2 Marketing Lessons From Last Week

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1. Scroll down and WATCH my video.


2. Scroll below the video and READ the transcript.

3. Right-click here and download the audio from my video and LISTEN to it on an MP3 player.

Video Transcript

Hey, Steve Miller, better known as "Kelly's Dad," back once again talking with you about marketing, and coming up with hopefully some good marketing tips and ideas and strategies that are going to help you be more successful. This particular blog this week is actually a result of last week's blog. There were two things that happened from last week's blog.

The first one was that I talked about Umpqua Bank and how they took over bank, my old bank of many years. It was closed down by the FDIC and I talked about how impressed I was when I did some research into them to find out how different they try to be as a bank, you know. That's very cool and as a marketer, I appreciate that very much.

Afterwards, I received a tweet from the vice‑president of marketing... Senior vice‑president of marketing? I'm not sure. And he asked me if it was OK if they could share that video with their employees and so they put it on their intranet and all of the Umpqua employees in all of their stores have been watching this thing.

And it's really cool because I've been getting lots of nice comments from them and especially from the employees at the store that is now my local store. They got a big kick out of seeing one of their customers on the Umpqua intranet. So that was pretty cool.

The second thing that came out of this was that if you go back and look at the blog from last week, you'll see that I received two comments from people and they start out by saying that... they're very complimentary about the information that I provide in my blogs and they really like to get that.

However, they backed it up by saying that they do prefer to receive the information as copy that it only takes them a couple of minutes to go through and they can get the tips that I've got and then they can move on. Last week's tip was almost ten minutes long and they had to wait till the end of the video to receive the tip.

They said, "You know, we really prefer to get this." And I thought, "You know what? They have a very legitimate argument there, see."

But the flipside is, I received over a dozen emails and separate comments from people who said, "We loved the video. We love it when you do videos because they're fun to watch, they're very entertaining, and you tell great stories." OK?

So, I'm left with a dilemma, aren't I? Who do I need to listen to? Should I listen to the people who prefer the video, OK, and don't mind the stories, especially if they're a little bit longer? Or do I listen to the people who say "No, I want this in a short verse, OK? Bullet points are even better, OK?"

Here's the deal ‑ I have to listen to them both. We all have to listen to our customers.

Remember, the name of my blog is Two Hat Marketing and the reason why I call it Two Hat Marketing is because I'm trying to get you to understand is you don't communicate with your customers and your prospects and your target market in the way that YOU want to communicate with them. See, that is the heuristic bias trap that we all fall into.

Now, if you don't know what I'm talking about when I say "heuristic bias," then I recommend you go get my Marketing Stimulus Package. If you already have it, go back and watch that particular video. If you don't have it, I recommend you go subscribe to that, it's a heck of a deal.

A lot of people have subscribed to that and I talk about heuristic bias, which is a very powerful marketing tool and concept.

And heuristic bias basically means that we don't see things as they are, we see things as we are. And then what we tend to do, and especially in this particular situation, what I'm talking about here, is that we tend to communicate with people in the way that WE prefer to be communicated with. Follow what I'm saying? OK?

So, see, for example, if I preferred to do video, if I preferred to receive video as the way I like to gather information or receive information, then it would stand to reason that I would probably just do videos, OK?

Or if I preferred to receive information in just short, two‑minute or two‑ or three‑bullet point blurbs, then it would stand to reason that that's probably how I would communicate with most of my marketplace. And both of those would be a mistake.

I'm going to say it again. I'm a broken record. The worst thing you can do is think like a marketer. We have to take our marketer's hat off; we have to wear our customer's hat or our prospect's hat. We have to talk to them in the way they want us to talk to them.

And so what that means is that if we're going to... Basically a couple of lessons here. Lesson Number One is that if we want to do a broad communication, like I'm doing in my blogs, OK, then I have to vary the format. Because some of you prefer this, the video. Some of you prefer to read the copy. And some of you actually also prefer to hear, you prefer audio.

So you'll notice that what I did this week was I've got the video in here, I've also got the audio that some of you have downloaded as an MP3, as a podcast, and you're listening to it as an audio. Some of you wanted to read this, and so you are reading this because I had it transcribed and included that in there, and I offered all three formats to you this week.

I'm not going to do that every single week, but it's an example that we all need to learn, is don't just communicate the way you want to communicate and be communicated with. Communicate with the way your customers want to be communicated with.

And that leads to Lesson Number Two. When you start to develop a personal relationship with people, you start making personal contact with people, whether they are still prospects or they have become customers, find out how they prefer to get information and then communicate with them in that way, OK?

Our job as marketers is to make it as easy for people to do business with us as possible, all right? And one of the ways that we can do that is by communicating with them in the way that they prefer to be communicated with. That's what that's all about.

Now, do you have comments about that? Do you agree or disagree with that? Well, then go write down below in the comments section and pop in your comment.

And again, if you didn't pick up that Marketing Stimulus Package, well, I'm putting a pitch in for it right now. Heuristics is a huge deal. Go get it right now, OK?

This is Steve Miller, better known as "Kelly's Dad," and I'll see you on the Internet.    

Comments

[Simon Boghurst]

Thanks for the text version.
S

[Ryan]

When you started out the blog offering three choices, my first thought was that I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to read the transcription instead of watching it... so my initial thought was; how cleaver, you are posting the entire transcription to boost Google SEO... so that Google will find more key words you mention in your videos.
Then I watched the video and was surprised to learn the real reason. Interesting. Thanks for the video.

[Glenn]

One advantage to the video is that you get to see Steve's personality, facial expressions, gestures, inflections, etc. All of which make a richer "user experience." Our relationship with Steve develops more quickly and with more intimacy than it would with just text. I'll qualify that, however, by saying that is only so because of Steve's ability to be a talented presenter.

One question, though.. in trying to communicate to your customers in the ways they prefer to be communicated with, at what point do you cross the dreaded line of "trying to be all things to all people?" If 1000 people consumer your blog Steve and only 50 of them prefer text over video (but transcribing your videos cost you $$$ and time), when do you make the decision to forego the text?

[Steve Miller]

A great question, Glenn! You'll notice, I said I'm not going to provide the three options every time. As you correctly point out, it does take time and $$. I think be varying the format, I can keep most people happy most of the time. That's about all I can do, I think.

That said, I also don't think it's a problem to at least TRY to make more of my readers happy. Pretty much all of you have prequalified yourselves by choosing to read my posts or watch my videos. You're interested in marketing! (I think.) So now, I've got a specific audience that wants to receive information. But within that audience people have different preferences about how they want to get that information. I don't think it would be a dilution of effort to try to hit all of them.

Oh, and thank you very much for saying I'm a talented presenter. Wow, that's a great way to start my day!

[Greg]

Last week's video was fine. It was just too long. You could have delivered the message in about 3-4 minutes instead of 10.

[Steve Miller]

Question: how much time are you willing to invest to make more money? Are you saying if you don't get it in 3-4 minutes, it's not worth it? Frankly, I feel this was a valuable lesson for all of us (including me).

[Chris Fischer]

Thanks for the text. Random thought -- I visited a doctor recently who walked around with a laptop and dictated chart notes directly into a speech to text system.

He would then go back, do a quick proofread, and be done.

That same technology might work well for a situation such as yours, since you're already talking to the computer.

[Kathy]

Very good stuff, great lessons. I learn better via audio when I am busy designing something, it's nice to just listen to your practical thoughts, but some days I need to quickly skim... Chances are that the days I need to skim are the days that I won't have the mental capacity or time to absorb anything new anyways. I like the other's focused approach...it's not all about me and what I like. I am evaluating social media types that would be best for our companies right now for that exact reason -- what we are comfortable with is not what's important anymore even if I'm stubborn I can see it's validity to help "fill the funnel"!

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1218941044]

I prefer the videos, however, my company's IT department has blocked access to YouTube. I guess they haven't figured out the business benefit of YouTube yet. So, what are the chances of providing another way to view your videos? Sorry to throw a curveball at you.

I love your blog and your marketing stimulus package.

[Dave]

Steve, I agree with the person who said that some days video and some days text. Whichever way you want to give us the info is ok for me. Great stuff and I really like waht I have been learning in the Stim package.

[Kay Miller]

I like the video format best. Your personality comes through and there are a lot of things that don't come across the same way in the printed word. But maybe I'm somehow biased :)

MP3 is great too...still get the personality, but it's so convenient to load on my iPod. I like the way you're varying the format, so no matter what people prefer, they get it at one time or another!