marketing-update

11 Words you should never use in Sales and Marketing

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 09:39:43 +0100

This is a post from Jeff Haden. I won't call him a guru because he hates the word! Keep reading and you'll see what I mean

Want to stand out from the pack? Stop sounding like the pack.

Samples are helpful. Demos are often effective. But what is the primary tool used to convince potential customers to buy?

Words.

Whether spoken or written, words make sales happen.

Or not.

Too many salespeople (and marketers and advertisers) use the same words to describe their products and services. Pretend I'm a potential customer or client.

Here's how I react when you use the following words:

"Customer focused."

Talk about redundant; should you be anything but customer focused?

If your goal is to imply that other providers are not customer focused, tell me how: Faster response time, greater availability, customized processes or systems... tell me in concrete terms how you will meet my specific needs. (If you don't know my needs and therefore can't address them, shame on you.)

"Best in class."

There are two problems with that phrase: Who defined your "class," and who determined you were the "best" in it?

My guess is you did.

Still, maybe you really are that awesome. So prove it. Describe your accomplishments, awards, results, etc.

As a customer I don't need best in class, I need best for me--so tell me, in objective terms, how you can provide the best value for my needs.

"Low-hanging fruit."

You say, "We'll start with the low-hanging fruit." I hear, "We'll start with really easy stuff you are too stupid to recognize or too lazy to do yourself."

No one wants to hear they have low-hanging fruit. Just describe, in cost/benefit terms, how you prioritized your list of projects or activities.

"Exceed expectations."

That's admirable goal, and one every business should aspire to, but exceeding expectations is an internal goal. Tell me you will exceed expectations and exceeded expectations instantly becomes my expectation. (I know that's kinda Zen.)

Tell me what you will do, every time. If you consistently pull that off, I'll be delighted.

Always let the customer judge whether you go above and beyond.

"Unique."

The ever-increasing pace of commoditization means few products or services have no like or equal for long. If I'm considering hiring your firm or buying your products, "unique" (like "exclusive") sounds good but describes nothing.

Instead tell me, in concrete terms, how you are better.

"Value added."

This term is often used to imply I'll get something for no or very little incremental cost. That means what I will receive isn't value added--it's part of the overall deal.

So tell me the deal, explain all the options and add-ons, and help me figure out how I can take full advantage of what you provide.

"Expert."

Margaret Thatcher once said, "Power is like being a lady; if you have to say you are, you aren't." Show your expertise instead.

"Social media expert" often reads as "We have Twitter and Facebook accounts and even know how to use them!

"Implemented social media campaigns for ACME that generated..." lets potential customers evaluate your level of expertise and your suitability for their needs.

"Seasoned."

Experience is only a partial indicator of expertise. If you're a contractor you may have built 100 homes... but that doesn't mean you did a good job.

Any reference to experience should immediately quantify that experience.

"Exceptional ROI."

We all seek a return on investments and we all love a great ROI. But without access to my numbers you can't accurately calculate my ROI. Therefore your estimates are either theoretical or based on another customer's results. Either way, I know your estimates are incredibly optimistic and that my results will definitely vary.

"Provides an exceptional ROI" reads as "...you're a terrible businessperson if you don't do this."

Show the costs, don't hide anything, and trust me to calculate my own ROI. If I'm not smart enough to do so, I probably don't have purchase authority anyway.

"Partner."

Long-term business relationships are great, but we will never be partners because while your hand will reach into my pocket, my hand will never reach into yours.

Still, maybe one day I will see you as a quasi-partner... but that's something I will decide on my own based on your performance, not on your marketing.

"Turn-key."

I love a turn-key solution as much as the next guy, but few solutions truly are.

No matter how comprehensive the offering I always wind up participating more than I was led to expect, so when I hear "turn key" I'm naturally skeptical... that is, unless you thoroughly break down what you will provide and what my participation will be, both during implementation and after.

Turn-key is in the eye of the beholder.

The customer is always the beholder.

Do you agree with Jeff? Read more of his wisdom here

Free Email Newsletter Service from MailChimp

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:26:29 +0100

That's right! MailChimp are so confident you'll love their Email Marketing service they offer a completely free service - you don't even have to give credit card details. You will be limited to 1,000 names on your mailing list and a maximum of 6,000 emails per month. More details here

To be honest, when you're first setting up a list, this will be more than adequate while you get to grips with creating effective newsletters. I love the way they have loads of brilliant "how to" guides too. It makes sense for them to help you get the most out of their service and it means you don't have to spend too much time on the learning curve.

And once you've used it for several months and measured the level of business it brings in, you can then decide if you want to extend your use to the pay-for service and calculate the likely return on your investment.

Carradice launch City Classics range to great acclaim

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 11:42:36 +0100

Carradice growth continues unabated. The original British bike bag company is now the brand of choice for all retro-loving cycle commuters.

The key trend identified at Cycle Show 2009 was the need for smart cyclist commuter bags. Their current range included several bags aimed at that sector, with the emphasis on functionality. So the last year was spent designing and road-testing prototypes. The finished result was launched at Cycle Show 2010 in October to fantastic acclaim. David and the team were bowled over by the response, but it's the attention to detail that gives Carradice such an edge.

All the bags in the City Classics range are designed to be tough enough for every day city commuting and yet elegantly styled to take into the boardroom. All products in this collection are made from 100% waterproof cotton duck – the original performance fabric with self-sealing seams – teamed with luxury linings, die-cast metal buckles and fixings, cotton webbing shoulder straps and rich chestnut saddle-quality leather straps and wear-patches.

The Kelbrook Satchel attracted oodles of attention, from the press and public alike. It has timeless styling and all the functionality a cyclist needs for the office including a padded laptop insert, internal and external pockets and is lined throughout. The luxurious leather and cotton webbing across-the-body shoulder strap has an added anti-sway strap to keep the bag in position, which can be used for either shoulder and neatly clips away when not in use.

Managing Director, David Chadwick said: “There is a huge growth in cycle to work commuting – especially in cities like London – and our customers tell us they want bags that are practical for commuting, but look good in the office and boardroom. It’s vitally important to us that all Carradice bags keep looking good for years, not just out of the package. The leather we have sourced is used for horse-riding saddles and the cotton webbing is also used by the military. Coupled with our bomb-proof cotton duck, which has certainly stood the test of time, we believe our new City Classics will keep their good looks when used every day. We are passionate about creating the right bag for the job."

I have been working closely with David for many years on Marketing Strategy, Branding and New Product Development. I handle their PR, writing all press releases and managing social media marketing.

Design your website the way people will use it

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 12:38:01 +0100

People don't read websites - well, not when they first land on them.

They scan the page to see if it feels like it contains the information they're looking for.

And they scan the page in an "F"-shaped pattern - generally, two horizontal stripes and a left-hand vertical. Take a look at these examples from web-usability guru Jakob Neilsen's eyetracker studies:

Note: the hotter the colour, the more the viewers looked at that area.

So, what does this mean for your web page design?

Hit the reader with important information at the top left of your page - once you've grabbed their attention, they're more likely to hang around
Use direct language - say exactly what you do. Anything cryptic or clever will be lost on people who are scanning for specific words
Use sub-headings and bullet points to draw the eye down the page - if you have a second or third message to get across (ie different services you offer) make sure it's visible without scrolling

Google Adwords: Improve your campaign without losing what's working

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 12:38:42 +0100

The godfather of Google everything, Perry Marshall, sent me this vital information in his latest newsletter.

It tells you everything you need to know about improving your Adwords Campaign without taking a serious dip in performance during change-over:

After hundreds of Adwords account consultations, I've often seen that a guy can have an account that's a real mess, but it's still working, still profitable. Great improvements can and must be made, BUT must be done without screwing up what was already working.

This is more important than people realize. Because in Google, on both the organic side and the paid side, longevity counts.

A lot of times people "fix" what was working and make it "better" only to find they've driven their sales into the ground. I had a consultation with a gal in June where that's exactly what happened. She made the changes too quickly.

There's an easy way to avoid this - here's what you do. It's a variation of "Peel and Stick" that I call "Sticking without Peeling." You phase in new campaigns but you don't delete the old ones or the old keywords right away.

Typical example - Let's say you've got an old campaign with all these keywords in the same group:

electric guitar

Stratocaster

Les Paul guitar

The sin people commit by putting all these keywords in one group is that these three things are quite different. They should be in their own separate groups with different ads for each keyword.

Again, if it's still working OK the "wrong" way then don't delete the group or keywords that are working just yet.

Create three new groups with two ads each. One ad should be the same as the old ad. The other ad should be more specific to the keyword - like an ad specifically about Stratocasters.

You turn on those new campaigns, preferably with slightly higher bid prices. Over time, Google will start to serve the new ads. Only after you've seen that the Click Through Rates are higher, AND the conversions are good, do you begin to pull back the old campaign.

Instead of deleting the old keywords, just edit the bid prices on those individual keywords and cut them back. You can always pause the campaigns later. If sales suddenly drop you can put everything back the way it was.

By following this method you can make dramatic improvements over time, but not risk your day-to-day business because ads take time to get approved, or CTR's take time to get established. And really, you should make any change to your marketing this way - with caution and care.

Perry Marshall

Read more of his brilliant advice on perrymarshall.com

A short rant about "Solutions"

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 12:39:43 +0100

I offer Business Solutions

What does that tell you? Not much!

You're either:
screaming at your screen - "just tell me what you actually do!!"
or
you've switched off and moved on...

and if you use the word "solutions" that's exactly how your reader is reacting

Act NOW

Scan all your copywriting - website, brochure, leaflets, everything

Be precise in your wording to make it easy for your reader understand how you can help them.

End of rant.

Pay less per click

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 12:40:40 +0100

How much are you spending on Google Adwords?

Probably far too much for the business it brings in. There are 2 key steps to maximise your Return on Investment:

1 Improve your PPC Quality Score
2 Improve your "Clicks to Customer" Conversion Rate

The common factor in both these steps is the Landing Page your adword leads to.

Did you know your competitors could be paying less per click than you but still get a higher position on search pages?

That's down to Quality Score.

Google rates you on how relevant your adwords ad and your landing page are to the searcher's query. This makes perfect sense to Google - they keep their searchers happy by presenting them with totally relevant ads, leading to relevant content. So make sure you work with Google:

1 Only bid on entirely relevant keywords
2 Include the keyword text in your ad
3 Take them to a landing page specific to the search
4 Make sure the landing page is strong on your keywords too

Now you can drive more traffic to your site for the same spend - and both you and Google have made sure it's the right traffic.

What's the point of increasing traffic if they don't become customers?

Every time someone clicks on your Adword, you're paying real money. What For?

You need to work on your Conversion Rate turning Clicks into Customers.

Your landing page must:

1 Reinforce the message of your google ad
2 Inspire them to read more
3 Compel them to take action

Start with your headline. Tell them what they're going to read.

Give them the information they need to decide they want to buy (or call you, sign up for newsletter etc)

Guide them through the text with subheadings relevant to that section.

Make sure you include an invitation to the viewer to take action. Or several at strategic points of the page.

By leading your reader in this way, you can increase your conversion rate - and they will love you for it!

Why are press releases good for getting search traffic to your website?

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:26:46 +0100

To get a good search engine ranking you need to build links to your website. How can press releases help?

Press Releases are great for Search Engine optimisation. If you want to rank highly on the search engines for your industry you need to get good quality on topic web pages linking to your website. It used to be that any link pointing to your website would do, but now search engines look more at the quality. The press release is basically an article about your industry that you can make link to your website. Most businesses find it hard to build links to their website as they do not have the time to write articles and content for other sites. However most businesses already write press releases and these are valuable tools to use on the web.

Where to post first
If you have a press release that needs to be put on the web I would recommend putting it on your website first and then distributing it via the press release sites. This way your own site becomes the source of the news in the search engines and you will not get penalised for cloning content.

This tip was brought to you by Mark Hammersely of FreePressReleases.co.uk one of the best UK based sites for building links through Press Releases. Highly recommended!

Survey Monkey is the business

Fri, 21 May 2010 21:30:10 +0100

Have you heard about Survey Monkey? It's a *free* survey build and manage website. Take a look.

As you'd expect, only very basic surveys are free, but it's a good way to get some initial feedback for a new product/service you're planning to offer or get customer satisfaction ratings for your business.

I put a mini survey together for this website - please take a look:

Click Here to take survey

Should I pay to get to the top of Google?

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:28:31 +0100

Many web marketing specialists claim they can get you to the top of Google - how do they do that?

The best web marketers have been established for several years and have networks of directory sites which all link into a sizeable web that the spiders find very attractive. Hence they can guarantee that your website will get found. But you will have to pay to get a slice of their intellectual property.

One of my favourite web marketing specialists is livetech.co.uk - check out the natural rankings they've achieved for their clients