The Engaging Brand

10 Ideas For Creating Compelling Content

Ever felt stuck knowing what to write, what to say?

Ever felt the pressure to create and yet could not think of anything new to say?

We have all been there, don't worry! I wanted to share a great tip that I picked up from Billy Bragg of all people on the art of writing.

He was asked to write a piece of music for a BBC radio program which was covering the story of the Titanic.All he could think about was how the Titantic is so closely linked with Celine Dion and My Heart Will Go On.

He was stuck.

He didn't know how to make the story interesting, compelling....how on earth was he going to create something 'new'.

He then realised that no one had told the story from the perspective of the iceberg! Once he thought about how that iceberg was created, how it had been formed from free flowing water which had travelled thousands of miles....only to create one of the most tragic stories ever...the creative juices started to flow.

This is a great example of what I call the Social Diamond perspective. 

Our world, our markets, our customers, our brand....none of them are flat one dimensional subjects. Think of your topic as a diamond with many different perpectives...and remember it is the multi dimensional nature of a diamond that makes it sparkle....

So when you are creating content for the web, think about 

1. Think about the problems you can solve.
2. Think about the opportunities you can offer.
3. Think about the issues in relation to your market - maybe causes, reforms required, public policy.
4. Think about the questions you get asked.
5. Think about the different angles from a consumer and a customer perspective i.e. the person who buys a present is not the person who uses the gift.
6. Think about how non users view your market.
7. Think about your brand from the competition's angle.
8. Think about the history and story of your brand and how you can share them
9. Think about how the full life cycle of the product/service - well, after the transaction has taken place.
10. Think about the supply chain and the stories to be told.

What is your iceberg? What are the different perspectives that will give a diamond-like sparkle to your brand? (Tweet this)

Step away from the desk and see your brand from through the eyes of others. (Tweet this)

Here is a little Bob-o-graphic to remind you....

Why are some brands irresistible?

Ever felt that urge to buy something? Ever go through the mental torture of weighing up why you should purchase and the reasons why not?

I have, in fact before I got this Macbook Pro I went to hell and back justifying the purchase. I so wanted the Mac but couldn't justify the expense. Then came the point when it just became irresistable......

Why do I find some brands irresistable?

Because they understand and spend time creating 'irresistability". Not features. Not processes. Not 'nice' packaging. Not good value. Not visually appealing....NO they concentrate on creating irresistability.

So whether it is the BBC for news, whether it is Amazon tracking a critical package for me, whether it is a specialist who engages me......they concentrate on creating a core irresistability which I can rely upon, suppassing the rational side of my mind.

They don't offer choice, they offer no choice; I simply cannot refuse the offer.

Brands are too willing to accept nice, good, decent, ok.......too willing to accept a comparison to other mediocre offers.

What if you changed the internal mindset from good to irresistable? What would you do differently?

And this is not just about premium products, think how discount stores offer an irresistability. It is not just about product, think how different services from personal coaches to rental cars offer an irresistablity.

Resistence to purchase is evident to different degrees. It is our job to fight the resistance on behalf of the customer. 

So ask this question

 

 

Warning: Social Marketing Needs Impetus

You get an instruction from the boss. You attend a social marketing workshop. You are inspired by a case study.

You rush back to your desk and set up the twitter account, the facebook page, the Google+ page and many other social media accounts.

You start creating, connecting and collaborating. You enjoy it and follow it up for the next couple of weeks.

Then you get drawn into a business planning project, or a reorganisation....maybe some holiday cover or a customer service issue....and something has to give, it just has to be the social marketing.

I understand that life often gets in the way of your best intentions. I understand that social marketing often gets overtaken because it is a medium term business tool and not a short term fix.

However, this little Bob-o-graphic is worth remembering

The irony is that if the social marketing used correctly, then they can be invaluable business tools in dealing with crisis and customer service issues.

Any relationship needs emotional connection, any relationship needs work, any relationship needs consistency and indeed investment of time IF it is to remain strong.

Brands who use social marketing when they have time, when they can be bothered or even when they want to promote something will fail. Why?

Social marketing needs motion and a 'giving mindset' to succeed. Without motion and emotion, social marketing will fall over and potentially bruise a brand's reputation. (Tweet this)

So when you think of business cycles, social marketing cycles, news cycles......remember cycles need forward impetus otherwise they fall over. (Tweet this)

Have you become too predictable?

I do some part time lecturing on law as a way of giving back to the next generation. I was preparing for this mornings tutorial and it struck me

"There is a fine line between predictable and repeatable"

Let me explain....

Brands and business need to develop a repeatable business model with repeatable processes to ensure consistent delivery of values, ideas, products and services. As a consumer I want to be able to depend on you. It is this dependability that builds trust and loyalty. 

However...

It is a fine line between a desire to be repeatable and a mindset of predictability. Predictability means that 

• You stop improving
• You struggle to cope with change
• You stop delighting me rather than pleasing me
• You play it safe rather than take calculated risks
• You become a commodity rather than giving me a reason to purchase.

I was thinking about this in relation to coaching ( I like to coach in thinking rather than lecture or teach...semantics I know but it is always about approach!)

It is about developing a repeatable way of learning that works whilst still maintaining the interest and desire of the group. Being repeatable demands higher thinking so that you don't allow repeatable to become predictable.

It comes down to this....

Frameworks, boundaries..allow you to be confident that what you say will be what is delivered.

The way you deliver needs constant improvement, constant little tweaks to keep moving forward.

Great questions to ask yourself, your brand, your team, your company....is

Are we creating a repeatable process? So we never let anyone down.

Are we ensuring that repeatable never gets in the way of delighting our customer?

Do we truly know what should be repeatable and what risks becoming predictable?

 

Open Letter From Your Customer to Your Brand

Life is complicated. There I said it. We all know it and therefore business can be complicated because it is run by human beings. That's the bad news....that is a problem.

But there is good news.....

Life is complicated AND that is true for our potential customers...that is the opportunity.

You see humans want a simple life, they want that magical formula that will make their teeth whiter than white, they want the car that will fulfil their aspirations yet be better for the environment.....

Even within businesses we know the problems and yet as humans we struggle to sort out our own problems - why else would there be such a vibrant consultancy offering?

Now with content marketing we often talk about providing content that fulfils the need of the customer NOT your desire to sell your product.....isn't that just a way of saying...make my life simple, please!

Dear Brand,

I get up, I go to work, I crave time...is there any way that you can save me time?

I just don't have the time to shop around...can you help provide honest, open reviews that will help me find the right product at the right price?

I value my time and want to spend my time with my children, my family...not waiting on the end of a phone whilst you switch me from department to department...can you provide me a quick, easy way to answer my questions? Ask my queries? Allow me to control my own account?

I have disappointments in my life. My journeys are often late, my weight fluctuates, my ideal holiday has to get pushed back whilst we repair the leaking roof....so when you say that you will do something, when you say that you product/service will do this or that...don't disappoint me.....can't you find a way of overdelivering ?

I live on the web. I don't listen to adverts, I bin junk mail, I fast forward through commercials...can't you reach me where I am rather than where you believe I should be? ...

Mr Brand, I want to stay loyal because it is easier yet you value new customers more than me. You make me switch in order to get the better deal, why can't you reward loyalty?

I don't ask much, I mean I work hard, I bring up my family to the best of my ability and I don't want the world...I just want buying to be easier. I don't want loads of cash thrown at me, I just want the simple things like honesty, transparency and recognition.

Love

The person who pays your salary xxxx

Social marketing - Brand Ripples That Expose Your Weakness

Social marketing are like brand ripples, lapping up to the potential consumers shore. The shore may be their laptop, their mobile, their inbox.....

However I have been reading Choosing Yourself by James Altucher and in a personal development context he says

And it reminded me that your social media, your content marketing strategy will only be as powerful as the business or brand itself. Yes, you can be great at social media and reach many potential customers however when they take a paddle into your 'brand' ocean, it will be the business that will engage them...or not!

It is the 'brand' ocean not the ripples that truly creates brand engagement and that is why if the business is not clear about itself, not consistent to their brand values and carry the social aspect into everything they do...then those customers that you reached out to, will tip their toe in and sense the cold...and not come back!

Many brands use social media as an plaster to cover up the scars of not truly being customer-centric. Whether you believe in social marketing or not, I cannot understand this approach...

It doesn't matter whether you make widgets or wodgets or wudgets!!! You need someone to buy them. If you need someone to buy from you, then you have to think like them, you have to value them.

One aspect of social marketing that helps leaders is this....when you embrace it, you get a true sense of how customer-centric your teams really are! 

Are they reluctant to be social minded? Do people struggle to know what to blog about? Do people think about what you are selling rather than what the market is buying? 

This can really shine a light on whether your team understand their market and allows you to find the talent that can truly connect with the customers.

Related articles

How Social Marketing is Making the Invisible, Visible

How NOT to make social marketing creepy!

What Mandela, JFK, Princess Diana Taught Us about Social Marketing

4 Big Don'ts For Your Social Media Marketing Strategy

The Role of Retail in The Internet Age

If you read about the demise of high streets and the growth of the internet then it is easy to think that there is no longer a place for retail....but I don't agree.

It is not that bricks and mortar is not relevant, for me it means the role of bricks and mortar must change.

Retailers who think of their shops as accessing their products struggle....unless they are in a commodity/ low price sector. Pure accessibility to both the best deals and the specific products are in many ways best served by the web.

So if the actual transaction doesn't require bricks and mortar then you need to look at what bricks and mortar can add to both brand awareness and sales growth.

This needs retailers to think about their stores differently. The great news is that I believe people actually want a retail experience. Families want somewhere to go and do, families want different experiences.

Retail that builds around the needs of their consumers win. I think of how IKEA that many years ago realised that providing childrens play areas to enable parents to shop, for example.

Retailers need to move from selling to retail environments that draw people to them - with the sales almost being the secondary element. Almost seeing that you are selling a place to visit rather than your purely your products - and by providing a environment that fulfills the need, people will spend whilst there.....

 

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