Hair on Fire? Better Be for a Good Reason

Wily Dog is on the job....

So here’s a lesson in balance: Recently I went through an all-too-typical marketing experience of too many ridiculous deadlines too close together, coming from too many directions/clients. I should know better, I kept thinking, but when I commit, I just duck my head and start toiling away.

Is this wise? Didn’t I learn anything last time my stress level got this high? Has this ever happened to you?

Of course it’s not too far a walk from these legitimate questions to the agonizing yelp: Why are we here?!

If you ever find yourself asking that, take a tip from Wily Dog—it’s time for a vacation. And a fresh perspective, like this one:

This run-around-and-get-it-done-at-all-costs exercise is valid for only one reason: a huge REWARD. It is NO WAY to handle a crisis that we should have seen coming.

Do you see the Wily Dog difference? It’s okay to stress, panic, overwork, flip out for a big tasty cookie like:
• A chance to steal market share when the competition isn’t looking or has a weak moment.
• A chance to place your product or service in a coveted spotlight.
• A once-in-a-lifetime partnership deal.

You get the idea. When an opportunity presents itself, it’s time to haul tail.

On the other hand, no Wily Dog in her right mind should leap through flaming hoops for charred or moldy or MISSING cookies without first asking some pretty tough questions. Like:
• Is this desperate strategy the best strategy?
• How did we get here?
• What about the future? Will this quick fix contribute to long-term success?
• What can we learn from this and how can we avoid it next time? (Write the answers down and post them by the coffee machine. It’s only a disaster if you don’t learn from it!)

Now I’m not saying you’re going to win brownie points by slamming on the brakes when everyone’s rushing for the fire extinguisher. And of course, there’s always those all-hands-on-deck emergencies where you should run into the burning building to save the day. But in my experience (and maybe yours?) true “emergencies” are rare. Most marketing fire drills are actually “failures to plan.” Asking these tough questions may get you some eye rolls, but if everyone agrees the fire drill is the best course of action, even the most impatient will appreciate the scrutiny if they’re proven right.

Look, it’s easy to get into the habit of thinking that marketing is about posting web pages, running promotions, and publishing collateral. But that’s not the WHY of marketing. That’s the how. And because we spend most our hours executing and perfecting the how, we often neglect the why.

The WHY of marketing is the stuff that looks like fluff. Time-wasters! Budget binges! I’m talking about Planning, Researching, Brainstorming, Concepting, and even the much-maligned “worthless” stepchild of Industry, Daydreaming.

What, did she just say Daydreaming?!

I’m not talking about fantasizing about your next trip to the tropics (although this keeps me going most days). I mean OPPORTUNITY SCOUTING. You know, actively and regularly looking for ways to strengthen your brand, create or capitalize on favorable conditions, develop profitable and reliable relationships, support worthy causes…you know, the cookies that make work rewarding.

Next time you find your hair on fire, stop, drop and roll. Get the team to regroup. Before you proceed, commit to do it better next time. And then get into the habit of putting your sniffer in the air to scan for smoke…and cookies!

Where's my cookie?

Get the “Blah blah blah” Out of Your Blog

Like you, I research on the internet. I’ve gained marketing insights in the process, but I’m only sharing here the ones I think are worth your time. And that’s the point of this post.

Blogs are the business world’s fancy new bling. If you’ve tried them, you know there are hundreds of blog-o-maniacs to egg you on with everything from case studies to get-rich-quick formulas. Unfortunately, many companies and entrepreneurs take the bait and start flashing their bling like drunken lotto winners. No class, but plenty of bravado and noise.

A Wily Dog does not approach blogging like a goofy puppy with a new toy. Basic formula for marketing successfully with blogs?

• GOAL
• STRATEGY
• RELEVANCY

Goal: Before you start a blog—even if you have, keep reading—set a goal for your blog and write it down. This sounds obvious, but many companies jump on the bandwagon without packing their bags for the trip. What do you hope to accomplish with your blog? Build brand loyalty? Establish credibility as an expert? Start viral chatter that turns to advocacy? Create a venue for sneak peeks at future products or projects? Increase sales? Grow your market share? If you don’t have a goal, you’ll end up chasing your tail.

Strategy: Next, develop a clear strategy for reaching your goal and write it down. Nothing stays on track like a plan committed to paper. Write an editorial calendar (when you will cover what topic) to build a path to your goal. Leave room for blogs that capitalize on current events but beware: Even though blogging by nature invites quick reactions, if you don’t have a marketing strategy you’ll just end up an armchair commentator rather than a leader.

Bonus Insight: Some companies hire a slew of bloggers to tout their products in the form of thinly veiled “reviews” on their supposedly objective blogs. If you use this strategy, get to know your bloggers-for-hire before you turn them loose. If they are not balanced in their reviews of products (addressing both positives and negatives), readers will see right through the hype and avoid you for fear of being “taken.”

Relevancy: It’s tempting to just start blathering when you believe you have a captive audience. You don’t! Your readers are always just a click away from your competitors, so stick to the point. Example: Before posting this, I revised my opener 6 times (and that’s JUST the opener), cutting the word count 60%. I respect your time and want you to come back, so I’m not going to tell you about my nephew’s birthday party or my favorite web pages UNLESS it’s relevant to my post’s theme. Every word I blog has to support my goal or I’m wasting my time. Worse, I’d be wasting yours.

So blog on with wisdom, O Wily One, and let me know how it goes. Rrrfff!

Your Home Page: Placemat or Buffet?

It’s time to take a hard look at your home page, where your customers and prospects come knocking, hungry for information and answers. So when they get to http://www.YourCompany.com, do they find a placemat or a buffet?

If you have what I call a “placemat” home page, you’re missing huge opportunities. A “placemat” is a big photo (or worse, an ad!) that fills up the monitor, some navigation, and maybe a clickable icon or two. But front and center is a big beautiful shot of the product or lifestyle you are so in love with (or that you paid so much for) that you want to share it with the world! So you “set” your home page like a table for a special occasion, all pretty but not too cluttered. It’s well balanced, tasteful, and conveys your company image.

The problem with these lovely scenes is that they are freeloaders on your marketing budget, contributing nada to your potential earnings! Plus, they annoy your visitors. They know you sell cars—do you have to hit them over the head with one? Here you’ve spent $$$$$ for a web site, and the first thing you do is bore your visitors to death. Or worse, they don’t see what they need, so they leave.

But what about all that slick navigation you draped across the top or sides of the page? Necessary, but do you really expect your visitors to always recognize the path to exactly what they need through one- or two-word clues? Nav bars and menus by nature are telegraphic: Contact Us, About, Special Offers…some of those are sufficient no-brainers. But what about these gold mines: Products, Services, What’s New, Join Us…yeah, a visitor can see what they are, but why aren’t you telling them why they should click here now? Because you don’t have the space. You don’t want to clutter your placemat!

Which is why your home page needs to be a buffet. By “buffet” I mean you set out all kinds of goodies as a bountiful feast so your visitors are immediately enticed, engaged, and hungry to dig around. Most importantly, if they come looking for specific info, you can show them exactly where to find it because you’re not held hostage by a two-word limit. Instead of tapping out Morse code you can shout out all the great news and ideas you spent months putting together for their edification!

A hard-working home page has smaller photos (add a “click to enlarge” link if you want), headlines, summary blurbs, and links, all arranged in a grid and grouped by topic or subsets, so visitors can scan your page, find tasty bits, and dig in. When you set out your buffet, however, you still need to exercise restraint. Don’t tell stories in their entirety. Brief but clear summaries with relevant headlines should then link to site pages for the full story.

News media and variety show web sites are the best examples of this approach. You can learn lots by visiting sites for CNN, MSNBC, Newsweek, Oprah, Martha Stewart, and so on. Just be warned, as you “research” you will probably get sucked in to clicking on stories and articles that pique your interest. Great! Just go back and look at how they did it. Then load your home page with all the goodies in your web site content.