David Young | Branding Blog - Marketing Advice and Advertising Strategy for Local Business Owners

Tom Wanek's Ad-Speak Calculator

Remember this routine from George Carlin? He mentions nearly every hucksterism known to mankind. My colleague, Tom Wanek, has taken all of Carlin's phrases plus hundreds more and created a cool and free tool that allows you to paste in your ad copy to see how you rate. (Hint: the more your ads sound like ads, the more they blend into the background of the thousands of other ads your audience is subjected to each day.)

The key is to stand out by NOT sounding like every other ad. It's not easy. Here the link to the Ad-Speak Calculator.

Are you on the Easy Road? What's it costing you?

I'm reading Steven Pressfield's "The War of Art" for the 3rd time. There's nothing like a good kick in the ass from Pressfield to get my head back on straight.

People talk about Fear of Failure. When you boil it all down, the simple fact is that failure is just plain easier than success. In my opinion (and I have a great deal of experience here) nobody is afraid of failing. Nobody is afraid of succeeding. It's just harder to take the path less traveled. It's less traveled for a reason: It's the harder path.

I think one of Pressfield's most glaring examples is Adolph Hitler. As a young man, Hitler studied art. Have you ever seen one of his paintings? Of course not. Why? Because it was easier to take over Europe than to work on becoming a good painter.

So, as a business owner, what's holding you back? What is the nature of the "easy" road you're on? What extra effort/money/time would it take to strike out on a road that has the potential to fulfill your dreams?

My fees typically come off of the top of the business owner's ad budget. Whenever the price of services arises, I'm asked, "What do I get for my money?" My answer: "What are you getting now?"

The easy road involves doing the same old things in the same old comfortable ways. Don't ruffle feathers, don't rock the boat, steady as she goes. If that's working for you, why are you reading marketing blogs instead of marching down your comfortable road? (ouch)

So, what are you getting now?

Seminar Heckler

It was the same guy, over and over.

We should have expected it when he announced during introductions that he didn’t want to be at the seminar but was attending as a favor to his radio rep. He all but told us that he fully intended to make someone pay for his inconvenience. As the 2 days unfolded, he showed us his cards.

His preference is to be a heavy-handed marketer...one of those in-your-face type of advertisers. As I encouraged people to put their web visitors in control of playing video and audio, he argued with me that he believes it’s more “engaging” to have audio and video set to auto-play when a visitor arrives.

As Tom Wanek illustrated one of his Currencies that Buy Credibility with a case study on Yvon Chouinard and Patagonia, Mr. Heckler argued that only someone who is “already rich” could possibly have the guts to draw a line in the sand and stand up for a principle.

A good debate can be stimulating. I’m all for arguing the fine points, or even the not-so-fine points over a glass of red or a couple of beers.

Why am I even bringing this up?

Because it illustrates the point of being clear on the defining characteristics of your business. This guy was clearly at the wrong type of seminar for his tastes. In fact, his tastes are about 15 years out of date for the times.

Today, it is more important to say something powerful in your ads instead of saying something powerfully. You do see the difference don’t you? A powerful message reflects key benefits of your product or service, your policies and philosophies. Delivering a message powerfully, just means using some annoying, intrusive means of delivering it in the hope that people will notice.

Prosound: On-Hold Messaging for Smart Business Owners

We launched a new client web site last week for ProsoundUSA.com, a company that specializes in improving the phone experience of your customers. Instead of just providing "on-hold messages" and those automated attendant systems that we've all come to hate, ProsoundUSA owner Chester Hull makes it his business to learn about yours BEFORE attempting to tell you what your message should be.

In fact, he takes it one step further and will evaluate how your living, breathing, real-life staff is doing on the phones. His phone evaluation service costs just $149 and if it saves just one sale, would be worth it to most businesses. Followups include not only his message writing and production, but customized phone etiquette training for your staff.

I don't normally gush like this about clients, but Chester is a kindred soul to those of us who believe that building a brand is more than just a cool logo and a funny ad. Chester knows that a brand is built only at that place where the customer's world intersects with the business's world. The phones are often the very first point of contact.

If delivering an outstanding experience to your callers is important to your business, Prosound is your first stop. Take a listen to his on-hold message samples and you'll understand how he's different. And, be sure to subscribe to Chester's on-hold marketing blog, he's got a lot to say about your phones.

About the web site...

Chester hired Wizard of Ads Partner Paul Boomer and I to re-design his old site from the ground up using our Persona-based approach. As Chester will tell you, the effort of putting up a site using this methodology is about 80% under water.

That is, we spent a great deal of time getting to understand Prosound's customers and their motivations...what points of information are important to them and in what order. Only after we understood his business, could we begin to map out pages, sketch out designs and get to the point where most web developers begin their process.

Kinda sounds like the same approach Chester takes, huh?

Here's the "after" shot of Chester's site:

 

And...here's what it looked like before:

Ok...let's roll the credits:

• Persona based web architecture...Dave Young
• Graphic design...Paul Boomer
• Copywriting...Dave Young, Paul Boomer and Chester Hull
• CMS platform...Wordpress MU installation by OM4

Smart Outdoor Ad

In London's Piccadilly Circus, McDonalds' ad agency has created an LED sign that actually gets engagement from many of the 34 million people who pass by each year.

The sign is located so that you can pose in front of it and get a funny picture of yourself.

This is a great way for them to make sure their sign stands out and gets attention amidst the noise and clutter of such a busy place.

Check it out at Ads of The World.

What do you think? How else could you get people involved in your ads? Do you think this ad is effective for McDonald's?

Do You Really Want to Succeed in 2010?

Mirror, mirror on the wall…is it just me, or what?

True story: A man has 6 different wives, over a period of 10 years.

True story: A woman goes to 7 different dentists, seeking the perfect dentures, which none of them can provide.

True story: A business owner seeks the advice of 5 different marketing consultants over a stretch of 7 years, yet the business continues a steady decline.

Question: What do the woman, the man and the business owner have in common?

Are they just unlucky in love, periodontal disease and commerce?

Or, are they simply unwilling to find success?

As you head into a new year, spend some time in self-examination. Failure isn't a bad thing, as long as you can learn from it and apply what you've learned in the future.

If you find yourself as the lead character in any of the above stories, you'll find the villain staring back at you in the mirror.

The only thing those dentists had in common was an unreasonable patient. The only thing those wives had in common was a lousy husband and the only thing the marketing consultants had in common was a client who refused to do the hard things.

For REI, Felt Need = Shared Experience

One of the toughest challenges in creating an ad is uncovering the "felt need" of the customer. In other words, what is it that the customer is really looking for?

When we recall an adventure, the story is always about the hardship we endured, the humor along the way, the connections we made. It's always about the journey, seldom the arrival.

Outdoor giant REI's first venture into television, shows that their agency understands this concept. If you are into the outdoors, you're no doubt already aware of REI. The ads serve to make you feel good about them, and they connect that "felt need" with the company that can equip you to comfortably endure your adventure.

Branding is becoming the company people think of first and feel best about when the need for your product or service arises in the mind of the consumer.

See more at REI's Youtube channel.

Currencies That Buy Credibility by Tom Wanek

I've got a copy of Tom Wanek's new book, "Currencies that Buy Credibility." I got one of the first books out of the box, got it signed and everything because I was standing next to him when he opened the box.

I'm kinda sad that this book is out because I work quite closely with Tom and frankly, he's my secret weapon for finding a good strategic hook for clients. I shouldn't be sad though, because now you have a chance to apply what Tom knows.

In Currencies, he outlines six strategies for spending a business' resources to purchase credibility in the minds of customers and the public. Think of it as six ways to put your money where your mouth is…although it's not just about money.

You'll be hearing more about this book all over the web, and right here.

You can pre-order "Currencies that Buy Credibility" from Amazon for delivery in about a week. I really think you should.

Tom Wanek - small business consultant website.

Follow Tom Wanek on Twitter.

Jon Spoelstra, author of "Marketing Outrageously" turns to Fiction

Links: Wizard Academy, Jon Spoelstra on Amazon

Happy New Year...Ready to Learn?

I've got a couple of course recommendations for you.

First...Fight the Big Boys and WIN! Just a few seats left and you might just get to stay in Engelbrecht house if you hurry.

Second....The Marketing Performance Seminar in Denver, Colorado. This one is a bargain, especially if you're a retail or service business owner. Your registration will be just $99 and you can grab an on-site hotel room for just $99/night.