May 8th, 2008 04:45pm
Bill Swick
Don’t worry, you don’t have to cover up the eyes of any children and you’re in no danger of this blog getting obscene.
We’ll save you all the scientific stuff (you can find that here: www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html), but all that great content you’ve whipped up for your website may just be filler…unless it’s optimized for the web reader.
When putting up content on web pages, or long emails for that matter, studies show that those reading from the comfort of their computers may not be catching every word. In fact, after the first few lines, the amount absorbed by readers tends to gradually be less and less.
Kind of like the shape of a letter F.
We’re not saying that you should abandon all of your written web content in favor of flashy multi-media stuff. But organize your thoughts a little bit differently when writing for the casual web browser.
The most important thing to remember is to get to your point. Forgo long introductions and don’t try to build anything up. Also, burying important content in many paragraphs is going to get information lost. If you need to relay many bits of info to your reader, do it with bullet points – or even spread it out over multiple pages.
Obviously, the internet is a constantly evolving medium and there are no definite rules. But it is a great thing to keep in mind the next time your populating those web pages.
May 7th, 2008 03:09pm
Rebecca Kopf
Too often, organizations see marketing as just a department – one that is in charge of the company’s brand, its external perception and internal loyalty.
True, companies do have marketing departments that are charged with developing the marketing strategy and executing the work for the organization through wide-ranging responsibilities that can include such activities from advertising to internal communications, public relations to collateral and product marketing.
However, a company can completely stumble if it believes the company’s brand and its internal and external perception is up to one department. For example, what happens when you call a long-distance phone provider that has a bright brand name and incredible advertising campaign yet the customer service rep treats you shabbily when you take the time to call in to order or change your service? The brand just lost some equity with you.
There are just too many choices these days for product and service offerings in all categories. So, while your organization may spend thousands of dollars annually to market itself, without the appropriate internal customer service and employee buy-in and enthusiasm, you could find yourself in an ongoing uphill battle to gain or keep that competitive edge.
One approach to reversing the potential downhill slide and to enhance the brand equity within an organization is to hold quarterly employee “town hall” meetings. As the name suggests, these meetings should be informal in nature and seen as an opportunity to allow management and team leaders to update employees on the company’s long- and short-strategy. These meetings also should enable employees to interact, question the strategy without fear of negative repercussions, and gain a better understanding of the company’s philosophy.
Taking it to the next step, smaller, team or departmental meetings should be held to help individual employees understand their role in the company’s overall success or failure.
This simple type of interaction can help ensure employee buy-in, enthusiasm and understanding of the company’s goals and make them a part of the overall brand equity rather than a bystander to it.
May 5th, 2008 04:39pm
Rebecca Kopf
Often marketing is seen as something that is “created” by that specific department rather than a necessary attribute essential for all of an organization’s employees. But because every individual in your business manages a different aspect of your business they may have a hard time seeing - and communicating - the big picture. That’s when a Message Map comes in handy. A Message Map is a training and support tool designed to empower employees to market your organization as part of their daily job.
Initially a training tool, a Message Map helps employees understand the interrelationships between your organization’s mission statement, value proposition, services, products, partners, and customers. It gives them guidelines for identifying marketing opportunities, articulating key messages, and navigating among each aspect of your business during a conversation. After training, it serves as a quick reference to help personnel naturally convey key messages regardless of where a conversation starts.
Developing a Message Map is also a great exercise for the executive team. Many of the executives that we’ve worked with have found that they needed to fine tune their own understanding of the organization’s core value proposition. While they initially thought the exercise was simply to develop a tool for the employees, they quickly see the value of establishing a common reference for everyone in the organization.
With a Message Map in place, your organization is assured that all employees, including the executives, accurately and consistently represent your organization through their daily touch points with prospects, clients, the media, and the community. A Message Map is the basic training that turns your organization’s staff into a marketing infantry, exponentially multiplying your marketing power.
March 21st, 2008 03:59pm
Rebecca Kopf
A few months ago, I wrote about the growing interest and impact of Word of Mouth (WOM) campaigns. They continue to make headway among more traditional marketing efforts.
A recent event shows the power of a truly active campaign when the Rockford Symphony Orchestra supplemented its marketing efforts with a WOM initiative conducted by a small host committee. The goal of the WOM campaign was to get the word out about an upcoming performance at the Coronado; the objective was to engage at least 50 new attendees of a younger demographic (e.g. GenX, GenY) audience to attend.
Each host committee member personalized emails, made individual phone calls and penned personal letters to up to 20 people they knew within their sphere of contacts (a.k.a. “Centers of Influence”). The results were dramatic; almost 100 new people attended the Symphony performance and with all of them noting that they would not have otherwise attended had they not had personal interaction from a member of the host committee.
And that was with a committee of just a handful of people. Think how your organization, its employees and/or board could influence patrons, supporters, donors, customers with a personalized outreach campaign.
The key is to make it simple for your host committee (or whatever you decide to term it) to become involved. Ensure they know specifically what they are being asked to do and why they are being asked to do it. Provide them with information to assist with any personal communications they are making on your behalf. They more they know, they more they can help you.
March 6th, 2008 06:54pm
Rebecca Kopf
I had the great pleasure of chairing this week’s YWCA Leader Luncheon Women of Achievement. “It takes a village” is not so far-fetched when it comes to overseeing an event that garnered almost 800 attendees to honor women and organizations in our community and who were inspired speech by internationally recognized speaker Naomi Tutu. It this case, it took a strong committee.
Many of us are asked on a regular basis to volunteer in committee work. The challenge in persuading people to participate on a committee is convincing them that their involvement will not take too much of their time but it is coveted. Here are some basic “DO’s” to help structure your next committee:
* DO develop a project timeline. Let potential committee members you do have an organized roadmap and a game plan.
* DO hold “only-necessary” meetings within a limited time. With the Internet, cell phones and other gadgets these days, there’s little that can’t be done outside of actual meetings. But when you do hold meetings, start them on time and, most importantly, end them on time. Respect individuals’ time and they will continue to be involved.
* DO have specific, but limited tasks. Assign your committee members activities so they don’t feel overwhelmed but still feel their involvement is making a difference.
* DO thank committee members - before, during and after. While individuals are taking time to volunteer for your committee, you should make the time to express your appreciation for their involvement. Sincere compliments and appreciation go a long way to ensure committee members stay engaged.
Again, most people don’t participate in committee activities because they feel it will take up too much of their time. If you can show them that their involvement is appreciated and crucial without overtaking their lives, you may have dedicated committee members for life.
February 26th, 2008 08:40am
Rebecca Kopf
According to a recent Newsweek article, over the course of the past several years, customer service satisfaction in the
United States has dropped 12.5 percent for airlines, 8.1 percent for banks, 6.5 percent for stores and 4 percent for hotels. Customers complained about inaccurate information, poorly trained or rude personnel and long wait times.
With the advent of call routing software – of which a recent survey found that 90 percent of consumers don’t like using – the climb for improved customer service is becoming even more steep. So, how is your company performing? Here’s a brief scorecard to evaluate your organization.
- Do we provide an accurate picture and understanding of our product/service to our customers? Are our promotional messages accurate? Do we assess the impact to our customers of price/product/service changes?
- Do we communicate effectively with customers? Having a working web site or sending a newsletter has some value, but just as important is how personal interactions with customers are being conducted.
- Do we consider service problems opportunities to impress and further develop our relationship with clients? Do you reward employees to excel in these types of opportunities?
- Is performing the service right the first time a priority? The service could range from how someone answers the phone to responds to an email to fixing a product.
You can’t claim superior service if you don’t know where you currently stand on it and the scorecard to evaluate how you are handling customers expectations should be committed to as a standard for judging your service.
February 6th, 2008 12:43pm
Rebecca Kopf
It’s easy to issue a news release or coordinate interviews when your company is offering a new product or service or an upcoming event is looming. It becomes a bit more difficult when there’s less of a hook or newness.
However, it’s just as critical to continue to gain name recognition for your organization and its brand throughout the year. In doing so, your company becomes what we term as “evergreen”: ensuring your organization is relevant throughout the year.
This also provides opportunities for your company to be thought leaders and experts on topics and issues other than just your announcements. Here are some ideas to get you rolling:
- If your business is an accounting practice, you can be relevant much more than the April 15th timeframe when the media regularly covers this topic. For example, what can individuals do during the summer months or prior to the end of the year to benefit them from a tax perspective?
- If you are a non-profit focused on children’s health, you can garner coverage more than just an annual fundraising event you might hold. For example, provide insight on how children’s habits change from the elementary to the middle school ages just before the start of the new academic year. Or, offer expertise on how the summer months might be beneficial or detrimental to a child’s health at the end of the school year.
Take a calendar and mark out special dates or times of the year that your organization can provide especially timely advice or specific expertise that is not associated with a specific company announcement. Then toss your story ideas to the media for possible interest. There really should be no time of the year when your business and/or its products cannot be relevant – your job is to find that evergreen hook.
January 3rd, 2008 02:53pm
Rebecca Kopf
What does success look like to you? That’s a simple question we ask to every one of our clients before embarking on a project or long-term retainer with them. While it may seem straightforward; the question is usually one that most individuals – no matter what level they hold within the organization – haven’t pondered before.
Sure, you may consider the influx of new business or increased revenue as success rankings. However, what if results are more intangible? That can be especially daunting yet true in many marketing initiatives because enhanced sales can’t solely be related to marketing efforts.
As your organization lunges into 2008, look beyond the tactical action items such as how to spend your advertising budget or how many events to host or attend or even how many newsletters to issue. Identify instead the end result you want to accomplish overall.
Is there a new audience you want to attract to buy your service? Is there a new product you want to launch successfully? Is there a message you want the marketplace to understand? Does your brand need a shine or an overhaul to match your updated characteristics?
Start with the end in mind and then begin to create the tactics to address these goals. Throughout the year you may see the needle only slightly move in the right direction, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you take a look back at the year’s end and are able to say “that’s what success looks like to us.”
December 21st, 2007 09:34am
Rebecca Kopf
New Year’s resolutions are the time for renewed focus on personal and professional objectives to sharpen skills, seek new opportunities or arrive at new goals. One of the goals we encourage all organizations to do in a new year is to determine avenues to encourage all employees to be companywide marketers.
Too often, organizations see marketing as just a department – one that is in charge of the company’s brand, its external perception and internal loyalty. However, a company will stumble if it believes its and its internal and external perception is up to one department.
Marketing and perception is everyone’s role within the organization. For example, the receptionist that answers the phone or greets customers or vendors is extremely critical in how your business is perceived. Additionally, how your external sales or repair people interact with customers is just as crucial as your “customer first” advertising campaign.
There are just too many choices these days for product and service offerings in all categories. So, while your organization may spend thousands of dollars annually to market itself, without the appropriate internal customer service and employee buy-in and enthusiasm, you could find yourself in an ongoing uphill battle to gain or keep that competitive edge.
Determine avenues to bring all levels of your organization into the fold and let them know how important their role is to the overall perception and growth of the company.
Don’t send this idea out in a memo (after all, how critical is an employee going to take their role if management doesn’t have the time to talk to them?) Take it to the next step. Create or enhance employee development at team or departmental meetings by discussing the significance of their roles in the company’s overall success or failure.
December 11th, 2007 04:47pm
Rebecca Kopf
As competition heats up and more products and services become commodities rather than unique offerings, businesses will need to look at different avenues in which to promote and market themselves in 2008.
Many organizations feel that marketing to the masses will have a greater impact because a greater amount of individuals will see/hear about the product or service, and selling to just a percentage of that entire group will reap a return on investment. However, we’re of the philosophy that marketing to a narrow group – the appropriate purchasers – will garner a better return.
We tell clients to “think vertical” which means to identify their audience(s) and market more directly to them. Not every product is of interest to everyone and if you think everyone is interested in buying your widget, just think again.
This is especially true in business-to-business (B2B) organizations but can be utilized for all types of businesses. We encourage clients to prioritize the industries that would be best suited for their product or service. Who, if targeted effectively, will offer the best return on investment?
As you move into 2008, identify three to five strong vertical marketplaces in which to promote your offerings. Then determine what level of executive within these industries are your decision makers. And, based on that information, research the way in which these executives obtain their information. What trade publications do they read? What tradeshows or conferences do they attend?
Then, target your message – first making sure you understand and communicate to the buyers’ specific needs and requirements – in those market mediums.
While this approach might take a little extra time upfront, it will greatly improve your return on investment in the long run.
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