Creative Marketing Conference

Although he sounds more like a motivational speaker, this year’s presenter knows marketing. At the Creative Marketing Conference I attended in Baltimore recently, I got fired up about marketing again.

With all of the projects we’ve had lately, I’ve hardly worn the Marketing Manager hat around here. My usual efforts such as blogging, podcasting and newsletters have taken the backseat. When I received an email from the National Seminars Group about the upcoming conference, I was ready for a change of scenery.

The conference consisted of 5 sessions:

• Take a Lesson: Killer Marketing Strategies from the Real World
• Beyond “Powerful!!!!”: Fresh, New Words to Add Impact to Your Copy
• They Want it WHEN?!?! 12 Creative Tricks for Time-Crunched Marketers
• The XYZs of Keeping Your Web Marketing Efforts on Target
• No Spam, Ma’am! Inspired Ideas for E-Mail Marketing Success

Bear with me. Because of the wealth of information shared at this conference, these notes will get pretty long. I’ll divide them up by session and provide some anchor links to that place on the page.

• Introduction
• Killer Marketing Strategies from the Real World
• Fresh New Words to Add Impact to Your Copy
• Creative Tricks for Time-Crunched Marketers
• Keeping Your Web Marketing Efforts on Target
• Inspired Ideas for E-Mail Marketing Success

Introduction

The speaker was both informational and inspirational. He began his introduction by asking “how are you?” The traditional response? “Fine.” Fine, he says, stands for Fearfully Insecure Neurotic and Emotional. Instead, he says, say “Positively Passionate.” I’d say that describes him pretty well.

His first mantra? “Copy and Steal Everything.” I’ve heard that before. Don’t try to re-invent the wheel. Just take someone else’s idea and make it work for your campaign. Just make sure it’s a good idea first.

He explained the difference between branding and marketing. Branding shows what makes you different, while marketing helps people see it. To be truly successful in marketing, though, you have to market something of value.

Value or your “unique selling point (USP)” can come from many things, such as being first in what you do, doing it longer than others, having the highest quality, etc. You need to find your competitive edge and showcase it.

And now a cold fact: 80% of your revenue comes from 20% of your customers. Your marketing efforts need to be aligned with that idea. This means 2 things: you should focus on customer loyalty, referrals and repeat business and you should segment your customer base when you advertise.

Divide your audience into 3 groups: A, B and C. Your A group, your loyal customers, are your bread and butter. Make sure you keep them happy, but also work to make them ambassadors, strong supporters of your brand. Word of mouth advertising is very effective.

B customers are the fair-weather buyers, who don’t possess that brand loyalty. Group C, however, is a target audience because they’re still shopping around. They can become A customers, if you provide them with an exceptional experience. When I think of the “ambassador” idea, I think of Apple users, virtual fanatics whose passion convinces others to buy.

Marketing is about exceptional perception. Consider the difference between Hershey’s chocolate and Godiva. Sure, Godiva makes better chocolate, but they also have the distinctive outside that increases the perceived value. It’s important to elevate the “wrapper.”

As a marketer, you need to understand what your audience deems as valuable. In fact, you need to know everything: your customers, your prospects, and the culture. Research. The more you know the more effective your creativity will be.

Your ultimate goal is to win the hearts and minds of your customers. To do this, you need to be remembered, provide an emotional payoff and maximize every touch point.

Marketing takes hard work, perseverance and innovation. It also takes joy, passion and insight. You don’t have to be the most creative person, but it sure helps if you believe in what you’re selling.

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Killer Marketing Strategies from the Real World

There are 4 A’s to the customer acquisition process of any marketing strategy: analyze, attention, accept, and act. First, you need to analyze your target audience. This will help you figure out how to get their attention. You must get them to accept your claim and ultimately, act on it.

There are many qualities you can highlight to achieve this progression. This particular seminar focused on 6: believability, quality, convenience, value, prestige, and the outcome. By incorporating these into your marketing campaign, you are more likely to succeed. Let’s look at them one at a time.

Believability

The main concept here is trust, which leads to recommendations. People want to know who else uses your product or service, what they have to say about you, what your history is, what happens if they’re not satisfied, etc. To establish trust, you need to make sure your message is congruent with your behavior. Do your actions mirror your words?

As a side note, the speaker mentioned that your marketing copy should be at a 5th to 8th grade level. If a 10 year old doesn’t understand it, rewrite it. (As an English major, I’m definitely guilty of writing more like The Atlantic and less like USA Today.)

He suggests writing copy by stringing together (true) customer testimonials. He also strongly recommends offering a lifetime guarantee whenever possible. That instills trust.

Quality

Along with this comes consistency and reliability. Your logo, collateral and tone should all reinforce your company’s attributes. Require good craftsmanship and professionalism from company employees. The appearance and delivery of your marketing campaign says quite a bit about your whole operation.

Although this more about branding than marketing, making sure everyone commits to a positive attitude, cleanliness and quick turn around time, especially management, will make your job much easier.

There’s a gas station that touts the “cleanest restrooms” and despite their above average gas prices, it’s one of the most popular service stations in the country. The key is the staff maintains the quality and the marketing department just tells people about it.

Convenience

Before firing off a marketing campaign, make sure you’ve simplified the path from information to purchase to as few steps as possible. Make it so easy to buy that your customers don’t have to think about it.

Also, convenience can be a USP to advertise. Which would you prefer? A bank that promises shorter lines or boasts the most ATMs? He suggested that Target sell a “man bag,” a pre-packaged collection of men’s essentials like deodorant, shampoo, a razor, etc. While we appreciate choice while shopping, sometimes we just want to get in and get out. Too many choices overwhelm the customer.

Convenience also means making your product “plug and play.” No one wants to spend hours setting things up and reading manuals. Apple’s mini-mac is a great example. You just plug it in and go. People are so used to instant gratification that they don’t want to wait for anything anymore.

Perceived Value

This concept goes a long way. I’m a loyal Banana Republic customer because I feel like their clothes are made better than other brands. So what if they’re made in Indonesia in the same factory as Old Navy? I won’t step foot in Old Navy because they are a “discount” store. Admittedly, I only shop the sale racks at Banana Republic, but I’d rather spend $20 on a $90 skirt than $20 on a $20 skirt.

Just like I mentioned Hershey’s and Godiva, the packaging and advertising of a product can affect the price a customer will pay. There are many factors that attribute value to something and knowing which ones attract your target audience is key.

Is Godiva chocolate really $5 better than Hershey’s or do we just think it’s better because it looks fancier and costs more? Many would argue that it is. So there’s the catch: you must strive to match the actual value with the perceived value if you want repeat customers.

Prestige and Exclusivity

There’s a restaurant here in Ellicott City called Jordan’s. It’s very posh and extremely high-priced. Now, my chef friend says you can get the same cuts of meat down at the local tavern for a third of the price, but Jordan’s popularity continues to soar.

Jordan’s capitalizes on its air of exclusivity and the owner, Jordan, himself, makes sure it stays like that by personally schmoozing with the regulars. Even the bartender, Jamaal, makes you feel like you’re part of a select few. It’s enough to keep me coming back for the $13 martinis.

People want to belong. More so, they want to be chosen. It may sound like middle school, but customers like to be in the “in crowd.” “Invitation only” campaigns work well, as well as anything with a “limited supply.” Convince people they’re in your inner circle and they won’t want to leave.

The Outcome

Want to make a real impact with your marketing? Focus on the ultimate outcome. What does your customer really get when they buy from you?

People want to be happier, healthier, sexier, and wealthier. They want mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual fulfillment. Salons don’t just give haircuts; they sell beauty. Cars aren’t just transportation; they’re status symbols. Real estate isn’t just selling houses; it’s making dreams come true.

Approaching your marketing campaign from this perspective allows you to reach your customers on a much deeper level. As long as you can get them to accept your claims, chances are they’ll act.

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Fresh New Words to Add Impact to Your Copy

I want to preface this section by saying that “good” writing is somewhat subjective and I don’t agree with all of the ideas the speaker presented in this seminar. I will, however, include everything he spoke about so you can decide for yourself what might work for you.

This one I whole-heartedly agree with: write in the present tense with active verbs. Ad copy should reflect the “now” and provide a specific action for the customer to do. Stimulating words and phrases encourage customers to buy.

Writers often use weak and overused words which deaden copy. Some of these words include:

• All
• Almost
• Every
• Finally
• Got
• Just
• Nearly
• Never
• Often
• Only
• Then

Strong copy avoids imprecise modifiers (like “very”), indefinite pronouns (like “thing”), absolutes (like “always”), adverbs (like “quickly”), and adjectives (like “extremely”). Other aspects that weaken copy are all caps, lack of bullets, inappropriate text size, long paragraphs and sentences, and spelling and grammar mistakes.

Also, when choosing words for your ad copy, avoid using buzz words that can make it sound dated. If you don’t use a word in everyday conversation, don’t use it in your ad copy.

Remember that we are a scanning nation. People don’t read unless compelled to do so, so our job as marketers is to capture our audience and entice them to continue reading.

The workbook provided to supplement the seminar contains a list of suggestions for writing effective copy. Here are some of them:

• Write a compelling, emotion-grabbing headline
• Use sub-headlines
• Provide good, believable, authentic testimonials
• Offer strong guarantees
• Write conversationally
• Practice good storytelling
• Provide facts or case studies
• Avoid hard-to-understand jargon

The “fresh new words” the speaker thinks people should use more aren’t quite what I expected. In fact, put them together and they sound like an ad for snake oil. I’ll give them to you anyway:

• You
• Save money
• Easy
• Proven
• Guarantee
• Health
• Love
• New
• Results
• Discovery
• Safety
• Free

He did warn not to use these words in your mass e-mail because it’ll definitely be marked as spam.

If you’re still itching for more writing suggestions, check out Dave Beveridge’s “Battling Internet ADD: Ten Tips for Web Writers.” I think that’s more helpful than this seminar was.

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12 Creative Tricks for Time-Crunched Marketers

If you’re out of time and out of ideas, these 12 “tried and true” tricks will get the job done.

1. Go direct.
   
   Direct mail supposedly yields faster results than any other marketing tactic. Just make sure you’re using a qualified list.
   
   Norris gave several suggestions for creative direct mail marketing. He emphasizes sending 3 dimensional packages whenever possible. One of his clients sent one very nice glove to all of his most important prospects, telling them in the letter that they could come see him to claim the other one.
   
   Another marketer sent one expensive right shoe out to his top ten prospects after getting their shoe size from their secretaries. His letter read, “I want to start out on the right foot.” His call to action was to schedule a consultation to retrieve the left one.
   
   With direct mail, repetition is the key to marketing. I liked this idea. Send a letter to your prospects. One week later, send the exact same letter but crumpled up with a post-it that reads, “You accidentally threw away my letter. Here it is again.”
   
   Like I said earlier, though, when sending out direct mail, make sure you have an updated, relevant list of qualified prospects. Get the most appropriate names at the company, the real decision makers.



2. Launch a Referral Campaign
   
   Everyone knows about 250 people. Solicit referrals from your employees, customers, and friends. Reward people for their referrals with gifts, discounts or cash.
   
   Send out a letter to your customers saying something like, “The greatest compliment you can give is a referral. Thank you for your trust.” To get referrals, you have to ask for them.



3. Get in Your Prospect’s Face
   
   Make a point to meet the decision-makers and influencers. If possible, fly out to see them. If not, pick up the phone and talk to them. This can lead to a 70% increase in sales.
   
   Be visible. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Make your presence known and continue to be present.
   
   “No” often means “maybe.” So ask people again. Don’t accept an instant negative response.



4. Send Out Media Releases
   
   There are several inexpensive media outlets that you can send a news release through, like PRWeb. Just make sure your release has a compelling call to action.
   
   Also, send your news releases out to your customers. Let them know you’re still alive and kicking.



5. Partner With the Chamber of Commerce
   
   Offer free or low-cost seminars or workshops to members. Then, record the event and offer it on your Web site.
   
   Find out the new companies in town and send them a letter to welcome them and offer your services.



6. Infuse Your Network With New Training
   
   Train your consumers to use your product and train your vendors to sell your product. (This one didn’t make much sense to me so I’ll leave it at that.)



7. Create a Specialty Newsletter, Blog, E-Zine, or Magalog
   
   By providing helpful information, you get your company’s name out there and you attach authority to it. Provide your prospects with something they can use. Don’t advertise too much with it, though. You lose credibility that way.



8. Design and Place Print Ads
   
   This seems a bit old-fashioned for me, but apparently, it still works. Just make sure you choose the right source and measure the results. Find a publication that caters to your target audience.



9. Barter for Free Ad Space or Air Time
   
   Never pay full price for an ad. Often, you can provide a product or service to the station or publication for a reduced advertising fee.
   
   
   
10. Identify Additional Niche Buyers
    
    Focus on people with the most immediate need for your service. There’s always another audience that could benefit from what you sell. Analyze your markets and find ways to branch out.



11. Create and Promote a Web site
    
    Once you have a good Web site, plaster the domain name everywhere. The state of Maryland puts their domain name on every license plate now. How’s that for advertising?
    
    Make sure to optimize the pages for the search engines. You can start by following these 5 tips.



12. Remove the Filters
    
    Go directly to the consumer. Go to the malls, sporting events, beaches, conventions, trade shows, wherever your prospects may be. Give things away. Start a sweepstakes. Get creative.

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Keeping Your Web Marketing Efforts on Target

This seminar was mostly about logos, graphics and pictures, although there were a few other ideas and examples that stuck with me.

Use Flash sparingly. People used to be wowed by Flash presentations, but now they usually just “skip intro.” People want to get the information they need quickly and hassle-free. Flash has lost its appeal.

Incorporate a mascot into your Web site, like the little guy on hotels.com. You might also think about animating your logo. Pay attention to the color of your logo. Make sure it matches your image attributes. For example, Google uses a traditional font with fun colors and they change their logo to match the season.

Refresh the photos on your site. Update your site frequently with new and interesting images. Create and offer a downloadable screensaver with your logo on it.

Add a trivia game or survey to your site. This will help position you as an expert.

Include your contact information on every page of your site. Include a favicon so your logo shows up in the address bar of your site. Be consistent to your brand at all times.

Make your navigation larger for the 40+ crowd. They’re the ones with the money right now.

Some great Web site examples the speaker gave were despair.com and subservientchicken.com. The key is to make e-commerce more human and be positively passionate about the people who matter most.

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Inspired Ideas for E-Mail Marketing Success

The most important thing about e-mail marketing is avoiding the spam filters. To do this, don’t be “salesy” in your copy. Use a spam checker to identify trigger words and phrases.

As for your copy, don’t be bland and limit it to 150 words or less. Keep it at a 5th grade reading level. Make it real, organic and connect with your audience. Create e-mail that is memorable and effective.

The seminar offered some suggestions for competent, competitive e-mail marketing:

Make it relevant and personal

Write to a person, not an audience. Target your message. Don’t be generic.

Put a “tell a friend” button on your site and your mailings

If your consumers send your e-mail to their friends, it’s not spamming. It also helps track which content is most popular.

Send out e-mail that isn’t just an advertisement

Send out an e-zine, newsletters, tip of the day or podcast. Send something people want to receive.

Make it interactive

Give your customers a survey or a game for them to play. Have links to your Web site from whatever you send.

Work toward the visual

Make your e-mail visually interesting using Flash or animation. Make sure it will still load quickly, though.

Provide fresh content

Make sure you’re not just repeating yourself or someone else. Come up with new and exciting things to share with your readers. Start a blog, send out a feature of the week or an industry news update.

Avoid spammy taglines and all caps

Watch what words you use in your subject lines. Be informative. Don’t misspell words or use all caps. Avoid the word “free” and other red tag words.

Be an innovator

Don’t imitate—innovate. Be the first to do something. Be different.

Segment your base

Target specific audiences with different content and images. Don’t send out a generic e-mail to everyone on your list. Cater to their individual needs.

Tell the truth

Don’t promise the impossible and don’t over hype. Be honest in your marketing claims.

Think hard

Use creative subject lines. Don’t just throw one together. Examine spam in your own mailbox and tailor your content to look different.

Don’t make assumptions about your customers’ prior knowledge

Educate your readers. Don’t assume they know everything. Use headings and subheadings for quick message comprehension.

Personalize

Insert your reader’s name, if possible. It may take more time and effort but it’s worth it.

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