Everyone knows how to talk. In 140 characters, one-page press releases, or 25-page white papers. On countless blogs, talk shows, and around water coolers. To friends, family, the teller at the bank (but apparently not the doctor).
Talking isn’t a problem. Discussion is. Americans seem to have forgotten the fine art of thoughtful discussion and meaningful debate. And that’s not just in Washington D.C. It’s true here in the heartland too.
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The name of this blog is “Listen” because it is a skill that I believe is underused in the communications industry. But what is listening exactly? How do you know if you are really doing it?
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This Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season. Lent is a period of 40 days that some Christians say represents the time Jesus spent wandering the desert, enduring temptations and reflecting on his life’s purpose. In modern times, it has become a time for Catholics and others to give up their own temptations or, better yet, add good habits to fulfill their own personal goals and purpose.
Most of my friends, when polled, have decided to give up their bad habits – everything from too much meat and Diet Coke to chocolate and alcohol. Two of my friends are giving up Facebook. More on that in a minute…
This got me to thinking. What if we communications professionals gave up our bad habits for as well?
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With the exception of some screaming chickens and a lame fiddling beaver, it seemed like every commercial during the second half of the Super Bowl focused on white men in their underwear. What demo does this attract, exactly?
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This post is half about communications tactics; half an excuse to write about “Lost,” my all-time favorite TV show, which has its final season premiere tonight. Whether you are a loyal follower or you hate the hype, the creators of Lost – and the marketing team at ABC – have created one heck of show with an enviable following. I wish I could see inside Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse’s brains (so I could know all the show secrets, for one). But since I can’t, I instead offer 5 Lessons from “Lost” in creating customer evangelists.
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At Gracie Communications, we spend a lot of time on defining and understanding audiences. Part of our marketing planning process is to create a profile of the ideal target audience: who they are, where they live, what they buy, what they are passionate about, what motivates them and where they go for fun. Knowing the audience results in marketing strategies that act more like an arrow hitting the bull’s-eye than a shotgun spraying pellets.
Sometimes we’ll create a picture or collage of pictures illustration of the ideal audience to help our clients visualize who they need to reach. Lately though, I think this approach creates more problems than clarity.
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Girl Scouts of the USA know a thing or two about cookies. They also know how to create a successful communications campaign. Here are the 8 things I’ve learned about marketing and PR from helping my daughters sell Girl Scout cookies:
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