What’s Wrong With My Marketing?

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In the day and age of social media and digital communications, nearly everyone fancies themselves a marketer. And I suppose that in some ways, everyone is – we’re marketing our personal brands: our roles as parents, leaders, authorities and whatever else is hot at the moment. We share our company’s marketing content across social networks. We chime in with something cool we saw on YouTube and suggest our company do something similar.

But not all marketing is created equal. While something may work for an Instagram influencer, it likely won’t have the same success for a B2B company, for example. Yet, here are five things to check in your marketing that can apply to just about any brand:

  1. You’re too self-centered. Social media has brought out the narcissist in a lot of us, but that doesn’t mean focusing on just your company and products will engage an audience. Sure, it may work for Kim Kardashian, but it’s not likely to work for your security product in the same way unless you intersperse other helpful and informative information in between your company and product updates. Your content needs to be about your audience and their needs and wants, not just about you. In addition, you can no longer expect your audience to come to your properties – you have to reach out where they are, across multiple networks.
  2. You lack visuals. Even a B2B brand can and should be using imagery in their social media. Tools like Canva make it very easy to create unique, branded images.
  3. You haven’t jumped on the video bandwagon. Hubspot reports that 72% of customers would rather learn about a product or service by way of video and that 88% of video marketers report that video gives them a positive ROI. Video can be simple and inexpensive – anything from your CEO speaking to a smartphone camera, to product or program overviews, man-on-the-street videos interviewing people at a conference, or more complex pieces like explainer videos. People tend to engage with and share videos more than text-only content, so it’s a crucial component to smart marketing.
  4. You’re not involving your customers. I’m sure what you have to say is very interesting, but third parties are always more credible, especially if they’re your customers. People want to hear from people like themselves, which is why social media influencers are so popular now. I like how Ted Rubin recently described influencers as possessing “the unique skills necessary to create a community and a willingness to serve the community they build.” (Read: not necessary celebs.) And, brand trust is a fickle thing. However, people tend to trust friends and even a friend’s network who they don’t personally know or, heck, other reviewers (even strangers) on Yelp or Trip Advisor – more than they trust brands. Get your fans talking and sharing for you!
  5. You’re not analyzing. It still surprises me when I speak to prospects who are not measuring their marketing or PR in any form. Marketing well is not inexpensive, so don’t you want to know your ROI? We worked with three new clients this last year that didn’t have anything set up – not even Google Analytics. Reviewing your analytics on Facebook or Linkedin isn’t enough – you must track ROI around what matters most to the brand, such as purchase intent and sales – not likes and follows.  And, the numbers don’t mean much if you’re not analyzing what is happening behind them. Where are your fans and followers finding you? How long are they staying? Where do they prefer to engage and in what way? What’s their buyer journey look like? What content is really driving prospects to the top of the funnel? What content is working with which audience? These are all elements that will supercharge your marketing and differentiate you as a true marketer.

Following these five basic guidelines can help you stand out as a marketer and continually get better. Just like the phone, social media channels don’t make everyone a good communicator just because they have access. It takes strategy, thoughtful presence, and consistency to do marketing right.


Branding Lessons From Political Slogans

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What does a “Great America” mean to you? 

A generic political slogan like Trump’s “Make America Great Again” can be so appealing because you get to define it for yourself, vs. a politician telling you very specifically what to think. It opens up possibilities for everyone. Trump fan or not, like many celebrities and artists, he’s a great marketer.

Take, for example some of these less generic presidential campaign slogans. They don’t leave a lot of room for interpretation:

  • “Who but Hoover?” – Herbert Hoover
  • “Forward with Roosevelt” – Franklin Roosevelt
  • “I like Ike” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • “Win with Warren” – Elizabeth Warren

It may be surprising that Trump did not use his name in his slogan like many candidates. Meanwhile, his 2020 presidential campaign slogans used to-date are not as open but do play on the successes he’s had: 

  • “Keep America Great”
  • “Promises Made, Promises Kept” 

What can your brand learn from examining these political slogans? We extract several lessons to keep in mind when branding your next marketing campaign:

  • Identify your target audience – are you trying to appeal to a niche, or open up and appeal to a wider population?
  • What can you learn from your existing fan base to shape your next slogan or tagline? Ask your customers what they like best about your product or service and use this feedback to shape words and images that appeal to them.
  • Know the pain points and use a little FUD – Trump played upon pain well, appealing especially to voters across the US who felt like their place in the world was being threatened. He played upon this fear and made them feel like he understood them better than any other candidate.
  • Keep it simple – Trump uses very simple language and leaves a lot up to interpretation. When your audience can easily understand what you’re saying, their brand recall will be stronger.
  • Puff your chest – there is no doubt that Trump is a positioner. He is practically the epitome of “fake it ‘til you make it,” given his reported financial background and history. No matter. He says what he wants people to hear and believe, and for him, it works. Now, in the “real world” we have to be more careful – false claims and failed promises will come back to bite you. But take a look at what you’ve done for customers, what declarations you’ve fulfilled, and use them in your campaigns and tag lines. Better yet, let your customers do the talking for you by having a campaign slogan or tagline contest. Often, our customers open our eyes and have the best, most practical viewpoints of what our products or services really do for – or mean to – them.

Marketing inspiration is all around us. Today’s political climate is no exception and can offer a lot of lessons – and raise some questions – about how to best connect with your audience. Examine them in the light of what you need to accomplish and you may breathe some fresh air into your messaging.

Top Social Media Influencers to Follow in 2020

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Planable named our CEO, Christine Perkett, one of the top 50 social media influencers who are raising the bar for social media marketing in 2020.

“Every marketer out there knows the feeling of drowning in information. And that’s where social media influencers come in. They come with a great feed – clean, relevant & with powerful opinions – giving us exactly what we’re looking for. That’s why we love them.”

Christine Perkett | LinkedIn & Twitter

Beyond being an amazing marketer, Christine stands for what’s right. She uses her platform to bring awareness to important causes and political events. Follow her if you’re looking for diverse topics.

Read the full article, here.