Selling or Telling: Make Your Company an Information Destination

We’re not ready to suggest that selling isn’t still an important part of any business’s marketing efforts, but we also recognize that in the age of information, there’s untapped power in becoming a destination for trusted information.

Consumers are hungry for good information, and have the means to find it. Although we want coupons for free coffee and discounts from our favorite retailer—we are equally or more hungry for the most definitive, recent information on our topic of choice.

If you’re seeing social media as a way to “talk at” your consumers, you won’t likely build a robust following. But if you consistently deliver the trustworthy information they’re hungry for, they’ll be back for more. If they come to see you as a trusted source of information, this will develop a stronger bond than a sales message can.

According to a Constant Contact blog, roughly 78% of consumers prefer to get company information from helpful articles instead of an ad, and 61% of those are more likely to buy as a result of receiving this content.

Making content that benefits the consumer instead of selling yourself is a winning strategy. But don’t be discouraged by this. Take small steps towards this goal, and remember it takes time to move into an entirely new paradigm.

What are your most trusted sources for information?

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Good Photos Are a Marketer's Secret Weapon

Photos say things words cannot.

In the examples here, the photos say professional or unprofessional, friendly or distant, engaged or posed. We see far too many bad pictures in general—photos that actually detract from the kind of message the organization is trying to convey.

Why is this? Well, often it's a matter of vision. Marketers who understand the power of a good photo budget for a professionally-taken collection with which to work. In the same way that hiring the right architect can make all the difference in a first impression for your building, hiring the right photographer can make all the difference in a first impression for your company.

Anyone can take a photo, but it takes a skilled professional to make a photo tell a compelling story—and do it in a way that reflects handsomely on your organization. The black and white photos below were taken for our client St. Anthony North Hospital by one of our partner photographers (we have a small group of hand-picked, top-drawer photographers in the markets where we regularly do work).

Some believe that professional photography is too expensive, but we say that amateur photography actually costs the organization too much in terms of image.

There are ways to get the most from your photography budget, and we'll talk more about that in a future post. But professional photography is an absolute necessity for any organization attentive to their public image.

So now let's hear from you. Based on the pictures below, what kind of impressions do have about the organizations represented?

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Hospital Anniversary Campaign Incorporates Kinetic Typography

Kinetic typography is a new way of telling your story. It’s essentially a mini-ad that can be used in a variety of ways. Here’s how St. Anthony Hospital North used it as part of their 40-year anniversary campaign:

• Posted on their You Tube Channel
• Posting it on Facebook
• Posting it on their hospital Web site
• Sending links virally—to employees, physicians, donors and key stakeholders

Click the links below to see some of our other kinetic typography projects:

• Dimensions Pain Management 
• Independent Colleges of Washington

And check out some of the other ways that companies are using animation: 

• Good Magazine Infographics 
• (Starbucks)Red Campaign 
• Starbucks Tribute Days 

Check back tomorrow to see our outdoor advertising solutions for this campaign. 

Are customer service programs for you?

Over the years we've studied with interest what makes great customer service. Some companies, like Disney, have an extensive training program for employees that teach specific actions and attitudes required to deliver an exceptional customer experience. 

Others have attempted to imitate this, but have missed the mark by focusing on scripts instead of a mindset of service.

I recently experienced this at a national retailer. Having scoured the floor for someone to help, I finally found someone to let me into the dressing room. While the clerk had paid no attention to me whatsoever (though there were hardly any other clients to tend to), when I finally made my purchase, she was quick to recite the required script inviting me to go online and rate her service as excellent. I found it even more ridiculous to hear her answer the phone using the requisite (but unconvincing) script about the excellent service one could expect when shopping at this store.

Creating an exceptional customer experience requires considering every touchpoint a client has with a brand. Organizations that focus on syrupy scripts but who fail to train their workers on their products and on their service standards come across as shallow and disingenuous.

The more I study this topic, the more I'm convinced that while customer service training can have its place, the most important thing a business can do is to hire people who instinctively understand what service is about—and who care about their work. Like common sense, people seem to either have this ability—or not.

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Toyota Recall: A Case Study

When things went south for Toyota this year, they responded with massive advertising. My first reaction was "Where are they getting their advice from?" The TV spots are confessionals—"we're not living up to our own standards or to yours"—planting doubt in minds that may not have had a negative opinion of Toyota.

Is there a time to admit fault? Yes, of course. But does this mean positioning a company as one that has disappointed America? I don't think so. Far better to spend those advertising dollars reminding America of all that is good about Toyota (which after all has an excellent track record when it comes to quality) and how they are responding to the problems with their vehicles. While I'm not objecting to them taking a proactive stance, I don't believe there's ever a time to create more bad news than actually exists.

The American Dream in Transition: What Americans Really Think

In his insightful book, The Way We'll Be, veteran pollster John Zogsby draws on thousands of surveys to reveal four megatrends that are shaping how Americans view the world:

• Living with limits as consumers and citizens
• Embracing diversity of views and ways of life
• Looking inward to find spiritual comfort
• Demanding authenticity from the media, our leaders and institutions

Led by today's 18-29-year-olds, America's first "global" generation, Americans are becoming more internationalist, consensus-oriented and environmentally conscious—and less willing to identify themselves by what they do or how they spend their money.

Leaders and marketers who want to better understand how Americans think and what they believe will find this a valuable read.

When an Ad Campaign Isn't the Answer

Companies sometimes rush to start an advertising campaign when they experience a loss of market share or feel a threat in the marketplace. But before they do so, they should do an assessment of the brand experience to make sure there is parity between the message and the actual experience. Ask:

1. How are first impressions of the brand contributing to the brand promise?
2. What is the experience of those who use the service/product?
3. Is the packaging/facility sending the right message?

A dirty restroom in a hospital can give the impression of low quality care. A poor website can make a company look second-rate. A person who works on the switchboard but isn't knowledgable can suggest company-wide incompetence.

Before you invest in advertising, make sure your customer experience matches your brand promise.

A Better Customer Experience: A Doctor Turns Patient

Bridget Duffy at Gel Health 2009 from Gel Conference on Vimeo.

Bridget Duffy, physician and former Chief Experience Officer at Cleveland Clinic, asserts that most employees in healthcare today forget the sacred nature of their work. How we feel about our work determines how we treat our customers and colleagues. In this interesting video clip, she reflects on her six-month journey through the healthcare system as a patient. She calls us to be courageous leaders, purposeful professionals, and a voice for those who have none--and reminds us that simple human kindnesses cost nothing, but can mean everything. Her insights, while couched in health care, have implications for anyone in the workforce today.