Archive for the ‘Message’ Category
One of my Duct Tape Marketing colleagues, David Smith from Boise, ID and I were kicking around ideas on how to get and craft a good review — to support local marketing — a program David’s delivering to a group of Idaho business owners.
My input, while not the most academic, may be of some help to you as you consider the same issue:
Be Real . . . Be Counter-Intuitive . . . Start Off Negative
I find that ‘glowing’ reviews, i.e. overly positive are dismissed more quickly and easily than clients will like. An idea I picked up from a friend and colleague, Sean D’Souza is: ”Lead with a negative”. The CREDIBILITY of what follows is so much greater and it won’t seem like it was written by groupies on drugs stalking their favorite rock band. e.g.
“When I first heard about ‘Duct Tape’ Marketing, I thought, “What The Heck?” Then, I thought, “Oh boy, here we go again! Just gonna be another BS way of saying what everyone else is saying we ought to do only they’ll charge a lot more for it.”
That’s real. It’s what your prospects are probably thinking. So JOIN the conversation in their heads and THEN . . . bring them to know something you know that they probably weren’t thinking about . . . eg. “Well, BOY, WAS I WRONG! Dave Smith, the local Duct Tape Marketing consultant met with me and my team last week and I had to say, “Wow” . . .”
See what a credible impact that makes vs. a sugar-coated, lop-sided but utterly bland compliment that doesn’t stand out in a meaningful way?
Be Specific!
The other thing I believe is important to include in a review is SPECIFICITY of a VALUED OUTCOME. The luke-warm (i.e. ‘safe’) comments are useless because they sound like what everyone else is saying. e.g. “ABC’s food tasted great and the service was good.” (Well, I’d sure hope so!)
You’d be better to focus on a specific ‘outcome’ enjoyed from using (consuming) your product or service –e.g. “We used to have WWIII on our hands trying to get the kids up in the morning. Now, thanks to Tasty Chew Cornflakes, our kids are waking US up to make sure we’re in the kitchen for breakfast! Kind of refreshing, actually.”
Help People Give You a Great Review
It’s always helpful to end a review with a RATING and a CALL-TO-ACTION. Let your reviewers be your promoters — e.g. “Overall I’d give these guys a 9 out of 10 (and I never give anyone, anywhere a ’10′) so the next time you’re hungry in the KC area and the family wants to go out for a bite, be sure and put Oklahoma Joe’s on your ‘short list’ of ‘must-know-gotta-go’ places and get yourself a REAL pulled pork sandwich for a change”.
NEVER ‘Write’ Someone’s Review
You do, however, want to explain the ‘structure’ and provide an easy way to invite them to ‘bullet point’ their key points.
You may want to say, “Hey, can I write-up what I think you just said to me . . . and see if you approve the copy or would like to make some edits?” That’ll work every time!
KEY POINT:
People love being editors vs. writers. If you make their ‘job’ easier, you’ll make your reviews even better.
Apologies if this graphic is ‘too big’, but the key point behind today’s post deserves it!
The 7 Steps Have Been Updated!
Yesterday, I mentioned that the book: Duct Tape Marketing (the worlds most practical small business marketing guide) has been changed to reflect the evolution of marketing as a ‘mission critical’ business function.
There’s been a shift away from marketing that interrupts and toward marketing that attracts. Some refer to this as ‘inbound vs. outbound’ marketing or ‘prospect-initiated’ vs. ‘seller-initiated’ marketing. Why? In a word, “Google”. As Wayne Gretsky once said, “I go to where the puck is going to be . . . not where is is now”. Similarly, marketers want to be found by prospects when they (prospects) are ready to buy (or, are seriously looking for information to help them do so in the fairly near future).
STEP 1: Strategy Before Tactics
The ‘old’ Step 1 was “Narrow Your Focus”. The idea behind that is still sound — find your ‘ideal client / market / niche’ and go for it. The idea was that by not seeking to be all things to all people, you’d stand out or differentiate yourself to the people you most want as clients.
The ‘new’ Step 1 is “Strategy Before Tactics’. Now, in addition to defining your Ideal Client and market, you also want to be really clear about why your firm would be seen — by your Ideal Client — as a ‘preferred provider’ of your problem-solving expertise. We call that ‘differentiation’ and part of that is clarifying your ‘Message’ so you’ll stand out to your Ideal Client.
As the above graphic shows, this combination of aligning both your Mission / Message with your Market is the basis of your Strategy.
Strategy is the FILTER for Your Possible Tactics
Once you have a laser-tight clarity about:
1. WHO you want to attract / sell and
2. WHY / HOW you can stand out to your Ideal Client
you have found your Strategy!
Tactics Without Strategy . . . Is a Problem . . . for You
Using any Tactic without the benefit of a coherent Strategy, is like trying to build a house without a blueprint. Your workers may show up and they can hammer wood and nails all day long but . . . in the end, it may not look like what you want nor will it serve the purpose you had in mind.
It’s easy to just pick a(ny) tactic . . . and ‘go to town’ with it. Business people do it every day! But without a strategy to help you decide if it will support your long-term business goals, you may be spending more time and money than you like and getting less ROI for that than you want. (Ouch!)
Your Marketing Strategy . . . Helps You Decide What’s Relevant
. . . and, what is not. Once you have your Strategy defined, USE IT — as a filter to see which marketing tactics will ALIGN with your goals and SUPPORT you in achieving the success in your business you desire.
If any tactic — and they’re all intrinsically good at some level — is going to support you and your success, then you should consider using it. If it won’t, don’t. Simple.
KEY POINT:
Effective marketing reflects an ALIGNMENT of the DECISIONS you make (Strategy — WHO / WHY) and the ACTIONS you take (Tactics — WHAT / WHEN / WHERE / HOW) to market your services. And THAT . . . is why we say, “Strategy BEFORE Tactics” at Duct Tape Marketing.
Tomorrow, another change in the 7 Steps . . . and, why!
