Random Thoughts

NAB is coming.  This will be my 31st NAB, the major trade show for the Broadcast industry. Some of that those I have worked as a manufacturer and other years as a systems integrator and a couple as a end user. I've learned a lot in that time, and one of the most important things is to start early. I am already beginning to do work for some of my clients to get ready, writing materials for them, doing photography of showcase facilities for displays, logistics for the show, lining up demo artists. Doing things now make it all go smoother. Waiting too late stresses your marketing staff, and may mean that the free lancers (like me) that you want to use are booked. So it's time to dive in and lock in your help, for your own peace of mind, and the quality work you want. 

 
Speaking of NAB, have you ever wondered whether those little trinkets you give out at the show pay off? If so, you might want to read this article by Highbeam Research that addresses that very subject. 

 
Social media.  I am getting more and more people asking me about using social media in their marketing. The question they generally ask is this: "Should I be using social media to market?" The answer is probably yes. The bigger question is how to do it in an effective way. The answer is not easy, and depends a great deal on the span of your products, services and customers. I have developed a one day seminar on using social media. This is not a nuts and bolts step by step seminar that only a geek's geek can understand, but rather an overview of considerations and techniques that will help you make good decisions on how to approach it, what works for what mix of products. I do this one day seminar at your location, with the key people you think should be involved. If you are interested, contact me so we can schedule it for you. 

The New Challenge of marketing. When I began marketing in our industry, I used to believe that the purpose of marketing was to just get the information out there. Good clear information, plus putting that information where people got it, plus repetition equaled success. That's the classic formula. But a lifetime working both in marketing and sales has taught me how that is just part of the equation. People buy somewhat on information, but more than we would like to admit (particularly in a technology field, where we think facts and information matter), people buy on emotion, on relationships, on belief. So the real challenge we have is not just to tell our stories, but to find those connection points and tell our stories passionately, in a way that connects. In our industry, we forget that sometimes, but it's at the heart of the social media explosion and even we B2B marketers had best pay attention. 

This article about "the Power of You" really got me going on this topic, and got me thinking. How do we do this? How do we take our big industry of Broadcast, AV and Media Centric IT, and turn it into something that is not just classic marketing, but PERSONAL? We have sales reps, and that is one of their strengths, but how do we magnify what we already do in sales, combine it with what we do in marketing, and make it work for us? I have spent much of the past several months talking to companies and individuals who have done this well, and soon, probably next month, I will make some easy to implement suggestions that I am putting to work for a pair of clients already. Stay tuned!

Writing and Writing and More Writing - I have been doing a lot of writing for clients the past month or so. It began as case studies, but I began to look at how people used the time and work I put into case studies and realized we could leverage what I was writing for more impact. Now, when I do a story on a facility, we find we can turn it into a one page case study, (sometimes) a magazine article, a press release, web copy, social media copy, and (sometimes) a white paper. By adding just a little more work in revising the core writing for the different media, we get far more impact. It just takes thinking about it BEFORE you begin, and putting in place a methodology to make it work. If you're interested, give me a call and we can talk. 

Web Site updates - If you haven't visited the Quarry House site recently, you might want to. We're constantly updating it to make it easier to find what you want, know what we do. Now that the core site is in place, we'll be adding resources to help you market better in the Broadcast, AV and media centric IT world. 

Tom

Effective E-mail Marketing

I was recently contacted  about the remarkable click through rate I have on the newsletters I create. The person I talked to asked me what I did "differently" that worked.

 

Honestly, I had to think about it. I did my first e-mail newsletter almost two decades ago, when the whole idea was new and just having a newsletter was enough to get me readers. I've kept at it through the whole time I was at Whitlock, at TGS. And when I launched my own company, I began again.

 

Why? Because they seem to be a low investment - high yeild way to market. Consistently, after sending out a newsletter, I get calls and e-mails from clients and I get work. That's a twenty year pattern I can't ignore.I'll be honest, I just thought that was the way it worked.

 

But since I got the call from My Emma, I did some checking. That is NOT the way it works these days. In fact, e-mail newsletters often seem to get lost in the blitz that assalts our e-mail mailboxes every day. So how do you break the mold?

 

Here is how I do it.

 

There are tons of articles and web pages on making a good e-mail newsletter. Most of them are selling something. There's good information in them. All I can tell you about this list is that it's worked consistently for 20 years, through all kinds of changes in technology. So I think it's pretty reliable.

 

Make it Useful

 

Too many e-mail newsletters are basically direct mail for e-mail. Electronic advertisements. That will likely get you noticed if your company is well known. But if you want people to read your e-mail time and time again, you had better have something practical that people can use in each issue. Do that, and they will "tune in" and read. Don't and your well crafted newsletter ends up in the spam filter. 

 

If your readership aleady knows you and has your products, then useful can be notes on how to use your product to do something. If your readership are people you want to sell your product to, then consider some more generic information. Make your advertising soft sell, weaved into the message, not the message itself.

 

Make it Brief. Give them resources

 

I could write or talk on almost any topic in our industry for ages. I can spout statistics, tell you stories, lay out historic trends and tales. That works great in a stategy or brainstorming session. there, you want that kind of depth. But in a newsletter, you want to make your point, back it up quickly, and leave them wanting more (from you of course.).

 

I give clients and readers links to things I think will help THEM. At times that includes things that advertise my own (or my clients') products and services. At times it's to articles that I think will help them that have nothing to do with Quarry House.  Remember, you want to make your newsletter valuable. You want to be read, to be seen as the guy who helps them, so, when they REALLY need your help, you are who they think of first.

 

The power of a good headline.

 

This is one of my best secrets. I feel kinda dumb giving it away. But here goes: Whatever you do, don't just have the subject line say "Newsletter from Your Company". Trust me, they get dozens of that kind of headline every day.

 

Instead, tell them what you are offering them, as well as who it's from. That gives them TWO reasons to read your newsletter.  Check out the headine on this newsletter and you'll immediately get the idea.  I didn't learn this until a few years ago, and when I did, I did two test mailings, one with a simple "Newsletter from..." headline, and one with a more complete headline. The more complete headline got over 70% more opens. Don't have to tell me twice.

 

Be consistent

 

Seems obvious, but for some companies, newsletters are an afterthought and often get tossed from person to person to do them.  What you want though, is a consistent style, consistent voice, consistent time of month (or week) you send them. Remember, rule one of marketing is that repitition works. So make it work for you.

 

It's work

 

E-mail marketing is a high return vehicle, when looked at over a year's time, But don't kind yourself, it's work. You need consistently good writing, a winning format, solid content, and it takes time and quality work to work. If you are not willing to invest a person to focus on this, or hire a company like Quarry House (there's my blatant self promotion for this issue), to do yours, then you might be wasting your time. But if you DO make that investment, it works, with a high return on your investment, marketing wise. If you want to know more, drop me a line or give me a call and I'll talk your ear off, and help you succeed.

 

But even if we don't talk, I hope this helps you do what we do - sell.

 

Take care,

 

Tom

The Untapped Power of Case Studies

In years past, case studies were often an afterthought in marketing. A “nice to have” sort of thing. But a funny thing has happened as marketing dynamics have changed over the past decade. The lowly case study has become a stronger and stronger  tool in the marketer’s toolbox. Nowhere is that more true than in the video industry.

Why is that?  There are several reasons.

• Case Studies are credible. They resonate as more true and more believable than marketing brochures because they lay out facts, not claims. They are specific and build trust that you can do what your marketing claims say you can do. They make features and benefits real.
• Case Studies tell stories. In Daniel Pink’s “A Whole New Mind”, he writes of the power of stories, and how they often persuade more than facts. Properly written, a case study tells a story that a reader can empathize with.
• Case Studies take your general claims and make them very specific. Successful marketing with case studies is more than writing out every success story. They involve identifying your key target client groups, then writing your case studies to reach them where they are. Case studies build trust.
• Case Studies are easy to use in a variety of marketing efforts. These are not just one sheet pieces that you hand out. Properly formatted they cross market in every media, increasing their impact. They become PDF’s on your web site. They can have links to social media like Facebook, Twitter and Linked In.  They can be folded into proposals. They can be attached to press releases.
• Case Studies create customer satisfaction. When you have finished a successful project, your client is proud of the accomplishment. Involving them in the writing, and their knowing that this article will be circulated is publicity for them, and they like that. Some of my clients even present framed copies of the case study to their customers, which inevitably end up on a wall, and become a billboard for your company.

Case studies though, are not easy to write. They take time, and if not written by someone who understands the industry you are in, will often miss the mark.

I have been writing case studies, in our industry, for over 15 years, and I have learned how to do them right. Here are some lessons I have learned.

• Involve the customer from the beginning, and in every major step. That way you not only have a great case study, but you have an enthusiastic reference.
• Create a template – a clean graphic template helps your branding. At Quarry House we often write to other’s templates, and we just as often help clients create a template.
• Start with a Bang – Use a strong quote, or paint a powerful general statement of challenges and benefits to grab the reader’s attention.
• Use Selling words – It’s common copywriting knowledge that certain words and phrases resonate in people’s minds and help guide them to buying. Be careful with your language.
• Use Pictures – In our industry in particular, pictures tell a story. Get several good shots of any facility you are featuring. You can supply your own if you have a good photographer handy, or in our case, we often also take the pictures.
• Be Specific, but End General – give some specific information on the problem, solution and benefits, but always end with reminding the client or customer how your project and company is the right one to work with.

You may want to think in terms of expanding your case studes into a white paper. Once you have several studies built around a target group or issue, creating a white paper from these case studies is a cost and time effective way to create another highly credible sales tool.

Writing a case study is half art and half science, but having a good case study strategy can be a remarkably cost efficient and effective marketing tool.

At Quarry House, we LOVE writing case studies. We’re good at crafting an effective strategy if you don’t have one, We write well and effectively. If you have neither the time or expertise to do it and do it well, consider calling us and letting us help you create effective, powerful, flexible case studies to help your company grow. That’s what we do.

Tom

PS - if you would like to have the above article as a PDF, you can download it here.