Aglow Marketing's Blog

Marketing That Moves Us: I Was Born Green

Lily and I were chatting today about a new blog series entitled "What Marketing Moves Us" - because even though we are marketers, we're also consumers and buyers of goods and services. In fact, I'll be the first to admit I'm any great markete'rs dream.  I will buy new products, shop at new stores, and eat at new restuatuants based upon marketing alone.   So...the idea is that we'll be doing a regular post on marketing that moves us, makes us want to buy, and pass that insight along to you.  Our hope is that we can learn a little something from these examples that can be applied right away.  

THE CONCEPT:    A simple sticker on a Chiquita bannana that proudly states "I was born green."

WHAT GOT ME:   Such a clever play on words, especially with Green Marketing & Green Iniativies being one of the hottest  topics right now. (Interested in learning more about Green Marketing? -Join Indy AMA for a special luncheon focused on this very topic this April.)

WHY I THINK IT WORKS:    It's smart, it's  humourous -- plus it's worth passing along to a friend in conversation.  Also, when checking out Chiquita's web site I noted that they actually have an section dedicated to Being Green - so it's more than just a fun slogan, it actually is part of their culture and value system.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN:     When you are thinking of how you position your product or business, don't think quite so literally.  Expand your mindset. Think about how can you position yourself that evokes a sense of humor in a clever, thought provoking way that makes people think, remember you...and smile.

5 Hints to Make Your Marketing Message More Compelling

I recently attended the Master of Business Online Conference, and thoroughly enjoyed the variety of presentations ranging from InBound Marketing to Mobile Marketing.  However, my favorite session of the day was a bold talk on “How to Make Your Story Not Suck” by Don Schindler.  Don’s engaging talk really pulled me in, just like any great story can do, which ironically was the entire point of the discussion. 

 The session was a great reminder of how quickly we can forget how important the story is behind our marketing.  It can be all too easy to jump into a tactic without slowing down and making sure the messaging is interesting and touches our audience.  All great strategies are a loss if the story is wrong.

 Here are 5 quick takeaways that will help your copy read less like an ad and more like a best seller:

1) Ask Questions – Don previewed the Notre Dame “What would you fight for?”  ad campaign and brought up the brilliant point that people simply cannot stop themselves from answering question. Incorporate questions into your marketing to get your audience engaged immediately.

2) Pull from well known story genres – People love reading mysteries, comedies, and romance novels.  They don’t get as excited about reading lists of features and benefits.  Stop boring your audience with the dull bullet points of your business and wow them with the emotional pull of your company told in a completely different way. 

3) Make Your Company the Hero – What problem is your product or service helping to solve?  You are a superhero in someone’s eyes, so think through what evil you are helping to rid the world of and go with it.

4) Use Storytelling Techniques - Write your content following the techniques of every great storyteller:  Set the scene quickly, hook them with the conflict & rising action leading up to the climax, and then recount the resolution to the problem. Don highly recommends reading The Story Factor for even more insight into this inspiring way of writing.

5) Write Differently – When you consider how you are writing about your product or service, break away from how you have described it before.  Rip away all of the marketing fluff.  Think about new and interesting ways to position yourself that are not only interesting to the reader, but also make you stand apart from the competition. 

Here's to great storytelling and more effective marketing!

Who's Managing Your Customer Experience?

I'll be honest - I've never noticed the details on my pizza box before. I typically just dive right on end.  But, for some reason this little detail caught my eye today.  I squinted closely to read the fine print on the Papa John's box which said that "My pizza experience was managed by Anthony."  Why thanks Anthony - I had no idea!

Now I highly doubt Anthony is a member of the marketing team...but yet he is charge of my customer experience and thefore my impression of the Papa John's brand. Depending upon how I was treated and ultimately the deliciousness of the pizza I received, my viewpoint of the restauant can be swayed one way or another.

When you consider who your end customer interacts with - keep in mind that that person is representing your brand.  Depending upon your business, that initial contact point may be a receptionist, a sales clerk, or a delivery person.  Are they representing your brand promise? Are they even aware of what your brand stands for?  If you hope to be known for being friendly & approachable, make sure your first line of defense brings on the charm and isn't harsh or abrasive. 

Zappos.com is a great example of how a brand promise is exemplified through it's customer service.  If you've ever ordered from this great online store, you know exactly what I'm talking about.   Not only do they offer fast/free shipping, their customer service team lives and breathes their brand promise of providing no-hassle, no-questions-asked, easy to deal with returns and exchanges.  You can tell that Zappos' brand promise is a part of their culture. 

So as a small business owner, consider who your customers interact with the most and (perhaps mostly importantly) first.  Are they aware of your core values and goals as a brand?  If not, arm them with this information so the very essence of what you want to be known for shines through each and every interaction.

Quick Tips to Develop A Stellar Brand Strategy

I recently had the opportunity to present on the topic of Branding to the Indy Non Profit & Marketing PR Group.  We had such a great time chatting about branding and all that goes into, including: 

• What really is branding?
• Why is it important?
• How do you develop your brand strategy?
• How your brand is so much more than a logo.
• How do you make sure your brand remains consistent across all marketing materials?
• How do you make your brand likable - or better yet - how do you develop brand love?

One of the primary points of discussion was walking through the steps of developing your brand strategy. Here are a few quick questions to get you started:

What is your brand position?  Find out by asking yourself:

• Who does our company serve?
• What do we offer each audience?
• Who is our competition?
• What is it that we do different/better/more unique than the competition?

What is your brand promise?  Find out by asking yourself:

• What is the problem we are solving? 
• What is the emotional pull that we have to make people feel good about buying from us? 
• What do we promise to provide our customers – every time and in every experience with us?

What is your brand personality?  Find out by asking yourself:

• What keywords and personality traits do want people to use to describe our company?
• What comes to mind when people hear our organization's name - hint: ask other people outside of your organization too!
• What type of tone and style should our messaging have – playful, formal, etc.

You can check out the full presentation here (also found in the show on the right) plus use our complementary Quick Branding Checklist to implement the information here: Download AglowBrandingBasicsChecklist  This is a great starting point for all marketers to keep handy when developing their brand. 

Take your time and have fun developing your brand strategy - it's such a cornerstone of all you do!  And if you need a little help getting started, we hope you’ll contact us. We offer training and can facilitate a brand strategy session with your group.  So let’s get to it!

Making Your Dream Business a Reality

One of the most exciting things about working with our clients is helping those who have started (or are getting ready to start) a new business realize their dream.  These entrepreneurs are putting it all on the line to do what it is that gets them excited to start the day every morning.  You have to love the passion for what it is they do - it truly is inspiring to see in action.

We've all had those moments - maybe while taking a walk or perhaps even at work, when our mind starts to wonder and we think...what if I could...open my own business, write a book, start an event planning business, begin a non-profit for kids, you name it.

No matter what that dream may be, the important thing is that you are following it.  For Lily and I, our dream of starting our own marketing company is finally a reality. We had talked about doing this for years, and finally took the leap and said - why not - let's give it a go.  And I can tell you wholeheartedly, it's been one of the best decisions of my life.  Is it still hard work - of course.  But, it's work that I love and am truly passionate about which makes all of the difference.

If you are getting ready to launch your new business, keep in mind these initial planning steps..

1) Choosing a name - It's almost as hard as naming your child! However, give it lots of thought as you will be living with it for some time to come. We chose Aglow because it means "generating warmth & excitement" which is what we want our marketing to do.  Select a name that is memorable and evokes the feeling you want people to have about your business.

2) Designing a logo - Another major investment in your long term success. Sure your brother-in-law could help you out, but I encourage you to invest a little money to get this right.  Your logo is your identity and it will show up on everything from your business card to your web site.  You want to make sure it looks professional and again represents the image you want to project.

3) Determining your key marketing messages, target audiences & tagline- What is it that you offer that makes you unique?  What is the tone you are setting?  Who needs what you have to offer? And what is that phrase that will help people either remember you or understand quickly what it is you do.

There are many other planning steps that you'll need to take to move your idea into implementation, but don't let those steps stand in your way!  And if you need assistance, Aglow can offer brand image design services as well as marketing strategy services to help you with your business plan or in applying for a grant to fund your idea.

So, what's your dream? And what's stopping you from chasing it?