Posts for September 2011

It’s not luck, it’s good marketing

Have you ever noticed how when you ask people how they landed a big client, they’ll often say it was just luck that they were in the right place, at the right time.  OK, so sometimes luck plays a part… but you can be a whole lot luckier if you know where the right place is, and when you should be there. It’s called marketing.

Wow, what perfect timing…

It’s absolutely true that it is very often the case that your letter, phone call, blog article, or simply bumping into someone at a networking event appears to conveniently collide with when they are looking for the very thing you offer. It can certainly seem like serendipity as the person on the end of the phone says, “Well I never, what perfect timing, we were just starting to look for someone to do xyz.” But of course, your timing gets a whole lot more perfect if you’re always there, in readiness for when they happen to notice you.

A person’s attention is selective

There’s a phenomenon that you will no doubt have experienced yourself, that is vital to understand if you’re to master effective marketing for your small business. It is selective attention.

Imagine, you learn a new word… suddenly people seem to be saying it everywhere – on the news, on the radio, in a document you’re reading. The word was always there, but because it hadn’t entered your consciousness, you didn’t notice it. Or perhaps, you’re thinking of buying a new car and you have your eye on a particular model – you’ll suddenly find yourself parked next to one, seeing them on every corner, spotting ads for them everywhere – again, they were always there, you’ve just become hyper aware and you’re spotting them.

The same is true for your potential buyers. Only when they are in the market for what you do might they prick their ears up and notice you. Which could, of course, happen at any time. So, you need to always be there.

When I worked as marketing executive at Mason Zimbler nearly a decade ago, we would send out a set of case study postcards every six weeks without fail. They would go out to our database of marketing professionals in technology companies. It could be up to two years later, when someone had been receiving these every six weeks for that whole time, that they might pick up the phone, or request a follow-up. We had always been there… they just noticed us when they were in a buying mood.

Be a beacon in your market

You need to create a lighthouse effect for your small business. Showing up at regular intervals to make sure that people know you’re there. The interval at which you send something, or drop people a line, depends on your market and your budget. Having a think about the average length of a buying decision can be a useful place to start. If it typically takes someone six months, six weeks or six days to work through their decision to buy – you need to show up at least that often. But, that’s a bare minimum – because they could start that buying journey at any time. We advocate a “little and often” approach to marketing – so that you’re always there rather than occasionally very loud and then forgotten.

Go on, give it a go. You will get a whole lot luckier if you do a whole lot more marketing, a whole lot more often.

Bryony Thomas is an expert contributor to Marketing Donut and a marketing consultant, speaker, and author. Her first book – Watertight Marketing – is available Summer 2012.

Six rules for writing memorable content

We all want to be remembered and recommended. The best leads come via our contacts, because the ground-work is already done; you’ll already have been talked up, so there’s less explaining to do. Your website should fill this role of referrer too, it should be full of useful content — tangible examples of how you help, so it’s easy for potential clients to remember you as “the people to go to for….”

Writing memorable copy is what copywriters are paid to do — we create those catchy little phrases that hook brands and products into customers’ minds. But you don’t need to be a copywriter to start creating unforgettable content, you just need to pay attention to the following rules.

Rule 1. Get to the point fast.

You know the way it is when someone asks for directions: ‘Left at the Queen Victoria pub, straight on, right at the second lights, third exit at mini roundabout, second on the right.’ All we remember is the ‘left at the Queen Vic’ bit. When you’re writing about what you do, be succinct. Don’t add too many layers to what you’re saying.  Say the most important bit, clearly, and deal with the rest separately.

Rule 2. Shine a light on memorable details.

There are hundreds of IT consultancies that deliver better systems and an abundance of leadership consultancies that help businesses develop their management teams. So how do you stand out?

• Who do you work for? We met a Financial Advisor recently whose clients included many premiership footballers.  That kind of detail is great for referrals – he’s the man who advises top footballers.
• What campaigns are you proudest of?  Be known as the people who got deliveries to customers in the harshest winter Britain has ever known.
• What’s unique about your service? Is there anything you do very differently to your competitors that will improve the lives of your clients?

Create content on your site that breathes life into these details, so that readers can quickly understand them and relate them to their own situations, and those of their friends and acquaintances. I mean content like case studies, Q&As, blogs — well written information that roots your offer in the real world. It’s show not tell, again.

Rule 3. Think heart not head when constructing your messages.

We remember things that pack an emotional punch more easily than those that are purely rational.  Do your potential clients care most about implementing their HR strategy, or do they just want a day when the phone isn’t ringing off the hook?  Consider how your services connect to your clients on a human level, and give these messages top billing on your website. Use these emotional hooks as the basis for strong home page messages with clear calls to action.

Rule 4. Engage, don’t preach.

Back up your messages with content that demonstrates how your service makes their working lives easier — think about creating an “is this you?” quiz, “service health checks” or video blogs as well as more traditional testimonials from happy clients.

Rule 5. Use memorable analogies.

Analogies and metaphors are great for bridging the gap between head and heart quickly. They’re useful when you’re thinking about your key messages, and also when writing blogs that develop and deepen your theme. However, if you compare your help desk to a box of cats, no one’s going to forget it, so think of comparisons that are useful as well as memorable.

Rule 6. Make people smile.

Humour can be a tricky one on websites, and we wouldn’t advocate filling your site with a stream of “have you heard the one about the…..” and YouTube viral funnies. But using wit in headlines and body copy, and creating engaging content that surprises, is a great way to get people to want to share your site with others.

Content is key to getting referrals. It’s the proof you need to show what you do, and it’s memorable material for your contacts to spread the message for you.

Use these six writing rules to create unforgettable messaging, and develop creative content that makes it come alive.

Sharon Tanton is an expert contributor to Marketing Donut, a freelance copywriter and marketing consultant and a Valuable Content associate.

Want to know more? Read Drayton Bird’s excellent words of wisdom in our article, Keep your sentences short — and other secrets of good writing