Turnaround Issues - Why Marketing Materials Fail

A friend of mine Lewis Green has an excellent blog that covers a wide variety of issues, many having to do with communication in one form or another. Occasionally, we comment and build upon each other’s posts. Recently, Lewis posted a message about “Why Marketing Materials Fail”. It is excellent and I wanted to share it here as one of the issues I see in turning around companies to get them profitable and keep them profitable. Clearly companies want to get all they are able from their investment of scare dollars in revenue building.

This is what Lewis wrote:

When I see a poorly designed marketing piece, usually it fails to do the following, which, to look at another way, are the very things we should avoid.
1. It talks too much about the product or service.
2. It is written from the company's perspective instead of the buyer's.
3. It is too long.
4. It is poorly designed.
5. It identifies functions instead of buyer benefits.
6. It doesn't tell me the two or three reasons why I should purchase the product or service (WIFM).
7. It fails the readability or usability ease of understanding and navigating tests.
8. It screams at me and isn't conversational. (Static (non-social) pieces should also create conversation, except it occurs in the buyer's mind.)
9. It is boring.
10. It is mass marketing that isn't about me. (Marketing pieces should always be targeted, including advertising that fits that description when it has been carefully placed.)
11. It hasn't been and still isn't listening to me, sharing stuff I don't care about.
12. It contains no call to action.
13. And it doesn't aid sales in selling.

That's my Baker's Dozen of typical marketing collateral mistakes. There are more and each of the above doesn't always apply.

Creating Winning Marketing Pieces
Nevertheless, to end on a positive note, here are a few ways to create winning marketing pieces:
1. Use only the words necessary to tell the right story to the right customers.
2. Include visuals or videos or audio that jump off the page.
3. Create credibility and trustworthiness by using customer's words to explain why they love your product (or inspire them by creating opportunities for them to say those things).
4. Include the two or three messages that persuade me to buy.
5. And show me how to buy, quickly and easily.

If you are not getting the results you need after the cost cutting and are asking “what’s next?” perhaps Lewis Green or I could help.

Thanks

John


John Maver
President
Maver Management Group
(925) 648-7561
Maver Management

Turning Around The Turmoil In Companies

Companies today are so often caught up in turmoil as they struggle to work through the economic downturn and the cost cutting that has happened in all industries. The focus has become just staying alive.

Scott Adams has cartooned the problem perfectly in a recent strip.



We laugh at this idea and yet we see it happening over and over again. The business model has changed and will never be the same again. There are too many influences. The economy just brought the problem to light.

What can you do as CEO, COO, CFO or any C level executive? Stop the broadscale cost cutting. By now you have trimmed the obvious fat. The issue now is to take stock of what is left and then start to move forward.

We have written many times that a solid business plan is required. It has to have the following characteristics:
1. Recognizes the current market place realities. The old and the wished-for future are not relevant here,
2. Identifies and capitalizes on the company’s core competencies.
3. Focuses effort to maximize the impact of scarce resources, both people resources and financial resources.
4. Kills, stops, drops, sells off, or forgets the non priority projects and initiatives, no matter whose idea they were or how much money has been sunk into them.
5. Emphasizes cash flow. Without the operating dollars coming in at this moment there will not be a tomorrow.
6. Communicates down through the ranks so that “the untalented will not be executing the wishes of the powerful until failure is achieved.”

You may need help. Most companies do, but don’t acknowledge it.

Contact us. We can help. We are turnaround experts.

Thanks

John


John Maver
President
Maver Management Group
(925) 648-7561
Maver Management