A friend of mine recently asked whether he should advertise in a trade publication, write an article for it, or both. Carefully considering his question while unshelling a few pre-dinner peanuts, I avoided jumping onto the PR soap box, where I usually proclaim its great superiority over advertising.

It's a belief that I've held for 24 years in the business, stretching all the way back to my newspaper days. But I've softened my hard-line, "advertising-is-a-necessary-evil" viewpoint. Though I still believe most readers view ads with skeptic's eye, my colleagues and I have watched campaigns perform well, generating leads, some of which convert into real, live customers.

Back at the supper table, my friend waited patiently. "Hmmm," I delayed, then offered, "Why not do both? We sometimes "grease the skids" (so to speak) with ads; often, it motivates publishers and their editor friends to suddenly show more interest in our stories." Just don't ask them to admit it.

Even if the journalistic separation of church and state (advertising and editorial) are too much to overcome, a well crafted ad campaign can pay off handsomely. The key is developing advertising that draws attention. We once created and roller coaster ad for a metals company that stood out from every other ad in industry magazines. It offered a quick story and a call to action. Not surprisingly, readers took notice and sent or phoned in replies.

Dusting shells off of the table, I continued, pointing out the importance of an article opportunity. "If you can sell the story idea to the publication, go for it," I advised my friend. "People view most articles as more credible than advertising. Put your byline in the article with an email address. I'll bet that you get a few good leads."

They say that it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. Maybe that's true, but this publicity hound is not past taking another sniff at advertising, PR, or any other effective vehicle that delivers compelling stories to the right audience. Keep an open mind, and like my friend, you can be on the path to a successful promotional campaign.

Following are a few of Kirk's tips for creating advertising that gets noticed:

1. Know your audience and select the right medium. When visiting customers, look around. Find out what they are reading, on and offline. Ask.

2. When targeting printed or online publications, cruise through a few issues and take a look at your competitors ads (and every ad in the journal is a competitor). Most will begin to look alike - boring. Your advertising needs to look different. Make it stand out.

3. Run your ad or ads more than once. Frequency is important. Running a fractional-page ad several times often yields better results than running a full-page ad once or twice. This is a campaign folks.

4. If the publication supports the format, try alluring half-page-island formats. Magazines often embed these ads in articles. This positioning is hard to beat for the price. I also happen to like the back cover better than the inside cover. Guess which of the two positions gets noticed most often in my mail box or flat on my desk?

5. Grab readers by appealing to their need to have problems solved. Use the headline and images to get that point across.

6. Make them an offer that they can't refuse. No, that doesn't mean offer to send a salesman by for a visit. This could be a free white paper that helps lead them find a solution or a free registration to a seminar or conference. Use your imagination.

7. Finally, never ever put the final touches on your advertising without telling the audience what to do next. This is their call to action. Leave them guessing and risk not being their answer.

Welcome back everyone. It has been a nice summer, but it's time to get to the task(s) at hand. Autumn is the time of year that we all charge to the finish line. With football and soccer season in session, we're all reminded of goals; in this case, not the touchdown, field goal , or penalty kick variety, but those goals that we set about this time last year for 2008. (This is also about the point that we find ourselves asking, "Where did the year go?")

As you close out 2008 and focus on rapidly approaching 2009, keep RMC in mind for your marketing needs. If you planned to redesign that web site or brochure or launch an e-newsletter, we are here to help finish the job. Look to us for all of your communications and research needs, from advertising, PR, and white papers to competitive intelligence reports. If it's in the realm of marketing, we can help you develop and successfully execute a gameplan that ends in a win.

Remember to keep an eye on this blog. In coming months, I plan to post how-to articles and other free advice that will help your company or organization stand out and get noticed. Until then, happy football season no matter where you are on the map and what the shape of your favorite ball.

It's been said that there is no substitute for experience. Yet, know-how developed down in the trenches over a period of many years is often overlooked. 

I'm 40-something and often look to my friends in their 50s, 60s, and 70s for advice. More and more of them are leaving the workforce (most on their own terms), taking irreplaceable institutional knowledge with them. Thankfully, many are pulled back into the fold, lured by lucrative part- or full-time consulting arrangements. I like the trend. These experts have been down the road and learned many lessons along the way. No matter how talented we are, they can offer insights and direction that improve our decisions as well as help make us better professionals and people.

So what does this have to do with marketing? Frankly, a lot. It's definitely something to think about when you are hunting for creative talent. My advice is to look for a good combination of energy, fresh perspectives, and experience. If you are already in the middle of a campaign, and it's not quite where you want it to be, seek out the experienced. He or she may be able to offer a quick, affordable, intelligent solution.

Fact is, I've work with people who have probably forgotten more than I'll ever know, and I truly value them as mentors and friends. I've also worked with those who think that they know a lot more than they really do. Their lack of experience shows up at the worst possible times. When the going gets tough, they can't (or won't) rise to the challenge.

No matter what age group you are in (although my 78-year-old father-in-law is not likely to be in the market for a wise old counselor), ask yourself if you are making the most of all that older generations have to offer in the way of guidance. You might even try building a multi-generational project team. It's a dynamic that has worked for me, and I've seen it produce results for others.

A final bit of advice in closing: Forget the sages at your own peril. They have learned from their successes and failures and should be treasured resources. Ignore their advice, and risk re-learning what they already know and are often all too happy to share. As the Danish proverb puts it, "He knows the water best who has waded through it."

With the age of electronic marketing well into its second decade, is direct mail dead? There are many out there who believe this to be true. These are some of the same folks that said books would be long gone by now; that we would all be reading novels laptops (or now Kindles) on the toilet or in the bathtub.

Yet, my in-box (not of the email variety) continues to receive catalogs and, occasionally, little boxes with big surprises. Not that I'm crazy about the once ubiquitous plastic wrapped mailer that went straight from the mail to the recycle bin, but I do like an occasional surprise. In my informal polling (definitely not conclusive at this point), others like opening packages as well ...as long as there is something cool or worthwhile inside. And that's the key here. What you send to your mail list must be interesting. If it doesn't stand out, it doesn't stand a chance.

One of the most successful direct mail pieces that I ever sent was a bag of coffee wrapped in a clever direct mail piece. The mailer not only enveloped an aromatic cluster of coffee beans, it made an offer. We mailed it to a targeted list of 100 prospects and the unique direct mailer yielded more than 50% in replies. Although not everyone bought our offer (a conference registration), those who didn't were impressed and thanked us for the coffee. Still, the ROI was high. Those who bit (or brewed) were treated to a classy stainless steel coffee mug.

That's just one instance of a program that worked. I receive stuff that really "sticks" every once in awhile. By that I mean it makes a favorable impression, and I either pick up the phone and call the company making the offer or I remember the brand and the pitch. Those memorable pitches rarely come shrink-wrapped in cellophane or in the body of an email (aka spam).

So, I pronounce direct mail alive and well. Just remember a few things when you are putting a campaign together: (1) Gather a targeted list and make sure that it's accurate and aimed at the right audience; (2) This is getting a bit repetitious (especially if you have read my other posts), but create a campaign that is different. It must stand out. If it lands in my in-basket, you want me to take notice and think, "Hmm, that's interesting. I wander what is in that box;" (3) Make an offer or include a call to action. There must be a next step for your prospect; (4) Follow up. Many marketers report success in later mailings. In other words, repetition often pays. You can also make your follow-up effort three dimensional by contacting prospects with an email, letter, or a phone call. If executed properly, a phone call can cinch the deal.

There is much, much more to direct mail, and I have a few more secrets that I won't share here. Google "Is direct mail dead", and click on a link or two to learn more. There is plenty of information out there. When your ready (now is good for me), I'd like to have your intelligent feedback on the topic. Let me know what you think about direct mail either here in my blog or via email at kirk@rmc-strategic.com. I'd love to hear from you.

    
                

        This eye-opening direct mail campaign, included a call to action wrapped around a bag of fragrant coffee. 

Pardon my French, but I see too many brochures, newsletters, and other collateral out there that are half-ass (my translation: ugly due to lack of skill and/or effort). Either the images are low quality, the layout is a mess, the paper sucks, or the text is abysmal, but something (or everything) isn't quite right.

Pick a trade show, walk the hall, and pay careful attention to the literature. Sure, you will find a few exceptions, but I'll bet you also dredge up marketing pieces that are only round-file worthy.

To those who would respond, "A CD will solve that problem," you are missing the point. I don't care what the format is, your communications need to be worth taking up valuable real estate in my info-crammed brain.

Cut the fluff, and get your product or service benefits across in a compelling fashion. Make me want to buy - I dare you. Ugly brochures, CDs, and web sites make me want to run. They certainly don't help your business look good.

Alright, by now you get the point. If your marketing communications are trash, fix the problem. You can hobble along with your current stuff, but either use in-house talent that can develop a professional image/message or hire someone who can get the job done right. Give your sales and marketing people the resources that they need to succeed.

Set yourself apart from the also-rans (and there are many). I'm confident that the "pack" will continue to scrimp and save, so the opportunity to rise above it is there for the taking.

Here are just a few of the things that are on my mind whether I'm consulting or speaking about the art marketing communications. Remember, it's all about doing what you can to differentiate your products or services:

1. If you hire someone to help with your marketing communications, stay on as a team member. Your input will elevate a web site or newsletter from good to great. After all, you know your business better than anyone else.

2. Hire a professional photographer, but look at samples of his work first. Quality imagery is very important. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then it had better look good.

3. Many people love testimonials; sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Use testimonials only if you are sure that it won't irritate the customers that you don't feature. Remember, your customers may be competitors. Feature one and not the other at your own risk.

4. Mix it up. Give your audience photos, charts, tables, and text that is, as long has it makes sense. I like variety, but don't cram every page with margin-to-margin info. White space is good too!

5. For Pete's sake, print your literature on heavy-enough stock that it's not flimsy and cheap feeling. The brochure is also more likely to take the pounding prospects (not to mention the mail) will undoubtedly unleash on it. Consult your consultant or printer to find the look, feel, and weight that fits your needs.

On my way to work the other day, a car inched forward through a green light, cautiously waiting for the traffic ahead of him to clear. But before the mini jam ahead of him could unclog, the light turned yellow. Rather than block the line of traffic perpendicular to his position, he made a quick decision to turn right, keeping things legal and the intersection open. I thought about following the quick thinker and, if not offering him a job, at least heaping him with praise. Most drivers would have probably just ignored the light.

Quick thinking is just as important in marketing as it is in driving. Though it may not mean life or death, coming up with solutions on the spot can make the difference between success and failure.

I attended a trade show in Tampa, Florida a few years back, and my flights were delayed by weather. (We've all been there before, haven't we?) When I arrived at the hall the next morning, there was just one company container on hand, and it didn't include a display. The show was set to begin with an evening cocktail reception, so the chances of getting a replacement shipped in time was zero.

Rather than panic, I took a few deep breaths and thought about options. A solution bubbled to the surface: borrow/rent a bulletin board backdrop from the hotel (there was one sitting in a corner, unused); find trade show poster files attached to old email archived on my laptop; take these files to the nearest Kinko's; and print/laminate new posters. It worked, and I was back in time to set up our make-shift display, clean up, and make it to the reception with a half hour to spare.The easy out was not an option.

While at another show, years earlier, I'd watched two gentlemen across the aisle panic when their display didn't arrive. Their solution? Put up a tacky sign on a standard literature table that read: "Our Display was Lost in Shipping". Sure, we felt bad for them; but sympathy netted them little if any traffic. I'm sure that the expensive show was a complete loss for them.

The ability to clear your mind and come up with viable, acceptable solutions quickly is vital, whether you are on the road to work or the pathway to marketing your products or services. When you encounter an unexpected twist or red light, remember to keep your wits. More often than not, an alternative (perfect or not quite) will come to mind.

If there is one thing that I've learned in 23 years' worth of marketing lessons, it's that you need to differentiate your products and services to thrive. Marketing mavens/authors like Al Ries and Seth Godin have preached this approach for years. Godin suggests that you need to be a purple cow in the sea of brown cows to stand out. Otherwise, you and your message blend in; you're essentially lost to prospective clients.

I certainly agree and have always been a big believer in being different. I'm not suggesting that you always swim against the tide (though I sometimes like that approach); just find away to stand out from the pack, the "sea" full of competitors. It's worked for me time and time again.

At a recent trade show, we stood out from several hundred exhibitors by parking a stainless steel DeLorean sports car in our rectangular space. But we didn't stop there. From a diagram that I drew up on a cocktail napkin, we designed a drive-in movie theater around the car, complete with a snack bar, high resolution dvd projector, and big screen (see photo below). It drew crowds of prospective customers to our stand like metal to a powerful magnet.

But we didn't stop with our display. My team developed a program to drive traffic to our exhibit as well as 11 other partner stands located in the same hall. A customer from a Fortune 500 company called the idea "the most creative approach that I've ever seen in an exhibit hall." We capped the event with a Mystery Tour and dinner that ended at the 258-year-old Preservation Jazz Hall in New Orleans' lively French Quarter. The total cost to set ourselves apart from the competition was less than you might imagine.

Too many companies and their creative agencies settle. Whether they are marketing with an event, a web site, or a brochure, the result is a half-baked marketing vehicle and that's deemed good enough. Everything begins to look the same, like Godin's field full of brown cows. Whether it's a literature rack of standard 8 1/2 x 11 brochures or an 8 x 10 pop up display, everything appears to be cloned. For prospects, it's mind numbing.

My advice to businesses, whether they are designing their own displays, events, or marketing materials (from newsletters and brochures to blogs and web sites) is, for goodness' sake, do something different. Go the extra meter so that your head sticks out above the also-rans (and I'm not suggesting that you put it in the clouds). If you are using an agency, actively contribute to the team and push your creatives to design something truly special. If they aren't up to the task, get rid of them. RMC would be more than happy to pick up the slack... as long your goal is to be outstanding.


                        

            ATI's unique display at Corrosion 2008 (NACE). Photo courtesy of Barchfield Photography and ATI.

Poor PowerPoint®. The ubiquitous Microsoft presentation program has been on the wrong-end of too many so-called sales and marketing "experts" tongue and type lashings for several years now. Some have blasted the format for its lack of creativity, birthing a generation of lazy presenters (the "who needs visual crutches?" bunch), and all manner of other perceived shortcomings.

Despite the beatings. PowerPoint survives, in fact, we would venture to say it that it thrives. That's not just because the software is bundled with Microsoft's other products. Fact is, it's flat out good... at least in our opinion.

Following are a 10 reasons that we like to use PowerPoint for client and RMC presentations. (If you have an idea or application to share, we'd love to read what you have to write. Send your suggestions or comments, and we may post them.)

1. It's proven. Let's face it folks: this presentation software has been around for awhile, and many of the glitches have been worked out. When the chips are down, it works.

2. You can make changes on the fly. Unlike some programs, its easy to update your PowerPoint presentation right up until showtime. Good luck with alternatives like Flash (rhymes with "crash").

3. In the same vein, we can design presentations that our customers are able to fine-tune or update. No need to call us every week to make minor changes (though that's OK too). This makes clients happy, which makes me happy.

4. With PowerPoint, we can incorporate video, animations, charts, pictures, and other bells and whistles without too much trouble. The clever minds in Redmond, Washington just keep adding useful features to the software.

5. PowerPoint can be used for much more than the upcoming vacation highlights show that you'll be unveiling at the Moose Lodge. It's a handy tool for setting up a meeting outline (an application expertly applied by ATI Wah Chang VP Parry Walborn), then adding notes, making modifications, and recording commitments - all live. Best of all, you don't need to copy scribble from a whiteboard and can actually read what's being discussed even without a set of binoculars.

6. It's standard overseas, which means that you can probably use another computer to make that presentation if your laptop suddenly dies. You can find PowerPoint on machines in many countries (if you look hard enough). We haven't tried Fiji, but are willing to give it a go if someone will cover our airfare. We'll meet you halfway and foot the food and beverage bill.

7. Like Visa, it's accepted almost everywhere. Audiences know what to expect with a PowerPoint show (heck, many use it themselves): a professional looking presentation. After that, it's up to the speaker to venture outside the bullets and tell the story.

8. Contrary to what some believe, more than a few of us like to make use of more than our ears when absorbing information. We prefer to deposit what a presenter has to say and display in our brains using two senses. That way, we can start processing the information and making connections. Visuals keep us engaged.

9. When the presentation is over, you can email it to contacts or post it on your web site as a refresher (certainly not novel, but worth mentioning). It's probable that most members of your audience will have it installed on their computers, enabling them to access your brilliant points long after the curtains go down.

10. The need for speed. With the right input (canned text, pictures, and video), you and/or your agency can quickly build an acceptable presentation for that upcoming Board Meeting. Of course, taking your show to the next level may require a bit more effort, but you can still have it built from scratch within a reasonable timeframe.

We could go on all day, but you get the picture. PowerPoint is only boring if you make it boring. Spend a little time learning how to use it and maybe even look for a little help with construction of the initial presentation, and you'll have a powerful communications tool at your finger tips. From there, delivering the message is up to you (a topic we will touch on in a future post).

Most newsletters and eZines are nothing to shout about. It's tough to find company publications that truly impress us. Some that we stumble across offer great design, but unremarkable content. Others provide reasonable content and little or no eye candy. We've seen thousands of company publications, and you probably have to. It's not very often that you find something out there that is truly engaging; a publication that makes you search for a quiet place to read, clear a little time on your Outlook calendar, pack a print-out in your brief case to peruse on the airplane. Let's face it: most of these publications are uninspiring.

Is uninspiring better than nothing at all? Well, some would argue that just putting your brand in front of the customer or potential client is a good thing. There is probably some truth to that, but it's also a wasted opportunity. Why not produce a piece that is an eye-catcher, with a clean crisp design? And why not include stories that actually propel readers past the lead paragraph? It's not easy, that's why.

Most sales and marketing professionals don't have time to produce a newsletter let alone make in remarkable. Yet we've found it to be one of the best communications tools available when well executed. Done right, a newsletter or eZine becomes a lead generator and customer retention tool. It can become your communications "Swiss Army Knife", a repeatable formula that inspires employees and attracts customers.

Don't believe the hype? Well, Kirk Richardson has watched it work for ATI Wah Chang's Outlook publication for 16 years. "Issue after issue, Outlook generates good will for us," says Richardson, adding, "and that's not all. It's generated leads that have blossomed into new business. Outlook keeps our employees in touch with the latest developments in our growing business."

Other organizations, such at the Materials Technology Institute (MTI), use newsletters to keep their far-flung members informed. The 60-plus members that make up MTI are spread around the world. MTI Communications (shown below) keeps them involved, publishing project reports, member company profiles, upcoming events notices, and other information three times per year. Each story is written in engaging style that gets important details across to its readers without putting them to sleep.

As mentioned earlier, layout/look is equally as important. It's hard to dive into an ugly newsletter, eZine, or magazine. The worn-out cliché, "Don't judge a book by its cover", is revealing. People do pick up books, magazines, and other publications based on their covers. We're drawn to attractive covers like bears to honey. Conversely, we've repelled by an ugly front page. In The Well-Fed Self-Publisher, Peter Bowerman writes, "It's categorically impossible to overstate the importance of a good cover." He goes on to add, "Hire a professional designer. Don't use your cousin who's artistic, and don't let your printer's design department handle it."

Pete is referring books here, but we argue that it applies to magazines and even newsletters. Why wouldn't it? Visually appealing design starting with the cover of your publication and carrying through to the back page helps keep your audience interested. If your competitors' communications vehicle doesn't, you have them beat, at least on this important battle front. Even if you don't have competitors, you're ahead of the pack. Every organization has customers, whether its a company or a non-profit. This is all about communicating with and educating those clients, internal or external.

Speaking of education, there is much more to building a remarkable newsletter or eZine than generating a pretty cover and writing compelling copy. It's a great start and will put your organization head and shoulders above most, but rest assured that there are other tricks to the trade (such as headline and photo caption writing). To find out more about the fine art of newsletter and eZine communications, bookmark this blog and make a habit of visiting rmc-strategic.com. If you are a restless soul and would like to cut to the chase, feel free to contact kirk@rms-strategic.com. Kirk is an expert in marketing communications, and one of his favorite topics is company and non-profit-generated media. 

Go ahead and ask the question. Why did you launch a blog rather than a standard web site? That's a little odd, isn't it? Why not adopt the best practices of competing communications consultants, ad agencies, PR practitioners, and marketing mavens?

It's a reasonable question, and I'll do my best to answer it. A couple of weeks ago, at about 4 AM on the eve of a business trip to the East Coast (US in this case), my dreams skipped to business mode. Think about something long enough before you crawl into bed, and my experience is that a solution may bubble to the surface.

I had being worrying about developing a new web site through most of the holiday season, jotting down ideas on napkins, Post-it Notes, and emailing thoughts to myself via a Blackberry. Now here was the perfect solution in the wee hours of the morning. Sans a note pad on my nightstand, I prayed that I could hold on to the thought until the alarm went off. Turns out that I couldn't go back to sleep with my mind fired up and pumping out ancillary ideas.

So, bed-time story aside, why the blog? In basketball terms, it was a "slam dunk" decision for RMC. Here are just a few reasons that we selected this format. More factors will reveal themselves buried in subsequent posts, and I'm sure that we'll discover others as time passes and the site develops.

♦ Can you say, "differentiation"? If the masses choose a standard web site design, I want to select something different. As Marketing Guru and Author Seth Godin suggested in his book Purple Cow (http://www.sethgodin.com/purple/), find a way to stand out from the herd.

♦ Blogs are essentially journals and offer an excellent format for "how-to" article writing and storytelling. To get your message through the clutter in this day and age of too much information (TMI), you'd better be ready to tell a compelling story.

♦ If you're after every edge that you can get when it comes to SEO (or Search Engine Optimization), blogs might be worth investigating. Since each post to a blog changes the content, it is search-engine friendly. Search engines crave change. Static web sites can suffer in rankings. Of course, there are many other factors in getting your site listed in Google's top five. Links in and out of your .com are one of many drivers.

♦ Dialogue is a good thing. Creating a forum where RMC's customers can reply and add value to posts (like this one) was appealing. I want to hear what my customers, peers, and others have to say. Of course, I'm set up to screen those thoughts before they show up on RMC-strategic.com. If someone gets nasty (though I'm open to counter opinions), I can spare my readers pain by blocking the obscene before it gets published.

♦ It's quick and relatively inexpensive. This GoDaddy blog took about 30 minutes to set up and cost $32 per year to host. Need I say more? I will add that WordPress (www.wordpress.com) and others offer a greater variety of customizable templates than GoDaddy.com, but Quick Blogcast is true to its name, and the measurement tools are handy and simple to use. 

Realize that this is a format that makes sense for RMC; it may not apply to a winemaker, manufacturer of widgets, or a nursery association. A blog may or my not fit your needs, or it could turn out that it's only a piece of your eCommunications puzzle. Maybe you stick with the tried and true web site, but add a blog to create stories for and dialogue with your customers or association members.

Some CEOs, from automakers to the basketball team owners, use this format religiously to communicate with everyone from employees to shareholders, customers, retirees, fans, and other communities. The bottom line is that it works for them. Maybe it can work for you too.

So, mull it over for awhile, and sleep on it one of these nights. A blog might be the answer to your dreams. Hey, it's truly a dream-come-true for RMC.