Is it communication if the other person doesn’t get it?

📡 Well, of course not. If the audience doesn’t receive it, understand it or act on it - that’s just noise. 

⁉️ So, how do you ensure your communication is received, understood and acted on? 

1. Know your audience and the best ways to communicate with them (where they hang out, what they read etc.). 📖 🔖 ䷉ 🤓

2. Understand them. If you don’t, chances are, they won’t understand you.

3. Communicate in their language - and I don’t just mean literally but in a style, tone and level they are used to.

4. Give them a reason to listen or read on - why should they invest their valuable time in listening/reading this?

5. Give them something of value - so they keep listening/reading and wanting more. 🎁

6. Listen to them. 🙉

That last point is an important one. For you to know if they received and understood you, you have to listen actively. In a one-to-one conversation, you can do this by asking them what they just heard or what they understood from what you said. 

👩🏻‍💼 👨🏾‍💼 In business communication that includes social media and PR, you must actively “listen” to the engagement - comments, commentary, conversations, tone of editorial and more. 📈

🧐 Conduct comms research with your audiences at least bi-annually. 

👉🏻 And act on what you find. Adapt your messaging, change your tone, frequency, style - whatever is reflected back at you from your “active listening”. 

If you’d like to discuss this in more detail, use my scheduler to make an appointment to chat

How to pitch to editors

🗞 📖 ⭐️ As a journalist, I pitch to editors a lot and (happily) most of my article ideas are commissioned. But it hasn’t always been that way. Many years ago, when I worked in PR, clients would often expect me and my colleagues to “sell” an idea to an editor - and if you do it strongly enough they’ll buy it. If it didn’t go well, we usually got the blame with the client suggesting we learn some “hard sales techniques”. Yes, awful times. I’m glad the world has moved on.

Pitching to editors is not about selling them a story

See, what those clients failed to grasp (point blank refused to in some cases) was what the editor’s needs were in terms of article content. What the clients thought was interesting about their company wasn’t interesting outside of their company. It’s tough to accept, I know, but unless you’re super well-known in your industry, the fact that you’ve added a certain feature to your product isn’t ground-breaking news!

That said, we now live in the digital world and there are far more opportunities to pitch content to editors than there used to be. That’s to say, there’s a greater need for good quality content than ever before.

Are there opportunities to pitch to editors?

These days, most high-end trade, industry and business titles have an online presence. They may still print a magazine or newspaper but less frequently and the more quality content they publish, the better it is for ad sales (online and in print). So, whilst it’s hard for PRs to get clients featured in printed publications, it’s easier to get them featured online because of the constant need for fresh content that appeals to both algorithms and readers. 

What are the rules when pitching to editors?

🕵🏻‍♂️ 🤔 👨🏾‍💼  

1. Know who you’re pitching to and what they want in terms of content - read the publication and research who you’re pitching to. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’m pitched to by PRs, in my role as a journalist in the automotive sector, to write about fashion and lifestyle topics! 🥱

2. Make sure your story is fresh and/or “newsworthy” - it doesn’t have to be a topic that’s completely original but a new or alternative perspective on something is a must if you want to get featured prominently. 🧐

3. Explain what the story is and why it’s relevant in the FIRST TEN WORDS. If an editor has to read three paragraphs of rambling background to get to the nugget, they won’t. You have to grab them first and then deliver the detail. 🤩

4. Don’t pitch to the same publication too often. If they’ve recently published an article from your client, leave it a while before pitching to them again.

🤔 🤓 👇🏻 How else can you be helpful and get your pitch accepted? Put your ideas in the comments and let’s see, all constructive ones will be featured. 

This article first appeared on LinkedIn

Unique Selling Proposition – do you really have a USP?

I believe the unique selling proposition is a myth, here’s why:

The USP is lauded as the holy grail of marketing.  We’re constantly told to “focus on your Unique Selling Proposition”. But how many businesses can say they truly have one? If it’s the case (as I believe) that we don’t, then what should we focus on instead?

The term USP is said to have been coined by Rosser Reeves of television advertising firm Ted Bates & Company back in 1940. It has been used extensively in advertising since. There are various definitions of the term but essentially it’s:

That one thing about you that’s unique, that no other business has or does, that makes your offering a better proposition to potential customers than your competitors are. 

Although highly successful back in the day for brands such as British Airways, Head & Shoulders and Anadin, the world of commerce has changed in the past 80 years and what worked then doesn’t anymore.

Globalisation and population growth

Firstly, there are way more brands and commercial enterprises doing the same things than there were in 1940. That said, population growth and globalisation means markets are larger too. Even small businesses can compete with large ones for market share by selling to customers the world over or by occupying tiny niches that wouldn’t otherwise be served.

However, if you’re a business owner, the fact that there are many more businesses doing the same as you makes it almost impossible to have (and hold on to) a unique selling proposition. Even if you do have one, it’ll only be a short time before someone else is doing the same but cheaper and better. Anyone who’s watched Dragon’s Den (UK) or Shark Tank (US) understands this. 

Trying to compete through unique selling proposition today is as pointless as trying to compete on price alone.

The importance of customer experience

According to research by PWC, 86% (that’s almost 90%!) of buyers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience and 49% have made impulse purchases after receiving a more personalised experience. A 2020 Walker study predicted that at the end of the year, customer experience would overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator.

So, if you don’t have a Unique Selling Proposition, what’s the answer? How can you set yourself apart and stand out from the competition?

There is only one thing that’s truly unique about your business and that’s you! More specifically, the elements that make up your story so far are the building blocks that brought you to where you are now. Your story is truly unique. There isn’t another person in the known universe who has the same story and experience as you. That experience can help connect you with people and set you apart. And with buyers more focused on customer experience now, your unique story and how you present it is the most valuable selling proposition you have.

For me, this is the true USP – your Unique Story Presentation.

6 tips for creating your Unique Story Presentation: 

1)    Be authentic – this will help you connect with people on an emotional level. Don’t brag, tell the truth. There’s a place to brag in marketing but it’s not here. People will get that you’re successful – you’re running a business! If you’ve struggled in life, say so. If you’ve learned from mistakes – great, tell us! If you failed 100 times before becoming successful – we want to know. If you ended up in prison and now you’re reformed, what was that like?

2)    Don’t hide – it’s common for people to think they’re not interesting or to hide aspects of their life (or character) because they’re self-conscious. Conversely, some people have no filter and tell all to everyone, which can be damaging to reputation and relationship building. It’s about balance – telling your story authentically but sensibly and appropriately. 

This is why it’s good to engage a copywriter, someone who’s external, impartial and can see you from the same perspective as your audiences. An experienced writer will guide you appropriately.

The man who mistook himself for uninteresting

I once interviewed an MD to write his profile for the company website. A quiet, unassuming yet highly intelligent man, he seemed nervous and all he offered up were dull narratives his PR people had given him. By way of reassurance, I explained that nothing would be published without his approval and to ease the pressure, I started making small talk. I’d noticed a photograph on the wall and asked about it. The MD told me it was a picture of his late father (and other members of his cohort) who worked with Francis Crick as part of the team at Cambridge University that deciphered the structure of DNA. I was gobsmacked as my interviewee told me he never talked about this aspect of his life because he didn’t want to come across as a show off. I explained that, on the contrary, in terms of his business profile, this was a ‘stand out’ fact and needed to be highlighted and underlined!

Telling your own story is not easy, which is why working with a professional writer will help present you in the best light (even if there are things you don’t like about yourself, don’t feel comfortable talking about or don’t think are interesting). A skilled interviewer will bring out the best and make it an enjoyable experience (I’ve had people leave when the interview’s over and thank me for helping them to feel good about themselves).

3)    Identify with your customers and vice versa. If you know your customers, you understand the kind of issues they face, what keeps them awake at night and the sorts of problems they deal with. Use anecdotes from your own professional life that demonstrate your understanding of their situation.

4)    Be appropriate – if your target market is young, fun-loving generation Z, your story needs to be fun and “gucci” (Google it, I had to!). B2B audiences aged 28-50 want something more serious and aspirational. Mums want to hear from other mums, they want reassurance that they’re not the only ones feeling overwhelmed……and so on, you get the picture.

5)    Your personality – always open up about what you do outside of work, your hobbies and interests and don’t just mention them, weave stories in that will entertain, interest, inspire or influence. This gives your business personality, which is crucial in the digital world where businesses rarely interact with customers face to face. It’s impossible to cultivate loyalty if you’re a faceless operation. Build personality in with images and entertaining bios of your team.

6)    A word about humour and controversy: it’s great to be humorous and controversial, if you know what you’re doing. But it takes a skill that doesn’t come naturally for most people and must be learned. An experienced copywriter understands this and will know when and how to use both tactically to make your story stand out. 

In this post, I started off discussing Unique Selling Proposition and how (in my view) it’s not something you should focus on because (basically) you don’t have one! But, you should emphasise your Unique Story Presentation because we all have one of those – and they’re usually a lot more interesting than you might think. There is a caveat, however, in that you might not be the best person to write your story. So, if you want to know more or would like to discuss any aspect of your USP, get in touch.

I’m curious and would like to know more.

Is your marketing messaging COVID-friendly?

Coronavirus is impacting the words and sentiments we use to communicate

Just as Coronavirus has changed the way we work, how we do business and carry on with our daily lives, it has also impacted how we communicate as businesses.

Now that we’re easy out of lockdown, your messaging needs to be empathetic to the current situation, relevant, appropriate and supportive.

This is no time for the hard sell

Over the past 15 months, the familiar and comfortable have been replaced by anxiety and confusion. Employees have been furloughed, companies have closed, others have shut down. People worry about their health and that of their nearest and dearest daily and fret about their futures. This is not the time for a hard sell.

Instead, businesses must reassure customers and audiences that they care. They need to validate their concerns, sympathise with their situations, cooperate with requests and show warmth, empathy and a willingness to understand.

As a business, you must help them feel safe in dealing with you, and above all, demonstrate adaptability in this unbending world situation.

Currently, customers don’t care about your ‘unique selling proposition’. They’re unconcerned about your product being the ‘cheapest’, ‘best’, ‘number one best-seller’ or that you have ‘drive’, ‘ambition’ or ‘dynamism’. It’s of little interest whether you’re the ‘market leader’, ‘best-known brand’. They don’t care how many followers you have, 5-star reviews or how well-known your connections are. Life is tough.

People have other things to worry about

The UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) released figures from research that highlighted almost 70% of adults agreed that Coronavirus is having a negative effect on their life. 63% are worried about the future, citing employment and the economy as eliciting the most anxiety. 56% are feeling stressed or anxious.

GfK’s Coronavirus Consumer Pulse backs this up by stating that 85% of US consumers feel the way brands behave during the crisis will affect their desire to do business with those companies in the future. Only 14% of consumers feel that big brands are taking positive action during the Coronavirus crisis and big brands rank among the top five groups that “could do more to help in the crisis”.

So, what’s needed?

Tips on how to communicate during the COVID crisis

Review your sales and marketing literature and channels. Change any messaging that is (what could be termed) “brag marketing” i.e., market-leading, number one best seller and so on, to a promise – such as:

• We aim to earn high regard in our sector by promising to [support our community/help our customers/support people in crisis/bolstering the mental health of our employees……etc.

• Our purpose is to address our customers’ challenges by [insert as appropriate] (this is for B2B solution-based businesses).

• We intend to offer the best value to our customers by [insert].

What you write depends on the type of business you’re in, whether it’s product, service or solution-based, what type of market you cater to and whether it’s consumer (B2C) or business-to-business (B2B).

Go with your gut instinct, in terms of aligning your marketing messaging with the current situation, while highlighting your values and answering the question as to why customers should do business with you (or continue to do business with you) during this crisis? Why are you relevant right now?

Don’t forget to take into account places like Google MyBusiness and other directory listings where you might appear, plus social media profiles.

10 Tips to ensure your marketing messaging is COVID-friendly:

1. Communicate your values – it’s better to talk about what your business stands for in terms of your values and mission – such as integrity, transparency, safety etc., than any accolades you’ve won.

2. Communicate promises – your promises will be based on your values. For example, for a value of integrity, your promises could be: customers can rest-assured we will always be honest, open and ethical in our communication and the way we do business.

3. You can also demonstrate this by talking about any policies you have that ensure you adhere to these values.

4. Reassure customers that you can deliver on your promises – the measures, processes and procedures you’ve put in place to ensure you can deliver them. The more specific you can be the better (such as if you’ve changed your product packaging so they can be more easily posted and delivered during the pandemic), say so.

5. Show customers that you understand their concerns – by listing them. For example, we know you’re concerned about safety right now so we’ve put the following measures in place to address those concerns…………….

6. Show empathy – show that you understand what they’re going through by giving examples such as: we understand life is uncertain right now, but we want you to know that we’re doing everything we can to deal with that uncertainty, such as [insert].

7. Show them you understand their needs – we understand you’re looking for a product/solution that meets your needs in [the following ways – insert].

8. Communicate your pandemic health & safety policies and tell them what changes you’ve made to accommodate these. If people are going to visit your premises it’s important they know that you’ve taken measures to ensure their safety. Specify exactly what those measures are and how you’re reviewing them to stay on top of requirements, legislation and rules as they change.

9. Tell people how you’ve adapted throughout COVID. Talk to them, in a positive way, about your COVID journey and how you’ve modified things along the way. Don’t be scared to tell your own personal story; rather than making you look weak, it’ll help create empathy

10. It’s okay to say that you don’t know. It’s fine to own up to what you don’t know. These are uncertain times and none of us has a crystal ball. We don’t know when the pandemic will be over, when things will return to normal (or if they ever will), or whether we can now stick to our original product development schedule. But what we can be sure about, as businesses people, is our intentions. Don’t be afraid to be honest about what you don’t know but set your intention to do the right thing as soon as you can and communicate this to customers.

For a free, impartial conversation about your own marketing messaging strategy, click the button below (connects you to my contacts page):

The Creative Process - how burning it all down may be the right thing to do

Part of the creative process involves creating a mess but many people get to that point, feel discouraged and quit. They don’t understand that it’s okay. In fact, it’s a necessary and critical point in the process and one through which you have to dig deep to keep going.

The value of mess

You can’t get to the point where you begin to build anything of true value without first creating a mess and even destruction. If you’ve ever, like me, lived next to a building site, you know how messy it can get before any actually building begins.

So, in my experience, the first part of the creative process is often about preparation, you’re not actually creating anything you’re preparing yourself for the next stage - the unencumbered phase where you are able to tap into the genius within and without and build your true creation.

Creating “the mess” also helps you learn whatever it is you need to learn in order to build this thing - whatever that is. Whether it’s a painting, a sculpture, an important piece of writing (such as a book), or anything in fact.

Mess helps us learn

Anyone who’s ever visited a nursery and watched toddlers playing will have seen firsthand how willing they are to create a mess. To them, it’s a natural part of learning. They don’t have the capacity to be discouraged by a mess, they don’t see it as failure, to them it’s actually fun. That’s how they learn, through play.

As adults we often lose the capacity to have fun with the creative process and enjoy it.

But what about burning it all down? What if you’ve been working on a book for five years and all you’ve ended up with is a hot mess? Should you pour through it in fine detail and try and make sense of it? Should you quit and tell yourself you gave it a go but obviously you’re not meant to be a writer? Or, should you burn it all down, have some fun for a while and start afresh?

Check out the Margins Podcast

This podcast from Managing Editor Magazine (and featuring yours truly) shines a light on that last option to find out if it’s ever the right thing to do.

The podcast features me (writer Alison Pittaway: starting at 11:17), disruption expert Charlene Li and entrepreneur Elena Valentine.

Don’t Turn a Positive Experience Negative by Asking for Reviews

I recently used the services of an email list cleansing company. No sooner had I done so than they began hounding me for a review on Trustpilot.

I’d only used their services one time so it’s not like they had a relationship with me. Rather than making me feel good about the company, it made me feel annoyed and irritated.

I ignored their ‘review begging’ emails assuming they’d desist.

As this company didn’t have a relationship with me, nor I with them, I didn’t feel invested so I found this easy to do.

Bombarded with begging emails

I was bombarded daily with emails offering a financial incentive to review this company’s service.

I eventually relented - not because of the financial incentive but:

• to get them off my back

• because I work in marketing and empathise with the importance of reviews. However, I was feeling considerably irritated by this stage and had lost respect for the company.

I wrote a brief review and gave a mark of 4 out of 5 stars (5 stars is the maximum score on Trustpilot). Although the service I’d received from the company was good, it wasn’t excellent so I based my score on that – and the subsequent bombardment!

I thought that would be the end of it, but no. That same day, I received an email from someone in the company’s marketing department asking why I’d not given them a 5-star review.

I was told my review wasn’t good enough

They pointed out that even though I’d said the service was fine, I’d not given a perfect score, Why?. They then asked what they could do to change my mind and demanded I log back in to Trustpilot and change my score.

I replied thus:

“Emails like this are counter-productive. It makes me feel I’m being cajoled into giving you a 5-star review when I’ve not been given or allowed to enjoy a five-star service. This suggests you care more about your company’s reputation than you do about me - your customer!

I’m an experienced marketing communications practitioner (been in the job over 30 years) and I know this to be a poor strategy. It just makes me feel bad about [your company].

I used your services and paid handsomely for that (which ought to be enough in its own right). Now I’ve gone to the trouble of leaving a review and instead of thanking me, you tell me it’s not good enough!

The reason I didn't give a 5-star score is because your service wasn’t perfect because of the persistent hounding afterwards to give your company a review!!

Having received your email I’d be happy to log back in to Trustpilot and change my score to a 1!!!”

I didn’t change my review score, and to be fair, the person replied and apologised.

This redeemed the situation a little but by then the damage had been done. I am unlikely to use or recommend the company again.

There are way more effective ways to get good reviews

It may seem harsh, everyone deserves a second chance right!? Wrong, not in business. When customers’ time is so scarce and your competitors are a mere click away, guaranteeing 5-star reviews without soliciting them is essential, so how do you that without begging, hounding, cajoling or incentivising?

Read 10 tips (and one rule) that will guarantee 5-star reviews online here….

For my in-depth tips I don’t share anywhere else, subscribe (below)…..

10 tips (and one rule) that will guarantee 5-star reviews online

It’s a legitimate marketing objective to want 5-start reviews online.

Sites such as Trustpilot, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Defaqto, Facebook, Google My Business and so on offer a highly valuable service for both businesses and consumers.

But when trying to elicit reviews from customers becomes your most important goal, it will quickly backfire and damage your reputation.

Why are customer reviews important?

We live in an online world where building relationships with customers face-to-face cannot be done. So, we need to find new and different ways of nurturing and building trust in our brand. Customer reviews play a huge part and can greatly influence prospects’ evaluation and buying decisions.

According to yell.com, 93% of consumers say online reviews have an impact on their purchasing decisions. That’s a staggering percentage.

No wonder 5-star reviews are so desirable!

Other stats from Yell Business go on to reveal:

•      84% of people trust online reviews.

•      74% of consumers say that positive reviews make them trust a local business more.

•      60% state that negative reviews make them not want to use a business.

So, how do you ensure your business gets its fair share of 5-star reviews?

The 10 tips below will guarantee your business is inundated with 5-star reviews but firstly, there’s a very important rule you must follow.

Failure to do this will most likely garner you 1-4-star reviews at best or no reviews at all.

Rule #1 – never ask for a review

That’s right, you read it correctly, the number one rule for eliciting 5-star reviews is DON’T!

I can almost hear the cries of “WHAT! Are you serious!”. Well, yes I am. And I know what you’re thinking: how can you ensure your customers give you a nice review unless you ask? What if you know the customer well and they’ve bought from you before? What if you’ve done them a favour/given them a special deal? What if they’re your mum and she owes you one?

Still no!

But…….but…….but………….

Okay, let me put you out of your misery before you think I’m the craziest goose on the planet.

The reason you should never actively soliciting reviews is because, if you’re following the 10 tips below, you don’t have to. Your customers will happily (and naturally) do it for you – and the review, plus your reputation will be all the better for it.

Of course this won’t happen every time, with every customer – just as it doesn’t happen every time with every customer when you actively ask for them – but it will happen way more often than you’d imagine.

Avoid turning a positive experience into a negative review

Read more about my experience of a supplier that got it wrong……

10 simple rules that will guarantee positive customer reviews online 

1.     Never solicit or ask for reviews - NEVER! Unsolicited, authentic reviews from happy customers are more positive and have a far greater impact than dry, solicited ones. It’s easy for potential customers to tell the difference.

2.     Focus on meeting expectations - delivering a first-class product and/or service, aligned with your market’s, customers’ and prospects’ expectations. If your product or service is expensive and high-end, make sure you deliver high-end. If your customers expect inexpensive and value for money, deliver that. Always know your market, your ideal customer, what they expect - and how you can meet or even exceed those expectations.

3.     Build and nurture relationships with customers first and give, give, give before you ask for anything (even their email address). This is probably the single most important point to take on board.

4.     Treat them like ‘Real’ people – in the online world, companies often forget that customers are “real people” and should be respected and treated as if they are special - because they are special, they are your business’s life blood.

5.     Engage with customers - thank them for their custom and/or their comments and reviews. Don’t delete bad reviews, reply, deal with them appropriately - potential customers learn as much about you by the way you deal with irate customers, negative comments and complaints.

6.     It’s okay to make mistakes - every business does. Don’t try to cover up your mistakes, instead clean them up, admit the mistake, apologise, put it right, learn from it and reassure customers by telling them what you’ve learnt and the steps you’ve put in place to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

7.     Deal with customer complaints - appropriately (this is a whole other article but there are lots of resources online that can help you). Don’t be discourage and (most importantly) don't take them personally.

8.     Respect customers’ wishes - in terms of how and when you get in touch with them, don’t bombard them.

9.     Make it easy for customers - to review your products and services, include links to review sites on all and any communication: emails, order confirmations, delivery notifications and website. Use testimonials in your marketing (remember to do so anonymously if you don’t have your customer’s permission).

10.  Customers don’t work for you, you work for them! Always remember that, you need them more than they need you - your competitors are a simple click away!

If you do all of the above, believe in yourself, your business, have faith in your product or service and put customers first, you will be inundated with genuine, authentic, unsolicited 5-start reviews.

If you would like more useful tips, subscribe (below). I promise to keep your details private and will only send you stuff I think you’ll find useful.

For an example of how not to elicit reviews, read this……