Category: a slice of STRATEGY

Pure, unadulterated strategy: marketing, brand positioning, & entrepreneurial wisdom. New trends with staying power. Old standbys with inarguable value.
What to embrace, what to avoid, and what to attempt — with steady discernment.

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

The Brand Gap: Shifting your Marketing Appeals

Posted on by Red Slice

More from Marty Neumeier’s great book The Brand Gap: Marketing appeals have shifted over time from the early part of the century. He walks through a timeline in the book:

1900 – Features – What it has?
1925 – Benefits – What it does?
1950 – Experience – What you’ll feel?
2000 – Identification – Who you are?

While many products and services still focus on their offerings and differentiators, there has been a shift to brand as personal identity. What does owning or being seen with this product or service say about me? This all goes back to the concept of customers as “tribe.” We as humans all want to belong to a tribe that meshes with our authentic self and also speaks to the person we want to be. You can call it a coolness factor, but it’s more than that. Marty talks about focusing on the UBS rather than the USP, as traditional marketing dictates. USP is the Unique Selling Proposition of the product itself; UBS refers to the Unique Buying State of your customers. This means tapping into their current and desired state of mind/being. You can see this is much more of a customer-centric view about what they are thinking and feeling than what you want to tell them about your product or service. This is also why you absolutely must flesh out your audience intimately (their likes, dislikes, pains, aspitations), and not just as a demographic.

I once proposed to a software company I worked for that we focus on making our customers (the buyers in the company’s IT department) “heroes.” While our product had lots of fancy features and capabilities, it was more about the basic human need people have to provide the right answer at the right time while at work.. They are in a tense meeting and they are asked by the higher-ups about specific stats or performance analytics. At that moment in time, they want to provide answers; they don’t want to look stupid. Our product helped them be “in the know.” I proposed building a whole campaign around “Do you know…?Yes, I know…” and tailor the example information to different audiences and industries. Fundamentally, that was the state of mind we should have been speaking to from a brand perspective. The company did indeed adapt a variation of this for their branding and advertising strategy,which really focused on how people FEEL in their jobs, vs. what the product could DO.

Yes, eventually you do need to talk about the actual product or service – you can’t get around that. But creating a higher level, aspirational brand message that speaks to the customer’s condition and state of mind will really help you differentiate from feature-filled product checklists. This is especially important in B2B marketing, as we often forget there are people – real, live human beings – making the buying decision, even if you are selling to a company and not consumers.

What companies – besides Apple, Virgin, etc – do you feel do this well? Any examples from local businesses or smaller companies?

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

Pages Pick: The Brand Gap

Posted on by Red Slice

I devoured The Brand Gap by Marty Neumeier yesterday while on a long ferry ride. I had never heard of Marty and this book was recommended to me by a designer friend who told me my eBook echoed many of his concepts and philosophies. I highly suggest giving this digestible and practical primer a read if you can.

I’m going to break down some concepts from the book on the blog over the next week or so. But for today, let’s just focus on his principle of brand as competitive differentiator. To avoid commoditization, you need to build a strong brand to enable you to ask for premium pricing as well as to create a predictable expectation and experience among your target audience. This is not to say that branding means creating only luxury brands – it just means people will pay for the soul, the experience, the “promise” of something, vs. a cookie-cutter substitute that does not really stand for anything.

He also talks a lot about how to structure brand building within your organization. The best structures are ones that still retain internal brand stewards to constantly monitor and educate on the brand, and ensure all touchpoints carry forth the promise. You can’t “outsource” branding per se – you can only assemble a strong team to help you achieve branding success and execute on it. That would be like someone “outsourcing” their personality to a more likeable person. Your brand is what you are, so you have to walk the talk.

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

Ask the Expert: The Art of Good Copywriting

Posted on by Red Slice

You know how to read and spell, right? So how hard can writing really be? Well, Red Slice team member and writing “miracle worker” Emily Cohen and I sat down to talk about mistakes people make with their marketing copy, as well as different copy needs for different vehicles. Emily has done amazing work for technology and software companies and has that gift for being able to take a jumble of information from an interview with the product/company expert and turn it into a polished, cohesive piece – she makes it look easy!

RS: Hi Emily! Thanks for joining us. Are there differences in writing web copy vs. a brochure or solution brief? How do you approach copywriting for different vehicles?

EC: Actually, every type of marketing collateral or channel is different, and I approach each project with that in mind. Web copy must be punchy, concise, and should communicate directly to the reader, hitting the customers’ pain points and compelling them to contact the company for more information.

Often, that ‘more information’ is a brochure or solution brief, and this is where the company can address many of the initial questions and concerns that cross the customer’s mind. There is more real estate in which to explain the company’s product or solution in detail, and I strongly encourage clients to include specific customer examples or quotes to support the product’s benefits and competitive advantages. There are no stronger advocates for a company than its existing customers.

For even more detailed discussion, white papers are the perfect vehicle to help close the deal. This is where companies can step back, take an objective view of the market and their product, and overcome specific objections with technical facts. I counsel clients to keep their white papers to between 7-8 pages, however, as customers don’t stay focused on documents longer than that.

RS: What three mistakes do you see marketing professionals make when writing their own copy?

EC:. Great question! First, marketing professionals or business owners think no one can understand their product/service as well as they can because they are ‘inside’ and close to the product. And that’s exactly why they should enlist an outsider to write their copy. They are so close to the ‘in-think’ that they forget to put themselves in the customer’s shoes. Instead, if you have an objective eye review and ‘bulletproof’ your key messages, you can increase the credibility and market-worthiness of your copy—and directly impact your revenue.

The second mistake is that many marketing professionals or small business owners are just that, marketers, not writers. I often see copy that technically communicates the company’s product messages but is boring, uncreative, and grammatically incorrect. The worst offenders use exactly the same structure for every sentence in the document, often invoke the same verb two or three times in a sentence, and switch voice and tense throughout the document. Worse yet, they insist that marginally written copy won’t reflect negatively on the company and that customers will look beyond it. But, believe me, they won’t.

Finally, marketing professionals and business owners too often wait until the last minute to think about the collateral needed for a product release or launch. With their backs against the wall, they must rush through writing the copy, which impacts its quality. I strongly counsel my clients to consider all the copy they will need early in the process, to ensure that they end up with the highest quality, most impactful marketing collateral possible.

RS: Why are you so good at understanding complex technology concepts and translating them into ideas that business people can wrap their heads around?

EC. After 25 years in the industry, I’ve been involved in a large number of technology revolutions and trends. I began working in technology when IBM came out with its first PCs. More importantly, I’ve spent time on both sides of the industry. I started out in product management – working closely with R&D and engineering – and then moved to the marketing communications side. So I know how engineers think and I’m adept at translating ‘engineering-speak’ into terms that business people can understand.

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Red Slice is a branding, marketing and communications consultancy that helps organizations tell their story. We provide both strategic and tactical marketing support to small and mid-size companies. Let us help you engage, inform, and delight your target audience and keep them coming back for more. Visit us at www.red-slice.com

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

The Mad Men Have It Right

Posted on by Red Slice

Sorry for going dark….Red Slice was enjoying Hawaii!

Not sure who is a fan of Mad Men like I am – and don’t give me a spoiler alert on the season premiere from Sunday, as I have recorded it. But aside from the killer outfits, in-office bars, chain smoking, and “kitchy” sexism, there is a lot to be learned from this show about marketing overall. The conversations on client creative and strategy are spot on. And the show does a great job of branding itself, as well – check out this post from the NY managing director of Landor Associates, a premiere branding firm, on how Mad Men as a show is also an authentic brand.

In last season’s finale, ad man Don Draper gives a great line to the Brits who have just merged with his agency. They say they want to focus more on selling media space as there are more profits to be earned there, to which Don retorts, “I don’t sell advertising. I sell products.” We could all learn a lesson here.

I’m as much a softie for a good, smart, delightful ad as the next person. I eagerly watch the Super Bowl ads as much as the game itself. Working at an ad agency only fueled this appreciation. When an ad hits just the right tone, promotes just the right brand, and really resonates, I just go nuts. It’s a good story, well told, in 30 seconds.

But at the end of the day, we all need to keep in mind something a good creative director friend once told me, “If it doesn’t make people open their wallets and buy something, then it’s not a good ad.” We can discuss the merits of production value, humor, water-cooler-worthiness, quirkiness, and meaning until the cows come home (and I have). But while all of that is entertaining from a story-telling perspective, if it doesn’t boost sales, I don’t care how many awards it wins.

Those that get it really “right” are the ones that combine the delight, the meaning, the “coolness”, the intrigue of the story into something that actually impacts the bottom line.

Who out there do you think is doing this today?

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Red Slice is a branding, marketing and communications consultancy that helps organizations tell their story. We provide both strategic and tactical marketing support to small and mid-size companies. Let us help you engage, inform, and delight your target audience and keep them coming back for more. Visit us at www.red-slice.com

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

Ask the Expert, Part 3: 3 tips for preparing for a speaking engagement or media interview

Posted on by Red Slice

Here’s the 3rd of our 3 part interview with PR guru and personal presence consultant Bronwyn Saglimbeni. Today we talk about getting ready for your close-up.

RS: Thanks again, Bronwyn. What are 3 tips people can do to best prepare for their next speaking engagement or media interview?

BS: As mentioned in our first interview, always “Seek first to understand…” as Stephen Covey so famously says, and approach each opportunity from a place of deep empathy for the audience.

Next, set a clear intention for the opportunity. Ask yourself, “What do I want this audience to think, feel and do as a result of hearing me speak?”

Now approach your messages and content from this place, using vivid images, examples, stories, anything to help the listener remember what you’ve told them.

Read Part 1
Read Part 2

About Bronwyn:
For over 15 years, Bronwyn has worked with clients to improve their public speaking and media relations skills, challenging them to bring out more of themselves in their communications. Bronwyn is known for her playful, irreverent approach to coaching, combined with her knack for delivering “tough love” in a way that allows executives to achieve true breakthroughs. Bronwyn encourages clients to be authentic, engaging and approachable, which has resulted in successful interviews for clients in publications such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Businessweek; and successful television appearances including The Oprah Show, Home Shopping Network, CNBC, and American Idol.

_________________________________________________
Red Slice is a branding, marketing and communications consultancy that helps organizations tell their story. We provide both strategic and tactical marketing support to small and mid-size companies. Let us help you engage, inform, and delight your target audience and keep them coming back for more. Visit us at www.red-slice.com

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

Ask the Expert, Part 2: The Unexpected Media Call and What to Do

Posted on by Red Slice

More from PR and personal presence guru Bronwyn Saglimbeni in the 2nd of our 3 part interview. Today we tackle unexpected calls from reporters and how to deal with them.

RS: Hi again Bronwyn. Early in my career during a crises, I got an unexpected call where a reporter tried to catch me off-guard – and I completely panicked, gave out too much info and got misquoted! How should entrepreneurs – or any businessperson, for that matter – handle an unexpected call from a reporter, especially if there is a crisis going on?

BS: The best thing to do is to ask for as much information as possible. Put aside your panic about whatever crisis is afoot, (or if you are not in a crisis, put aside your thrill at receiving that coveted call from the New York Times) and focus entirely on what the reporter is looking for, and the timing of his needs. It reminds me of my first fishing trip with my grandfather. He had finally caught a huge fish, and shouted to me, “RUN! Get the net!!” I was so gob smacked by the fish slapping around on the line, all I could do was stare. Needless to say, the fish got away. This reminds me of how people sometimes approach a press inquiry. They fail to hear the most critical pieces of the request, and spend the next few cycles navel gazing about what THEY want to say. By the time they’re ready, the reporter has moved on.

Stay tuned for Part 3 on Friday….!
Read Part 1

About Bronwyn:

For over 15 years, Bronwyn has worked with clients to improve their public speaking and media relations skills, challenging them to bring out more of themselves in their communications. Bronwyn is known for her playful, irreverent approach to coaching, combined with her knack for delivering “tough love” in a way that allows executives to achieve true breakthroughs. Bronwyn encourages clients to be authentic, engaging and approachable, which has resulted in successful interviews for clients in publications such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Businessweek; and successful television appearances including The Oprah Show, Home Shopping Network, CNBC, and American Idol.
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Red Slice is a branding, marketing and communications consultancy that helps organizations tell their story. We provide both strategic and tactical marketing support to small and mid-size companies. Let us help you engage, inform, and delight your target audience and keep them coming back for more. Visit us at www.red-slice.com

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

Ask the Expert: Bronwyn Saglimbeni helps you shine with the media (Part 1)

Posted on by Red Slice

Are you ready for your close-up? If not, Bronwyn Saglimbeni is your go-to gal. This PR guru is a media and personal presence consultant who helps entrepreneurs – especially women – get their story heard, and she prepares people for the media spotlight. She even helped the fourth American Idol judge polish her media presence for on-camera work.

We have so much good stuff with Bronwyn, that we are breaking this up into a 3-part interview.

RS: Hi Bronwyn! So nice to have you. What are the 3 most common mistakes people make when presenting in front of an audience or on air, and how does that impact the perceptions others have of them?

BS: Sadly, we often forget what a privilege it is to speak to an audience. Whenever people take time out of their day to listen to us, it is a tremendous opportunity to share information, ideas, and to inspire. Too often we approach these golden opportunities from a place of “what do I want to say? What are my key messages?” Me. Me. Me. In the right sequence, these are great questions to ask. But the first question must always be, “What does this audience need? What do I know that could help them?” and then ultimately, “How do I present this information so they can use it, remember it, and be inspired by it?” Once you have identified what the audience truly needs to know, then you can build your key messages around those needs.

Another common mistake is when someone undergoes a transformation for the worst when they go on camera or on stage. Suddenly, the spark of her personality goes dormant, and a very serious imposter emerges… the person she thinks she is supposed to be. It’s unclear to me why this magical transformation happens, but I believe it’s rooted in fear. It’s scary to be yourself with all eyes on you, especially if you’ve ever received messages in your life that “you” aren’t ok. Recently, I was talking with a genuinely kind, funny and thoughtful gentleman who was about to give a presentation. When he got up to present, it was like a different person walked out onto the stage. He went from easy-going to serious-as-a-heart-attack, and forced us (the audience) to endure 24 slides comprised entirely of text, and the occasional mind numbing chart. By the time he arrived at the “Questions?” slide, no one could remember anything about the presentation except that it was the longest 45 minutes of our lives. If he had approached his presentation with more empathy for the audience, bringing out more of his true personality, we all would have gotten so much more out of it.

The third mistake is relevant to television. For many people, television appearances can be terrifying. There are so many distractions happening in the studio. You might have a surly host, or arrive to an eerily quiet set, where no one is making an effort to make you feel at ease. Or perhaps you’re not used to speaking directly into the camera lens. As a result of this confusion and pressure, people arrive at the interview ready for battle, almost over-prepared, and focused entirely on answering the questions posed to them. The unfortunate result is that they fail to connect with the interviewer- the direct line to the audience. Turn on CNBC tomorrow morning and watch the satellite interviews. The people who make you forget they’re staring into a camera lens are those who have found a way to connect with the interviewer in a conversational, natural way.

Read Part 2
Read Part 3

About Bronwyn:

For over 15 years, Bronwyn has worked with clients to improve their public speaking and media relations skills, challenging them to bring out more of themselves in their communications. Bronwyn is known for her playful, irreverent approach to coaching, combined with her knack for delivering “tough love” in a way that allows executives to achieve true breakthroughs. Bronwyn encourages clients to be authentic, engaging and approachable, which has resulted in successful interviews for clients in publications such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Businessweek; and successful television appearances including The Oprah Show, Home Shopping Network, CNBC, and American Idol.

_________________________________________________

Red Slice is a branding, marketing and communications consultancy that helps organizations tell their story. We provide both strategic and tactical marketing support to small and mid-size companies. Let us help you engage, inform, and delight your target audience and keep them coming back for more. Visit us at www.red-slice.com

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

Branding is not a part-time job

Posted on by Red Slice

How can you control your brand amidst all the user-generated content on social media these days? Here’s the last of my 3-part interview with Sima Dahl (@simasays) on branding. We talk about how the best way you can feel okay about letting go of your brand to the masses is to actually live up to your brand promise in everything you do. And to participate in that community early and often to help shape the message.

This is why developing a brand strategy is simple; living up to it takes a lot more vigilance and discipline. The best brands are not the best brands because they established themselves over night. They are the best because they deliver on their promises, because their products and services reflect the brand, and thousands of little touchpoints continually promote that consistent brand experience.

Once you have your brand strategy in place, you need to constantly check in and ensure all the touchpoints continually echo your message. Like a conductor, you need to make sure every single musician, down to the guy playing the triangle, plays off the same sheet music and blends harmoniously together so that the overture sounds like one amazing, unified piece of art.

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

Does your brand need a facelift?

Posted on by Red Slice

Does your brand need a facelift? Read part 2 of my interview with marekting consultant and social media expert Sima Dahl (@simasays). We dish about what you need to consider when refreshing your brand and when you should do so.

Would love my designer comrades to weigh in on the following conundrum:

One extra point that we didn’t get to in the interview. Needing to refresh the brand look and feel specifically (remember, “brand” is more than just the visual elements) is something you should consider when choosing your initial logo, colors, etc. in the first place. It’s important to consider how trendy and “fad-like”the design is and will it wear well with age? You don’t want to have to revamp your design every year, so just keep this in mind. Of course, some companies need to go with a modern, timely look and feel because that is their mission and reason for being (a design firm, perhaps?) but you can find ways to extend the life of your logos and color palette. Apple is one of the most cutting edge companies around there and their brand look and feel has stayed fairly consistent over the years.

Just want to throw out there that this is something you should keep in mind. There are indeed fonts, designs and colors out there that are “so 1999.” You don’t want to be the one wearing shoulder pads and crimped hair to the party (unless they are back in style, of course.)

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

Shattering Small Biz Branding Myths

Posted on by Red Slice

Thanks to former colleague and marketing consultant Sima Dahl for our interview on her Expert Business Source blog. We sat down to discuss the top 3 branding myths that hold small business owners back from creating a meaningful, authentic and powerful brand promise for their customers:

#1: Branding is expensive
#2: Branding is hard
#3: Branding is all fluff – I need leads!

Check it out to learn why these are all false, false, false. This is the first of a 3-part series on branding: In part one we talk about the importance of brands to small businesses. In part two, we tackle how to re-launch a brand that is no longer relevant, and we’ll wrap it up with a discussion on how to help consumers embrace and understand your brand.