Let’s approach this from the big picture first. The success of digital marketing depends enormously on the first impression. And, that means two things: design and content.  If the design and content are not presented right, the message will very likely go unread.

• The look is based on how effective the designer is at guiding the prospect’s eyes.  Where does that person look first?  If that position is not compelling – game over.  The look needs to be guided by psychology, but very few designers understand psychology.  Thus, they tend to make two blunders:
  • First, they build the top of the marketing page around a generic image that has little to do with the prospect.  An image of a horse or tall buildings might look pretty, but prospects are not looking at marketing hoping to find something pretty.
  •  Second, they cram way too many elements into the top of the page.  This creates confusion, which causes the prospect to stop reading.
  • The content  is where the company can show its relevance – or not.
    • Websites.  People tend to write their website as though it’s a brochure with long sentences, long paragraphs, and no subheads.
    • Blogs.  They write a blog as though it’s a lofty pontification loaded with person anecdotes and irrelevant points.
    • Email.  They write email believing that it’s the same as direct mail, and assuming that people want to read it.
    • Research.  We tell our clients, “Wake up.  Do the research.  People do not read digital marketing.  They skim it.”  They also no longer read in a “Z” pattern.  Because they’re skimming, their eye follows an “F” or “E” pattern.

So, digital marketing requires a completely different approach, completely different logic.  Think in terms of visual stepping stones.  Give the “reader” something to look at, like a series of subheads, that guide the eye to points of relevance in descending order.

(NOTE:  if you want to see the research, or get an analysis of your own marketing, just let me know: michael@aboutpeople.com)

Last week I was interviewed by Sandra Fish for a Washington Post article called GOP’s Primary Problem: Would you want to have a beer with any of these guys?  Although honored by the request and thrilled with the resulting article, I kept wanting to say, “Yeah but…don’t forget the Credibility side of the equation.”

Is Likability important?  Yes, of course it is! But it’s not enough, especially for a presidential candidate.  Years ago when we set out to write Axis of Influence, it wasn’t an axis because we were only writing about one thing – Credibility. We knew that Credibility was critically important to success.  We interviewed lots of credible people.  We dug deep into what made them credible and identified what credibility looks like and sounds like, how to gain it and how to lose it. Throughout the process, we kept thinking “there’s another dimension at play here.”  The most successful, most influential people are credible, but they’re also personable, real, honest, warm – what we now call “likable.”

The point is, likability, though important, is not enough.  You can be successful if you’re likable. You can be successful if you’re credible, but the most successful in any field have both.  Hopefully we don’t have to choose one over the other, but if we did, then I think I’d rather have a Presidential candidate that was credible rather than one I wanted to have a beer with.

Finding the simple truth about politicians is a fascinating game.  You take their look and their various messages.  Add them together and see what you end up with.  Most of the time (but not always) you get classically attractive people who deliver inconsistent or insincere messages.

The difficult task is distilling all of that into a simple message, and not having to recite sections from positioning statements.  With that in mind…

Pam has always used a strange expression to mean telling someone the truth. She’ll say, “Jack told Beth how the cow ate the cabbage.”  (Told you it was strange.)  She and I were discussing the likeability and credibility of the Republican candidates and used that expression as a tool to capture and encapsulate their messages.  Here’s what we came up with.  Can you see the truth in these:

• Newt will roll his eyes and tell you that it’s not a cabbage.
• Santorum will tell you the cow should not be allowed to eat a cabbage.
• Romney will smile and say that he plays polo with the owners of a corporate cabbage farm.
• Ron Paul will explain that we don’t need to get involved with cows eating cabbage.

Politicians are like corporations in that they have an identity they want to popularize.  What most corporations and politicians fail to recognize is that they also popularize their “hidden identity,” through their messages.  Finding those hidden identities is one of the most fun and fascinating things we do.

More to follow…

You see them.  You hear them.  But, do you like them?  Do you respect them? Or something else?

Politicians from any party are practiced actors.  Most know how to charm you without opening their mouths.  And, that’s important, because as soon as you hear their messages, you could see a totally different person.

Our book Axis of Influence takes a look at candidates Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton.  We break down their looks and their messages using some specific criteria.  This year, we’re doing the same thing with the remaining contenders from the Republican party.

Are they likeable?  Based on what?  Are they credible?  Based on what?

What do you think?  Much more to follow in this space.

- Mike

There are times when “insane” is good.  Like when you need to get out of the box or have fun.  We know, it’s crazy to use insane marketing.  But, what does that mean?

Marketing that is anything other than psychologically sound and accurate is insane.  Why would you spend the money to develop or use marketing that has a high probability of failure?  Isn’t that insane?

So, the question is – how can you make sure your marketing is psychologically sound and accurate?  Just follow in Woody Allen’s footsteps and provide some psychotherapy.  In other words, get help looking deep into your marketing to see it the way your prospects see it.

This process is called the “Psycho-Social Marketing Analysis.”  It looks at 21 specific criteria – all ways your marketing could be failing you.  The analysis then provides you with an in-depth Report itemizing the flaws and giving recommendations on how to turn those flaws into opportunities.

What makes the difference? 

Type, Color and Images.  The most important thing analyzed is the first-impression psychological impact given by the type, color and images.  We find that most marketing fails to use those basic elements effectively. As a result, the firm looks disorganized and unsophisticated.

Language.  Nearly every site we’ve analyzed fails in its language.  First, the sentences and paragraphs are way too long.  That causes people to stop reading.  Second, most of the language uses passive verbs.  Since verbs are the most important element for inspiring people to take action, using passive verbs inspires people not to take action.

In Conclusion.  The elements highlighted here are just a few of the ones we analyze.  If those simple elements are lacking in your marketing, isn’t it a safe bet that the marketing fails to build trust and credibility?  Isn’t that insane?

We are currently providing a no cost Psycho-Social Marketing Analysis of one marketing piece.  Your website, Power Points, brochure?  Which one is the most important to your business?  Doesn’t it deserve to be sound and accurate?

Mike

Why would you want to make an emotional connection?  What is the value of an emotional appeal in a business situation?  Who cares?

Actually, everyone cares. That’s because we all make our decisions with our emotional brain. Then, we justify that decision with our rational brain.  We buy a product or service to give us pleasure or take us away from pain.  But we use the facts and data to justify our decision to our friends and business colleagues.

How does this relate to you?  Chances are, you create marketing and/or sales presentations based on the logic and reasoning behind your offer.  You use statistics, features/benefits, comparisons and other data.  They don’t work well by themselves.  You need them, but their job comes later.

What does this problem look like in real life marketing?  Picture a website that tells a company’s story.  You read about how they got their start, the successes they had along the way, some of their clients and alliances.  And, you fall asleep.  People don’t care about that stuff.  They care about themselves.  Your history is meaningless to your prospects. He wants to know what you can do for him that will make him feel good.

Consider a better approach.  Think about your prospect’s memories.  What does he recall as stumbling blocks or obstacles he’s faced in his own path?  If you name some of those, you’ll show that you know and understand that person’s reality (or perception).  We call that the “Relevance Factor.”  Until you demonstrate that you understand a visitor’s reality, you will have a hard time getting him to think you’re relevant.  Meaning, he will question your ability to solve his problems.

How?  How can you make an emotional connection?  With simple tools:

• Photos (of you engaging with clients)
• Photos of clients
• Short videos (client testimonials)
• Short videos (you demonstrating your relevance)
• Music
• Faces of people enjoying your product
• Stories (video/audio) of clients/case studies/examples
• Metaphors and analogies
• Quotes and testimonials
• Persuasion triggers and emotional hot buttons

How to Get Help.  It’s easy to list the tools.  But, it’s more difficult to describe exactly how you use those tools.  This is one of the things we do in our 15-Point Psycho-Social Marketing Analysis.  The next time you look at any of your marketing materials.  Look at it through the eyes of a prospect.  Does that marketing piece present him with rational data?  Or does it make an emotional connection that shows how you are relevant to him in a way that is important to him?

– Mike

One of the things I love about my business is learning how to read other people. I teach people these “people reading” skills, and have a great deal of fun in the process. I love doing this and love improving my people reading skills.

Most recently, I’ve been collecting photos of people displaying the face of contempt. We all have our own definition of “contempt,” but the face is the same in all cultures. Can you see what facial feature these people have in common?

- Mike

Every business has a blood-lust for referrals.  Common wisdom is to ask for them.  OK, that might be common, but it’s not wisdom.  It’s wrong-headed.  Research conducted in 2011 by Julie Littlechild of Advisor Impact discovered some eye-opening facts about the behavior of clients providing referrals:

•  93% of clients are somewhat or extremely likely to continue working with their advisor
•  91% of clients state they are comfortable providing a referral
•  77% of clients gave their advisors an average satisfaction rating of 8 out of 10 or higher
•  Of that 77%, only 29% actually provided a referral

<strong>Why do people give referrals?</strong>

•  57% report referring because a friend had a financial challenge
•  48% report that it was because the friend asked for a recommendation
•  Only 2% report it was because the advisor asked for a name

Over 90% of clients state they are comfortable providing a referral, but only 29% of them actually do so. And of the 29% who refer, only 2% of them report it was because the advisor asked for a name!

With those bits in mind, the question is: what inspires someone to give referrals?  What do you think?  Got a good answer?  (You can see another article on this information at: http://www.horsesmouth.com/linkpo/86831_1.htm)

– Mike

I’ve been involved in an animated discussion about credibility marketing.  I’ve been working with credibility marketing for so long that I sometimes forget that most other communicators have not been introduced to the concept.  Thus, I thought you would enjoy an explanation of credibility marketing and how you can benefit from it.

MOST OF MY WORK over the past many years has been conducted directly with sales organizations. Being so close to the target market made implementing a credibility marketing program much easier. They want strong results and there’s less corporate politics.

For example, I could help a sales organization create relevant documents, videos or audios to demonstrate the company’s credibility. Now, pay attention to the word “demonstrate.” It all hinges on that word. Announcing their charitable activities or proclaiming their elite status would do zero to inspire potential buyers to trust them.

I read a lot of those white papers from Hubspot and the research from Aberdeen. They teach readers HOW to do something important to business success. Thus, they are demonstrating their own expertise in the process. Marketing tends to take a different approach. I mean, the argument over benefits vs features still goes on. PR takes yet a different approach, sugar-coating information. Neither one succeeds at marketing or communicating or demonstrating the company’s relevant credibility.

About ten years ago, I wrote a book for a firm in Arlington, Texas. In a follow-up call with them a few months later, they told me the result of the program. The book broke through the wall of resistance, and inspired prospects to trust my clients much more quickly, thus shortening the sales cycle. The book was also a tangible something that their new clients could talk about with their own colleagues and friends, thus priming the referral pump.

Had we relied on posters, brochures, web content that announced to the world the that firm was a leader in their field, they’d likely have seen zero improvement in their sales. Why? Because that would have given the firm had no way to demonstrate their credibility – other than self-proclamation.

- Mike