I have been talking a lot about bad marketing and copywriting lately, so I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about what I think does work. Here are some rules to getting your message out, in no particular order.
1. Fewer words work.
2. Never read PowerPoint slides out loud to your audience. They should be a framework for what you are going to talk about, and a vehicle to show graphic elements like pie charts and pictures.
3. Rehearse. A cold read will sound amateur and stilted. Know your material well enough to not have to stare at the script.
4. Proofread everything twice. If you are weak on grammar and spelling, hire someone who is good at it. If you can't afford that, at least do these two things. First, run the copy through the spelling and grammar checker in Microsoft Word. Second, read it out loud to someone else if possible, or to at least just yourself if not.
5. Tell the truth. Own your mistakes and admit them with humility. Get ahead of any negative story, and don't try to explain it away with bureaucratic doublespeak. By the same token, don't be afraid to tell your story if it's a good one. Except for a few damaged people whose opinions don't matter, everyone likes a success story.
6. Don't be afraid to delegate. Yes, it is a good thing if you are the CEO and you can talk in front of a crowd. But be honest about whether you possess that particular skill, and if the answer is no, then hire someone who can. You hire other people with the unique ability to handle certain tasks, like accounting. Public speaking and effective communications are a specialized skill that not everyone has.
7. Plan ahead for growth. There is a concept called Dunbar's number, or the rule of 150. British anthropologist Robin Dunbar determined, through his study of primates, that the most people we can have direct relationships with is about 150. Once an organization grows beyond that number, communications start to break down. Even if you are only a one or two person shop right now, you should already be planning for when you get bigger. Trying to fix bad communications policy after the fact is costly and difficult, leading to the failure of many companies.
8. Know your audience. Before you talk to anyone, take the time to develop a buyer persona. Even if you are not selling a product or service, you are still selling an idea at the very least. Know who will consume your widget, concept, candidate for office, etc. It will make tailoring your message and media mix infinitely easier. Having that knowledge ahead of time will also save you money on media buys.
9. Assume you are not going to "Go Viral." There is a concept in marketing called the PESO model of media. It stands for Paid, Earned, Shared, and Owned. Paid media is where you purchase ads on traditional or online media. Earned media is getting coverage for free when a journalist finds your story compelling enough to share on their platform. Shared media is someone, either an amateur or professional, reposting your content on their blog or social media. Owned media is your social media, website or blog. Each is equally important is getting your message out. The percentage of things that reach a large audience for free is vanishingly small. Therefore you will need to spend some money on paid ads and develop relationships with media and/or influencers.
10. It's okay if you mess up. If you don't tell your story well, take a deep breath and try again. Learn from your mistakes. Someone, not Albert Einstein as is widely thought, said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Each misstep is an opportunity to grow, not a chance to beat yourself up. If you aren't failing, you aren't trying.
If all else fails, let me know how I can help.
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