And the Award for Best Pandemic Corporate Communications Goes To…
And the Award for Best Pandemic Corporate Communications Goes To…
How many times have you seen and heard it? “We’re Grateful for You.” “Here’s How We’re Putting Safety First.” And of course, “We’re All in This Together.” To say that most everyone’s COVID-19 communications are starting to sound alike is an understatement. However, we have noticed several powerful and creative examples of communications, some of which we want to share with you.
Some of the most compelling communications we’ve seen are simply expressions of empathy and gratitude.We loved the communications campaign developed by McCann Belgrade to highlight the heroism of healthcare professionals on the front lines of the pandemic. Their posters placed in public locations worldwide made the pressure marks left by their protective masks look more like the masks worn by superheroes.
Law firm Taylor English has been helping its clients, employees and partners to cut through the clutter of information and misinformation by publishing a daily roundup of the latest confirmed COVID-19 related updates. Consistency makes these updates such a strong example of excellent communication. They’re published daily – and are reinforced by more detailed reporting on the firm’s website. The content is fact-checked for accuracy and presented without bias. Together, these communications reinforce the firm’s brand identity as smart, responsive and trusted to deliver results.
Kuesel Consulting, a firm that supports accounting and professional services firm growth, offered a webinar in late March about business development amid crisis. The webinar included a clear-eyed look at the effects of COVID-19 on business development efforts and provided specific ways for companies to protect existing business, increase referrals, add value and build on brand equity. It coupled this valuable, un-salesy advice with additional value by enabling clients to earn CPE credit for attending. The webinar attracted more than 100 live participants and was recorded for later viewing.
Often, the best communications are expressed by tangible actions more than any specific communications vehicle. The Trader Joe’s grocery chain initiated safe practices for staff and shoppers early in the pandemic, providing masks for employees and disinfecting shopping carts upon return. They placed the brand’s signature flower at six-foot intervals on the floor at checkout to ensure safe distancing. The company also expanded paid sick-leave to encourage team members to stay home if they feel ill. The result was a combination of positive publicity in the media and reinforcement of its feel-good brand identity.
All of these communications accomplish direct communications goals – from brand reinforcement to audience engagement. And they do so in ways that cut through the clutter, sending the right messages to the right people at the right time.
Why You Need a Messaging Platform AND Training to Use It.
A Fun Exercise – and a Scary Scenario
The next time you have the opportunity to talk with your top employees, customers and vendors, ask them to describe your company and what distinguishes it in your markets.
Spoiler alert: In most cases, here’s what’s likely to happen:
- Ten different people will give you ten different answers.
- There will be some truth to each answer. Not all those truths will be the same.
- You will want to wince at some of the misconceptions and outdated perceptions you hear.
- You may, indeed, actually wince, but also think, “That’s probably close enough.”
- When you think about all the different answers, you'll recognize gaps between your expectations, your customers' perceptions and everyone's actual experiences.
- Those gaps will be bigger than you'd like.
- You will realize that “close enough” probably isn’t.
That lack of message consistency wouldn’t happen with your company, would it? Well, let’s just say we’ve seen it often enough to know that this scary scenario is very common – and there are two reasons why.
Scenario Reason 1: No Real Brand Messaging Platform
The first reason why most companies have too many gaps between corporate expectations, individual perceptions and real-world experiences is a lack of consistent messaging. They mistake their advertising headlines, taglines and other copy for messaging. And, while there can often be overlap, they aren’t the same thing.
Let’s look at it another way. You live and breathe your business every day, and you find so many components of it are interesting; you can talk and write about them all day. But your potential customers, consumers, partners, and even your employees have their own areas of interest and attention. What they think is most important to understand about your business may be different from what you think. And, without a common understanding, the scenario above is highly likely.
Your messaging platform is a set of strategically organized concepts and content that bring focus to the most important things that anyone should know about your business. Armed with that content, anyone should find it simple to communicate about your business in a way that keeps the focus where you want it. Indeed, if the platform content is on-target, virtually any formal, informal, written or verbal interaction should easily reinforce it.
Scenario Reason 2: Insufficient Training
Note, we say that with a powerful messaging platform, "anyone should find it simple to communicate…" and your communications “should easily reinforce…" But "should" isn’t the same thing as "will." Merely having a messaging platform doesn’t mean that you or your team will use it or use it appropriately. In fact, too many organizations invest in messaging, but neglect to include training as part of the deliverable. You’ve probably seen it happen: After a flurry of engaged energy, the team finally agrees on the messaging platform content. Everyone celebrates. And then the platform sits on a shelf, unused, practically forgotten. You might as well not have it at all.
Using your messaging platform as a communications guide and metric – for formal documents, advertising, emails, social posts, presentations, proposals, sales conversations and more – won’t be easy and intuitive at first. It takes practice to learn to frame your communications in terms of messaging. You have to get used to measuring what you write and say in the context of established messaging.
People are uncomfortable changing the way they've always done things. So, it helps to role-play scenarios with a messaging expert who can help people find the balance between their personal communication styles, the core messaging components and the overall brand.
Bottom Line: You Can Transform Scary into Sensational
When you have a clear, well supported messaging platform and your teams are both familiar with the platform’s content and comfortable with how to use it, some amazing things happen:
- Your communications become more consistent – without feeling unnaturally scripted.
- Your identity becomes entrenched among the people with whom you communicate.
- Reinforcing the company’s core messages will feel natural to team members.
- Team members will better understand and express what distinguishes your business.
- You'll hear far fewer outdated perceptions and misconceptions.
- Communications will go more smoothly.
- Gaps between your expectations and customer perceptions and experiences will shrink.
- Your audiences will ask more of the right questions.
- Those same audiences will be readier for and more receptive to what you have to say.
- You may even find yourself enjoying a competitive advantage.
Creating a great messaging platform and making sure your teams know how to use it usually requires time and money. But, the combination of the platform and well-trained team members can give your business an essential and valuable communications advantage, well worth the investment.
Trying to Envision the Right Content Strategy? Try These Content Lenses
You've got a website. You update it from time to time. You write blogs and post on social media. But guess what – when it comes to content, that's not enough anymore. To get your messages and information to the people you need to reach, you've got to have a content strategy. That is, you need a strategic combination of rich content that will help you engage with your audiences (including prospects, customers, influencers and even employees).
When you think of the different types of content you can provide to each audience, it helps to consider them through these three lenses:
- Lens #1: Your Sales Funnel: Different types of content will be helpful to the people you want to reach at each stage of their journey. In the early “Awareness” stage, you want to help them feel like they’re discovering you, even as you are reaching out to them. As they progress to the “Consideration” stage, you aim to support their evaluation process. Finally, as prospects become ready to make their decisions in the “Buy” stage, it’s time to reinforce their confidence, helping them feel secure that in choosing you, they’ve chosen wisely and well.
- Lens #2: Their Preferred Platform: Where do your audiences want to get different kinds of communications - at work, at home, or in transit? On their laptops, tablets or phones? Through a browser or a dedicated app? In some tangible, analog form like paper? When is it appropriate to reach out to them directly? And when should you streamline their ability to find you via a combination of search engine and social media optimization, as well as well-placed and timely advertising, articles, sponsorships, etc.
- Lens #3: Their Experience: Many of us like to believe that our buying decisions are based solely on objective information and logic. But the truth is that our subjective emotions factor significantly into all of our decisions. Your audience’s overall experience reflects both essential information and emotional connection – and the right content strategy meets them at multiple points along that objective-to-subjective continuum.
Look through all three lenses together, and you will see how the right strategic combination of content will help you reach all of your audiences:
- At every point in their journey
- Where and how they want
- In ways that touch them both objectively and emotionally.
In short, you’ll have a fully visualized content strategy to help you both connect with and guide everyone your business wants to influence and engage.
Thought Leadership: What it Is, Why it Matters, How to Achieve it.
What is Thought Leadership?
You recognize it when you see it. Sometimes, it’s a codified approach to your business that goes beyond “the way things have always been done.” Other times, it connects the dots of experience, information, trends and statistics in ways that demonstrate fresh perspectives. Almost always, thought leadership asks and explores important questions like, “Why?” and “What if?” And, it provides answers that are accessible, attractive and compelling.
Thought leadership matters to your audiences – whether they’re customers, prospects, job candidates, employees, colleagues or partners. That’s because thought leaders provide insights into their business and brands that can help them succeed. They clarify perspectives and help them make smart decisions. Likewise, when you are the source of that thought leadership, you have taken a giant step toward reinforcing your credibility as a trusted resource and authority.
Content Marketing is the Key
If a great idea is published and nobody reads it, it’s not really thought leadership. So, yes, you have to create great content. You also have to develop a compelling strategy for distributing that content where and how your audiences want it. Search engine optimization is part of the process. So is placement. Find the sites that your customers and potential customers frequent – and find ways to get mentioned there. Maybe you can work out a reciprocal blog arrangement. If your audiences spend time on key online user groups, you should be there, too.
Your distribution approach should also include ways to leverage your thought leadership across multiple media. Its first appearance may be in a whitepaper. But it could also be reframed as an entertaining infographic, video or interactive eBook. If you're interviewed for a podcast or article, those compelling concepts and insights should show up there, too. Put it all together, and you will inform, inspire and even entertain your audiences. You also will reinforce your position as a trusted authority and move toward achieving trust, buy-in and advocacy.
Could You Be a Thought Leader?
It’s a heady question. Think about your areas of expertise, passion and focus. Consider the big questions that your audiences are asking: Where is this industry going, and why? What are the internal and external forces behind critical changes? What conventional approaches no longer work – and what new ones do? Ask yourself what kinds of issues worry your customers – and how you can codify insights that help them.
Then, look at the different ways in which you should be sharing your perspectives. The best thought leadership resonates with people in different ways, from the rational to the emotional. And all of those ways are important as you help take people through multiple levels of awareness and enthusiasm.
Finally, remember that any new, innovative ideas will have to withstand challenges., consider the degree to which you’re willing and able to defend your ideas. Achieving the respect and authority that comes with recognized thought leadership doesn’t happen overnight. But the journey through developing and championing powerful approaches and innovative insights will be worth the effort.
Life at Relish: Travel Bucket List
With a hint of spring in the air, our thoughts are starting to turn to travel and adventure. The team here at Relish Marketing has a long list of destinations on our bucket list. Here are the places that we want to go for renewal and inspiration.
Alan
One destination on my (and my wife’s) bucket list is definitely Italy. More accurately, Venice and the Tuscan region. It’s a place I have always admired for its beauty and more importantly, its wonderful food. Being from New York, I have always loved going to Little Italy, and I really want to try the “real thing.”
CJ
When our children were growing up, we entered an au pair program (interestingly, on the advice of our friend, Pam Willoughby!). We’ve since dreamed of a big trip to visit them all in Turkey, Iceland, Switzerland, Germany, England, Norway, and Poland (although our Polish au pair now lives in the U.S.).
Jasmine
I love to travel, so there are many places on my list. The places I absolutely have to go to are: Egypt to see the pyramids and the temples. Bora Bora to be on an island far, far away and experience total relaxation in an overwater bungalow. Italy to indulge in pasta and wine while touring the cities and countryside. South Africa/Madagascar to soak up the culture and beautiful beaches.
Jennifer
Like many, my travel bucket list is very long. But, between the descriptions by a favorite author (Orhan Pamuk), memories of a dearly beloved Nancy Drew mystery (The Mysterious Mannequin), and the lure of the Bosporus Strait, Istanbul holds a place at the top of my list.
Kat
Ireland - I want to sketch inside as many castles as I can. Japan - Cherry blossoms in the spring. Please! South Africa - Kruger National Park. Singapore - Marina Bay Sands Hotel... look it up. Morocco - Sahara Desert meets Casablanca.
Mia
My bucket list is way too long to list, so I will share my next big international trip. My goal is to visit several locations in Thailand at the end of this year and several locations in Africa next year. Both are two big bucket list items.
Michael
My #1 travel destination is Palermo, Sicily (and the entire island in general). My grandfather immigrated to America from there when he was a boy in the 1890’s and I’ve always wanted to see where he and my family came from.
Pam
I have a very long bucket list for travel. First up is Budapest and Dubrovnik. I have had a thing for Scotland (kilts!) since I was a teenager, so I definitely want to travel there and possibly Ireland. I am also in conversation with a good friend about a trip to Bali or Thailand for a meditation/yoga retreat. The world is such a big place and I have seen so little of it.
Paul
There are 2 places that I’d love to visit. For 30 years, I’ve wanted to visit Thailand for its architectural and historic beauty, and for authentic Thai food. It also helps that, from what I hear, there are beautiful beaches! The other place is Paris, because it’s, well... Paris.
Life at Relish: Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! The transition to 2019 has had all of us at Relish Marketing thinking not so much about resolutions as about what we’d just as soon leave behind with the old year – and what new things we hope to grow for ourselves going forward:
Pam
Don’t want in 2019 – Procrastination. Do want in 2019 – To enhance business development for Relish and more yoga for me personally!
Jennifer
I want to leave that propensity to reflect (obsess?) on my to-do list and that nagging feeling that something is undone behind. Good riddance. And in 2019, I want to grow my ability to live and take in the now and enjoy the experience that I am in at any given moment.
CJ
I want to get rid of self-doubt and inertia, my two greatest nemeses. And I’m hoping to grow creative expression across all my favorite media – and time to revel with family and friends.
Paul
What I hope won’t follow me into 2019: My compulsion to save/store old things that I haven’t used in years. And to grow in the new year? Design and technical skills in video editing/production.
Michael
Less division. More compromise.
Mia
Something from 2018 that I hope won’t follow me into 2019? My social media addiction. And what I hope will grow for me in the new year? Money and opportunities :)
Alan
Something I do not want is to come close and lose in my fantasy football league AGAIN. One thing I really do want is to travel somewhere I have never been to.
Jasmine
I don’t want to be on social media more than 3 hours total per week unless it’s work-related. I do want to travel more and experience different cultures.
What are YOU looking forward to this year? We’d love to hear about it.
At Relish Marketing, our fusion of creative and strategy unlocks your brand and propels it forward.
Savor your brand. View our client work. Work with us! Contact here.
Links We Savor: Brain Boosting Apps, Facebook Ad Strategies, Using Data to Influence Consumers & more
4 Ways Data Can Influence Consumers
At Relish, we believe that great creative becomes more powerful when it’s backed up by compelling research. But just as data can (and should) come from multiple sources, the real power of research is in the way it is used. And this AdAge story offers some great ways to use data to your advantage as you influence and acquire new customers.
5 Apps to Boost Your Brain Power
What are our phones doing to our brains? If time with your top apps sometimes leaves you fuzzy-headed, you might share our fascination with these five apps designed to boost brain power and maybe even make us smarter.
3 Strategies that Will Make Your Facebook Ads More Successful
Social media marketing can be a great way to reach your audience. And Facebook ads have even more potential since it’s the platform with the most active users – if you use it right. Learn how these three strategies that can help your Facebook ads be more successful.
8 Ways to Use Content to Skyrocket User Engagement
Content may be king, but the real prize is user engagement – when people enjoy the experience of connecting with your business online and keep coming back for more. Especially in a world where consumers are constantly bombarded by content, you’ll want to see these ways to turn great content into great relationships.
Burger King Takes on the Pink Tax
Did you know that products specified “for women” are priced an average of 13% higher than the same product marketed to the general population – and sometimes even higher? It’s known as “The Pink Tax” and we love how Burger King raised awareness about it with their “Chick Fries” stunt campaign. Take a look.
At Relish Marketing, our fusion of creative and strategy unlocks your brand and propels it forward.
Savor your brand. View our client work. Work with us!
3 Rules for Great Videos
It’s easy to see the many ways in which video can support your marketing and grow business. After all, more than 73% of consumer internet traffic is video – and that number is growing. Likewise, video in an email can double – or even triple – click-through rates. But is all video alike? Of course not. Videos can run the gamut from documentary-style storytelling and broadcast television style to a talk-show format, “live illustration” explainer video, or even short, animated GIFs. But we’ve identified three essential rules that can help you make the right video for your business:
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- Know your audience. Who needs to see this video? Why do they need to see it? And what biases and preconceptions are they bringing with them? Also, how are they likely to be viewing it – in the office? In a theater-style presentation? Or on their mobile phones? The answers to these key questions will tell you a lot about the kind of video you’ll need to produce.
- Know your message. As in any other media, a clear focus is essential. Even a highly engaging video will be a waste of resources if you don’t begin with a solid understanding of what it needs to communicate. So, always start by asking yourself this: If people walk away from the video knowing, learning and/or feeling one thing, what must that be?
- Know your limits, specifically, in these important areas:
- Budget – Unless you have the technology and expertise you’ll need to create the results you want on your own, you’re going to need to invest in videography – and this is definitely an area in which you get what you pay for. A brilliant videographer can get great results using little more than an iPhone and smart lighting, but poor-quality DIY video – and make no mistake, that’s most self-made video – can actually do more harm than good. That said, you don’t necessarily need to have a broadcast-TV production budget to achieve results. A well-written, smartly produced video can be highly effective – and surprisingly affordable if you’re willing to use stock videography, simple animation and/or no voiceover.
- Expertise and Experience – A quality video requires quality visual design, storyboarding, writing and production. And keep in mind that you may be good at writing whitepapers, but if you don’t have scriptwriting experience, that skill may not automatically transfer to a video about the same subject.
- Talent – In video, talent typically refers to the people seen and heard on-screen or heard in the voiceover. Those faces and voices can make the difference in how credible your video comes across to audiences. That said, you may know your technology backward and forward, but that knowledge may not translate to a compelling video presence.
Armed with the essential knowledge these three rules will give you, you’ll be able to best identify, evaluate and get the best ROI from any investment you make in video. Whether you’re aiming for an Emmy Award or you want to support sales and promote learning opportunities, the right resources will help you leverage your team’s skills and knowledge and produce a video that delivers results.
At Relish Marketing, our fusion of creative and strategy unlocks your brand and propels it forward.
Savor your brand. View our client work. Work with us!
Life at Relish: Our Favorite Fonts
Choosing a font to use for your brand on printed/digital collateral is a critical part of engaging your audience, and often times it can be a difficult choice. There's serif, sans-serif, script, display, and even within those categories, there are still tons of options. So, we thought it'd be fun to challenge ourselves to pick our favorite fonts. See what we chose below:
CJ
I've always had a fondness for the simple, elegant fonts like Garamond and Helvetica Neue but I must admit to being a bit of a decorative font junkie for special projects - handwritten ones like Crazy Thoughts and Silent Reaction, as well as decorative fonts like Wednesday or Neon Lights. Of course, any time I see anything using the Papyrus font, it just makes me laugh because of the infamous Ryan Gosling SNL sketch about how the movie Avatar used it.
Ryan
Fonts are like fashion. What's in style is always changing. However, a font type that never goes out of style is a sans-serif font. Wikipedia defines a sans-serif font as a letterform that does not have extending features called "serifs" at the end of strokes. They are clean, crisp and simple. They are also professional, easy-to-read and approachable. A specific one I've been using lately on some of our client work is Gilroy. It embodies all the things I like about a sans-serif font.
Paul
Choosing a favorite font is a difficult task. I like Futura for its simplicity and readability, even at small sizes. I like Bodoni Bold because it looks like money. I even like Arnold Boecklin for its art nouveau, psychedelic quality. I guess my favorite font is the right one for the situation. But as I looked through our font collection here at Relish, I came across Bookeyed Sadie Ampersands. What a great "font"! "And" connects so many things, and here is a whole family of different ways to show "and". I think this is my new favorite font.
Jasmine
I've always been a fan of sans-serif fonts and Gotham has recently become my new favorite. The geometric feel of the font reminds me of architecture - perfect lines as if each letter was created up against a ruler. It's very easy to read which makes it a great display font. I also love that there are so many weights and it also comes in Narrow, Extra Narrow and Condensed providing endless options.
At Relish Marketing, our fusion of creative and strategy unlocks your brand and propels it forward.
Savor your brand. View our client work. Work with us! Contact here.
Links We Savor: Video is Taking Over, Netflix Looks to Make Improvements, Facebook vs. YouTube and More!
Medium | 16 Visual Content Marketing Statistics That Will Wake You Up
Visual content – think photos, infographics, memes, illustration, and video – is increasing the way people want to consume information, especially on social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest. But what does that mean for your marketing? These 16 statistics offer some interesting perspectives that could make a difference in your visual content marketing strategy.
Marketing Land | Twitter to Launch 8 New Pilot Series Supported by In-Stream Video
Is Twitter becoming a video company? The social media pioneer’s growth may be slowing in comparison to competitors but they could make up for it with more than 30 video content deals – including eight new original series. They’re also launching a new service to help brands make the most of their live video content. See how Twitter hopes its shift toward more video will make a difference.
Entrepreneur | Netflix Has Adopted Machine Learning to Personalize Its Marketing Game
The beauty of Netflix is that it uses one-to-one personalization to recommend tons of shows and videos for you to watch based on your interests. But can they continue to scale? Learn about Netflix’s plans to further humanize their marketing strategies with machine learning.
Bloomberg | Facebook Loses Ground to Google with Users Spending More Time on YouTube
As consumers turn their attention to video, people are spending less time on Facebook and more time on Google’s YouTube. Will Facebook’s shift away from media sharing and toward family and friends’ posts be enough to maintain its leadership? Or will people lose interest in the platform? Take a look at the latest stats and see what you think and as a bonus see how Facebook’s Watch platform may help them retain viewership.
Forbes| Building Customer Relationships Is Imperative for Competing in the High-Stakes Mid Market
An ever-changing digital landscape in which people use multiple devices interchangeably has made it more challenging for mid-sized companies to effectively target consumers. But do these companies have unique strengths that can help them outcompete larger companies? This article suggests they do.
At Relish Marketing, our fusion of creative and strategy unlocks your brand and propels it forward.
Savor your brand. View our client work. Work with us! Contact here.