What can marketers learn from comics?

What can marketers learn from comics?

Mar 18, 2016 | Communication, Marketing

For no particular reason I was watching some comedy on YouTube recently, top comedians plying their trade.

Great fun, but it struck me that there was a lot that we marketers can learn from the techniques that permeated all the routines I watched.

Comedians may be funny, but at heart they are storytellers.

We have all seen really funny jokes hit the floor in the hands of a poor storyteller. It is not  the fault of the story, it is the teller.

There was a clear pattern to the stories told by these comedians, irrespective it appears of the type of story they were telling. Jimmy Carr’s potty mouth stories had a similar  structure to  Jerry Seinfelds mother in law appropriate ones.

Some time ago I attended a corporate event that featured comedienne Fiona O’Loughlin as the after dinner speaker. She told her own story, her personal battles with alcohol,  an upbringing in Alice Springs,  early marrriage and a pile of kids. There was some pretty black stuff, but she had the room in stiches, and left a powerful message about personal responsibility.

Back to the structure of a successful story.

First,  every story has to grab your attention, so there is an opener of some sort, 5-45 seconds, that poses a question, makes a contestable statement, or paints some picture in the mind of the listener. An exemplar if you need another one is that almost every TED talk starts this way, with a device of some sort that grabs and holds attention.

Second, the story opens up, the comedian  weaves a narrative using all the tools of their voice and body, the dimensions of the stage. They create then relieve tension, ‘draw’ a series of pictures in the minds of the audience, only to pull them down to  show how ridiculous they are, almost mini- punchlines, and they are almost always personal, human, showing the foibles and idiosyncrasies of people. They reveal themselves and their emotions  to the audience, seeking to engage by having the audience relate to the story they are telling, winning the hearts of the audience with the struggles they are describing, reeling you in the with authenticity and ‘this could have been you’ narrative.

Finally there is the punch line, always something unexpected, providing contrast that evolves out of the story, but is not something that is obvious, it is this contrast that delivers the humour.

In telling the story, the comedian has allowed the audience to get to know them in an intimate way, you know how they think and feel, they have won your liking and respect with the authenticity of the story, and you trust them, because they have trusted you.

Marketing is no different, we have to tell stories about the products, how they fit into our lives to make them better, and they ways the audience can benefit.

Do that and your communication will work, fail to tell a good story, and it will hit the floor like a dirty wet  mop, and probably splash you in the process.

 

 

The secret sauce of marketing.

The secret sauce of marketing.

Mar 16, 2016 | Branding, Communication, Customers

 

The currency of marketing success starts these days with a simple word:

Attention.

How to get it, keep it and leverage it.

In the crowded world we are in, it is the secret sauce of marketing.

Every day we are assaulted by messages, millions of them, yet we actually ‘see’ just a tiny fraction.

In a world where our brains give us comprehensive and automatic filters, where even those that get through have a split second to make an impression and gain some of our attention, it pays to understand the means by which this process happens.

Automatic sensory cues.

When was the last time you completely ignored a gorgeous bird (if you are a bloke) wearing a short skirt and blazing red shirt?

Never happens right? That is because our brain is on automatic, it sifts the information coming at it in an unconscious manner. However, when something triggers one of the basic responses in our ‘reptile’ brain, the deepest most ancient part of the grey matter that controls just a few things, we notice. This automatic response was vital to the survival of a weak mammal being hunted by sabre tooth tigers, and thankfully survives to ensure we see the red shirt.

Reputation.

We often almost automatically trust things and people based on reputation. Tom Clancy brings out a new novel, and fans of the genre will buy it based on the experience and reputation of his previous books. In the past we also tended to trust authority, police and doctors for example, but the transparency of the last 25 years has almost seen that gone, we now make judgements on a wider base. Taking that one step further, we now put some weight on crowd sourced reviews as Amazon does with their rating and referral systems.

Recognition.

When we recognise something or someone, it grabs our attention. Walking through Sydney’s CBD a few weeks ago, paying no particular attention to anything, I unexpectedly recognised someone I had not seen for many years, walking the opposite way on the opposite side of Pitt Street. The sudden and unexpected recognition riveted my attention, I had to race across the road and accost him. (luckily my recognition was accurate or it would have been embarrassing). This also works inside businesses, the recognition of the familiar, weather it be people, processes or existing patterns of behaviour are powerful motivators of future behaviour.

Think like a customer.

It often surprises how little marketers actually look at their output from the perspective of those they are trying to influence. Stepping across and putting yourself into the shoes of the receiver in a way that enables you to see the material you are producing through their eyes, recognise and respond to the emotional hooks, feel urge to ‘connect’ that you are trying to build, recognise the  relevance and power of the offer or call to action. To some this capacity to jump into your customers persona comes as naturally as breathing, to others it remains a bridge too far no matter how hard they try, how much research they read. Finding someone in your team who has this capacity can mean a quantum step in the effectiveness of your efforts.   Thinking like a customer makes gathering attention much easier as you can see the cues your customer will respond to, and deliver them in a manner that creates and drives the attention.

This task, the drive to gather and leverage attention is one of the foundations of marketing success, understanding the triggers is essential.

Three by four marketing equation for success.

Three by four marketing equation for success.

Mar 2, 2016 | Communication, Customers, Marketing, Strategy

How do you win business in a competitive world?

I know for sure it is not  getting any easier, but the advice on how to do, and stories of how to be rich in 15 minutes a day seem to abound.

Perhaps I don’t take advice well?

It is pretty clear to me, after 40 years of working with this stuff that the more we complicate things, the more difficult seeing the wood for the trees becomes, so here is a really simple tool that you can use today.

To get business, any business, although the context and circumstances vary enormously, the potential customer needs to:

  • Know you
  • Like you
  • Trust that you can solve their problem/add value to their lives.

Pretty simple really.

The other side of the equation of course is the challenge of creating the circumstances where a potential customer has the opportunity to get to know, like and trust you.

Marketers can spend huge amounts of money, much of it wasted, on chasing this outcome, often failing simply because they complicate the hell out of it and confuse themselves.

I like to think of it in human terms. The building of a marketing relationship is no different to any other type of human relationship, it evolves in stages that are pretty simple:

  • You need to be where they are. This is so blindingly obvious it is often missed.
  • You need to get their attention.
  • You need to make a connection
  • You need them to take action.

marketing matrix for successBreak all the complicated cliché ridden & expensive recommendations  you get from those with a pig in the race into this simple matrix and reap the benefits.

Beware though, as Steve Jobs said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” so this stuff is deceptively hard, but now you have a tool to make it easier.

The dirty little secret of digital marketing.

The dirty little secret of digital marketing.

Feb 8, 2016 | Communication, Customers, Marketing, Small business

Achieving simplicity is really hard, we all know that in our guts.

There is however a huge difference between simple and superficial, and again, we all know that but tend to be persuaded to take the easy way out.

The development of a specific ‘Persona’ to which you target your marketing efforts is one of those seemingly simple  things we can now do with digital help, but in fact it is really hard.

Therefore, many make a token effort, and go away satisfied, but have in fact settled for a superficial result.

And then they wonder why the subsequent marketing efforts fail to deliver on the hype.

It is impossible to target a generic message to a 35-year-old middle-class working mother of two, and have it received in the manner you would wish. It’s much easier to target a message to Jennifer, who has two children under four, works broken hours as a lawyer, and is always looking for quick but healthy dinners and ways to spend more time with her husband and  kids, and less time on housework.

As a young marketing bloke we always developed a ‘target audience’ for everything we did.

In those  days they were generally demographic categories, which were pretty broad. If we were lucky and had big budgets, we had a Usage & Attitude study that gave us some insights into consumers behaviour, but were pretty superficial. The research relied on peoples memory, and willingness to actually recognise and admit to the behaviours that drove marketing decisions.

It was relatively rough and ready stuff.

Then  we used mass media to try and reach those demographic groups, hoping to find a few by chance who wanted to hear and act on what we were saying, or even were just prepared to listen.

Progressively we have been able to develop detailed pictures of customers and potential customers, those of our competitors, and those who might be interested in what we have to offer. We now can build a detailed understanding of their preferences and behaviour from a range of data sources,  can direct messages very specifically at very small groups of  individuals, and with many forms of media, specific individuals.

This power is unprecedented , and mostly it is ignored by small and medium sized businesses.

It enables the development of a four sided picture of those we want to reach.

Who they are

Where you can find them

Develop your target persona

Develop your target persona

What are their behaviours that are relevant to your value proposition

Why they should  buy from you

The flip side of the persona, the challenge  most marketers fail to understand sufficiency is that individuals now can avoid you should they choose. That array of digital targeting tools can be turned against the marketer, their messages in one way or another moved to the ‘Junk file’ never to be seen or acknowledged.

Why they should  buy from you, what makes your persona something relevant to a potential buyer?

Because you can solve a problem,  they like/trust you, and/or they engage and relate to you.

Successful selling is not about the transaction, it is the value you can deliver that is more  than the cost of the transaction, and it is about the empathy you can deliver.

In order to create a story potential customers can relate to, you need to develop some sort of story for the character.  Who they are, how they got here, what they have experienced, the obstacles overcome, their character flaws, all the things that make them human. You weave your own characters into the sales itch, and lead people to the conclusion you want them to reach, because you relate to them, they relate to you, your story is theirs.

This means you may need a few variations that accommodate differing ideal customer personas, but not too many or it becomes false and fabricated.

Let me know if I can help.

 

 

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How to overcome the terror of public speaking and be seen as the expert.

How to overcome the terror of public speaking and be seen as the expert.

Jan 20, 2016 | Communication, Marketing

I prepare and give quite  a lot of presentations, and from time to time coach others as they prepare.

Speaking is a vital part of what I do, although I do not see myself as a professional speaker, just somebody with a point of view on a range of topics that can be of value to others, and I have learnt from my many stumbles.

Having the opportunity to deliver a presentation is a gift, someone is endorsing your expertise, giving you the benefit of their credibility, as well as offering the opportunity to demonstrate that expertise.

Gold.

It is also a fact that the presentations that do not work are almost always  the ones where the effort has not been invested in the preparation.

It is surprising to me how often people stuff it up, despite the time, effort, and stress, often to the point of nausea, that goes with the experience of preparation and delivery in front of a crowd, even a small one.

There are some common characteristics of the successful presentations, some of which I have written about on previous occasions, but was motivated to do so again by a friend facing a presentation he should be able to nail, because he has the knowledge and expertise, but utterly lacks the confidence to communicate in front of an audience there to hear him.

Summarised is the advice I offered from my experience.

Have a clear purpose.

The purpose is the one thing that holds the whole presentation together. Every comment, story, slide, movement and demo  should add to that purpose, it is the reason people came, or at least choose to give you their attention at the beginning. It is important to relate not just the information they were promised, but why it is sufficiently  valuable to them that you have made the effort to assemble your expertise on the topic so they can benefit from the information.

Find the story that illustrates the point you want to make.

Sometimes it may be a montage, but presenting is really storytelling by another name, and we evolved listening to stories, it is how we learn and comprehend. At heart we are all storytellers, we do it for our kids, and friends around the BBQ, in the pub, we use common language, instinctively use metaphors and similes, and often ‘air quotes’ to indicate uncertainty when we quote numbers. Why should it be any different in front of a formal audience? We just need to find the story that fits the purpose, and tell it with passion, commitment and authority.

Build empathy and intimacy.

Most find this hard, as it seems unnatural. Many years ago before giving my first major presentation in front of 1000 plus industry players I went and had some coaching. The thing that really stuck with me was a throwaway piece of advice. ‘It is not a presentation, it is a performance‘ I was told, followed by ‘most people in the audience will admire the fact that you got up, and be eternally grateful it is not them, feed on it’

From that starting point, if you are thoughtful, building some empathy can be pretty easy. Phrases  like “Imagine you were….” or ‘It was a stormy Tuesday night in the old rectory, and …..’

Building intimacy implies the audience sees you speaking only to them, grabbing and holding their attention, ‘I knew we were right when Susan said this one thing…..’ This cues everyone listening into focusing their attention on what you are about to say to the exclusion of everything else going on around them.

Words and Visuals.

They each have their place, don’t get them mixed up. Words belong coming from your mouth, they do not belong on a screen, that is where the visuals should be. If you make the mistake of putting your words on the slides, you cede the authority in the room, people will read the slides and not listen to you. Instead, if you put up an interesting visual that illustrates the point, the audience will listen to and remember the words. Slides offer a framework for the words, reminders of the points that need to be made.

Everyone prepares for a presentation differently, some write, rehearse then deliver the script word for word, others free-wheel around the framework. It does not really matter, so long as you retain the attention of the audience and make all the points necessary along the way. The critical thing to achieve is to leave the audience with a story that resonates, that delivers on your purpose.

Stagecraft.

Those lucky, and talented enough to be selected to go to NIDA spend 3 years learning about stagecraft, so a blog post cannot even scratch the surface, but there are a few basics.

  • Your physical presence and actions create a part of the visual and emotional experience that your audience has, it is literally a ‘stage’. How boring just to have someone driving a lectern as often seems to happen. Use the stage, move around,  map out your points using the space you have. When you have an important point to make, move forwards, to the middle, if you want to build suspense, move backwards, slowly. Use your hands to point, (finger) engage (open hands) and shape (move your arms in squares, circles)
  • Modulate and change your voice. The tone, speed, silences, and level at which you use that great tool, your voice, adds drama and colour to the delivery. Few things are worse than a monotone, and everyone will drift off very quickly no matter how good the material.
  • Contrast everything. Holding attention is aided by contrast, your voice, movements, use of visuals. Use contrast within the context of the words and visuals, and always with the purpose in mind as the glue. Ensure there is movement and colour relevant to the purpose of the presentation as it adds to the performance you are delivering.
  • Respect the audiences time, attention and expertise. Never go over time, in fact, be a few minutes quicker than they expect, and they will be grateful, as will the organisers. Even the very best speakers have trouble retaining full attention beyond about 25 minutes, so why do you think you need 40? Much better to limit yourself, and remove the extraneous material from your presentation, concentrating on the really important stuff, the bits that connect directly to your purpose.
  • Use props to make your point when appropriate, they are a visual metaphor, and can be remarkably effective at making the point, and being memorable.
  • As the presenter, you hold authority over the room. The audience will stand up if you ask them the right way, shake the hand of the stranger on their left, even do a silly dance at the end if you have delivered to them. Use the authority wisely, don’t abuse it or you will lose them forever. Don’t cede that authority you have been given, use it yo your advantage. I often see presenters giving away their implied authority by opening with with something like, “I am humbled to be here….“. You have the opportunity to build on the authority implied by the fact that you are the speaker, and leave the stage acknowledged by the audience as the expert, which adds to the memorability of your purpose, and your position as the authority on the topic.
  • Body language. If you look nervous, the audience reacts differently to someone who looks confident and in charge. The words might be identical, but the response to the speakers and retention of information will be entirely different. This TED-X talk deals just with how the palm of your hand impacts an audience, now add the rest of your body to the mix.
  • Never, never talk down to people, use terms or jargon that may not be understood, or try and demonstrate your expertise by dazzling with bullshit.

Practise.

I am amazed at how often I see people deliver their presentation for the first time live, in front of the audience. Practising is time consuming, and feels strange, but the more you do, the better the presentation will be. I have a very wise pot plant in my study, it hears all my presentations numerous times before anyone else has the chance. The only downside is that the feedback is a bit limited, so when I am ready, I also try it on a few indulgent and critical friends. Audiences like spontaneity, but even the very best performers practise their material relentlessly, so it is effortless, and seemingly spontaneous.  With that intimate knowledge of the material comes the potential follow a track that emerges from audience feedback, engage with them, or just “riff a bit”  without losing your place, as the core material is almost on autopilot.

I hope that all helps the next time you are faced with that thing that, in surveys at least, many of us  fear more than death, public speaking. This curated list of 8 TED talks contains a wealth of tips and is worth working your way through as you develop your presentation skills, or prepare for that scary experience.

 

5 part headline  template to write killer headlines that always attracts attention.

5 part headline  template to write killer headlines that always attracts attention.

Jan 18, 2016 | Communication, Marketing, Social Media

The ability of a headline to attract attention, then lead the reader deeper into the content is the make or break skill of copywriting, and even in this world of video, the ability to write a headline remains the single most important skill in effective communication.

No matter how good the body-copy, without a great headline, it will not get read.

So here is a headline template that always works.

Use combinations of these elements:

·         Number

·         Trigger word

·         Adjective

·         Keyword

·         Promise

Let’s say the subject is a training seminar about managing cash flow.

Pretty dry stuff but of vital importance to any business,  and make or break for small business.

The easy and obvious headlines may be:

‘How to manage your cash flow’ or

‘Cash flow basics for beginners’

However, if you apply the headline template you might come up with something like:

‘7 simple techniques to apply cash flow to your business to make more profit’

Let’s break it down.

Number: 7. For reasons I do  not fully understand, but rooted in psychology, odd numbers  work best, and lists in headlines work as they promise to deliver instant gratification.

Trigger words: Simple. Words like Free, Secret, Undiscovered, Expert, all offer incentive to open

Adjective: Manage. Adjectives are ‘action ‘ words, they reflect and prompt activity.

Keyword: Cash Flow. Cash flow is the guts of the post, and is the word that will deliver the search engine enquiries that ere relevant to the post.

Promise: ‘Make more profit’ well, who in business does not want more profit?

Alternatively, your  headline might be:

‘Join us to learn the 7 secrets to greater profits through managing cash flow’

I do not know which would be the better headline, I am not a professional copywriter, but I am pretty sure both would work well.

An option if you were about to make an investment, such as in a public a seminar series, and generating a lot of interest rather than just capturing eyeballs on a blog post was financially critical, you could set about testing them by applying an  A/B test which is pretty easy on social media platforms. Then you could use the better one, or perhaps do some more ‘wordsmithing’ to improve one or both for further testing.

As evidence of how the template works, the headline that caught you in the first place is the third iteration of the first one I scratched down, which was :’Killer headline template that always works’. Having written the post to articulate for you a template that really works, I realised I had better take my own advice.

You tell me if it worked.