Give Me Specifics!

One of the most powerful techniques in marketing is giving specifics… or NOT! When selling or marketing products, you need to know when to give specific examples, testimonials, or evidence, and when to hold back. For example let’s explore the commercials that offer a faster Internet connection.

Cable companies like Comcast and others highlight the fact that their Internet connection speeds are “Up to 2 times faster” than some other brand. By being specific, customers and potential customers can see the benefit of what is being offered. This helps to justify price and remove obstacles to purchase.

At the same time that Comcast is giving you specifics, they are also being smart about what they are not telling you. For example, Comcast might be more expensive than other competitors with a similar offering. Or, they may require the purchase of an upgraded package in order to get the faster service too. In this example, Comcast is being as selective about what they are telling you as well as what they aren’t telling you.

Are you being specific in your marketing?

Being a strong marketer means being able to tell the difference between situations that require specifics and those that do not. One of the main points I wish to get across is that using specifics in your marketing messages are ideal when your product or service meet an obvious or latent need. “Do you laundry in half the time”, “Save gas with our new fuel efficient model”, etc. are good starting points to address obvious needs but don’t quite do enough to generate a desired action.

“Our New Washer Allows You to Do 30% More Laundry in Half the Time,” “Save 40% More Gasoline Then Other Similarly Priced Vehicles,” “Save $32/month With Our Automated Payment Plan”. Whatever you are selling or promoting, be specific when meeting a customer need.

If you are not sure if there is a need, then you must focus on your market segment and work directly with customers/prospects to determine what need or problem your product solves. When you’ve identified the needs, work on messaging that can address needs in both a direct and indirect manner. Test your messages but do so intelligently. Pair up specific and less specific messages to see which has a positive effect.

Fight marketing fire with marketing fire

One way to determine possible messaging is to look at what your competitors are doing. How are your competitors marketing similar products or services? If you’re a retailer and are running a sale on a particular item, announcing the sale itself may not enough. If your competitors are offering lots of details, you may have to fight fire with fire. What’s the price they are offering on the item? What do you get with your purchase? How does your offer compare to your competitors’? Be specific. If you offer isn’t as good, choose to be less specific or direct to draw attention and interest.

Sometimes being vague is a good strategy. If your goal is to pique interest, then test both general and specific messages. “Whiten Teeth” is a good message if you have uncovered a need. “Make Teeth 27% Whiter With [product name]” may be even better. Specifics help people make comparisons and can also add a dimension of reality that can’t be acquired anywhere else.

The Best Marketing Messages Come From Testing

The reality is that you can plan your messaging based on solid market research, past messages and behaviors, but nothing replaces real live testing. Find inexpensive ways to test your messaging like pay-per-click advertising or email. Take the winners and build marketing messages that enhance them over time.

By testing on a regular basis you can continue to refine your marketing and improve your results. Even the top marketers rely on testing to keep their ads, emails, and other direct marketing from becoming stale or ineffective. Before delivering your next campaign, consider how to position the specifics of your message and how you are going to test it. If you do, you’re sure to win!

How To Use Blogging From a Marketing Perspective

Thanks for all the great feedback on my interview with ABC World News last week on the 25th anniversary of New Coke.  It looks like the best way to get everyone to retweet my posts is to appear on a national news program!  Again, thanks for commemorating the important day in marketing history and allowing me to think back to what it was like during the "cola wars."

This week I wanted to change gears a little bit and respond to a number of you who have been asking me about blogging in general.. how do I start a blog?  How can I use blogging from an Internet marketing and search engine optimization perspective (watch the video).

Sometimes the best way to teach is to actually show someone how to do something. The same is true with link building. I have a lot of experience in building links and I can tell you that I'm amazed at how many people are abusing blogs... submitting lame comments and putting their URL in the comment field. This is not only ineffective, it's a waste of time.

The next time you're using a blog to build links to your web site or publish original content, keep the above method in mind. Best of luck!

Marketing Opportunity or Disaster?

Last week I had a great opportunity to talk to ABC World News about the 25th anniversary of New Coke.  During the marketing interview I couldn't help but think about what it must have been like for the marketing team immediately after New Coke was launched.

For those of you who weren't old enough to remember one the of the most significant marketing events of all time, let me explain what was happening twenty five years ago.  There were two major brands, Coca-cola and Pepsi.  Pepsi was the new kid on the block and they were eating Coca-cola's lunch.  They still had a long way to go but were making significant headway.  The Coca-cola guys (and ladies) said, "We need to do something significant if we are going to maintain our market share."

Well, something significant they did indeed.  Coca-cola reformulated their beverage.  This would soon become one of the most significant marketing case studies of all time.  The reason being that much of the market research said that consumers would prefer the new formulation and would therefore consume more Coca-cola.  However, it appears as though Coca-cola didn't take notice of some of the opinions of die-hard Coca-cola drinkers who were resisting a change. The result - disaster (or in reality opportunity).

By ignoring the voice of their best customers, New Coke was destined for failure.  As marketing professionals, we love data - especially when it serves us.  And although the majority of research showed users preferring the New Coke formula, loyal customers weren't supportive.  When the new formula was introduced there was a backlash and the biggest marketing launch of all time was over before it even started.

It wasn't long until Coca-cola started planning for a relaunch in the form of Coca-cola Classic.  They didn't want to give up on New Coke all together, but clearly they had to do something.  There are stories of Pepsi closing their offices the day that New Coke launched professing - "We Won!"  They knew they had Coca-cola on the run, but they underestimated the power of marketing.

The marketing team and executive teams at Coca-cola responded quickly and in just 3 months, relaunched the original formula saying, "We heard you and have brought back the original."  People flocked to stores and bought Coca-cola in droves.  Even Pepsi fans were getting in on the action to taste the formula that everyone wanted back so much.  

I'd like to give the marketing guys at Coca-cola all the credit.  Did they know that the New Coke would be a failure?  Were they planning a relaunch of the original formula since day one?  Was this a PR stunt?  We'll probably never know!  Regardless of whether or not this was planned, the response by Coca-cola was an opportunity created from near disaster.

The next time you launch a product that doesn't do well, remember Coca-cola and how they managed to turn a negative into a positive.  Today Coca-cola is on top of the Cola Wars and continues to be the beverage of choice for many throughout the world.  Your marketing can be effective when you do your research, look at it objectively, and utilize your best customers for product improvement ideas.  Doing so is nothing short of refreshing!