, 2009 by Karen Swim

Written by Karen D. Swim

It has been quite a week! I don’t know about you but I’m all for celebrating the half-way mark. For me it has been a week of being sifted and shaken from every direction. I wish I knew a great joke to share with all of you (come to think of it I could use a good joke in which er you know I’m not the butt of it, got any?), but instead let’s check in with the web happenings of the week.

Stacy Lukasavitz shared a great link this week on rap artist Eminem’s integrated marketing campaign. Like Stacy, I’m not a fan but read with interest how his marketing team is using traditional, social media and multimedia to promote his latest album. Give it a read and let me know your thoughts – weird or brilliant?

Kelly Erickson snags an interview with the author of When Growth Stalls, Steve McKee. Learn how Steve failed his way to success. Great insight and takeaways that we can all use.

Joanna Young returned from her spectacular writing retreat in Sardinia and pondered how to hold on to that balance. It is a timely, thought provoking piece as many of us attempt to pursue writing dreams, while funding our lives.

…and if you’re up for some great e-book reads, head over to Smashwords and pick up Flashy Fiction by George Angus and Poke it with a Sharp Stick by the man with the big hat and even bigger heart, Robert Hruzek.

How about you? Did you read, hear, see anything interesting, inspiring or just plain wild?

7 Reasons You Need an Ideal Client Profile

May 5, 2009 by Karen Swim

Written by Karen D. Swim

Taking time to profile your ideal client is essential. Knowing your ideal client will help you focus your business model and resources on acquiring and retaining the right clients. It will also minimize the risks inherent in gaining customers that are not a good match.

Developing a client profile is not a one-time process. You will refine it as your business evolves, and may even redefine it if you shift your business model. Below are 7 reasons you should create an ideal profile today!

You can more precisely target your market. William Tell faced execution if he did not shoot an apple off the head of his son. If he missed, he and his son would both die. Tell took careful aim and hit the target, splitting the apple in half. We may not think of precision in business as a life or death prospect but it can be. You can waste tine and money “speaking” to a large audience with hopes of reaching the right market or you can spend your resources connecting with people who want, need and value your offerings.
You will create communications that are more effective. When you know your audience you can craft your communications to speak directly to them. You can speak to their needs, wants and desire in language that is uniquely appealing to them.
No more looking for a needle in a haystack. If you wanted to see a baseball game, chances are you would not head to the local basketball court. Knowing your ideal client allows you to reach them through the right channels. You can then track, measure and enhance your ROI on marketing.
Improve your conversion rate. Your precise efforts will yield the reward of a higher conversion rate. You will no longer be attempting to sell oranges to groups who prefer apples. By targeting orange lovers with oranges, you will convert more prospects to sales.
Enhance your service. You can tailor your service to fit your market. This allows you to add custom touches that address their specific needs. Your operations will be designed for your market, improving your service and relationship to your buyers.
Increase the lifetime value of your customers. When you have identified your ideal client you can create products and services designed to meet their needs. After all you want to develop long term relationships rather than a one time sale.
You will be able to identify clients that are not a good fit. When you attempt to serve customers who are not a good fit it often results in you and the customer feeling the pain of the process. Having an ideal client profile will help you to recognize customers who would best served by someone else.

Do you have a written ideal client profile? How has it helped you in your business? If you do not have one, what has prevented you from creating it?

Business Resources:

Say What? The New Age of Comunication

March 10, 2009 by Karen Swim

: Image by Vincent J. Brown via Flickr

Written by Karen D. Swim

In case you had not heard, the United States is in a recession. However, unlike past periods of financial turmoil, consumer behavior is not so easily predicted and has many scratching their heads. What’s different? The method and speed of communications has changed making it difficult f to control or predict consumer behavior.

Kellye Crane points out in her thoughtful discussion on PR that we no longer “control the message.” This applies to all areas of communications. Consumers no longer rely on marketing messages from business or government to stimulate them to buy. The actions that proved to be successful in the past no longer work in this age of user generated conversations and messaging.

In my own business I have found that potential customers crave more information and communication in these recessionary times. I am doing much more hand holding on the front end than ever before. People are nervous and want lots of information, not marketing messages. They want to know precisely what your product or service will do in clear terms and many want the ability to ask you about it directly even if the information is clearly spelled out in writing.

Even as people crave more information, they are not always paying attention. As they scan your site, blog post or twitter message, they are also thinking about their retirement account, how they will afford to send their kids to college and protecting their own jobs. The distraction makes it easy to misinterpret communications. Now more than ever, it is important to be clear in what and how you communicate. Subtle attempts at humor or thoughtful discourse may lead to unexpected blow-ups.

We need not fear the times in which we live but rather embrace the reality and step forward to lead the way. Even as we accept a lack of control there is an opportunity to be a leader in this new age of communication.

Have you noticed a difference in the way people communicate? Have you made any personal adjustments?

Digital PR in a Recession (michsineath.com)

Get Real (Claire Ratushny)

5 Common Problems of Ailing Businesses

January 26, 2009 by Karen Swim

: Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Written by Karen D. Swim

I am not a fan of reality shows but I have become addicted to Peter Perfect. In the show, stylist, Peter Ishkans, visits struggling small business owners in the U.S. In the shows that I have watched the businesses are typically family owned, single location retail stores.

Peter assesses the store’s layout, operations and the image and makes over both store and owners. He delivers the verdict in a straightforward but pleasant way. The business owners cringe only a little because it’s so much easier to hear that your business is a disaster when delivered in a non-American accent.

In a recent episode the business owners listed the problems and Peter looked baffled as he asked, “If you knew all this why didn’t you do something about it?” Ouch. So often we really do understand the problems but fail to take the next step of fixing them. Listed below are a few of the common problems I have noted since watching the show.

Unwilling to give up control. Are you so emotionally invested in your business that you view any criticism or suggestion as a personal rejection of you? Many of these business owners had family members who were partners. The family members had good ideas but the primary business owner was unwilling to give up control.

Business lacked a clear image / brand. When customers see your store front or website, is it immediately clear what you offer? What image does your business project? In every episode the business owners had failed to develop a clear brand. It was not the business idea that was bad but its presentation.

Failure to consider your target market. I recently worked with a client on a website redesign as part of an overall re-branding effort. The site did not at all reflect his target market. He knew that the site was not working but when asked about the choices he remarked, “I chose stuff that I like.” The problem however is that the colors and images he liked were completely out of sync with his target market.

No Marketing. Retail shop owners had failed to engage even their local communities. Do not assume that your market knows you exist and will find you. Whether you have a brick and mortar business or virtual store, you must market. If marketing is not your strength hire expert help. Buy consulting time to assess your needs and develop a plan, but do something or your business will die.

You lack a clear image. Are you reflecting confidence in your own business? Have you made the transition from hobbyist to business owner? Does your appearance and demeanor reflect the image you want to project? Step up to your role and own it.

To run a successful business you don’t have to have all the answers but you do need to be willing to seek them out. Technology has made it easier than ever to tap into expert knowledge and resources. With a little help you can move your business to the next level.

Do any of these issues resonate with you? If you’re a business owner what have you done to work through your roadblocks? For non-business owners, what do you wish businesses would do differently or better?

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