business-globe-yellow.jpg
Success Through Strategy!

Strategy Matters delivers news, tips and strategies for effective communications through traditional and social media. 

Need Help With Content Creation and Marketing?

We can create, coordinate and place your content through your communication channels and through targeted media placements. Monthly management fee schedules, and single-project rates, based on your needs. Contact us to learn more. 

Branding: Reality Matters!

Marketers are understandably concerned about building and protecting strong brands. An Economist article from last year discusses the power of brands. "Brands account for more than 30% of the stock market value of companies in the S&P 500 index, reckons Millward Brown, a market-research company. Everyone knows that a Ralph Lauren Polo shirt costs more than a polo shirt; Coke without the logo is just cola."

 

But, brand-building efforts are sometimes misguided--focused more on the trappings of the brand (e.g. logos, colors, taglines, key messages and advertising executions) than what really matters: who are you really?

 

A poor product or service cannot become a powerful brand. It simply won't happen. 

 

We need only take a look at Interbrand's annual report of top brands to see the truth in this statement. Several well-known brands topped the list in 2014: Apple, Google, Coca-Cola and Microsoft.

 

It is not uncommon for organizations to lament their lack of success in standing out successfully from competitors. Many conduct extensive research to see how they stack up and, when there's a gap in their competitor's favor, they can be quick to point to the trappings of their brand, rather than the reality behind the brand.

"We need a new ad campaign!" "We need to get out there on more social media campaigns." "We need a new logo."

 

And, they may spend a lot of time and effort investing in those trappings only to be disheartened once again when the next cycle of marketing research is unveiled.

 

Brands aren't built on advertising campaigns. Brands are built on reality; they are supported by advertising campaigns.

 

That's a very important distinction.  

 

Recommended Reading:

The Everything Guide to Customer Engagement

Magic Words to Make Prospects Open Your Email Messages

It's tough out there in email marketing land as millions (billions?) of marketers compete for the attention of already harassed and harried consumers. Finding those magic words to cut through the clutter is high on the wish lists of marketers everywhere.


 

The problem is there are no magic words!

 

There is, though, one very important (and often overlooked) part of the email marketing message that can make a big difference: the subject line. If your email subject line is not compelling, nobody will ever read your message, regardless of how well crafted it may be.

 

The keys to effective subject lines, similar to the keys for effective headlines of any kind, are that they do the following:

  • Address a direct benefit to the target audience
  • Stand out from the other messages that are likely to clutter the recipient's inbox
  • Clearly convey what the rest of the message will be about
  • Contain a clear call to action

However, there is one big don't do: don't attempt to "trick" the audience into clicking through some subterfuge or false promise that your actual message will not deliver on. They may open this message, but all of your future messages are destined for their junk mail folder.

 

We don't think there is any real "magic" to this, any formulas that are certain to work, or any examples that could be "plugged and played" into others' campaigns. 

 

Ultimately, what works is going to depend on a variety of things including, of course, your audience and the nature of their incoming email box. If your audience is on the high end of receiving emails on a daily basis, it's going to be far more challenging to compel action from them than if they receive less email.

 

Here's another blog post we wrote about this topic recently.  It's a topic that deserves continued attention. 

Leveraging Digital Loyalty Programs

Rewards programs are a commonly used practice by certain types of businesses. Airlines offer frequent flyer miles, while Starbucks offers free coffee after a certain number of purchases. 

 

There are many other examples of these programs, but what does it take to really make these programs take off?

 

The answer to this question obviously depends on the target audience and their needs/interests, but the general marketing principles that apply in the traditional communication environment also apply in the digital one. 

 

The challenge, as always, is finding that perfect connection between the needs of your audience and what you have to offer, so that you generate demand for your products and services.

 

From a very foundational level, one thing must be in place: customers must want what you have to offer. If I'm afraid of flying, no amount of frequent flyer miles will make me become a customer. Similarly, if I don't drink coffee, your rewards program will be lost on me.

 

Beyond this simple foundational step, though, there are other missteps that marketers make. One that is somewhat related is the tendency of marketers to be focused too much on themselves and not enough on the needs and values of the audience they are trying to attract. It's both simple and complex. 

 

Simply put, you must understand what your audience values, and you need to provide that to them. That's not so easily done, though, as most marketers know.

 

In a digital world, content is often used to attempt to build connections with an audience. That can certainly work if the content is high-quality and unique. This is true for everything from blog posts and e-letters to whitepapers, e-books and webinars. But, with so much content out there, marketers really have to be different (and better!) to build audience.

 

What do your customers value? What are they already purchasing from you, and how can you build a loyalty program around that? Whether digital or traditional, that's really the starting point.

 

 

Recommended Reading:

 

The Everything Guide to Customer Engagement

Featured White Paper

"Building a Content Management Strategy for 2015" -- a step-by-step approach to developing and implementing a cost-effective content management strategy tied to your marketing objectives.

Volume: 7 - Issue: 4
 April 2015
Strat Comm logo
In This Issue
We're In the News! 

Top 7 Reasons People Unsubscribe From Your Email List

Trade Show Smackdown

Podcasts Offer Potential for Marketers

Mobile Apps and Content Marketing: A Match Made in Heaven

100 Best Blog Posts for Smart Salespeople (#35)
 
Research Matters
Some recent news and  research you may be interested in--we were!  
 
  Pew: Comparing Millennials to Previous Generations