Survey Reality Check

by Genius MarketingPosted on Posted in Marketing Tips

What are you asking in your customer service survey?

They say the NFL is a copycat league. Fashion is a copycat culture. Even businesses tend to copy what other successful companies do. So maybe it’s just human nature. Such is the way with customer surveys. There seems to be only two things on marketers’ minds these days:

  • “How likely are you to recommend us?” and
  • “How likely are you to refer us to a friend (or associate)?”

These are good questions. But why is everyone asking that same question?

Are You on the Right Track?

A marketing guru friend of mine said that ‘willingness to refer’ is the most meaningful question in market research because it captures how a customer really feels about the product, brand or company. He compared it to the political question “Do you think the country is on the right track?” That’s a good question because it reflects how the respondent feels overall about the country without getting into the weeds. It’s like an amalgamation of all the different variables into one overall view. The “refer” question is supposed to do the same thing. If you are willing to refer a company or product, it means you have an overall very high trust and probably a great experience with the company or product.

My guru friend told me that about a dozen years ago. I guess his wisdom spread, because now it seems to be the only question marketers can ask.

“Everybody Gives Me a Ten”

I recently purchased a new smartphone and had to return to the store to get a few questions answered. In between these two visits, I received a survey. I decided to take the survey because the young man who helped me was excellent. For working at one of the big, bad cell carrier corporate stores, he was surprisingly helpful (yes, surprisingly… the cell store is just short of the DMV when it comes to long waits and poor service). I wanted to take the survey specifically to give good marks to the young man who did such a great job for me.

The survey started with the question: “How likely are you to refer (company)?” I answered zero. I am not likely to refer the company. There are several reasons:

  1. Although Andrew was very helpful, I’ve had enough less than satisfying experiences with the company that I wouldn’t endorse them to a friend or associate.
  2. I only refer companies that I KNOW are reliable and trustworthy all the time. I don’t have that confidence with the cell company.

I went on in the survey to respond positively about the experience and the salesperson. In fact, I took the time to explain that the salesperson did a great job, but I wasn’t willing to refer because of past bad experiences.

When I went to the store the second time, I asked if the same person was there who helped me the first visit. He was. He helped me, and I told him I took the survey.

He responded, “Yeah, my boss called me in to review it. It’s the first time I haven’t gotten a 10 on the likely to refer.”

He went on to say that the other comments I made about his service were appreciated and his boss was okay with it. However, the “willingness to refer” question is the one that the company uses in evaluating the associates. And I was the first person who didn’t give him a 10.

The lesson: that question is useless (no one should get a ’10’ on every survey…no one), it isn’t actionable data.

Why Not Ask Things That Matter to Customers?

You as a marketer may want to know the overall feeling of the customer and be tempted to ask the “refer” question. Microsoft did when Powerpoint asked me in a pop-up “How likely are you to recommend Powerpoint to a friend or colleague?” Really? I answered “1 – not likely at all.”

In what circumstances am I going to recommend Powerpoint? What question is a friend going to ask that makes me think “You know what, I should recommend Powerpoint!” Who doesn’t know about Powerpoint? Does my answering this question really give Microsoft data that helps them better understand how to serve their customers?

How about asking “What is one suggestion that would make your use of Powerpoint better/easier/more complete?” OR “What is the most frustrating thing about Powerpoint that we could improve?” Those (or countless other) questions could inform a product improvement.

Don’t Copycat… Find Out What Your Customers Really Think

Market research and customer satisfaction surveys can yield excellent data. Ask questions that matter… don’t just copy what others do. Look at what competitors or market leaders are doing, but think about what really matters to your customers. If you only had one question to ask a customer, would it really be “How likely are you to refer us?”

Consider a question about better functionality. Or a question that asks for a complaint. Maybe a question that asks if they’d buy again from your company. The question for your company should be your own. Don’t copycat.

Thank you for reading this blog… How likely are you to recommend it? 🙂

If you’d like to discuss your market research plans, contact us.

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Using Various Video Strategies

by Genius MarketingPosted on Posted in Marketing Tactics

video marketingGreat article published in Marketing Week about the various forms of video available to marketers: from long form story telling to Snapchat to live video streaming. The tools are there, but is your strategy? Read the article, and contact us if you need help determining how best to use video to promote your brand or product.

SLEckert

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TV Ads Work

by Genius MarketingPosted on Posted in Advertising, Marketing Strategy

A Study that Reinforces What You Know… Opinion About Media “Rubs Off” on Brands with Advertisements During that Media

A recent study published by Thinkbox TV, a British firm that promotes commercial programming, shows that brands that sponsor TV programs create an affinity with the people who watch those programs. That may not seem all that incredible to read, but a tv advertisementsgood reminder that even in the age of “all things digital”, it is still good content that lets advertisers “borrow interest”.  Even more in the age of binge-watching. Some of the findings from the report:

  • the strong positive affinity viewers have with favorite programming “rubs off” on advertisers and sponsors,
  • program viewers are far more likely to recommend a sponsoring brand than those who do not associate a brand with a particular program,
  • advertising on programming accelerates how quickly brand awareness is achieved… especially for new brands.

The report suggests that matching brand personality and program personality are key to getting the best results from ads and sponsorships. Again, that is more likely reinforcing your thinking rather than making a light bulb go off for the first time.

How to Find the Right Programming

The harder part is finding the right media on which to place your ads. As the study suggests, media must connect with your target audience and the ideas that matter to them. Just putting an ad on any program, or worse, on a program that is contrary to your brand’s positioning and attributes, may not help your awareness, or sales. (We’re assuming smaller brands which cannot blanket the media world with their message.)

Choosing the right media can be outsourced to a professional (contact me!), and programmatic advertising is available with the promise to deliver exactly the right audience… but there are issues with programmatic. Take the time to consider the media that is proposed to you. Ask “Who watches/listens/reads it… and why?”

Where to Sponsor Programming

The second challenge is deciding where to place the ads. With the disruption of media between broadcast, cable, online viewing, subscription services like Hulu, digital radio, etc., it becomes much more difficult than ever to place advertising.

Testing the market is the best way to find out how your ads deliver – both content/creative and placement. For smaller advertisers this may seem daunting, but the bottomline is the ultimate result… does any ad program you run get tangible results (i.e. sales). By running limited ad buys with specific calls to action/offers to different response queues (different emails, web pages, even phone numbers), even a small advertiser can test variables of placement, creative and response channel.

If you want to discuss how to develop your media into a more targeted and tracked campaign, contact me. We can discuss your situation and develop a workable plan.

SLEckert

 

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Content Marketing and the Sales Process

by Genius MarketingPosted on Posted in Content Planning, Marketing Tips

Content Marketing is defined as

a type of marketing that involves the creation and sharing of online material (such as videos, blogs, and social media posts) that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services. (Google)

I like to think of it this way: Content Marketing delivers information to suspects and prospects. Information that is designed to move them closer to the buy decision. Or, to customers, to reinforce their good decision (to buy from you) and move them towards another sale, cross sale or up sale.

Guide, Content, Video, Photos, Publish, News, Customers, Content Marketing, Creation, White Paper, Material, Infographics, Interest, Articles, Success, Sharing, AudienceThe Problem with Content

Many consider content marketing too ethereal. That it doesn’t focus on the main selling points that we want prospects to hear or read. That it doesn’t talk about our product, its features and benefits! Content marketing can be downright painful for a sales-oriented person. Why would we spend time, energy, space and money on putting out information that doesn’t directly communicate the product we want prospects to buy?

That is a good argument. It is similar to those who don’t believe awareness advertising is money well spent. That building awareness is something for big brands and consumer packaged goods companies. Many don’t want to be in the business of building brand recognition… they want to sell product. And they are absolutely right.

However, content marketing does have an important role to play in helping sell. That role is not only at the very beginning of the funnel (creating awareness and interest), but can be utilized throughout the sales process and even after the sale.

Redefining Content Marketing

What if we redefined content marketing as a sales support tactic? In doing so our source for content would start with the sales cycle or the steps in the sales process. Consider your sales cycle or funnel. You have certain steps along the way to the sale: identification, qualification, specification, proposal, negotiation, close.

Each of these steps has content marketing messages “built in” to them. A powerful way to develop content ideas is simply to list the steps of your sales process (if you don’t have these defined, contact me, I can help). Then ask the question, “If you could deliver three messages, concepts, ideas to prospects at this step in the process, what would they be?” If you have six steps defined in your process, this exercise will result in 18 topics for content articles. These messages can be delivered through a variety of means.Lead, Prospect, Proposal, Sale

Delivering Your Content

Typically, when you read about content marketing, it revolves around inbound marketing elemetns: the website and social media. The interesting content you develop is supposed to interest and engage people (suspects – people who may be prospects) and draw them to your company for more information.

However, the content we develop in support of our sales cycle can be used on the website and social media AND through outbound and direct selling marketing channels. It’s a mistake for the content team to be focused solely on inbound marketing.

If we develop our content first from a sales support perspective, then that should be our first use of it. Do we do a good job during the sales process of over communicating (yes, OVER communicating) the value proposition, brand attributes and features/benefits of our products and company?

For instance: Does an email (or if you are old school, a handwritten note) go out after a sales call with a thank you for the meeting? Such an email could include links to the website content appropriate to that step in the sales prospect:

Based on our conversation, I thought of a couple additional details that may be useful information:
• How our engineering specification process ensures you get the exact fit product. (this line would be a link to web content)
• Ways our return policy protects you from buying the wrong item. (this line would be a link to web content)

The examples would change based on the type of your business, but the bottomline is that you can build your content marketing messages out of your sales process. The messages will be appropriate and useful as web and social media content (if shaped in the right context). The content is also useful for direct delivery to the prospect (or customer) at each step of the sales process.

Deliver the Whole Package

Many companies I talk with struggle to develop content. This is one method to create a framework for creating content that will satisfy the sales manager and the marketing communications team. It permits a well rounded, 360 perspective and use of content. It ensures that the message is consistent and purposeful.

If you need help planning your marketing or your content development processes, we can help. Contact us to discuss.

SLEckert

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Video Marketing is Imperative

by Genius MarketingPosted on Posted in Marketing Tactics, Marketing Tips

Or What a Soft Boiled Egg has to do with Marketing Online

Video marketing is imperative as part of an online marketing strategy. I’ve been trumpeting video for a long time. I sat in on a session featuring a Google SEO expert. He confirmed

video is one of the ways Google rates websites for good content. However, a personal example to which I think we all can relate bears out the importance of video:

One morning, I decided to make a soft-boiled egg. I’m not sure why, I just hadn’t had one in a long time. In fact, it was so long ago, I wasn’t sure how long to cook it and so I ‘googled’ it on my phone. Up popped countless links to helpful information about soft boiled eggs. 

I skipped past the couple video thumbnails listed at the top of the page, and looked for a credible source site for correctly boiling an egg. I clicked one (a major cooking magazine’s website) and began to read. 

Paragraph 1: how great soft boiled eggs taste and how easy to make. (perfect, I think, these guys know what they’re talking about)…

Paragraph 2: an allusion to Julia Child and her method for soft boiling an egg. Wait, no not an allusion, a full blown description beginning with choosing the best eggs at the market. 

And I’m GONE!
Thirty seconds or less, TMI (too much information) and not on pointe for my need. Back to Google and I click on a video thumbnail. How to make a soft boiled egg in the microwave. A minute of video later, I knew how to make a soft boiled egg in the microwave. No voiceover. Captions in a language I couldn’t read. Didn’t matter. Video showed me how.

You probably have done the same thing. I know I have for home projects, changing a car headlight, and so on… most of us have looked at a video to learn something we didn’t know.
This story points out a few things:

  1. I’m not very discriminating about soft boiled eggs. If you have the time and inclination, go for the Julia Child method. If you want it now, microwave. It was actually pretty good. (How can you mess up a soft boiled egg?)
  2. A one minute video was all I could handle in my pursuit of knowledge.
  3. I am not alone in my short attention span.

There is no doubt some people like to read. Still, given the ubiquitousness of video and the convenient video screen we all carry in our hand, pocket, briefcase or purse, video is indispensable.

So why don’t you use video in your marketing? I love to write and I love to read, but there is no doubt that video marketing is a critical part of the mix. Yes, it could be advertising, but also instructions, FAQs, tips or a video blog. In fact, I am going to start posting both written and video versions of my blog. Here’s the link to this article in video form:

If you are not sure how to do video, need help with production or content ideas, let’s talk. We’ve helped many companies use video to boost SEO, tell their brand story and sell their products.

From now on, we’ll take our own medicine and use video as well.

Want to see how to soft boil an egg in the microwave? Click here. 

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Problems with Programmatic Advertising

by Genius MarketingPosted on Posted in Advertising, Marketing Tips

Or “How I Came to Watch the Same Ad in an App 17 Times in a Row”

Video of the same ad played 17 times. Click to watch it now.

Video of the same ad played 17 times. Click to watch it now.

Ever been in an app in which you get bonuses, more turns or something else in exchange for watching a video ad? I was using a sports game app. In this app you can watch ads to get “gold”. Gold is used in the game. So, when given the opportunity, I will watch a video ad to get gold. How easy is that? However, the advertiser, and maybe even that app’s owners, probably do not realize that they sometimes serve up the same ad. In this case, 17 times (Don’t believe me? Watch the video of it here.) This is obviously a problem – a marketer is paying for exposure of their ad to an audience, but not two, let alone 17 times in a row. (If you make it through the 17 ads, there is actually a different advertiser’s video which gets served up twice in a row.)

Programmatic Advertising

Programmatic advertising is the use of technology to help make decisions about to whom, how, where and when your ads will appear. The technology is necessary because it is literally impossible to know all the digital spaces in which your ad would best appear: on desktops, mobile browsers, in apps, etc. No one can possibly know where to place their ads anymore. The analogy would be that old stat that some time in the late 19th century was the last time any one person could “know” all the world’s knowledge. At that point, the amount of things known exceeded the human ability to learn and remember knowledge… there was just too much and it was growing too quickly to keep up. (Ending the ability of anyone to be a “know it all”.)
So it is with advertising once the internet came along. There was a time when a good marketer could “know” all the places that a brand or product should be advertised. Not any more. Between cable TV, digital radio, in app ads, mobile devices, multiple digital ad networks, social media, and so on, it is literally impossible to manually place ads.
Enter programmatic, which uses data to target the right placements for your audience. It uses data on the target audience (you define) and the context of placements (profile of the digital media user, content of the page, site or app, etc.) to place the right message, in the right place, to the right audience.
There are different ways to pay for this advertising. Basically: by click (think Google text ads); or impression (think number of times an ad is served up on a particular site). Sometimes, like with Facebook ads, you can choose whether you pay by click or impression. I’ll write about some reasons to choose one or the other in a future article.

Nobody’s Perfect: Even an Algorithm

Still, no system is perfect. An example: site retargeting ads, which are those creepy ads that “follow” you after you visit a site, are built on the premise that if you visit a particular site you want to see ads from that site/brand/store. Not always true. Last year my wife sent me a link to a dress she and my daughter were considering buying. For the next month I was treated to dress ads on news sites, sports sites… pretty much any site I visited. (You can get rid of these by removing the cookie from the site that is serving up the ads. Here’s a link to a website that tells you how to stop retargeting ads (note, this site serves up retargeted ads 🙂 http://www.techinsider.io/how-to-stop-ads-from-following-you-around-the-internet-2015-12

And here’s how Google suggests you stop such ads: https://support.google.com/ads/answer/2662922?hl=en
Those dress ads were wasted on me… That’s one example of how programmatic advertising can be a waste for the advertiser and annoying to the viewer.

Why You Want to Audit What the Machines are Doing

No matter what service you use, a third party platform, or even running your own digital ads through Google, Facebook and other networks, you get all the reporting data you ever wanted. Be sure to dig into this data. Ask for data on specific sites and profiles of audiences who were served the ad. While even programmatic isn’t perfect, your provider should be able to show that your ad did appear in front of the right audience.
I always say that “all marketing is a test”. There is no better example than programmatic. Be sure you are grading the test, checking the results in detail and getting the end result you desire… that’s usually ultimately sales, but can also include increased digital interaction, leads in the pipeline or even brand awareness. Even machines need accountability.

SLEckert

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Value Exchange

by Genius MarketingPosted on Posted in Marketing Tactics, Marketing Tips

“Life is about choices.”

That’s what my fellow scout leader said to the young scout. We were standing in the middle of the West Virginia mountains in a campsite, discussing whether the scout would or would not go to his merit badge class. “You can choose either way, but the choice comes with different outcomes.” The scout went to the class.Value Exchange in Marketing

That’s the way in life isn’t it? We can choose a seemingly infinite number of options with just as many outcomes from those choices. How do people make such choices? Most often, based on value received. Or perceived.

This discussion took my thoughts to marketing (it’s an awful thing being in the woods and being so wired that a discussion between scouts makes you think of marketing). Business is about value exchange. No matter the size or type of commerce, it is a value exchange.

  • A lemonade stand – exchanges a buck or less for a possibly buggy, diluted beverage and the feeling and resulting smile that you’re helping a young entrepreneur.
  • A product purchase – exchanges the selling price for the promise (and hopefully, the reality) of solving some problem.
  • A social media site – exchanges data about you and your eyes on ads for access to odd memes and uncomfortable posts from former acquaintances.

Value exchanges are understood from our earliest experiences. The scout had a pretty good idea of the outcome if he did, or didn’t, go to his merit badge class. It’s true of consumers as well. Consumers weigh value exchanges all the time.

  • Is it worth the “chance” at $500 to respond to the survey?
  • Is it worth calling the number knowing they will be asking for all my contact information before I get any information I want?
  • Is it worth clicking the link and filling out a form knowing I am going to get all that email?
  • Is it worth walking into the store (will “I’m just looking” work or will I be hassled)?

Marketers need to consider the value exchange when developing campaigns. We must weigh our needs with those of the suspect. The Marketoonist nailed it with this toon.

This is one reason the correct use of online tools is so important to the sales process. While we want to identify the suspect and get them into our pipeline as a prospect, they want to get the information they want/need without a resulting hassle. In other words, it’s okay to provide value through information without making someone provide all their information.

One problem we face is the belief that our information is so important, why wouldn’t someone want to give us their entire life history?!?!? That’s not the case, though. People do scrutinize the value when asked to “trade” their information.

So don’t think like a business owner or sales manager when considering a value exchange in your marketing. Think like a cynical customer (I’m sure one comes to mind…maybe it’s you!). Make sure your value offer is worth that cynical customer’s time and information they trade. Do it right, and you may just reduce the cynicism in the world. Maybe…

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Bad Marketing

by Genius MarketingPosted on Posted in Advertising, Marketing Tactics, Marketing Tips, Messaging
Bad Marketing

Click to enlarge the image.

Received this email today. At first, I thought it was a junk email. You know, the kind that is mass emailed to a purchased list. Then I realized this was different. It was addressed to me. From a company that I know… have used as a supplier in the past. This wasn’t junk mail. This was careless and bad marketing. In fact, REALLY bad marketing. Let’s take a look:

  1. The assumed close. I dislike the assumed close. I’m more of the type to use the straight forward “ask for the business” close. They are clearly trying to confuse me, or bet on the reaction of “Did I forget a meeting?!?!” To get me to read their email.
  2. “California manufacturing” – I’m in Pennsylvania. Now I do work with companies that sell in California, but see #6. I’m not in California for a meeting. This comes from a company that says it uses data to target the right prospects for your business.
  3. Arrogance: “your business should be able to reach its goals”. That’s quite the grandiose statement. Don’t mind the business climate or other factors. You’d reach your goals if you hire us.
  4. Who wrote this? “with help from marketing” – What does that mean? Who or what is “marketing”?
  5. Clearly a lie. “based on your website” – They obviously didn’t look at our website, because if they did, they’d see we aren’t a manufacturer in California. They’d also see we are not a fit for their lead generation system or digital marketing plan. (I know this since, again, this is a company I know and have used on client projects.)
  6. I’m not in California and I surely do not want to share anything about the future of my business with someone who would send me such a poorly crafted email.

By the way, the links in the email are legit… this is not a junk email that says one thing and then sends you to a link that is a Romanian hosted website selling dubious health improvement products. This is a company that sells data, online marketing and has an online database/directory of OEMs and suppliers.

This is bad marketing. Be smarter. Think through your offers and message. Check your data. Don’t use the familiar in a solicitation email. Clearly state your value proposition, have a good conversion offer and be ready to follow up on their offer.

Need good marketing, great marketing or even “Genius Marketing”? Contact us to discuss the possibilities.

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A Picture’s Worth

by Genius MarketingPosted on Posted in Uncategorized

……. You know the rest.

Working with clients on PR, social media and web content, I find I talk quite a bit about photos and video. It usually goes something like this:

Client: “We’re going out to the construction site next week.”

Me: “Great! Take a photo of the progress.”

(time passes)

Me: “How was the site visit? Did you get any good photos we can use on the website?”

Client: “Oh, forgot… next time.”

After three or four of these conversations, the client is “trained” to take some photos or video of the news that happens. Photos and video are great additions to PR efforts and social media marketing. Some websites and publications do not consider news items without a photo.

So a few tips for use of photos with PR and social media marketing:

  • Professional photos when it counts the most. If it is a grand opening of your new corporate headquarters, or a product shot for a new brochure: hire a photographer. Otherwise…
  • Phone photos are fine. Most smartphones have a lens that would have beephotobombingn the envy of a professional digital photographer a decade ago.
  • Shoot a bunch… it’s digital, let your creative or marketing folks have some options.
  • Mind the lighting. Although phone photos are fine, their flash capability will not overcome the sun behind the subject. Worst case, your subjects look like they are (as my sister dubbed it) “in the witness protection program”.
  • Don’t photobomb yourself. It’s easy to be so focused on the subject (and now these tips) that you don’t realize the full composition of the photo. Be sure to let passersby, pass by. Try to frame the subject without distraction of something off the side or in the background.
  • What’s that line? Note if there are corners of walls behind the subject or edges of furniture or art frames. Nothing looks more odd than a line running out of a person’s head.
  • Go landscape. Most photo crops in media are square or landscape (wider than they are deep). Portrait is for a person.
  • Go professional. If it is a person (a new hire, an award winner, etc.), spend the fifty bucks and get a professional head and shoulders or “resume” shot. These shots rarely look good when done with a phone because the wall behind shows shadows. Go professional.

So bottomline on photos: take photos and use them online and in PR. They do help get stories placed.

Video is also powerful for search engine optimization (SEO) and for keeping website visitors

Sidebar: I often get questions about “What is news?”. I write about that in this article. Take a look… PR, especially using online distribution, is a great way to grow awareness of your business or brand and to drive web traffic….otherwise known as organic search engine optimization (SEO).

If you have any questions about photos or PR/news release distribution, contact us.

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Using PR and News Releases to Build Awareness and Web Traffic

by Genius MarketingPosted on Posted in Uncategorized

what is news

That sounds like a fun title to an article. Here’s why it’s worth a look: I often get questions like: “What is news?”

PR, public relations, or commonly known as news releases, are a great way to build awareness in the market, and on the web. It is one of the strategies I use often as part of a marketing communications plan. There are a couple of reasons why. First, it is a great way to build content for a website or other marketing communications. Second, it is a great way to drive web traffic and organic search engine optimization (SEO) when news releases are distributed online.

It is a simple process. We develop a plan for gathering news within an organization. Every company makes news, however, it is often overlooked as a communications opportunity. Even though news may seem like something that just happens (“Breaking News” screams the animation graphic on the TV news channel), it can be planned. When something comes up that isn’t in the plan, we adjust the plan. It’s that simple.

As we go through the planning process, we build a set of stories to promote over a half or full year… how far out the plan goes depends on the company and industry. Then responsibility is given to whom will research the story and provide us with the information to write a release or feature article brief. There is a style to writing news stories that helps them get noticed and placed.

During this process it is common to get the question: “What is news?” Here’s a short list (contact me to discuss more news possibilities) of items worth considering for a release:

  • HR – new hires, promotions, internal awards
  • Product development – new products, services, updates, service packs
  • Sales – new contracts, successful completion of project
  • Marketing – event sponsorship, speaking engagements
  • External – awards, association participation or leadership, community or charitable involvement

And many more…

Once the process gets started, it becomes part of the culture. News items start to be submitted rather than being collected. It’s not boasting, but it is letting stakeholders (employees, stockholders, customers, prospects, the public) know that your company is vital, engaged and important to the people it serves.

So, what’s your company’s news? Let us build a plan with you to promote all the unique and good things your organization does.

Want to get started? Have any questions about PR/news release distribution? Contact us.

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