Messaging

Aug 30 2012

Marketing Without A Conscience

Scruples? Ethics? A Conscience? Remember Those Things. Please.

(UPDATE: There’s a video, too. See the link at the very bottom.)

In the race to the top of whatever industry you’re in, you will encounter all types. The go-getters, the trend-setters, the over-achievers. Etc., etc.

Hopefully, you’ll also encounter people with scruples, ethics and a conscience.

But something got Dave’s blood boiling

First of all, and this is Dave speaking, I wish James Cordova the best in his battle against cancer. I wish his wife, Tasha, the best as she and her family cope with this terrible disease.

And this blog post is not about them – it’s about the company that is using them to sell product.

Witness this photo, making the rounds on Facebook yesterday:

ViSalus Photo — Company uses dying man to sell product

NOTE: Scroll down if you want to read the full text of the Facebook post.

ViSalus is a Multi-Level Marketing product in the wellness universe. I can’t vouch for whether it’s great or not.

But what I can vouch for is that scruples, ethics and a conscience are all missing from the people behind this marketing campaign.

Rather than a lengthy dissection of what is wrong here…

I want to focus – as a human first, and a marketer second, on some things I’m going to suggest you CAN do when marketing your product or service. Here goes:

1. Show compassion as if the cameras aren’t there.

Cameras are everywhere, but what’s that line about integrity – doing the right thing when nobody is looking?

2. Leave your product or service out of the discussion.

Can’t tell you how many times I’ve been part of corporate discussions – LOTS of times – where the people are focused on doing the right thing first, come Hell or high water. Believe me, it has happened. “How big a check can we write for the victims of…?” OR “What if we were to pick up the cost of…?” (NOTE: These discussions actually happened at big, faceless, “evil” corporations. They did. And there wasn’t an executive saying “Let’s leverage this for maximum PR benefit.”)

3. Gut check.

Even if someone IS telling you “it’s okay to use my image and likeness to promote your product,” someone needs to actually ask themselves how this is going to look.

Are you lifting people up just for the sake of lifting people up?
Are you looking like a good company – or an ambulance-chaser?
Is this the right time? Or is it too soon?

The company in this example is Marketing Without A Conscience. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have one.

Do the right thing. Know the right time. And ask yourself how this makes you look.

UPDATE: We found this video on August 30. httpv://youtu.be/U4meAO0BRos

Aug 23 2012

Remake Your Own Song

Two pieces – one old, one new, and both with a hook for you, your brand, your job, and where you’re headed next.

Lindsey Buckingham — Photo by Neeta Lind - Used with Creative Commons License

If you know me via Facebook, you know that I have a tendency to over-share music. (If you don’t know me on Facebook, here’s a link to the Dave page. And a link to the Area 224 page.) I’m not an expert – but I know what I like and I’m more than willing to share it.

Two songs lately got me thinking – is it time for a remake?

Lindsey Buckingham Remade His Own Song

Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsay Buckingham is a music industry veteran. At age 62, he is still going – sometimes with the Fleetwood Mac folks, and sometimes just by himself.

Rolling Stone Magazine, in its 2011 ranking of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All-Time,” included Buckingham – barely, ranking 100th.

One song of his – well, technically the band’s song – is called “Big Love.” The original video from Fleetwood Mac has an over-produced 80s sound to it.

httpv://youtu.be/rjKL469SpR0

Very bland, 1980s pop rock. Right?

A funny thing happened, though, once Buckingham started performing the song live, by himself. The song took on a completely new, raw, powerful, dare I say brilliant sound. Like this:

httpv://youtu.be/naAWX6OsHVI

What did we learn?

By taking away several unnecessary elements of the exact same song, it became more awesome.

Here’s what you can ask yourself – no matter where you are in the world, as a brand strategist, as a job-seeker, as a student of the game or someone heading off into something completely different, what can you take away to make something more…awesome?

Are you adding 3 steps to a process where only one step is really necessary?
Are you creating more hoops to jump through – for clients, for prospects, for site visitors?
Is there a way to practice “addition by subtraction?”

Gotye Remade His Own Song

You’ve heard. The song. It’s everywhere.

Gotye. “Somebody That I Used To Know.”

Almost as many views on YouTube than residents of the U.S.A. (300,000,000 and counting.)

You can brush up on your Gotye knowledge if you’d like – here’s a link to the Wikipedia entry, where you learn, among other things, that he’s Belgian (so he’s GOT to be a good guy).

As for the video – here’s a link – if you’re one of those who haven’t actually seen it.

httpv://youtu.be/8UVNT4wvIGY

No matter what you think of the song, you can’t escape it. And, if the song itself can’t be escaped, neither can the remakes.

We’ve seen this happen before – dozens upon dozens of remakes, on YouTube, from artists looking to showcase their own talent by singing Somesong That You Used To Know. (Google the phrase “Gotye Remake.” I dare ya.)

Sheer brilliance can be found from…well, Gotye himself, who mashed up dozens upon dozens of the YouTube remakes, creating a song called “Somebodies: A YouTube Orchestra.”

httpv://youtu.be/opg4VGvyi3M

So, in one instance, an artist strips his own song bare. In this instance, the opposite – a crowdsourced piece of…awesome.

What Can You Learn from Gotye?

Back in the days when yours truly was a radio sportscaster, I’d have to deliver the same story at 6:05, 7:05 and again at 8:05. In the morning. I’m a morning person, so that part wasn’t a problem – but there was always the threat that you were delivering the same exact story over and over. If the Nets beat the Knicks 101-95 last night, the score won’t change in the next newscast.

But the story could. In fact, I learned, it SHOULD. It had to.

There’s another angle to explore. There’s another side to the story. Even when you’re talking about the same thing, there’s a different way to say it.

Your company’s pitch: can it be more succinct?
Your mission statement: can you cut out the BS?
Your resume: does it do you justice?
Your relationships: should you move from the text message to the Google Hangout, or from online to off?

Go. Remake Your Own Song.

May 10 2012

Can You Play Stick?

Does it sound like there’s a whole bunch of social media gabbing and not a lot of actual doing? Yeah. I think so, too.

Golfers Prepare to Play — Photo by oatsy40, used with Creative Commons license

There’s a phenomenal book from a few years ago – WARNING – NOT A SOCIAL MEDIA BOOK! – and it’s worth another look.

The book? Paper Tiger by Tom Coyne. [NOTE: I’m in Illinois and can’t make a red cent off of Amazon Affiliate Links; thus, there’s nothing in it for Area 224 if you buy that book or go to your library and check out a copy.] The subtitle of this book probably tells you a ton: “An Obsessed Golfer’s Quest to Play with the Pros.”

I won’t spoil the plot of the book – it’s a true story about the author and his handicap index and whether or not he can get a tour card. It’s a great read.

A Story with Social Media Parallels

There’s a ton of gabbing in social circles about who is great and who is awesome and who is killing it or crushing it. And if you were to believe everyone you follow, tweet with, are friends with or subscribe to – the economy should have no problem rebounding.

Which brings us to the story from Coyne’s book. About a young golfer who showed up for his first day on tour bragging about how he wasn’t nervous because he had already been a winner at every other level of his career.

Amateur Champion. College Champion. And so on, and so forth – this was nothing by comparison.

The story may be a little apocryphal – but, as Coyne explains in the book…

“As the story was told to me, it was Craig Stadler who wandered over to where the rookie was hitting balls and gave the young man a few quiet words of advice.

“‘You see the guy next to you, and the guy next to him? Every one of them, All-Americans…hell, some of these caddies were All-American…nobody here gives a damn if you’re All-American, or even if you went to college at all. All anybody here wants to know is…can you play stick?'”

Can YOU Play Stick?

There’s humble-bragging a plenty on the interwebs. It’s getting annoying – sorta like showing up at the tournament as a seasoned pro and having to listen to the guy brag about how he just won the college championship.

And the scary thing is – a good many of the braggers haven’t done anything of substance. They talk a good ballgame but, when it’s time to execute, they’re big on excuses – and small on actual work product.

Consider the precarious position of some social media types with no actual inside-the-ropes experience. (“Inside the ropes” being a golf term, as in…those inside the ropes are playing in the tournament. Those outside the ropes are spectators.)

They may have watched and reported on the business world from the get-go – and they may even have a blog with hundreds of subscribers, or a flirtatious Twitter presence that draws you into their lifestream.

But have they actually been inside the ropes?

AND, those who throw the darts at those who are “doing it wrong” may have never actually built something.

Organizational Dynamics On Tour

If you think pro golf involves showing up, hitting a bunch of balls, being awesome and winning tournaments – consider a good chunk of the behind-the-scenes stuff that has to happen. I’m not talking about practice, mind you. I’m talking about playing in the qualifier to make the US Open field. I’m talking about writing the letter asking for a sponsorship exemption so you can play in the smaller event.

I’m talking about being the type of tour pro who has a great time at the Pro Am – not because it’s required of him, but because he’s playing golf with some people that he truly wants to have fun playing golf with.

And the list can go on, and on.

Because word spreads.

Play Stick at the Office

We’re not asking for you to suck up to everyone you meet, hoping that there’s an eventual payoff. We’re not asking that you put in extra hours creating white papers that show that you know what it is you’re doing.

What we ARE saying is this:

There’s “table stakes” in business and life. Eventually, you will be found out as the person who is all hat, no cattle.

You might be bloody awesome at whatever it is that you do. Great. You know what we want to see?

Evidence. Of you being bloody awesome.

That’s All We Want To Know: Can You Play Stick?

Apr 27 2012

Customer vs Client

Hi, it’s Dave here. Thanks for visiting the blog. I’d love to talk with you directly, but I’m with a “customer.” Or I’m on Twitter (@Area224).

Plumbers Have Clients — Photo by plumberluton, used with Creative Commons license

Sometimes, a little mindset is all you need. Changing the way you think about one little term can make a big difference in how you – and your business – treats people.

So, when’s the last time you spoke with a “Customer?”

A little background for ya: back in the day, we had a client that was (and still is) a small college with a small, under-performing athletic program. They got better, over time, but needed a mindset change.

When you walked into the Athletic Department offices, you didn’t get warm fuzzies. Quite the opposite.

He’s With a “Student-Athlete”

There was the subtle, but really important change that started to turn things around. It’s not spin, it’s not BS: the fact was that, if someone was otherwise occupied – say, the Athletic Director was in a meeting and his phone rang – the required response was not “He’s Busy,” or even “he’s with a student.”

“He’s With a ‘Student-Athlete.'”

Making that same sort of distinction with the people you work for is pretty important, too.

“Client” – not “Customer”

To be blunt: a customer walks into a store, buys something, and walks out – not returning until they need something again. If ever.

A customer visits your website and thinks about making a purchase. And so on, and so forth.

If you’re a plumber – you have clients.

If you’re selling something – you have clients.

If you provide a service – you have clients.

Brass Tacks here people: I walked into my local chain Sporting Goods store recently and, frankly, I felt like a customer. Not a client. Frequent shopper card? Didn’t make me feel like a client – I felt like a number. Talking to the people working there? Well, again, I didn’t feel like a client – I felt like a customer.

My plumber? “Dave, here’s what I’d advise, because, as much as I like you, I don’t want you to have to keep paying me to come back every month.”

So he gave me a tip that saved me a few hundred dollars.

Guess who I’m using next time?

Customer is demeaning, and connotes a one-and-done purchase. Client: long-term relationship.

Go with “client.”

Sep 30 2011

Good Food

Rick Strater takes his turn at the Area 224 microphone today. Met Rick yet? He’s the other co-founder of 12 Minute Marketing. And he’s hungry…for the right messaging.

How many times have you seen that sign? It makes me crazy! What kind of messaging is that?

“Wow! That sign says that restaurant has good food. Pull over! I really want to go there than to any of those other restaurants that clearly serve bad food since they aren’t telling me they have ‘good food.'”

Another of my pet peeves is “Low Prices.”

Same reaction – “Let’s go there…now! I need some of those low prices.”

And when you combine them – Good Food/Low Prices — you have a real winner. Who wouldn’t want to go there instead of a restaurant that serves lousy food at really high prices?

Seriously, these signs are often four or five feet tall, so they’re not trying to send subliminal messages. These restaurants and retailers are trying to differentiate themselves and send important messages to their customers and prospects.

Frankly, these have just the opposite effect on me. If you’re blatantly shouting to me that you have good food and low prices, I’m immediately skeptical.

Now in fairness, I’m biased. I remember reading a review by a food critic that described the food at a local restaurant as being “like gold on the palate.” I think he made a typo. It was “like gold on the plate” because he was clearly getting a kick back for recommending such awful food. The fact that the atmosphere was worse than the food just added to my delight…

What’s the point of my grumbling? When you think about how to position your brand, you need to put a little more effort into the process. This messaging is really an important part of your marketing mix. Don’t take it for granted. What makes you different? What value are you bringing to your customers? Your business is worth the time and effort it takes to get your messaging right!

Hear more from Rick as part of the 12 Minute Marketing program. You can check out the Sample Lessons through this link.