messaging - Artful Thinkers

June 28, 2017June 28, 2017

Clarity is Key to Communicating Purpose

Purpose is defined by ambitions, actions, plans and principles. In business, our purpose is revealed through communications, both intentional and unintentional. What we say is who we are, in perception and reality. The words we choose to share in describing ourselves, our businesses and our outlook, illustrates our purpose.

Simplicity empowers the communicator. Simplicity frees the recipient from interpretation due to a lack of clarity. Complexity in content and message strangles good communications. Complexity will often leave your audience lost in intent and making assumptions in purpose and desired outcomes. Simple and clear direction produces higher quality results.

Clear and concise messaging is the key to convincing others to take action. It is no secret, business leaders are often frustrated by the lack of understanding when they “feel” they provide explicit direction or orders. The frustration comes from the failure of communications, which is often caused by lack of clarity. The associated business risks and costs of failed communications can be astronomical depending on the purpose and use. Bad communications can negatively impact revenues, growth, relationships and confidence.

Clarity improves connection and engagement because it increases trust and transparency. Clarity exposes purpose by unveiling expectations. Clarity tells people exactly what you want.

“Clarity is power.” Anthony Robbins

Testing your message reduces misinterpretation and failure in communications. Here is a quick way to test your clarity. Share one sentence with no less than 10 words and no more than 15, with a person or group. After delivery, ask that they repeat it back to you verbatim. What were the results? Are you surprised by the fact some won’t recall “exactly” what you said? Now really test your clarity, ask them to tell you what you wanted based on that sentence. Did they properly interpret your expectations and purpose?

Communication success if often defined by how close we reach an audience. Sampling tests will identify if there is clarity or your audience has a “gist” of what you are trying to say. A clarity test is a also way to show understand how people will imply their own assumptions, listen selectively and interpret the message. This presents a clear and present danger for the person delivering the message, which is why critical communications need good testing protocols.

Know your audience and set your own expectations as the communicator. Humans are not skilled in being great listeners. We also have very active brains, myriads of distractions and sadly our attention spans are less than goldfish. Yes, that is actually proven through science. Microsoft reported in a 2015 study that people now generally lose concentration after eight seconds, while goldfish can focus for nine seconds. Your message has to cut through a lot of noise to be heard, no matter the content format. Clarity makes a difference.

Definition of Clarity: Clearness or lucidity as to perception or understanding; freedom from in distinctness or ambiguity.

Seven Tips for Creating CLARITY in Communications

Concise messaging improves connection; be brief and succinct
Laser-focus on anticipated actions and intentions
Ask specifically what you want without ambiguity
Results orientation informs your audience on how you will measure success
Identify how you will measure the impact of your communications
Target your message to your audience
Yes responses confirm agreement in understanding and expectations

Another valuable bit of advice from a practiced marketer, avoid the noise. Using hyperbole and jargon complicates the message. Ideas will be lost in translation. Simplicity improves clarity. Concise communications boost understanding and retention.

Definition of Assumption: a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof.

Never assume. “They didn’t get it.” “That’s not what I meant.” “You don’t understand what I’m trying to tell you.” Have you ever felt this type of frustration after delivering what you thought to be very clear communications? Communication is tricky. It’s an art. The biggest mistake made in business today is assuming others will clearly know what you are asking and what you want.

For critical communications, it is important to follow through with post analysis. The results may require sharpening the messaging or providing clarifications to ensure the message is clearly understood.

Who is to blame? When there is no clarity, the communicator often blames the audience for not understanding. When in fact, it was really just bad communications that produced unintended consequences. There was simply a lack of clarity. The owner of the message owns the results.

Let’s be clear, clarity of intended expectations will sharpen a message and improve delivery. Clarity reduces frustration resulting from perceptions and judgement. No matter the content type, whether corporate communications driven from the CEO or marketing campaigns to draw in new prospects, say what you want with clarity and purpose. You’ll be happier with the results.

Jamie Glass, CMO + President, Artful Thinkers, a sales and marketing consulting company.

May 31, 2017June 12, 2017

Corporate Communications Set Expectations for Experiences

Corporate communications are carefully crafted key messages that provide the face and voice to your brand. They define your culture and company to the world.

From vision statements to corporate manifestos, these critical communications describe your business to all stakeholders, including employees, partners, customers, prospects, investors, regulators and the general public. They detail what experiences people should expect when they engage with your organization.

It is true that in the rawest form, the words used in these types of statements are just text. However, words used in formalized corporate communications should be deemed priceless to a company. A corporate communications platform requires significant strategy and investment simply based on the purpose, longevity, and frequency for which the content is used by all facets of the business.

The initial investment is the hardest. It begins in selecting the words to be used in the core components of the communications. The selected words set expectations. These words should convey a story that inspires and articulates purpose.

The words matter. Corporate communications should be viewed as declarative expressions, lyrical prose, contextual abstracts and emotional portrayals of the company experience and stories behind the brand. Selection requires time, money and resources to get it “right” for all constituents.

The words you choose to define your business must be carefully chosen to elicit emotion, create a visual expression of your culture, pronounce your priorities and expose your principles and aspirations.

Words used in corporate communications must be intelligible and “common sense” to the target audience, as they define your distinct character. The outside world should instantly affirm, “Yes, these words perfectly describes who they are, what they do and how they do it.”

A company should never hear from a customer or employee, “I don’t get why those words were chosen because it’s not representative of my interaction with the company.” Sound the alarms! Something is drastically off course.

More than likely, it means you went for bumper-sticker branding to define your business and your true identity and the culture does not align to the words you chose to represent your brand. When the words you use to communicate do not reflect real experiences, it’s misleading and creates irreparable harm that needs immediate attention from the top down to address alignment, training and perhaps new messaging.

Corporate Communications Depict Your Culture

Corporate culture is defined by the beliefs, behaviors, values and attitudes that characterize a company and guide how it operates. It represents actions and engagements with the company, reinforced by the statements and words selected to describe the company in communications.

From values to about us statements, these words are translated and interpreted by those that make up the company culture. The people are your universal brand, your culture is reflective of the brand experience. The people are your best promoters, both inside the company and outside. They must feel the truth, transparency and value in the words used if they are to expected to share them and communicate their own experiences with honesty and pride.

The Core Components of Corporate Communications

Every company should have a foundation of defined communication components. Corporate communications are used in all types of content, from web to collateral. They are essential for sales presentations, PR, annual reports and other types of marketing content. The power of consistency in branding and messaging shows up in well-defined corporate communications that can be shared by and with all stakeholders.

Mission Statement

Definition: A mission statement is intended to clarify the ‘what’ and ‘who’ of a company. It is why the company exists by stating the goals, purpose, and work of an organization. A mission statement may evolve as goals change; however, this carefully crafted statement is the “face” of the organization and should be created with the “test of time” in mind. The words should transcend immediate goals and focus on why the company is in existence.

Examples of Mission Statements:

Tesla – Tesla’s mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. Source
Twitter – To give everyone the power to create and share ideas and information instantly, without barriers. Source
Microsoft – Our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Source
Coca-Cola – To refresh the world… to inspire moments of optimism and happiness… to create value and make a difference. Source
Facebook – To give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. Source
Starbucks – To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. Source
Nike – Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world. *If you have a body, you are an athlete. Source

Real strategy converts the mission of our company — why we exist — into our vision for our future. Robert C. Wolcott

Vision Statement

Definition: A vision statement explains the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of a company. Specifically, the vision should articulate the roadmap for how the organization will achieve their stated goals and mission. It is futuristic and sets a clear direction and priorities for the organization.

Examples of Vision Statements

Cleveland Clinic – Striving to be the world’s leader in patient experience, clinical outcomes, research and education. Source
IKEA – To create a better everyday life for the many people. Source
Southwest Airlines – To become the world’s most loved, most flown, and most profitable airline. Source
Ford – People working together as a lean, global enterprise to make people’s lives better through automotive and mobility leadership. Source
BBC – To be the most creative organisation in the world. Source

Values and Value Statements

Definition: Values humanize the company. They represent the culture. Value statements describe the anticipated actions and associations of the company values. As adjectives, the values express the culture and purpose. As nouns, the values associate to the people and beneficiaries. The words used to craft the value statements should be expressive of the expected experience and journey. Types of values frequently used in corporate communications include: integrity, fairness, learning, discipline, honesty, innovative, dependable, creative, responsive, grateful and caring.

Examples of Value Statements

Dell – What we value. Our top culture attributes that drive the company’s success include: Customers: We believe our relationships with customers are the ultimate differentiator and the foundation for our success. Winning together: We believe in and value our people. We perform better, are smarter, and have more fun working as a team than as individuals. Innovation: We believe our ability to innovate and cultivate breakthrough thinking is an engine for growth, success and progress. Results: We believe in being accountable to an exceptional standard of excellence and performance. Integrity: We believe integrity must always govern our fierce desire to win. Source
American Express – Our Blue Box Values reflect who we are and what we stand for as a company. Customer Commitment: We develop relationships that make a positive difference in our customers’ lives. Quality: We provide outstanding products and unsurpassed service that, together, deliver premium value to our customers. Integrity: We uphold the highest standards of integrity in all of our actions. Teamwork: We work together, across boundaries, to meet the needs of our customers and to help the company win. Respect for People: We value our people, encourage their development and reward their performance. Good Citizenship: We are good citizens in the communities in which we live and work. A Will to Win: We exhibit a strong will to win in the marketplace and in every aspect of our business. Personal Accountability: We are personally accountable for delivering on our commitments. Source
United Nations – The WFUNA’s (World Federation of United Nations Associations) mission is grounded in what we value: Impact: We value performance and results. We set and hold ourselves accountable to high standards. Respect: We listen to and learn from our constituents, partners, funders, and one another. We value diverse perspectives and strive to incorporate them in our work. Empowerment: We believe in the power of knowledge and its capacity to mobilize human beings to create a better world. Collaboration: We work as a team within WFUNA and with our partners. We share ideas and try to align our efforts with those of others who are dedicated to the goals of the United Nations. Innovation: We seek original approaches for achieving our goals, taking advantage of creative communication for our outreach. Passion: We are committed to making a difference. We strive for what can be; we do not settle for what is. Source

“When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier.” – Roy E. Disney

About Us Statements and Boilerplates

Definition: An about us statement is a concise standard description of the company. There may be requirements for a short version and long version, depending on the content type and medium. About us statements are used primarily for web pages named about us, our company, corporate overview or who are we. An about us statement can be a mix of multiple descriptive paragraphs, facts, figures, historical references and stories. A boilerplate statement is a condensed version of the about us statement. It is usually only one paragraph. It briefly summarizes the company in current state and is used most frequently in press releases and media materials.

Example of About Us Pages and Statements

Harley-Davidson – Fulfilling dreams of personal freedom is more than a phrase. It’s our purpose and our passion. We bring a commitment exceptional customer experiences to everything we do – from the innovation of our products to the precision of our manufacturing – culminating with our strong supplier and dealer networks. We are Harley-Davidson. Source
eBay – We’re Creating a Better Form of Commerce. We connect millions of buyers and sellers around the world, empowering people and creating economic opportunity for all. Source
Google – Our story: from the garage to the Googleplex. Source
Dunkin’ Donuts – Dunkin’ Donuts is the world’s leading baked goods and coffee chain, serving more than 3 million customers each and everyday. True to our name, we offer 50+ varieties of donuts, but you can also enjoy dozens of premium beverages, bagels, breakfast sandwiches and other baked goods. Source
Honeywell – Honeywell is a Fortune 100 company that invents and manufactures technologies to address tough challenges linked to global macrotrends such as energy efficiency, clean energy generation, safety and security, and globalization. Honeywell’s businesses – Aerospace, Home and Building Technologies, Safety and Productivity Solutions, and Performance Materials and Technologies – are all built on differentiation through technology. With approximately 132,000 employees worldwide, including more than 21,000 engineers and scientists, we have an unrelenting focus on quality, delivery, value, and technology in everything we make and do. Source
Four Seasons – We have chosen to specialize within the hospitality industry by offering only experiences of exceptional quality. Our objective is to be recognized as the company that manages the finest hotels, resorts and residence clubs wherever we locate. We create properties of enduring value using superior design and finishes, and support them with a deeply instilled ethic of personal service. Doing so allows Four Seasons to satisfy the needs and tastes of our discriminating customers, and to maintain our position as the world’s premier luxury hospitality company. Source

Other components of corporate communications that are essential to defining a company include: tag line, manifesto, company history, our story, the elevator pitch, and statements regarding company goals and key performance indicators (KPIs). These are important for all functions of the business, including sales, marketing, product development, legal and finance.

TIP #1: As part of the communication strategy, an accessible brand guide or corporate facts guide can help manage the corporate communications content. The content should be reviewed quarterly, to ensure the messages are accurately reflecting what is being said at all levels within the organization.

TIP #2: It should be noted, that using data references and figures in corporate communications that are constantly changing can be a challenge due to version control issues. These data points, though great for websites, can be overwhelming for marketing in re-purposing and updating efforts given the number of references within existing content such as corporate presentations, PR and media materials, branded collateral and digital media. Sometimes it’s best to just leave figures out that are changing every year. This includes office locations, number of customers, revenues and years in business.

TIP #3: Content needs to be updated when changes are made to corporate communications or the intended target will interpret this as a lack of consistency or “care” for your messages. About us pages are usually neglected online. It’s sloppy and should be a priority to keep them up-to-date. Frequent changes to the content can also create audience fatigue and cause disengagement from standardized corporate communications, so try to limit the number of updates to annually (if possible).

TIP #4: Corporate communications are how the company defines their culture, mission, vision, values and purpose. The words you select are priceless artifacts that will be viewed through the archives of your organization’s timelines and achievements. Treat them like gold.

Corporate communications provide clarity to who you are, what you believe in, how you will accomplish your goals and expected behaviors. It is important to choose your words carefully, define your statements with precision and use facts to ensure the experience is truly representative of the culture.

Jamie Glass, CMO and President of Artful Thinkers, a sales and marketing consulting company.

ADDITIONAL READING: Leading Brands Caught in a Deep Division of Values – The 2017 World Value Index report unveiled people’s perceptions of 150 leading brands and their perceived value to the communities and audiences they serve.

April 27, 2017May 10, 2017

Listen Up or Lose Out

We are taught at a very early stage in life to be quiet and listen. In contrast to the enthusiastic encouragement to speak those first words, once spoken we are then told that we need hush and just listen. It’s reinforced by our parents, family members, teachers, friends, bosses, partners, colleagues and others. The mixed message has good intent. Listening is core to our survival and the way that we learn.

Listen: to give attention with the ear; attend closely for the purpose of hearing; give ear.

So why is listening so difficult? We have ears and it appears obvious that we should easily be able to use this amazing gift. Listening should be inherent; yet, it is considered an acquired skill – a very basic and important communication skill that requires tremendous discipline and continuous practice.

Listening Skills: The ability to pay attention to and effectively interpret what other people are saying.

The challenge to being a good listener is that we have competing senses, active brains and a world filled with an overwhelming amount of distractions. The Internet and multitudes of devices have not helped in our degradation in listening skills. We also are challenged with the threat that “success” demands we always speak up, which comes in direct conflict with listening. If we are thinking and speaking, we probably are not listening.

How does listening impact business? Listening is by far the most critical communication skill that contributes to success in business and life. Listening is a particular skill that requires development, nurturing and investment by the company and leadership.

“If you aren’t listening, you are missing out.” Richard Branson

Beyond the standard people requirements of requiring good listening skills to do your job, listening is a core function of marketing in business.

Listening is required in every role; however, marketing serves the purpose to be the “chief listener” within the organization. Organizations should mandate marketing be the “listening post” for the organization.

Why marketing? Listening impacts the customer experience, how products are sold, what products go-to-market, customer satisfaction, brand loyalty, retention and positioning of value-added services, to name a few. All of this requires listening to start the process and it should be done through marketing’s participation.

Marketing should act as the gatherer, interpreter and reporter of information and data that results from listening.

Everything about the business starts with listening. The information gathered through listening needs to inform business plans and strategy. All marketing strategies should be defined by what is learned by listening. Assumptions are risky and expensive. As we celebrate heroic unicorns that went to market on a “gut feel,” there are countless examples of failed launches, campaigns and businesses that resulted from not listening first.

Listening is the most important skill for any marketer. Marketers are constantly challenged to cut through the noise to reach their audience. Listening requires concentration, focus and determination. Poor listening skills often results in misunderstandings and ineffective messaging, which can frustrate and annoy the recipient. Worse, it can result in lost revenues and customers. In other words, failure in marketing.

As a marketer, what does it mean to really listen?

L = Learn: Top marketers will use every opportunity to learn from customers, prospects, employees, and partners about what is most important to them. Listen to learn.

I = Identify: Brilliant marketers use listening skills to identify the buying signals, values and goals of their target audiences in order to create informed and personalized conversations that produce results. Listen to identify.

S = Study: Smart marketers will study the evidence obtained by listening to align with data and other marketing tools in order to better understand habits, trends, opportunities and demands from their stakeholders. It will also validate or negate assumptions. Listen and then study.

T = Team Up with Sales: Wise marketers will not let sales and marketing function separately. They will team up with their sales and business development professionals to go on prospect calls, sit in on client engagements, attend events together, participate in regular sales meetings to best know how sales is selling. It is the only way to truly support sales and without sales, there is no need for marketing. Listen to sales.

E = Engage: Shrewd marketers will engage all stakeholders at every opportunity to set up times, places, and occasions for listening. This includes participating in social listening, going to events to listen to experts, soliciting input and continuous feedback, listening to customer stories to replicate success and listening to the voices that have influence on your brand. Listen by engaging.

N = Nurture: Resourceful marketers build meaningful relationships by listening to their market stakeholders and then using what is learned to nurture and foster those relationships with that information to validate their needs, ultimately creating sustainable value for the buyer and seller. Listen to nurture.

Marketing is responsible for sending clear, concise and effective communications. The only way to begin this process is to listen to everyone that has a stake in that message, internally and externally. This includes past, present and future customers, employees, partners, shareholders and investors, suppliers, community members and regulators. They all have a stake in a company’s success and they need someone listening to their interests and needs.

A marketer has many tools to utilize as a listening post. This includes social channels, digital media platforms, websites and content distribution forums, direct mail, emails, phone, survey and feedback tools, martech, thought leadership and customer events, meetings and onsite visits.

Listening impacts growth. It is fundamental to how companies grow globally. The first step toward entering new markets is to listen to the target market to understand the cultural differences and required market nuances that will meet the demands for your good and services. Listening starts locally, in order to grow globally. Utilize resources in local markets to listen, test and create marketing content and messages that will reach your intended audience.

In a recent sales and marketing study by Altify, they found that one-third of marketers admitted that their team does not understand the company’s customers. My advice, start listening!

Jamie Glass, CMO + President of Artful Thinkers, a sales and marketing consulting company.

EXTRA: How do you rate yourself as a listener? Here is a quick quiz that can help you assess your listening skills. This is not an endorsement of this quiz or do I have any affiliation, I believe it is easy and provides interesting insights.

May 26, 2016June 13, 2017

What’s Your Story?

Imagine what you would say if someone came up to you on the street and asked, “What’s your story?” It’s not the standard, “What do you do?” or “Tell me about yourself.” If you took the time to answer (and you should), you would probably put a bit more creativity into how you would respond, beyond telling them your current job, name, number of years of service and any other rank and file information.

Storytelling taps into pure imagination and goes beyond recitation of facts. It’s bonding. It creates a commitment. There is more of a sensory investment into the word selection, the visual representations and the emotional connection you build with someone when you tell a story.

You have the permission to be more animated, persuasive and invested into getting a “desired” response when you tell a story. Unlike a listing of data points or a mindless update, you can draw people in, get them to behave differently, react or just connect. People pay closer attention to your words when sharing a story.

Storytelling often humanizes your content. As marketers, we continue to look for ways to personalize our message and relate to our target audience. Maybe the first step is to tell a compelling story. Storytelling helps to nurture a relationship between the teller and the listener – an attachment beyond the words.

Can you recall a time you listened to someone tell you a great story that left a lasting impression? How far back in time do you have to go to remember that experience? A great TED Talk? Your favorite book? The perfect sales pitch where you bought all the upgrades? Or was it in elementary school, visiting a grandparent or maybe when your own child read you a story. Maybe it was the co-worker who shared their story about a spontaneous get-away to a tropical island that left you with great envy or surfing online to match that experience. Any single memory of a story that really stands out?

Once you can identify that past experience, close your eyes for a second and picture where you were, what they said and why you felt so committed to their words. Capture that moment. Hold on to it and use it. That is the “mark” for you to measure your own storytelling skills. Use that experience for the next time you create content, provide a presentation, write to a client or sell someone on your invention – tell a story that leaves a lasting impression.

In business, storytelling lets you enter into the consumer psyche to drive behaviors – good or bad. We all know that a really “good” story may get a person to react negatively toward an idea, product or person – a fear of all marketers. We often read about the statistical difference for remembering the bad experiences we are told over the good. Why? We pay close attention to those negative experiences – the stories are often told with great vigor and emotion. We listen intently to the story about bad customer service or being oversold. Perhaps it is because most people are far more animated and creative in warning us to “stay away” versus inviting us in or getting us to buy.

You know the old adage, people buy from people they like. What better way to generate some “buying interest” than creating likability through storytelling. Build a relationship, set the expectation and persuade them to act – with a really good story.

Storytelling is an art. It is harder to do in writing than in person. Both require a lot of practice. Storytelling needs investment, thought, creativity and inspiration. There is no better place to start than with your own experiences.

So tell me…what’s your story?

Jamie Glass, Artful Thinkers

First published on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140423232730-149124-what-s-your-story

June 25, 2012

Market to Your Strengths

Recently at an entrepreneur camp for high school students, I worked with several teams in preparing a 3 minute pitch to sell their inventions and innovations to a panel of professionals. My focus was to help these young entrepreneurs identify their business and product strengths so they could convincingly sell us on their idea in a very short amount of time — much like the real world.

I shared my experience in managing sales teams and evaluating investor presentations about what works and what does not work in pitching. I let them know that even the most seasoned professionals can mistakenly focus on the “hot” features without direct alignment to what makes you stand out against your competition.

My lesson, you must compete for mind share before you get market share. Whether selling your idea, your services, your business or just you, always use your valuable marketing resources to promote what makes you better than the rest — your strengths!

Have you identified your market strengths? Recently? And once you found your strengths, have you effectively managed and built them up in your marketing?

The easiest tool to define your strengths is the simple risk assessment that every marketing plan must include — SWOT Analysis. No matter the size of your business, you must know your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.

If you have already completed a SWOT analysis on your company, product or service, dust it off and review it today. Is it still accurate? Hopefully you have evolved! Your strengths are not set in stone. They are dynamic based on competition, economics, innovation, market growth or decline and shifting attitudes toward your business and products from consumers and employees.

If you have not completed a SWOT Analysis, take out a piece of paper now. Draw four boxes and label them: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. In each box, list out what you currently say, believe or understand as your strengths and your weaknesses, the opportunities you see where you can grow and threats in your business to achieving your goals.

This initial SWOT Analysis is meant to be quick; however, a thorough strategic marketing plan will take more time and resources for a complete evaluation. You will ultimately want an assessment that has multiple inputs including employees, executives, vendors, partners and current, potential and lost customers.

A SWOT analysis is useful to make sure you are current with messaging on how you are perceived and understood in the market place. It is a business planning tool that should be evaluated quarterly to make sure market opportunities are seized and threats are assessed and mitigated.

The next step is to audit your current marketing programs and communications to see how effective you are in defining your strengths. Are you placing all your strengths on the first page, first paragraph, above the fold and in your elevator pitch? Review your marketing tactics to see how well you represent your strengths. Start your assessment with:

1. Branding – Do you clearly communicate and represent your strengths in the essence of your brand and your identity?

2. Communications – Do you detail your strengths in all your marketing communications, including sales presentations, collateral and on your web site?

3. Sales – Can your sales representatives and customer-facing employees recite your top five strengths? Where are they detailed in your standard sales presentation?

4. Public and Analyst Relations – Does your boiler “About Us” include your marketing strengths? Are you able to weave your strengths into every new release?

5. Social Media – How often do you remind your fans and followers about your strengths? Are they listed in your social profiles? How many weekly posts include mention of your strengths?

In order to create demand and achieve anticipated growth, you need to market to your strengths. Make sure you are consistent, clear and current in your messaging and get the word out why you are better than all the rest.

June 17, 2012

What is Your Marketing Meme?

Viral Marketing — Will Your Meme Go Viral?

A meme (pronounced meem) is a packet of social information. Marketing memes are word associations, beyond a tag line or slogan, that take complex concepts or ideas and make them simple and easy to communicate.

A meme is defined in Wikipedia as “a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena.”

Effective memes are potent messaging serums, dripped out over time that enter into our brains and stick. Think of your marketing meme as your viral message. Who you represent, what you do and what you offer, tightly packaged into one memorable soundbite.

Memes are easy to replicate. Good memes always communicate value and benefit. It is the message you want propagated all over the world about you and your business.

I first learned about crafting memes from a Fortune 500 marketing expert who spent his time coaching several solopreneurs on how to market their own businesses. To some, it may seem odd that an experienced marketing executive would spend weeks learning how to market themselves. Admittedly, I was resistant at first. After all, I have been responsible for marketing multiple million dollar business for years.

Attitude and all, I threw myself into doing something I was avoiding — marketing me! It is hard to market yourself, let alone dedicate the time required to build your own marketing communications plan. Truthfully, I needed the discipline and focus to develop my own meme. In the end, besides a business card, it was the best marketing investment I made in starting my own business.

An effective marketing meme is a single powerful statement that communicates the benefits of your products and services. Here are some simple steps to help you craft an effective marketing meme:

1. In one sentence, write down what you do for your customers.

2. Next sentence describe the value you provide to your customers.

3. Outline the problems you solve in the last sentence.

4. Now start cutting! Combine the three sentences into one very simple, benefit-oriented sentence. Answer who, what and why it matters in a single sentence.

5. Test your meme with the following questions: Can you repeat that sentence over and over again? It is easy to remember? Will your meme invite people to want to know more?

Memes are clear value propositions that roll off the tip of your tongue at every introduction. An effective meme is not a slogan or headline. It is not an elevator pitch. You rarely get 30 to 60 seconds to cite a rehearsed sales pitch. It needs to be tight, concise and memorable.

Memes create lasting impressions. They are the words people will carry with them and tell others about you and your business. Marketers often suggest that it takes seven times before a message really sticks. It’s called the Rule of Seven. Will your meme be repeated by every person you tell seven times or more? If so, then you have truly created an effective, viral marketing meme!

Invest time in creating your meme and start sharing it with world. Repeat it often, in presentations, in meetings, on the web. Make sure your meme is a simple message that leaves us wanting more.

Special Note: This post is dedicated to my friend and marketing mentor John Coyne. He patiently worked with me to create my Artful Thinkers meme. His influence and teachings are still making an impact. He will always have a lasting impression. RIP my friend.