I recently conducted a workshop on how important your brand is within the social media arena, particularly when your business focuses on selling a concept, service or other intangible. This particular workshop happened to be for churches, but they are not unlike many of the businesses we advise, who sell consulting, advice, conceptual services or ideas. Let’s face it, churches are probably among the most conceptual of all, promoting not only events and services, but an ideology.
There’s so much buzz and competition these days to try to make content go viral, that it has, by nature, become more difficult to do. But it is still possible. Going “viral” only means that a piece of content has enough appeal, either broadly or narrowly, that people take the time and effort to spread it to their friends and colleagues with their endorsements or commentary.
Trust me when I tell you, the excuses abound. Let’s see, “we don’t have time,” “don’t know what to say,” “can’t write,” “lack a good email list,” “don’t know what software to use,” “have no ideas,” “won’t be able to keep up with it,” “don’t know how to make it look professional.” Breathe. “Don’t have enough expertise,” “don’t see the point,” “don’t want to turn off our customers”, “don’t want to give away our secrets”, “think emailers get blocked anyway”, “aren’t creative enough,” and our favorite of all time, “I don’t want to bore people.”
Content marketing is nothing new. If you are a company that consults or advises, or deals with “selling the invisible,” you may already be considered a thought leader and have a paper trail of articles, speeches and case studies that you’ve shared with clients. But are you consistently producing and distributing material that is useful and engaging to your target audience? Are you seeing results in organic search or social media efforts?
The other day I received an email from my friend. The subject read, “YOU ARE MY HERO!!!!!!!” I looked at the subject line, and thought, ‘Really? Why?’ So… I opened the email – even though I was in the middle of something else. Of course I would have opened the email even if there was no subject, because it was from a good friend of mine, but I probably would have left it until I finished with the project I was working on.
If there is one thing you can learn from the recent Coca-Cola fiasco, let it be this- when you set out to do something new, always think about how it will affect ALL of your customers or clients. When Coca-Cola came out with white cans in an effort to raise awareness for the World Wildlife Fund, Coca-Cola customers quickly began complaining that they were confusing the white cans with the silver Diet Coke cans. For some, this was extremely frustrating. Which makes me wonder, did Coca-Cola think this campaign through? I am not sure the company realized what such a drastic change would do to its consumers. The ABC news clip below explains the change from red to white, and how this affected the customer, and why the change made such an impact.
As a sixth grader in home economics, I was assigned to write a letter to a company about one of their products. The idea behind the assignment was simply to help us understand how to write and format a professional letter. I remember the excitement I felt when I got a response in the mail from the company I wrote to–until I opened it. Only thirteen years old, I was traumatized when I read that the company did not appreciate my letter (which suggested the company produce a diet version of a certain cake product – which of course now exists,) and claimed if I wrote again they would be forced to take some sort of action. I laugh now, but I also wonder if I would resend my letter today, or posed my suggestion on their Facebook wall – would I receive the same response?
“‘Engage your audience.” We have all heard it a million times, and it can be quite frustrating! I get it, really I do. In order to capture an audience we have to get them talking. But please just tell me how!”
In his book, The Advertising Concept Book, Pete Barry explains that a good ad communicates its message, but a great ad “stops you, hooks you, and hauls you in.” Further, a great ad will make the viewer react in at least one of six ways – SLIP IT. This concept also works for email marketing, web landing pages, direct mail, and more.
Brand Identity: NFRC Logo, Print Materials and Emailer
Our logo design, print design and emailer design for NFRC
Brand Identity: Prologue Logo
Our logo design for Prologue Inc.
Looking at the larger picture, our list of things to do can seem overwhelming. But do not fear! Take your time. Think about it. Each step we outlined is just one more way to lay the foundation right. If you don’t already have a business Facebook page made, don’t just throw one together. Prepare some posts or find some wonderful articles or events to share. Make your posts clever, and your page eye-catching and informative. If you haven’t checked your website lately, don’t just make changes for the sake of changing something. Think about it. Make each step along the way count. Enjoy yourself along the way.
