Small(ish) Screens, Big Gains

Mar 31, 2016 | Marketing

Small(ish) Screens, Big Gains

The just-released comScore report, “2016 U.S. Cross-Platform Future in Focus,” hammers home how important mobile is becoming, across all audiences and spanning every content type.

Despite all the talk about cross-platform marketing (following prospects as they move throughout their day from the desktop, through the tablet to the smartphone), the message to marketers is clear: Ignore mobile, and smartphones in particular, at your own peril. The winners in each category will be those who create marketing experiences tailored to a mobile audience.

As of December 2015, smartphone penetration is at 79%, with ages 18-24 at 94% and ages 25-34 at 93%. Those ages 55+ are at a 58% penetration.

Interestingly, large-screen smartphone ownership exceeded small-screen ownership as of April 2015. This “bigger is better” mentality is growing in tandem with the variety of media available to mobile users. Among 18 to 34-year-olds 54% of TV viewing is on desktop or mobile, not live TV. In a single month, the top four digital media properties (Google, Facebook, Yahoo and Microsoft) reached roughly the same number of people as did the top four primetime broadcast networks.

We are in the midst of a virtuous circle. As smartphone penetration nears saturation, media companies and app developers are creating more content for mobile. And as more content becomes available, users are seeking a better viewing/playing/shopping experience afforded by a larger screen.

The study reveals that content publishers are getting a majority of their traffic from mobile, from business/finance sites to health, entertainment and lifestyle outlets.

The findings suggest that digital advertisers, who once focused solely on desktop users, must change the way they deliver their message and evaluate that delivery. A full 52% of desktop ad impressions are unviewable. Mobile outperformed desktop by a ration of 2.5 to 1 in the four measures of advertising effectiveness: aided awareness, favorability, likelihood to recommend and purchase intent. Mobile had its greatest impact on the last measure, the “bottom of the funnel,” presumably because mobile offers less advertising clutter and greater proximity to the point of purchase than the desktop experience.

One final takeaway: As digital audience growth flattens, approaching saturation, look for other effectiveness metrics besides reach, page views and unique visitors, such as time spent on site and conversions.

Rush less, see more

Feb 26, 2016 | Leadership

Rush less, see more

On Friday, as I began to finish the work week and prepare for the weekend, this beautiful story caught my attention.

In seven simple paragraphs, Acumen CEO Jacqueline Novogratz reminded me of the importance of slowing down, of taking the time to truly notice the people I am interacting with.

In the bustle of completing projects, gaining client buy-in, pitching new business and meeting with colleagues, this simple act of humanity often gets lost.

Let’s take a collective deep breath and really see one another.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-novogratz-a6313?trk=pulse-det-athr_prof-art_hdr

Pitfalls of the Jackson Pollock Method

Dec 10, 2015 | Marketing

Pitfalls of the Jackson Pollock method

Jackson Pollock, the American-born artist, made splatter art by flinging paint at a canvas.  His signature style served him well in artists’ circles, bringing him much acclaim.

In my career, I’ve come across many businesses whose marketing efforts can be characterized by throwing many tools and messages against the wall and seeing what sticks. This undisciplined, scattershot approach wastes resources and confuses target audiences.

At On Target Marketing, we believe that all marketing communications efforts should flow from a plan that considers a company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats viewed in a competitive context. Out of this analysis comes the development of a unique selling proposition – a statement of your company’s point of excellence.

The plan should next determine and prioritize target audiences, then should specify messages that should be communicated to each target audience, built upon the unique selling proposition. This strategic consideration of a company’s position and the messages it can “own” in the marketplace forms the rationale for selecting which marketing communications tools have the greatest value.

Anything else is just taking artistic liberty with your marketing communications resources.

Who Are You? (They Really Wanna Know)

Aug 27, 2015 | Marketing

Who are you? (They really wanna know)

Branding — it’s that overused term you’d rather not think about. But without it, marketing’s a pointless exercise.

In essence, branding establishes and defines your identity. It differentiates you from your competition. It says something about your company’s values. Good branding does the above, plus it evokes a positive emotional response. Take a look at your company’s brand image. How does it stack up to the above criteria?

 

The TUMM Test

All successful branding begins with a unique selling proposition. Also called a value proposition, it must pass the TUMM test. Is the proposition upon which your brand is based:
  • True — Can you legitimately own the claim your brand is making?
  • Unique — Are you claiming to be something different than your competition, or are you an also-ran?
  • Memorable — Does your branding capture the imagination of your audience, so much so that they remember you?
  • Meaningful — Does your value proposition resonate with your audience, and does it represent something your audience cares about?
In a nutshell
Not just branding but all of marketing lives at the intersection of who your company is and what your target audience wants. Figure out how to profitably meet your prospects’ needs, or better yet — fill a need they don’t even know they have — and you’ll be a marketing star.

Think Like an Outsider

Aug 12, 2015 | Marketing

Think like an outsider

I grew up on Long Island until I was 12, when my family moved to Southern California. That was just the first, although most formative, of many moves I’ve made – 10 moves in 15 years, to be exact. That, on top of multiple job and career changes, left me feeling like I didn’t quite belong anywhere.

Although I used to view this rootlessness as a negative, I now know it’s the underpinning of On Target Marketing. Allow me to explain.

When you’re 12, have no friends, and dress and talk differently from the kids in your school, you have a choice: continue as if nothing has changed or adapt. I chose the latter. I quickly figured out where I fit in. I dropped the LI accent in 3 months. I adopted new mannerisms. I changed my hairstyle.

Yet, while my exterior had changed, I did not change who I was as a person. My core values remained intact. The result: I gained a new group of friends and became active in school.

In essence, being an outsider made me skilled at understanding my target audience. I learned how to get myself out of the way and focus on the habits, values and motivations of others.

Since then, I’ve translated that ability to understand others into a career in marketing communications. I’ve been successful partly because I can truly place myself in others’ shoes. It’s helped me define target audiences, shape messages that motivate and write copy that resonates. And I counsel my clients about how to communicate with their own customers, clients and prospects in a way that they will be heard and without compromising their values.

By the way, I’ve lived in my current home on Long Island for 17 years. It’s 2 miles from my childhood home.

Permission to Fail

Jul 15, 2015 | Management

Permission to Fail

If you’ve had a long enough career, you’ve picked up a few management lessons along the way. Good bosses teach by example but the shortest trip up the learning curve often comes courtesy of bad managers. I learned something pretty powerful from a former boss. He said, and I quote: “It is always better to commit a sin of commission than a sin of omission.” In his mind, the worst thing his employees could do was to do nothing. Better we should “stick our necks out,” try something risky, even if it means failing miserably. He was the president of an ad agency, and in an industry that thrives on creativity those were wise words. Steve Davies, former president of Sandata and small business consultant, learned a valuable lesson from a former honcho. He details the experience in his blog post “Never Allow Your People to Delegate Upward,” and it’s written specifically for owners of small businesses.

While Davies’ lesson was phrased differently, I believe he received the same takeaway as I did. The best managers know that their organizations need people who aren’t afraid to fail. The development of better client service, more innovative products and less costly ways of doing business require an atmosphere that encourages problem solving, and therefore risk taking, at lower levels of the company.

After all, delegating upward is simply an effort to avoid the risk of making a poor decision.

I received a healthy dose of that lesson at Long Island Business News. We scheduled a meeting to brainstorm some off-the-wall ideas for stories. A few were so offbeat they’ll never appear in print. But very many became real stories.

You never know what can happen when you let your folks stick their necks out.

Listen Up

Jul 14, 2015 | Management

Listen up

I just finished viewing Julian Treasure’s TED Talks lecture entitled “5 Ways to Listen Better.”
Treasure says “we are losing our listening,” thanks to competing demands on our attention, including cellphones, email and ambient noise, to name three of many culprits.

It got me thinking.

If Treasure’s assertion is true, what is its implication for our businesses?

If our staffers “only retain 25 percent” of what they hear, how can we make sure they hear the information that will help our company excel? Imagine what would happen to our market share if we heard 100 percent of what our clients and customers were telling us. And many a workplace misunderstanding has resulted from one party thinking she heard something that actually was never said.

If we’re not listening, then what are we doing when someone else is talking? My guess is we’re residing fully inside our own head, thinking where we’d like to go to lunch, wondering if we’ve set the DVR properly to record our favorite show and the most egregious of all, planning what we’ll say next. I’m guilty of this. When one of my sons says something to me, I frequently respond, “What?” even though I heard the statement. I just wasn’t paying attention.

On its most basic level, this listening disconnect prevents us from engaging in the world and creating meaningful interactions with those we care about.
Here’s a site with listening exercises specific to the business world: businesslistening.com.

Try some of them out and let me know what happens when you do. I’m all ears.

Managing the Leadership Shortage

Jul 13, 2015 | Management

Managing the Leadership Shortage

A report from Manhattan-based Beeson Consulting Inc. caught my eye. Ponderously titled “The Executive Leadership Imperative: A New Perspective on How Companies and Executives Can Accelerate the Development of Women Leaders,” it takes as its launching point a study from The Conference Board that suggests we are facing an “emerging leadership challenge.” The group following the baby boom generation is approximately 18 percent smaller than its predecessor. Fewer folks in the work force equal fewer future leaders.

The Beeson paper postulates that this represents an opportunity for women if stumbling blocks to women’s advancement are carted away, obstacles such as poorly articulated rules for advancement; a lack of candid, constructive feedback; and a narrower range of leadership behaviors the organization will allow women to display.

While roughly 50 percent of you reading this will recognize the problems in the study, the most useful part are the suggested solutions. I especially applaud this one: “Identify and reward powerful male ‘champions’ who are skilled at developing women leaders.” Like it or not, the C-suite is probably more receptive to recommendations for promotions that come from men.

What is your organization doing to prepare for the leadership shortage? What programs target specifically the promotion of women?

Don’t Put It in Writing

Jul 12, 2015 | Customer Service

Don’t Put it in Writing

I get a lot of emails in general, many specifically on the topic of providing good customer service. But this CBS Moneywatch article I stumbled upon, “5 Things You Should Never Put in an Email,” pointed out how, in a time when all of our written communication can be readily blasted to the blogosphere, we may be shooting ourselves in the foot.

I have been on the receiving end of many of the email gaffes outlined in the article. (I have received boilerplate “answers” that did not even approximate a response to my question, for example.)

While large companies respond to thousands of customers a day, we smaller firms can outsmart the big boys by providing customer-facing staffers with some techniques, email and otherwise, to keep customers from making a complaint a public spectacle.

Lessons from My Closeup

Jul 11, 2015 | Public Relations

Lessons from My Closeup

Speaking on camera looks easy. It isn’t. I can say that based on personal experience.

I was filmed for a Verizon FiOS1 News Long Island segment on its series, “Money & Main $treet.” (You can watch it here: https://vimeo.com/27920578)

Although the segment on air lasted about 2 1/2 minutes, it took roughly 30 minutes to shoot.

The producer said six words that jinxed us: “Let’s do this in one take.” While the first take wasn’t awful, I felt my legs shaking throughout. Happily, through no fault of my own, I got a second chance.

I genuinely enjoy performing, but I suspect that’s not the case for everyone.

If you’re called to do an on-air interview, whether it be radio or TV, consider engaging the services of a media trainer (we’ve got you covered there). No one is born knowing how to field interview questions and appear and sound natural doing it.

In addition, here are some things I learned that could prove helpful:

  1. Ask for a list of questions in advance. That way, you can prepare and have some statistics on the ready.
  2. Don’t count on the interviewer to calm you down. She has to focus on her own performance.
  3. Try to ignore the glaring light. Otherwise, your now-beady eyes will blink uncontrollably.
  4. If you con yourself into thinking you’re just having a conversation with your interviewer, you can (kind of) forget that the camera is rolling.
  5. Even professionals make mistakes and must stop for another take.
  6. Perform a balancing act. While you’ll want your adrenaline to flow to give you a heightened sense of alertness, you can control your nerves by remembering that the clip will air once or a few times at most. Too many jitters, you’ll stumble over your words. Too few, and you’ll appear wooden.

Finally, keep in mind that viewers don’t expect you to be a polished presenter. You have a day job.