Knee jerk reaction, Authenticity, and of course, Flapjacks
Friends and colleagues,
Some sadist breezily noted “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Well, friends, my right knee strongly disagrees. Having been treated to a major orthopedic surgery, it is certainly not stronger. It does, however, hurt less and I have better range of motion, allowing me to return to the high hurdles. Ok, no, not that, but I do have options I didn’t before. And there, people, is the late-arriving point: As your business matures and your points of difference and advantage change, new opportunities arise, opening new doors even as old windows close. The best businesses, those that survive and thrive, run, not walk through these doors, embracing change in all its forms.
Thanks for enduring some pain with me (or because of me…) Now let’s get you the marketing equivalent of 1000 milligrams of Tylenol: Tips that should make you feel a lot better.
Tips and Trends
- DIY FYI. Don’t want to hire a solicitous outside resource from Westport to make your search optimization and marketing work better? Have your not-so-eager-to-please Gen Z’ers test-drive user-friendly tools like SEMrush or SpyFu to research competitors’ keywords, ad copy, and bidding strategies. Knowing what’s working for others in your industry can provide truly valuable insights that may allow you to refine your own campaigns at a much lower cost.
- Be you. These days developing a distinctive, authentic voice for your brand has become even more important now that oxymoronically named “performance marketing” has become even more challenging. Why, Jay, why, you may or may not ask. Well, because thoughtful positioning and curated content (you know, that thing that always has been king) can and will differentiate your brand as the consumer navigate an increasingly competitive and noisy digital media landscape. Having a voice that’s uniquely yours and sets you apart at the top of the proverbial funnel, will, I promise, increase the amount of high-octane oil at the bottom of that same funnel.
- Two birds, one stone: Use research to generate and enrich leads. Recently, we’ve seen a marked increase in the number of incented surveys. Companies are sending out very official, personalized survey and interview requests to highly targeted audiences promising a gift certificate, money, or a donation in return for answers to brief surveys about narrowly focused topics. In a marketing-fatigued marketplace, these efforts, often run out of CRM platforms like Pardot, Marketo, and HubSpot, are sneaky smart. They provide pre-qualified leads to sales teams and substantive insight to sales support and marketing teams who use the answers to trigger customized nurture streams based on prospect-scoring models. Too much jargon to translate? Reach out to me or one of our tri-lingual archers.
- The latest promptcraft. If you’re not using A.I. to get things done faster and more efficiently, re-bury your head in the sand and skip this tip. But if you’re like me (but with healthier joints) you are always looking for better ways to write prompts that generate precise, on-task output. Toward that end, try this opening: “Acting as an industry expert in ______,”. And then follow-up with at least three specific objectives you need the output to meet. The net: You’ll get high-quality information faster than you would otherwise. And a quick coda: If your request is high stakes, ask your A.I. solution to cite its sources so you can confirm and justify the output. Finally, please return the favor since we’re, you know, friends.
- Mini-MBA with a concentration in Value Proposition. The best value propositions can be found at the intersection of these four roadways: 1) Your firm’s competencies (i.e., what you’re good at) 2) Your firm’s credibilities (i.e., what the market believes you are good at) 3) The deep needs of your target market (i.e. what keeps them up at night) and 4) Market trends (i.e., the way the wind is blowing for everyone). Kinda obvious, Bower? Sure, but how many of these roadways have you not mapped to your particular intersection?
- Say “Thank you” to at least your best customers. Do this at least once a year. Personalize the message (i.e., use, you guessed it, their name) and customize (like AMEX, note how long they’ve been a customer). Don’t include a call to action. Don’t ask for anything in return. Simply let them know you’re grateful for them. It’s the lowest-cost goodwill you can buy. And it WILL increase the lifetime value of the customer. Done, and done.
- Pancakes make you smarter. No, I’m not serious. And yes, these are the kinds of things I think about during physical therapy. Finally, maybe, I will send you Crossbow gear (a hat, fleece, or travel mug) if you share something similarly odd you’ve thought during your workday.
Not So New News
- You should maximize what’s left of your 2024 marketing budget. Duh, Jay. But here’s how.
- Our Assisted A.I. Content service is up, running, and thriving. Our human archers work with our favorite language models to generate customized, high-quality blog content – and image selections – at a fraction of the cost. Your error-free content will be vetted for brand alignment, grammar, tone, and plagiarism. And it’s 100% yours to use (and re-use!) Interested? Reach out for some free sample content.
- We are now focused intensely and intently on our core markets. Read more by clicking enthusiastically here.
As always, if I can do anything for you – make a connection, share some experience, refer you to an orthopedic surgeon- please let me know.
Thanks again for your patient indulgence. This Thanksgiving, I am especially thankful for you and for that.