Imagery Matters. Think about it.

Good marketing should reflect the benefits that your product/service offers consumers. It should be simple but memorable, comfortable and unexpected. All business owners generally want the same thing; profitability. The ambitious ones recognize that to generate demand, they need to reach, connect with, and nurture a customer base. This is when many take a stab at what we call marketing. Yes, the water is warm, please jump in folks. But first, you should fully consider all the elements of that customer relationship.

How do you initially reach them? How do you keep in touch with them? Are you easy and pleasant to interact with? Meaning not just you, the human being, but your website, your parking lot, and your billing department. Who are you, what is the whole experience of interacting with you like and what is the augmented benefit that you have to offer? Even a commodity, like dry cleaning, can differentiate themselves with things like branding and more importantly, the cornerstone of any business, customer service.

All the time I see companies that are making an attempt (that’s the first step!) to connect but need go back to the marketing lab before shouting Eureka. Here’s an example of a direct mail piece from a local “emergency pet care clinic,” that needs a little help!

Problem #1. How do you know I have a pet? Problem #2. Your name is scary. Names can be overlooked, and relate directly to your brand. If you’re name is “Emergency Pet Care Clinic,” your prospects are envisioning running red lights at 90 miles an hour with poor Fluffy in the back seat impaled with a foreign object. Your name is part of an experience that people don’t want to have. (NOTE: I’ve later found out this Emergency Pet Clinic is part of a larger practice called, West Chester Veterinary Medical Center. Well, why didn’t you say so???)

Problem #3 This piece’s problems are furthered by the imagery. Your customers are pet lovers who come to you to keep their pet healthy, then go home and rub their bellies, throw a ball in the backyard, go for a walk. These are the real benefits of your service. Don’t show photos of doctors in scrubs operating on some unidentifiable and presumably four legged patient. Really, no one wants to see that. Oh, and the card is red. Not a good color for anything medical related.

Problem #4 TMI. Delivering too much information to people before they want it or ask for it is annoying. Don’t list services that your audience may or may not be interested in. At this point in your relationship with someone, it doesn’t matter whether or not you do diagnostics and ultrasounds. You want to introduce yourself, or reintroduce whatever it is your offering, and then be prepared for the follow up in the event one of your recipients is interested. If someone wants to investigate your specific offerings, they’ll check your website, which you did include. Nice work.

Thanks for keeping those puppies healthy and cute!

Why my Oral Surgeon is the best in Philadelphia

I admit it, I'm an evangelist. July 17th, I had my wisdom teeth removed. (Hence my blogging hiatus. That and it being AUGUST.) I am now 3 wisdom teeth lighter and absolutely a fan of my oral surgeon, Dr. Otto Tidwell. The best relationships are built through good experiences. Here's one of mine:

Dr. Tidwell - for the record - doesn't do anything all that out of extraordinary. The man pulls teeth. It's not glamorous. He does however, know his trade, and the key to successful service business relationships. Ladies and gentleman, it is excellent human-to-human CUSTOMER SERVICE. That and the fact that he pulled 3 teeth and I had no pain! None! Good customer service is the best marketing you can buy. It's social, it's a real dialogue, and it's incredibly meaningful.

The office staff was friendly, they were prepared for my visit and gave me more information on my procedure than I knew what to do with. The lighting in the waiting room was lovely. After watching an informational video for patients during my consultation, we chatted. None of this is exceptional. What makes Dr. Tidwell amazing, is that a few days after my procedure, he called me personally, to ask how I was doing and answer any questions. He could have easily had a nurse or receptionist call.

Non-Profits better at Embracing Social Media

Some of the most authentic brand interactions I've had online in the past 6 months are of the non-profit variety. Many jumped into the social media game early and are using it more effectively than the for-profit sector. Inherently because of their funding structure these organizations, often operating on shoe string budgets, have learned to get creative. Many have an arsenal of of nontraditional marketing strategies used to survive when down at the heels. That flexibility has served them well as they surf this new wave of marketing technologies. Non-profits have been rock stars at social media for a few reasons.

1. First, they are more authentic. Less selling, less editing, the conversation is real and it feels that way. Most businesses are caught up with controlling the conversation so that it accurately reflects your company culture, values, brand. Edited conversations are uncomfortable, and not only don't work but provide negative experiences for your users. Non-profits have been smart enough to have humans engaging in conversation, answering questions, and making friends. This person actually wants to hear from you which is a refreshing change from dealing with the fort of multi-billion dollar and highly classified important secrets that many businesses operate from. Businesses need to RELAX, stop worrying about being sued and get in on the conversation already.

2. Not being annoying. No one likes being marketed to. While most corporate marketers are desperate to find new ways to be interesting, non-profits understand that my life>your brand. Instead, they attempt to fit into our lives in a way that feels appropriate and doesn't offend users. Non-profits have been great at providing valuable information that their audiences want to hear. They are better at asking for permission for your attention by actually finding and staying connected to the communities that care about them. Instead of advertising what is irrelevant, these organizations are engaging their online community in a dialogue in which both parties are interested.

By offering an experience that is personal, appropriate and unedited, the result is a more authentic relationship. By earning our attention instead of capturing it, organizations can greatly strengthened their place in the minds of their communities. Social media has increased our potential, even to the most casual of online relationship, by allowing it the opportunity to develop into something more meaningful.

Certainty

A poem about certainty.

A yellow cab driver is yelling past me at me doesn't know my name.
I'm catapulting crashing into a great unknown.
Running sinking pushing towards certainty.
Connecting hearts, pieces, moving parts.
I'm purposefully putting one foot in front of the other.
Pounding the proverbial pavement.
Practicing being present eyes wide.
But dreaming of peaceful places, dancing by myself perhaps.
With moss growing on rocks as old as earth.
there are rocks everywhere.
I'm listening to the wind blow, flow like heart beats.
Humming a sometimes melancholy tune that is familiar and uncertain.
And I am choosing optimism.
To be a brazen and beautiful audacious girl.
Even if optimism is only an insight.


CertaintyCer"tain*ty\, n.; pl. Certainties. [OF. certainet['e].]
1. The quality, state, or condition, of being certain.
The certainty of punishment is the truest security against crimes. --Fisher Ames.
2. A fact or truth unquestionable established.
Certainties are uninteresting and sating. --Landor.
3. (Law) Clearness; freedom from ambiguity; lucidity.

Red Tettemer wants you to take a Stay-cation

The self proclaimed cowboys at Red Tettemer have mucho love for Pennsylvania. They worked on two tourism campaigns recently, one for The Greater Philadelphia Tourism and Marketing Corporation and another for great state of Pennsylvania itself.

My thoughts...(Yeah, I've got an opinion about it.)

The campaign for the beautiful state of Pa has me feeling all funny like. I'm fascinated, confused, and a little bit bored. The keystone of the "PA Stories" campaign are 4 webisodes following main character Peter Arthur. We follow he misadventures of P.A., a lovable nerdy type, in his search for a red-headed waitress, a long lost crush who once served him up a peice of shoofly pie with a side of a la la love. Promoted with $1.3M in media placements, including online at Jaunted, Epicurious, Jezebel, Gawker, The Onion, AV Club, Lotame, Invite Media, and Hulu. A 30 second commercial was aired during American Idol, some cute billboards, transit stations, a sprinkle of radio and a dash of guerrilla.

Referred to as an "a very tiny film with a heart as big as Pennsylvania," the webisodes are too long, but an entertaining stab at film making for RT (soundtrack and all). These full fledged little mini dramas, are short on picturesque Pennsylvania landscape and heavy on character development. They are more arty than informative: after watching for 6 minutes and still having no idea where in Pennsylvania poor love-struck Peter Arthur is, I lost interest. There is a small amount of info on the PA stories site, and users are directed to http://www.visitpa.com for more.

Red Tettemer also recently launched it's "With Love, Philadelphia, XOXO" campaign for tourism group GPTMC. Running from May through August 2009, the campaign was developed in direct response to the current economic climate, GPTMC will spend $2.5 million wooing the type of visitors they believe will still have enough cash to travel using outdoor billboards, transit shelters, radio, print, online, and a 30-second TV commercial. Some of my favorites are,"Dear Great Big World, Dear School’s Out for Summer, Dear Dear Powdered Wig Lovers." Read more here. The media placements are love letters, short and sweet, written personally from the city of Philadelphia, ripe with Philly 'tude and signed With Love xoxo. Very Cute. I love how this campaign focuses strictly on the brand message and not the discounts that many destinations are hocking these days.

Both pretty smart campaigns from a cavalier agency. I'm curious how these two campaigns impact the GPTMC and The PA tourism brands? Will these messages be reflected throughout their marketing efforts? Also, where is the link between the two? Wouldn't it have been better to do some collaboration on these two campaigns than to have Pennsylvania competing with itself for visitors? I'm waiting to find out.

Internet: The Future

I attended a short seminar (sales pitch) hosted by Razorfish to dip a toe into analytics and to learn about a new analytic software tool called Quantivo. This form of marketing isn't my forte, so there was a lot of knowledge to soak up. The datafeeds and histograms don't exactly light my fire, but the innovations are fascinating and are changing the way we market and communicate about our brands.

Analytics are a part of what I see as a dramatic shift in thinking. Long gone are the days when consumers buy your product because you say so. "Tide is the best laundry detergent there is!" Consumers are empowered. They want the ability to search for more, or less, depending on their mood. To exist in the online space as a multidimensional and complex characters with an array of eclectic tastes, hobbies, habits. The Internet is gaining the capability to react to consumer behaviors in an unprecedented fashion. The power shift is substantial.

Communication is moving from PUSH to PULL. From TALK to LISTEN. The focus has shifted from what business is telling us is the best, the biggest, the coldest beer there is, versus what consumers actually want to know. The epic marketing battle between the interesting vs. the interested is altered, and what these new tools are proving, is that, really, it's all about me.

No longer is the Internet a series of static islands for users to navigate with antiquated maps. The online space is more personal, more attentive to detail, and is reactive. Rob Norman *genius* of MindShare speaks in this video about the future of the Internet, and the use of what he calls social gyroscopes, contextual discoverability and semantic serendipity.

I think I can, I think I can

As per usual the life of a young gal in pursuit of her dreams is a cycle of joy and frustration that ebbs and flows. To those who say - "It's just a job," I say, we just don't have a goal of usefulness or perseverance in common. I, as a human, vow to pursue excellence in my professional/personal life. I don't believe these to be all that separate. Personal fulfilment from your career should never be too much to ask.

Young Profs out there,...if you're listening, the pursuit of personal fulfillment/gainful employment is not an easy one. It is hard, real hard. Many tears have been cried and beers been drank over the angst many of us feel in our professional lives. Where is the success we were promised as kiddies? Am I not as special as my mom told me?? You many be feeling, "Haven't I done everything right?" Well maybe you have, or maybe your career is not a straight line. It doesn't matter. Stop thinking about the barriers and look for opportunities, however small. Small wins are what get you through the day. Some advice. For me and for you.

1. Seek inspiration. Read, learn, and talk about your challenges. You are not alone!

2. Have goals outside of your professional life. Learn a new language, climb a mountain, eat more wings in 5 minutes than anyone in the tri-state area. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wing_Bowl

3. Do what your passionate about. If you can do this at work - you're lucky. If not, see if there are ways to incorporate what you love into your work. Otherwise, if you love writing, find a newsletter to contribute to. Start blogging! If you love marketing, do some work pro bono for a local non-profit or free-lance. If you're into nature, go for a walk in the park with a friend. Do what you love. Do it now.

4. Remember that anything worth doing is worth doing well, and never give up! We will be useful, we will contribute our talents and skills to this world and we will be a catalyst for change, transforming business as usual.

Of all the things in life you can't control, like how big your forehead is, family, your height (I'm still 4'11"), you can absolutely control many things. I have the choice of my profession. I can chose to pursue my professional goals and hope that "the world makes way for the man who knows where he is going (Emerson)." I have a choice as to how I spend my time, with whom, doing what, and for what purpose. I can choose my words. My thoughts. My actions. My life!! :)