October Look-Smart Tip

So…how badly do you want to be the best marketer you can be? Well, then I have a tough question for you (this one might sting a little).

Why would I NOT want to do business with your company? Gulp. While it’s true that a lot can be learned from digging into the benefits and reasons why your customers love you, there is almost more to learn (and use in your marketing messaging) for why people wouldn’t want to do business with you.

It’s called objection messaging, and with it, you can address every reason someone might have for not choosing you and turn it into a strong message to accomplish the opposite. Acknowledging a person’s fears, aversions and issues with your brand or product, and creating compelling marketing messages that overcome them, are surefire ways to differentiate yourself from your competitors and connect with your customers in a powerful way.

Look-Smart Tip: Take a good, hard look at your brand or product’s weaknesses and reasons why people might not choose to do business with you. Then, poke holes in their argument with strong, positive marketing messages of acknowledgment and vuala! Your customers won’t be able to find a good reason why not to do business with you.

Sept. Look-Smart Tip

Email newsletters are a must for keeping your business in front of your customers and clients, but poor content can make your subscribers disappear faster than a bad party. Want to create an email newsletter people want to read? Stay away from the

5 Enewsletter Sins

1. Weak copy. Always assume that people read your email newsletters all the way through. That means the content had better be good. Include relevant industry news, trends and solutions to their problems, and your customers will view you as an expert and are likely to keep receiving your messages.

2. Ego articles. The last thing anyone needs in their email inbox is a newsletter bragging about all the awards and praise your company receives. It’s OK to alert people to your company’s successes, but how about change the angle and write about it as a benefit to your customer, say a customer testimonial or client success story?

3. Too long. Your customers are busy, so get right to the point, convey your main message and end it. Break up longer stories by including only an excerpt in your email newsletter with a link to read the rest on your website. This way people can scan your enewsletter and read only the full articles that interest them. (Bonus, this drives them to your website!)

4. Impossible to unsubscribe. It’s very frustrating to be on an email newsletter list with no way to opt out. Make an unsubscribe button available and easy to find in every single email you send, and you’ll know your list includes only those people who are truly interested to hear from you on a regular basis.

5. Typo city. As a writer, I tend to have some sympathy for articles that could have been great had it not been for all the glaring typos and grammatical errors. However, your customers may not have that spot in their heart, so my advice: proofread, proofread, proofread and then have someone else proofread, then proofread again. You get the idea.

Look-Smart Tip: Develop a six-month editorial calendar that delivers solid content in every issue. Keep these common mistakes in mind and your customers will look forward to their weekly or monthly message from you.

August Look-Smart Tip

Have you ever been on a really uncomfortable first date where your date feels compelled to divulge his/her entire life story in one sitting? Just like childhood stories are best saved for much later in a relationship, the same is true for business marketing. Is your company trying to tell its entire story on the home page or in your 3-panel brochure?

To achieve a successful marketing piece (and first date) it’s best to give just enough information so the other person is intrigued to find out more. Give them just a sample of how your company can benefit them and then guide them to your website or blog or entice them enough to sign up for your e-newsletter. Marketing this way turns your prospects into seekers, and then long-term customers.

Look-Smart Tip: Take a look at your company’s website, brochure and other marketing materials. Are you giving up so much information prospects don’t need to contact you? If so, it’s time to, as my mother put it to me, “leave something to the imagination” and make your customers dig a little deeper on their own.

July Look-Smart-In-Creative-Meetings Marketing Tip

I have a tough question for you. What really distinguishes you from your competitors? Amazingly, a lot of businesses don’t have an answer beyond the generic “we-have-excellent-customer-service-and-a-superior-product” statement. This is one of the hardest things to get out of people when I talk to them about their companies, but the most important thing when it comes to writing marketing messages.

Like finding that one number in a Sudoku puzzle that blasts it wide open, finding the answer to this question will shed new light your marketing direction. Knowing the one thing that separates you from the rest will help target your message, streamline your focus and boost your credibility in the mind of your customers.

Look-smart tip: In your next marketing meeting, suggest that you get a group together and brainstorm this question. Make it a casual day, order in food and get comfortable, because you’re not done until you get down to the one thing your company does better than anyone. Then it’s easy! Get your message out and watch your business grow.