2006 Newsletters

Clichés: Visual and verbal. No! Stop! Don't!

Issue Number 16 | December 2006

Win-Win. Think outside the box. Best in class. 24/7. Personal bandwidth....

Each of these phrases began as an original, even startling concept. But over time — and through overuse — they've become clichés. No more than background noise.

Ironically, what makes clichés work in daily life (the easy, almost transparent way in which they transmit information) is exactly the thing that makes them death to marketing materials. Oft-heard messages are forgettable. By using tired catch phrases, old ideas, or predictable images (call them visual clichés), you rob your communications of their sizzle and pop.

A truly effective campaign must simultaneously provoke, surprise, and inform. It crafts a message that's both easily accessible and entirely new. It's smart, compelling, even seductive. And it's much harder than it looks.

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Your Trade Show Booth: Give it real stopping power

Issue Number 15 | October 2006

116 million people. That's how many attended trade shows in North America last year. According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research and the Trade ShowWeek Data Book, trade show spending in 2005 was a staggering $53 billion, which represents 18 percent of North America's marketing budgets.

It's no wonder companies are focusing on the ROI of trade shows.

The research also reveals that leads generated at trade shows cost $419. Compare that to $1,080 to complete a field-generated lead.

Trade shows remain a great investment — whether you're a product or service-oriented organization. An effective trade show booth can help you draw people in and give them a greater understanding of your product or service. But don't expect your logo and some catchy phrases to do the trick.

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Your RFP: It's brand communication

Issue Number 14 | September 2006

You just sent out an RFP (Request for Proposal). Will it create a positive brand impression?

An RFP is the first step in engaging a strategic partner. As such, it's not simply a straightforward business communication, it's a brand opportunity.

Many organizations overlook the opportunity the RFP presents, hurriedly creating a "good enough" piece that's neither clear, nor particularly compelling. Others approach the RFP with dread, repurposing an existing document rather than rethinking the process, the requirements, and the schedule.

If you're seeking a smart, strategic partner, your RFP should reflect that. Here are seven guidelines to help you create a great RFP, in other words, a "Really Fine Publication."

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The Customer Continuum: Turning casual Web users into loyal customers

Issue Number 13 | August 2006

Sure, your Web site looks marvelous, but is it doing enough to grow your business? Is it working hard enough to turn casual browsers into loyal customers?

Understanding the "customer continuum" can help. The continuum begins with awareness, moves through transformation and engagement, then ends with allegiance. Whether your site is e-commerce, informational, or purely promotional, it should move customers quickly and efficiently through these critical phases.

Where are your customers on the continuum? Figuring this out can help you wisely allocate marketing dollars.

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The Best Brand Ambassadors: Yes, they're your employees

Issue Number 12 | July 2006

You've conveyed your brand to customers with a smart, creative advertising campaign, prepared a killer multimedia presentation for your industry partners, and given stockholders the lowdown with an artful annual report. Let's see, what's missing?

Here's a question: How have you communicated your brand to employees?

Whether or not you have a formal internal marketing plan in place, you are sending messages to the people who work for you. They're learning about your products and/or services and developing strong opinions about your company and what it offers. Then they're going out into the world — first-line ambassadors of your brand — to share what they think.

Ask yourself: Are your corporate offices filled with mildly disgruntled people who weren't informed about the company's latest release until it was already on the street? People who feel disconnected from one another and from delivery of the final product or service in which they play a significant part? Or do you communicate regularly with employees, making them feel like valued, knowledgeable members of your team?

A quality internal marketing program takes time, effort, and investment, but with the right execution, it will provide a magnificent return: higher profits, a smoother running organization, better employee morale, and easier recruitment to boot.

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Visual Systems: Controlling what was once left to chance

Issue Number 11 | June 2006

Is your brand expressed consistently — across all media? Or do your communications present a confusing array of visual styles?

Most companies understand the strategic importance of a consistent visual style, but fall short on implementation, especially when there are numerous product lines and numerous in-house or agency creative teams. Add in new products, changing management, fluctuating budgets, and looming deadlines, and the typical result is a tangled mess of visual styles — all representing the same company. No wonder customers are confused. Or singularly unimpressed.

A prescription for this all-too-common malady is a carefully designed visual system — that clarifies logo use, layout, typography, color, imagery, and other defining characteristics of your brand.

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Wayfinding and Signage: Creating the right experience

Issue Number 10 | May 2006

There are a lot of things in life to which we pay scant attention, until they don't work the way they're supposed to. Wayfinding is a case in point. When we go to a library, museum, theatre, campus, retail store, or business, the only time we think about wayfinding is when it's confusing or nonexistent. Like so many things that seem simple but aren't, wayfinding is an unobtrusive guide. When it works, it's transparent. When it doesn't, it's the center of unwelcome attention.

Wayfinding is more than creating attractive signs. Effective wayfinding is a well-researched, well-engineered plan that anticipates directional needs, guides visitors to key destinations, aligns with your building's pathways, and strengthens your brand.

Take a walk through your building today — as a first-time visitor — and see what's working and what's not in your wayfinding plan. Use the six pointers here to see if your wayfinding and signage is a brand asset — or a detractor.

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Humor in Communications: 6 Serious Tips

Issue Number 9 | April 2006

Have you heard the one about humor in communications? It's funnier — well, at least more effective — than you might think.

When most marketers think about humor, it's typically in the context of television and print ads. But humor can be an effective communication tool across a range of print and interactive media, whether you're talking to business-to-business or business-to-consumer audiences.

No kidding.

Business professionals are people, too. (Most of them, anyway.) And nearly all people enjoy a good laugh. (If they don't, are you sure you really want to work with them?)

So how do you transform your business-as-usual communications into effective funny business — without turning your message into a joke? Here are six serious tips.

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The Web Experience: 6 Essential Questions

Issue Number 8 | March 2006

How long does it take Web users to form an opinion?

They arrive at your site, scan the headlines, survey the navigation, and glance at the visuals. What's the experience you've created? And how does that affect what they'll do next? (By the way, if you're thinking about your homepage, think again. Every page of your site is a potential front door that creates the optimal experience of your brand.)

So, can users accomplish what they've set out to do? Are they staying — to browse, learn, call, buy? Or are they stalled, unsure about where to click next, or, worse, starting to dislike your site because it feels uncomfortable, wrong, irrelevant?

Take a minute to look at your Web site — with a judgmental eye. Then answer these six questions.

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Marketing Themes: 6 Tips

Issue Number 7 | February 2006

Product launches. Marketing promotions. Trade show exhibits. Fundraising campaigns. Annual reports. Employee communications. Whatever your objective, a theme will often deliver more effective results.

Politicians clearly understand the power of themes. They use them to generate excitement around issues that might otherwise lull constituents to sleep. Why? Because themes inspire audiences. Simplify the complex. Infuse familiar ideas with fresh energy.

But what makes a theme work? And how do you develop a theme that will engage your audiences?

Here are six nonpartisan tips to make your next theme a winner — with all your constituents.

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Promotions with Pizazz: 5 Starting Points

Issue Number 6 | January 2006

Who says every promotion has to be 8 1/2 x 11? (Yawn.) Who says it has to be paper? Who says it even has to look like a promotion?

If you're trying to capture the attention of customers and prospects, you need to create some hubbub. Let's face it, most of your prospects are bright, jaded, and not paying attention. You've got to take the time to create something that's worth their time — all 60 seconds of it.

Just to clarify: We're not talking about gimmicks. We're talking about innovative, relevant ideas that carry your brand message to the right people. And make them smile.

Whether you're promoting products or services in consumer or business segments, these five ideas will get you thinking about how you might jazz up your next promotion.

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