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Information overload. Option anxiety. Wordy text. Offers and multiple call-to-actions. Upper-management (who think they’re) copywriters.

What’s the common thread?

Today, in trying to rise above the increasing din of marketing noise, there appears to be a habit by designers and copywriters to throw as much information at the audience in the hopes that something, anything will resonate with the customer. Either these professionals are not confident in the appeal of their product / service, or they truly believe they have to aim for every conceivable hot-button so no opportunity is wasted. It’s the digital version of throwing as much stuff on the virtual wall to see what sticks.

No doubt in your experience you’ve seen plenty of examples. Not just Web pages but print ads and outdoor billboards. They’re crammed with words, features, benefits, images, tag-lines, links; you name it. What results is nothing more than unrelated clutter and layout chaos. I call it the marketing data dump.

Web sites are a perfect example of “too much” being too much. The technology allows us to easily place links, sidebars, tile ads (and Flash) on to our pages in the hopes of “proving” (read: “selling”) our product/service. Instead of a clear call-out of what it is we sell / do / offer, and the tangible benefits to the customer, we try too hard to justify and prove our worthiness. Sometimes we do this because we believe our site users are on an informational hunt, at the very beginning of the purchase cycle. They need the information! In many cases this is true.

Yet, the balance comes in communicating the initial “good fit” between the customer’s expectations and your company’s product. It’s like sizing-up a first date. Is there something that causes an initial attraction? Does the message communicate the right things? Does everything say that things are “right?” Is the page crafted to foster an impression that causes the reader to want to know more? THAT’s what a good home page should strive to achieve.

Yet, Web designs try to close the sale on the home page. In my opinion that’s an unachievable goal, akin to walking up to a stranger and asking for marriage. Ain’t gonna happen.

Following the dating scenario, saying too much (like how many awards you’ve personally won, or how everybody tells you what a great person you are) are big negatives (many Web sites do this right up-front!). Don’t talk about YOU, talk about THEM. Your purpose is best served by paying attention to, and listening to your “date” (or in the case of an online audience, speaking to their “pain points” - in their language) and talking about them.

Clearly. Factually. No marketing hype.

Make them feel comfortable; and often the way you do that is to keep it simple and offer direct paths to different options they can choose to progress (”next time, dinner?” or, “how our solutions solve your problems…”).

When planning your home page consider keeping your messaging and layout as crisp and concise as possible, while getting visitors to move to the next step of the buying process. (Along those lines, do you know what that “next step“ is? See: sales funnel. Remember: YOU control how they perceive you. YOU can plan the Web traveler’s journey. Don’t leave fate to your customer. Make a clear connection with them first using strong, single-tone messaging and a clean layout. Get then interested and qualified. Then offer them simple but compelling paths to travel to a conclusion (engagement). As you create those paths, only then can you begin adding more (not LOTS) of choices to learn more. If you’ve done your job, they’ll want to.

Agree? Disagree? Have a success story? Have a question? Share it with me at: bob_chernet@viewmark.com

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© 2007 Bob Chernet
Reproduction in any manner is unlawful, without the written permission of the author.

Consolidating analytic applications into a centralized corporate metrics initiative can make anyone feel “damned if you do, damned if you don’t”. Most organizations start the journey with an evaluation of the applications being utilized in the corporation and concentrate on a laundry list of features and requirements. The process generally consists of scoring each application’s strengths and weaknesses and when the process is complete, a winner is selected and the implementation begins.

Unfortunately, catering to the metrics needs of a diverse set of individuals and divisional requirements can be a challenge for any single reporting mechanism. Many metrics initiatives actually fail because the personnel they are intended to help can’t figure out how to get the data they need to make their business decisions from. Interestingly, the needs are usually a specific set of performance results not easily aligned with the corporation’s laundry list of application features.

The other night I was watching an old Peter Sellers movie and couldn’t help drawing an analogy. Clouseau was in the lobby of a hotel when a lady with a dog approached. He kneels down to pet the dog and politely asks, “Does your dog bite?”. The lady softly replies, “No, my dog doesn’t bite”. Suddenly, the dog digs into Clouseau’s hand and he quickly backs off. He exclaims, “I thought you said your dog doesn’t bite”, to which the lady explains, “This is not my dog”.

As I watched the scene it reminded me of how important it is to ask the right question and how easy it is to misinterpret the answer. Over the years, we have been involved with many corporate analytic implementations and there are two major headlines that have emerged for me. One: everyone wants something different, and two: the process has to be clear and simple for everyone.

Clearly, consolidating corporate metrics into a single application can remove ambiguities, streamline processes and reduce overall costs. Ironically, as the number of users increase, so does the inherent complexities of fulfilling the unique needs of each user in a single “one size fits all” application.

To institutionalize analytics and business intelligence applications more effort needs to be focused on the process of how individuals receive the information they need, instead of the actual features and usage of the metrics application. Today, most major metrics applications can answer the majority of questions we need to know, even some that are free. The challenge is to provide each individual with their unique answers in a consumable way for all.

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It’s amazing how many businesses actually bury their Web address (URL) in their marketing materials and advertising as an afterthought.

I’ve conducted my own unscientific study of URL placement on product packaging, magazine ads and other marcom and cannot believe the opportunity companies are missing.

First, let’s talk about one company that’s doing it right.

No question, HP (Hewlett-Packard) wins my award for URL prominence and relevancy. It would be too easy for them to put “www.hp.com” on their printer boxes. Imagine the result of doing that: I get to a corporate home page where I must figure out where I want to go. As a marketer, wouldn’t it be better of you designed a specific path you wanted to lead a user down so that you could come to a specific conclusion (remember the sales funnel)?

To their credit, HP has their printer boxes PLASTERED with a URL for a micro-site dedicated to printer users. The site is filled with tips on how to get better printing results, methods to create fancier layouts and such. Smart. Drive users to a page that helps them use more ink, while keeping the brand front-and-center. It’s the beginning of a bond between company and customer, and repeat business.

A URL on a package must be more than looking like it’s going to the corporate home page. Make it work for you! www.hp.com is rather off-putting. www.hp.com/PrinterTips offers a direct benefit; especially when it’s on a printer box, instruction manual or on the product itself!

Unfortunately, I’ve seen hundreds of examples of small (and big) companies who still don’t get it.

Without naming names, I recently saw a FORTUNE 500 company bury their Web address under the copyright line on the back of the bottle that said: eMail us at www.company.com. I know, technically, that they probably have a “contact” page, but it’s wrong. And, why would I want to go to their Web site anyway? Where’s the benefit. What’s in it for me?

A URL is the door to your storefront. It’s open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, around the world. Why would you pass-up an opportunity to have people visit your store when they want to? Why not invite them to drop-by for some specific offer? (Everyone has something they can offer!)

Next time you’re involved with creating any sort of public-facing material, make sure your URL is designed into the layouts. Make it prominent. Give it a purpose. Tell readers what (extra) they’ll get if they go there. It baffles me why companies center their URL in 6-point type under their logo. It’s like saying that you have a FAX number. Who cares!

You want to drive more traffic? Make it a headline:

SAVE MONEY WITH US!
Print money-saving coupons at www.company.com/PrintCoupons

Not only do you increase the chance that people will take you up on your offer, you’ll add to order totals, and have a brand new marketing metric. (Imagine, a driver metric for box packaging!) Well, why not?

Giving relevant meaning to your URL, and placing it so it can’t be missed is smart marketing. You’re driving the user via the link. You create the intended experience. You’re extending the brand, at no extra cost.

Agree? Disagree? Have a success story? Have a question? Share it with me at: bob_chernet@viewmark.com

View a complete list of Bob’s Marketing Insights articles.

© 2007 Bob Chernet
Reproduction in any manner is unlawful, without the written permission of the author.

Search engine crawls are kind of like meeting your cousin periodically. When you meet there is always a tendency to exaggerate your recent accomplishments in an attempt to impress them. Everyone likes positive information to propagate about them throughout their family. Unfortunately, search engines (like cousins) aren’t easily fooled and embellishments can sometimes work against you.

You see, search engines (like cousins) have the ability to quickly verify your claims and tell you “who says what” through their links and contacts. This makes the whole experience a bit uncomfortable since your comments are not necessarily what you say you know, but whom you know and what they say you know.

This reminded me of a story someone told me about a famous celebrity they met and how the encounter changed their perception within their family, ultimately making them a legend. It was a monthly reunion of sorts; the individual was having dinner with his cousin. The conversation consisted of repetitive anecdotes on recent events when my friend excused himself for a quick biology break.

While in the restroom, my friend ran into a famous celebrity. He pleaded his case and asked the celebrity if they would mind acting like they knew him and saying something nice to his cousin. The celebrity thought it might be fun and reluctantly agreed. My friend went back to his table and continued to converse with his cousin, suddenly her eyes got as big as oranges when she recognized the celebrity approaching.

The celebrity put his hand on my friend’s shoulder and said “How are you, I haven’t seen you in a long time, is this the wonderful cousin you’re always talking about?” My friend turned to the celebrity and abruptly told them “Get lost, can’t you see I’m in the middle of something!” Now at first glance this might seem incredibly rude, but in terms of impressing his cousin it was remarkable.

This brings me back to search engines and how they seem to work in a similar way. You see, a link and recommendation from a highly ranked “celebrity” type site is more valuable when the link is not reciprocal. Of course, now my friend has become a legend, if not in his own mind, ours.

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Kraft Foods recently announced that it was changing its cheese strategy.

Rather than focusing on pre-sliced cheese, they were moving to the “end dish.” View the New York Times article (free registration may be required).

According to the article, the brand was, up to now, sold on “functional benefits” such as calcium content. But a new agency has moved in and “promise …that for the three or four minutes (while) you’re having a Kraft grilled cheese sandwich, you’re happy.” Kraft notes that this new approach is “unconventional” because it is not about selling a cheese slice.

Well, in a way, yes it is. If you’re working for Kraft and not selling slices of cheese, you’re out of a job. But finding a way to SELL the slice of cheese requires an approach that is different from what everybody seems to be doing: feature-based rather than customer-based.

I’ve been on this soapbox before. But it bears repeating. Customers care about what it does for them. How products (and advertising) touches their lives; how it relates to them, how it fills a need, or makes them more acceptable to their friends and associates. Obviously Kraft has “discovered” that calcium content ain’t sexy, and doesn’t move cheese. DUH.

I’m not saying “calcium” doesn’t have a place in the company’s cheese strategy. But, perhaps this quotation I have hanging in a prominent place in my office from Leo Burnett applies. It reminds me that “The work of an advertising agency is warmly and immediately human. It deals with human needs, wants, dreams and hopes…” You notice that it mentions nothing about bigger budgets, use of media, creativity or awards. It centers on making a connection with a customer in a very intimate way.

I’ve always been a strong believer in making some sort (any sort) of an emotional connection with my target audience. I also believe that, unless it’s something critically important to the sale of a product, people don’t really care about the technical or tangential details.

Ad man Steve Sohmer once told me at an industry conference that “…people don’t care at all about the coils, wires and fans behind the refrigerator. All they want is a cold box and enough room to put their stuff in.”

My question to you is, which are you selling right now? The coils and wires, or the large, cool space in which to store your cheese?

Agree? Disagree? Have a success story? Have a question? Share it with me at: bob_chernet@viewmark.com

View a complete list of Bob’s Marketing Insights articles.

© 2007 Bob Chernet
Reproduction in any manner is unlawful, without the written permission of the author.