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How Do You Tell YOUR Story?

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Marilyn Buckner in blog 2 Comments



A close friend told me recently about a presentation he had attended given by a speaker we had both heard before. The objective of the session was clearly stated in the program, but was by and large ignored. Instead, the presenter relied on his stand up ability and spent the bulk of the hour speaking primarily about his life experiences and accomplishments. This wouldn’t have been so bad, except that it was the exact same presentation we both had heard him give three years ago at another type of meeting.

This leads me to suspect this is essentially the same canned speech he has delivered to every sales group, potential client, training meeting, or other forum he has presented to for quite some time. For those who had heard him before, it was not unlike the movie, “Groundhog Day.” It’s easy to slip into a rut if we’re not careful.

When you tell your story, is it always the same one? And even more importantly, is it the same story everyone else is telling? Here are five suggestions for becoming memorable for the right reasons:

1. Check out the competition. One of the best ways to stand out from your competition is to get to know them. For example, when designing and writing copy for a website, it is critical to first do a thorough review of what your primary competitors are saying and doing.

Then, improve upon what you find in the best, remembering to also add additional value and freshness. A good online marketing firm will always do that and in the process come up with all sorts of ways to improve upon both content and design to make the site outshine the competition.

2. Make sure to read the syllabus. Whether you are communicating through your website, blog, speech, tweet or other marketing venue, keep the objective of the item or page clearly in mind as you prepare it, and don’t wander off on tangents. Keep it simple, direct, and focused on the objective and it will not only be appreciated by your audience or reader, it will actually increase your credibility.

3. Do a needs and wants assessment on your target audience. What are they looking for? How much do they want to hear or read? Is your information accurate and up-to-date, or are you just winging it? What types of things (visual aids, handouts, testimonials, tutorials, etc.) will help them understand and remember you, your topic, or website? Will your content motivate them to action, or put them to sleep? Is it valuable or memorable enough to bring them back again?

4. Ask for and listen to sound feedback. Have you ever met someone who obviously thought they were absolutely great at something, when in reality there were only a legend in their own mind? We all likely have an area or two where we think we are talented, but are only mediocre at best.

A great adage that I have never forgotten is, “if one person tells you you’re a jackass, turn the other cheek; but if 29 people tell you that you are, it’s time to shop for a saddle.” But don’t leave it at that.

5. Fix what’s broken. We live in a time and place where there are abundant resources available to improve anything that needs fixing. For example, if you are a bad speaker but have occasions where you must speak to audiences, enroll in a public speaking course. If either your job skills or industry knowledge are a getting a little rusty, check out the periodicals in your local library, do some online research and study, or enroll in a refresher course.

Sometimes it pays to bring in some professional help, particularly when it affects profitability. Timely advice from a knowledgeable CPA can provide tremendous direction, help avoid pitfalls, and boost profitability. If your website, brochures, or press releases aren’t producing the results you want, hire a professional PR Marketing firm where there are experienced marketing copywriters that can really make your copy sing.

In other words, first take time to identify and either fix or outsource what’s broken. Once that’s handled, you will be free to move on to those things you really do best, and where you are likely to reap far greater results for the time spent.


Design Principles Applied to Marketing

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Aubrey Miller in blog 2 Comments


I recently joined the team at PRMarketing.com as a graphic designer. I’m going to be honest, I’ve been in the design world for a little while but this is my first job in which I work alongside other actual designers. It has been a sharp learning curve and in the couple of weeks I’ve been here I’ve grown a lot.

The first thing I realized when I started working with other designers is that I rush things. I’m a rusher. I have the ability to work quickly, and therefore occasionally leave things in an unfinished state. When I was working by myself this was less obvious because the rough state of my designs were still pretty good. Working with people who can actually tell if my design could be a lot better has forced me to examine myself and my work.

As I thought today about how much better my designs have already become, I realized this can apply to social media marketing strategy. If you are a socially apt person, chances are your marketing strategies work well enough for you. But are they working as well as they could? Could you take an extra hour or two to really examine your plan and find ways to improve it?

One of the first things you learn as a designer is that everybody has an opinion. If you ask a group of people to critique just about anything there are going to be people who like it, people who don’t like it, and people who feel like they could do it better than you. This is especially true in the design world, and just as true in marketing.

More specifically, your strategy is not going to work for every single demographic. Younger generations who are social media savvy are used to a certain way of communicating and your marketing strategies that work flawlessly for older people might not appeal to the younger people you are trying to reach. The same is true of the opposite.

Everyone has an opinion, so it is your job to find out which opinions matter most and then address those viewpoints before you consider any others.

Once you figure out your target market, the creativity comes next. When I sit down to work on a design project I always put down the most obvious solution just to get it out of my system. Then I put it aside, and start considering other options. The phrase “think outside the box” is overused, but a vital strategy for any creative endeavor.

After thinking beyond the basics and every traditional marketing tactic in the book, try to think of something new. Being original will make you stand out from your competition more than a Facebook fan page will, that’s for sure.