What Do You Customers Care About?

As marketers, we need to understand what our customers care about. And then give it to them.

Of course, this is not as easy as it sounds.

There's been a sea change in how consumers--B2B or B2C--are willing to be communicated to. Books have been written and consultants hired based on the premise of content marketing.

The idea is that if businesses retool their content to be useful and interesting, they become a trusted advisor to their customers and prospects. 

Then the company is better positioned to sell something.

When writing case studies or white papers for my clients, I urge them to be of service. Be less about touting their own products and services and more about assessing the problem, breaking down the steps of a solution and evaluating success.

It's a formula that works.  

The Value of Trust Marketing.

I've been writing a number of white papers and case studies lately. I really enjoy the challenge of resolving a problem.

When writing these types of pieces, I advise my clients that our objective is to be useful.

Being self-serving--i.e.., self-promoting, will backfire.

Providing answers to almost every conceivable question a prospect might ask, is how you establish trust. Transparency and relevancy build trust.

In my opinion, the best content marketing is really trust marketing.
 

One VERY Clever Headline.

And a Prince reference, to boot.

http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/dove

An Apricot By Any Other Name.

Lipstick marketers know the power of descriptors.

In any given line, when you are seeking an orange lipstick, you might find the following shades:

   Fiery Sunset
  
   Ripe Apricot

   Shy Peach

   Party Punch

   Coral Glow

   Copper Knockout

Each hue is different. You know that even before you screw the tube up.

Because in just two words, the very name conjures up a visual.

That's the power of a well-chosen descriptor.

 

Killer Metaphor.

Metaphors and similes are often and badly used.

So it stops me cold when I see a truly original comparison.

Owen Gleiberman, writing about the new movie Blue Jasmine in Entertainment Weekly describes Cate Blanchett characterization like this:

                         "It's an awesome mood ring of a performance, with an emotional fusion of pleasure and despair."

What an awesome metaphor.

 

How to Read Your Clients.

I am a fan of tools that help you better understand yourself and others.

Among those that I have found value in are the Myers-Briggs assessment and the Enneagram.

The Zodiac, not so much.

A friend recently gave me a fascinating book that details four temperaments.

This is ancient wisdom from the time of Aristotle, so it's stood the test of time, while remaining incredibly relevant.

It's surprisingly easy and fun to identify those folks you interact with regularly: clients, boss, colleagues, significant others, family and friends.

Thanks to the insights I've gained, I'm learning to give myself--and those around me--a break.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Four-Temperaments-Rediscovery-Understanding/dp/1569245622/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1374091824&sr=8-2&keywords=four+temperaments



 

Four (Not So) Secret Weapons for Success.

Peter Bowerman, AKA The Well Fed Writer, wrote in this week's e-newsletter about how to stand out in a sloppy business world.

I couldn't agree more with his list:


1) Do What You Say You’re Going to Do: Had a phone call scheduled with
a client a few weeks back, and on the appointed day and time, his
phone rang and there I was. He said, “Hmmm. You called exactly when
you said you were going to call.” Not terribly impressive in my books,
but the fact that he’d even notice, points to the relative rarity of
professionalism and reliability in the business world. If you deliver,
call, show up, etc., when you say you will, you WILL stand out.

2) Turn in Clean Work: Nothing like copy with typos and grammatical
errors to quickly sour a client on working with you again. And it’s
far more common than you’d ever imagine. But it’s so absolutely
unnecessary, AND inexcusable. Sure, we all miss one now and then, but
make sure it’s just now and then.

3) Be Easy to Work With: Clients love to work with people who are not
only reliable and good at what they do, but are flexible,
uncomplaining, good-natured, and can roll with the punches. Think,
“breath of fresh air.” This quality can actually make up for less-than
brilliant writing skills. I’ve seen it. Nice, likable, easy-going
FLCW’s get more business.

4) Look for Opportunities to Reveal Your Ethics: In the current WFW
Blog post, I share a story of meeting a guy at a networking event, and
was so impressed with a story he told about his business dealings,
that I wanted to hire him on the spot (but, alas, didn’t need his
services). Clients (like all human beings) want to associate with good
people who know right from wrong and live it every day.