Promise too much and you risk angering people when you don’t meet their expectations.  Or they simply won’t believe your bullshit.  Promise too little and you risk not getting noticed at all.

One of Seth Godin’s recent posts inspired this one, “The paradox of promises in the age of word of mouth.”  He talks about the natural tension between promising too much and too little.  And NAILS it, as usual.

I’d add a third warning: promise what everybody else does and you disappear into the crowd.

The goal, then:

Promise enough to get noticed, not so much your execution can’t satisfy and make your promise unique.

Ouch!  I know, this is a tough target to hit.  But that’s the challenge, the fun.  This is at the core of why I love marketing consulting: the challenge of hitting a very small target; the joy when I do; and the profound satisfaction of choosing promises that are sincere and honest over those that trick and manipulate.

I’ve discovered a way to make this very difficult task easier.  Wait. . .I have the key to your marketing success.  Or, how about I have the marketing secret only marketing masters know and I’m willing to share with you right now!!!!!

Talk to your customers.  Ask the people you are about to make promises to.  They’ll tell you what’s important, what they’re concerned about, what their objections are.  Then, simply, promise what’s important to them at the level you know you can deliver.

Do this, and you’ll get noticed AND you’ll satisfy.  Okay, wait, do this, and turn on a steady flow of new business.  Ah, screw it, do this, and just site back and watch your business sore, make more in a week than you did last year, women will want you and men will fear you (or vise versa, as required).

I promise.

The Old Spice guy advertising campaign has all the signs of being a real success, at least to this marketing consultant.  And, lots of good lessons for small business: its message is on-target; its message is simple; it pounds away at the message; it’s funny/clever/interesting, but not so much that the message gets lost; and it engages its target audience in a new, interesting way.

First, the TV commercial and the message: “the ladies” will like you if you use Old Spice.  This is THE message of personal care products; use it and the opposite sex will like you.  And it does it in a fun, light, understandable way.  Good for them.

Next, see below, start engaging people who are talking about your product with 30-second “commercials” (YouTube videos) that are replies to actual Tweets (on Twitter, for you digitally challenged folks).  The more they respond, the more chatter Old Spice produces.  The Old Spice YouTube Channel has over 6 million views at this writing.  Not too shabby. . .

Check these out:

And there are many more on their Channel.

Here’s an interview with their interactive agency which talks about some of the rationale behind the campaign.  They are cranking out lots of YouTube videos and are responding to Tweets from a variety of people, from celebrities to average people.  Can you imagine how many people you’d connect with to show a YouTube video that’s a direct response to you?!  If you can’t, well, uh, you’re probably not Old Spice’s target demo.  Trust me, you’d get it to EVERYBODY.

They are doing coupons in the newspaper.  Good, you have to make it easy AND incent that first trial purchase.  You can’t forget the back end stuff.  I don’t go to the grocery store much so I don’t know if they have the product visible.

The question, ultimately, are the people you want to buy Old Spice body wash buying it?  And more importantly, do they buy it a second time?  Which means you have a customer not just a bump in sales.  That jury is still out.

How can I be so sure the campaign is a “real success?”

When you get these (parodies!):

There is a new type of entrepreneur emerging: an owner who is the master of his or her “domain.”  That is, someone who can do just about everything you need to do to attract traffic, engage people wherever they may be and convert them into customers.  So, instead of doing things for clients, more and more, I’m teach clients how to do it for themselves.  And I am surprised at how regularly my sessions drift to the tools I use.

I’m happy to share what I use and why, because they make me a better marketing consultant and marketer. . .and they can make you better at what you do.

Some are obvious, some, not so much.  Some have a hugely positive effect, but it’s hard to describe in words.  You’ll see.  In all but one case, there’s no risk to you to try these tools.  So, try them.  If something doesn’t work, all you’ve lost is your time.

Web meeting and conferencing tools

Marketing is moving away from the magazine ad, brochure, trade show booth and face-to-face sales call and toward the computer screen.  Like it or not, your computer screen is becoming your new “stage.”  It is rare when I’m on the phone with a client that I’m not also sharing my screen so we can see what we’re talking about.  It’s rare when I’m on the phone or in an IM chat with a prospect that I’m not sharing my screen with video.  People can see me earlier in the selling cycle.  This builds comfort and comfort builds confidence.  There is a day-and-night difference when I share my screen.  I don’t talk about how I manage sponsored search campaigns, I show them.

To fully engage people today you need to share your screen and allow others to share their screen with you.  It adds a second dimension — visual– to interacting with you.  And when appropriate, it adds you (via a video window).  I’ve experimented with Gotomeeting, dimdim.com and Acrobat.com’s Connectnow and ConnectPro.  Gotomeeting ($49/mo for up to 15 participants, no video) offers a 30-day free trial.   The other two offer free versions.

What I’ve learned:

If you are going to use this tool for sales, it’s important participants don’t have to download software to join your meeting.

The tool has to be easy to use and intuitive.  You will have plenty on your mind, figuring out how to use the tool shouldn’t be one of them.

Having the capacity to include a video window so the person at the other end can see you is important.

You’ll want to practice using the tool a handful of times to get comfortable using it.

Right now, I use the $55.00/mo version of ConnectPro.  It offers video, does not require people download software to participate and is reasonably easy to use.

Google Analytics

Before you skip over this, saying “Oh yeah, we have Analytics installed,” give me a minute.  There is so much you can learn from Analytics, and most people don’t even scratch the surface.  For those of you who don’t know, this is the website visitor tracking software Google bought and gives away now free.  Companies used to pay tens of thousands of dollars per month to use it.  It gives you good, basic information: what pages have the most traffic, what pages your traffic comes in on and leaves from, what key words bring you traffic, the number of pages and minutes people view/spend when visiting your site and which key words bring you the people who spend the most time and visit the most pages.  If you set up goals, and you should, you can also track which key words are bringing you the people who take the actions you want them to take.

It’s free and easy to install.  Spend at least one hour per week working with Analytics and your website will get better.

Wireless Telephone Headset

This is one of those tools that has a hugely positive impact but is hard to describe exactly how that happens.  This has had the most positive impact on my business of all the tools in this post.  You heard me, and I don’t even spend that much time on the phone.  The time I spend is important, and my wireless headset lets me keyboard, take notes, work with files, walk around, gesture and just basically make the most of my time on the phone.  Again folks, you simply have to use one for a month to know what I’m talking about.  Full disclosure: the headset I recommend here is sold by a client of mine; and I’m going to recommend you buy from them.  However, I was a wireless headset nut before Headsets Direct became a client, and you should buy from them because of their expertise, customer service and 60-day exchange policy.

I use the Savi WO200.  I paid $290 and it’s the best money I’ve spent in years.  I also bought a headset lifter ($68).  It lets me move between landline calls and VoIP (computer) calls and net meetings by pressing one button.  People don’t know you’re on a headset and it’s comfortable.  Buy one and try it for 30 days.  If it isn’t one of the smartest things you’ve done, send it back.  It is and you won’t.

Two Computer Monitors

I use two computer monitors.  I keep my email or reference information in the left-hand monitor and the thing I’m working on in the monitor directly in front of me.  No going back and forth, in and out of windows.  It’s all in front of me.  I probably expend 20% less energy doing what I do because of it.  Most newer desktop and laptop computers can drive two screens.  Ask your computer guy to make sure.  Then go buy a 22″ screen at Fry’s or Best Buy, or order online.  You shouldn’t have to spend more than $200.  This is another one people sort of look at me funny when I talk about how different it is using two monitors.  Trust me, it changes things!

Google’s Webmaster Tools

Another free tool from Google that is either way under-utilized or ignored. . .perhaps because it’s free.  Google it.  You put a bit of code on your home page or create a page Google recognizes and you’re in business.  I use it to identify search terms my organic ranking is just off page one.  Think about it.  Is it smarter to work SEO on a term you “don’t exist” on, or one you appear on page 2 or 3 on?  It’ much easier, obviously, to move from page 3 to page 1 than page 6,000 to page 200.  And, just as obviously, being on page 200 isn’t doing you any good anyway.  I’ve bumped my monthly traffic by 30% by getting a term from page 2 to page 1.  The difference is dramatic.

Sometimes when things go wrong with a customer our first instinct is to run and hide.  Sure, we’ll try to make things right, but it’s a bit like handling a dead fish, we want to just hold our nose and be done with it as soon as possible.

Thankfully, not Headsets Direct, a company that sells telephone headsets online, and Plantronics, the manufacturer whose products they sell.  I don’t know how much money both companies lost concluding my $60 transaction, but I know one thing, they created a customer for life in me.

Now, to be clear, Headsets Direct is a client of mine.  So, you’d expect me to say great things about them and you’d expect they would bend over backwards to make sure my experience is a good one.  Yes on both counts.  But I learned something about a relationship Plantronics has with their distributors (like Headsets Direct) that is very smart, and is designed to give you the same type of “insider” treatment I may have received.

I bought a $60 headset from Headsets Direct to use for Skype calls and online meetings, and after three tries to get me my headset, they succeeded.  The first one had a tiny piece break after about a month.  Still worked great, but my wonderful headset was no longer perfect.  The replacement unit they sent didn’t work properly right out of the box.  The replacement for it was a different headset (MX500c instead of an MX500i).  On the third try it was all good.

Made possible because part of Headsets Direct’s DNA is satisfying the customer and Plantronics’ commitment to send replacement headsets their distributors request, no questions asked.  Bang, bang, bang.  Whatever it takes.

This type of support removes a lot of the risk for their distributors from an effort to satisfy a customer.  Yes, the distributor has to be willing to “hang in there” until the customer is satisfied, which usually means the profit for that transaction (or that day!) is gone.  But how much easier for the distributor knowing Plantronics will FedEx a replacement with zero hoopla?

So, how do you create a customer for life?  From this experience I’d say two things have to happen:

First, you have to be willing to put aside profit and hang in there to the bitter end.  It’s times like these when customers experience those rare moments when they matter more to a company than the monetary value of their transaction.

Second, you need a company like Plantronics behind you to remove the friction of delivering that type of moment to a customer.

For some, two products that fail and a shipping error with the same customer within about seven days might sound like a nightmare.  For me, it is the best example of how you create a customer for life I’ve seen in a long time.  A very, very long time.

Phoenix Suns basketball coach Alvin Gentry gave his bench players (the second string) some great advice that has paid off.  Good advice, actually, for all of us.  Especially in this economy.

His message:

“Keep shooting!” I won’t take you out of the game because you’re missing shots.  I will, however, sit you down if you don’t shoot (if you aren’t aggressive, if you don’t play with confidence).

I can relate.  In another life I played basketball and it isn’t easy to keep shooting when you’re missing.  In this life, it isn’t easy to be aggressive when things slow down.

We certainly have our share of uncertainty right now.  The risk, however, is in not shooting, not being aggressive.  The risk is in doing the same thing and expecting different results.  The risk is in waiting until things get back to normal.

So, keep shooting.  Be smart, but stay aggressive.

Five years ago it was enough to change what you SAY about what you sell.  Change the ad, more hoopla at the trade show, that sort of thing.

The bad news for marketing people (consultants included): we can’t so easily force people to listen today.  I know, poor us!  We’re being forced to make actual improvements to what we sell.

Change who you are, change what you sell, improve something.  Not just what you say.

There is some good news.  Yes, change the product you sell.  But remember how broadly I’m defining your product.  I’m including how you engage customers, your level of transparency and accessibility, how you support customers and often, yes, your physical product.

But no weasel room.  No “our new micro-lite charcoal filter gives you a cleaner, smoother tasting cigarette.”  I’m talking about the type of change that’s real.

More good news: while profound, game-changing improvements are preferable to us marketing people responsible for generating sales, the changes don’t have to be epic to deliver value and improve sales.

State Farm Insurance will now handle the interaction with your current insurance company when you make a change.  They’re taking away the awkwardness of telling your current insurance company goodbye.  Skype just introduced five-way video calling.  Google just improved Docs and Analytics and Webmaster Tools and Wave.

All improvements.  None game-changing.  But all make tangible improvements.

On the epic end of the spectrum of changes, Domino’s Pizza allegedly now makes pizza that actually tastes good.  Brave!  I wish them well. . .and to be serious, I am impressed with what they are trying to do.  Tackling their perception of below-average pizza that’s cheap and convenient is exactly what they should be doing.  And the hardest thing they could be doing.  I’m rooting for them.

What smaller State Farm-type of things can you improve before you have to — gasp! — contemplate whether your pizza sucks?

Related posts:

Race to the Bottom

Marketing Choices: Good vs. Evil

As a marketing consultant I’m always looking for ways to make how I spend probably 60% of my life — generating website traffic and converting visitors into leads — a little more effective.  One tool I’ve used for years is Google’s Webmaster Tools (WT).  It’s free (of course).  And, as of a couple weeks ago, they’ve added some cool new features.

I use it to get my client’s organic results on page one faster by identifying “the low-hanging fruit” in terms of search queries.  Basically, I use WT to uncover the search terms a client ranks NEAR page one.  The concept is simple.  Work on getting search terms from page 3 or 4 to page 1, as opposed to focusing on terms from page 300 or 400.  Fundamentally, a term that is returned on a search on page 4 doesn’t generate that much more traffic than if it was on page 400.  But, getting a term from page 4 to page 1 is a whale of a lot easier than from page 400 to page 1.

I’m not saying ignore terms on page 400, especially if they pull well for you in your sponsored search campaign.  But do take advantage of the advantage WT gives you seeing those terms close to page 1.  You’ll end up generating more visitors per hour invested in generating traffic.

If you don’t use WT, start.  If you already have your site verified, it’s time to take another look.  They’ve made some improvements.  I created a tutorial that highlights some of them and shows you how I use WT:

On the airplane coming home from a fund raising event I thought about one of my favorite Walt Disney stories.  Couldn’t get it out of my head.  I’ll get to why in a moment. . .first, the story. . .

They were weeks away from opening Walt Disney World in Florida and Walt was making one of his many walk-throughs with his accountant to fine-tune his vision.  This time of a bayou-themed restaurant in the park.  Something wasn’t right, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.  He asked one of the waiters they had brought in from Louisiana what was missing.  The waiter said, “That’s easy Mr. Disney, no fire flies.  It’s not the bayou without fire flies.”

Walt turned to his accountant and said “He’s right, we need fire flies, get me 10,000 fire flies.”

Now, this is an accountant, mind you, having just been asked to get 10,000 fire flies.

His response?

“Walt, when do you want them?”

Not “Are you nuts?!”  Or “Do you know what that’ll cost?!”  But “Walt, when do you want them?”

I think about the beauty of this response often. . .when the issue or situation at hand seems a bit, uh, shall we say, unrealistic, crazy, ridiculous, unreachable.

The farmland of Iowa was disappearing beneath me as I thought about this story.  I am part of a fund raising effort to renovate the fraternity house to which I belonged in college.  Our goal: we need pledges of $1.7 million in six months to save the house.  To some of the guys, we may as well have been asking for 10,000 fire flies.  Others basically said, well, we better get busy.  Walt, when do you want them?

For many of us, the thought of growing sales in this economy may feel about as possible as getting your hands on 10,000 fire flies.  But remember, you do have a choice in how you respond.

No, I’m not a Trekkie marketing consultant.  And I prefer Captain Kirk to Picard if you must know (old school).  But what better way to help you remember to engage, people that is, and early, than with the help of Jean-Luc:

Okay: Engage.  People.  Early.  In their decision cycle.

Engagement comes two ways:

1. From how you talk to people.
2. From what you say.

Engagement takes place when you connect with someone on an emotional level.  As in:

I feel comfortable here.

This company understands my problem and has a solution.

I can trust you.

While this may sound simple, it isn’t.

Engage people by HOW you talk to them

The how is the marketing methods you employ.

First, be where they’re searching for you.  Online and off.

Next, make it easy to take a step toward you by making your information obvious and easy to consume.  If, for example, you want people to watch a video, which is a great way to engage people (easy!), make sure it’s the first or second thing they see on the web page (obvious!).  No text or graphical links that take you somewhere else where you have to click again to start the video.  Embed the video right there on the web page.

If you’re dealing with text only, make it easier to consume by giving people headlines to introduce topics, bullets that summarize and vary the paragraph length.  Nothing says “don’t read me” more than a big glob of dense text.

Write in the first person.  I and we, not the company or they.  Remember, you want to connect with people on an emotional level.  Writing in the third person sets up an artificial distance between you and your reader or site visitor.  And please, no jargon or buzzwords.  Don’t make me hunt you down and kill you.

Ditto for a report, white paper or webinar you want people to attend.  All good ways to deliver your message.

Engage people by WHAT you say when you talk to them

Provide information about your area of expertise (for those early in the decision cycle) and about how they can buy from you for those ready to buy.  People search to educate themselves about what you sell and then to find somewhere to buy what you sell.  Have content for both types of visitors.  If you have printed pieces you send cold, or to unqualified prospects, make sure they have information for people at both “places” in the decision cycle.

Don’t compartmentalize your message.  You don’t have a lot of time or space to engage a person.  On average, 50% of the people coming into your site don’t make it past the page they came in on (typically, your home page).  How much of your whole message is there?  If your “about us” message is limited to your “About Us” page, only about 25% of your visitors will get that part of your message.  Only about 50% make it to your “Services” or “Products” page.  I know, it sucks.  So, don’t compartmentalize your message.

Make sure you include your story.  Well duh, right?  Well, not so fast.  So much of what companies say about themselves isn’t very different.  Sure, sitting around a table it sounds great: 45 years in business; full service; excellence awards; latest technology.  Until you have an experience like a prospect.  Google what you do.  Go to your site after going to two or three others.  Are you different or sort of the same?

What does truly make you unique?  That’s what needs to shine.

Okay, go ahead and watch the video again and get all jazzed about being at the helm of your own ship.  And ENGAGE!

As a marketing consultant I feel obligated to keep up with how people communicate, the digital realm, cool new stuff, etc.  And I get tired of hearing about the next big thing which will change everything.  Well, now I’m doing it.

Apple’s iPad debuted a month or so ago and will go on sale this Sunday.  It was introduced with much hype (normal fare for Apple), much excitement (typical for Apple fanboys and fangirls) and the normal “oh gad, listen to Apple again” from the loyal opposition (“Another thing I’m going to carry in between my laptop and my smart phone, I think not!”).

I have to say, I believe this is going to, uh, oh brother I’m going to say it, change everything.  Or, at least, it will save magazines and raise the bar (significantly!) on what is an interesting website or electronic brochure experience.

Watch this video and see if you don’t agree:

From Alexx Henry on Vimeo.