The art of communicating:
1. Tell the truth. Don’t lie or turn the truth upside down
2. Don’t exaggerate
3. Be consistent
This means no double-talk: speaking about something in one way to one person and in an opposite way to another for selfish and manipulative reasons.
Wise words there from spiritual leader and Zen master, Thich Nhat Hanh. At least I’m assuming they’re wise, because he’s . . . well, a Zen master. But however wise – or otherwise – those sentiments may be, I’m not sure we always adhere to them as people, let alone as marketers. In fact I’m sure that we don’t, but then – should we? What are the rules of the game here anyway? Are there even rules?
Right at the start of my own journey in this industry a man once said to me (can’t remember if he was wise or not, he was just a team leader in a call centre), “the only good marketing is marketing that works . . .” and the way I like to remember it, this declaration was accompanied by a David Brentesque finger gun for good measure. Now although I don’t imagine that particular philosopher has ever been invited to the Oxford Union to speak on the principles of modern marketing practice, he was of course absolutely right. But where does that actually leave us? A campaign strategy will usually call for more meat on those bones. Who are the audience? What’s the message? Via which channel? What tone of voice? So many questions.
And here’s another: where to find the answers to such questions? Yes ok, Google, but really the least I should do for the purposes of this article is put in a modicum of effort, think outside the box a little bit as they (still seem to) say. So I decided I would set up a focus group. Perhaps a bit old school I thought . . . do people still do that? More to the point, how would I get people to do that? In my head you see, I would stroll around town gathering up my small but statistically perfectly formed group, Ocean’s Eleven style. We’d all meet in Ye Olde Tavern, sat around an ancient oak table, putting the marketing world to rights by flickering candlelight with shadows of inspiration dancing on the walls . . .
In reality however, I set up a Whatsapp group. And then begged my family to join in to help me out. The real world is so disappointing sometimes. And so, to kick things off, I posed the headline question: ‘How do you want to receive marketing messages?’ And then waited. And then waited. And then 2 sisters, followed by a cousin, began to answer my tentative call to action.
Sister 1: “Er – I don’t. I hate them.”
(Brilliant. Strong start.)
Sister 1: “I particularly hate phone calls, texts and emails. Mailshots I just recycle without reading. TV ads can be funny. Emails are the easiest to delete. Probably not what you wanted to hear, sorry . . .”
Think she’s having a bad day. Although to be fair, that sort of response was not unexpected, and would I’m sure resonate with many people these days. No right or wrong answers I tell her, then dare to suggest that actually we’re all influenced by marketing and advertising, whether we realise and accept it or not – and it affects the buying decisions 3 www.precisionmarketinggoup.co.uk of all of us, even her (and as we’re not sat around the same table in a tavern, she can’t hit me for expressing such a scandalous opinion).
But I’m on a roll now. As we all get more savvy as consumers, I continue, marketers just need to work harder to rise above the noise of all the communications hurtling around us through multifarious channels, from a social media ad to a poster on the underground. So, Sister 1, having said you generally ignore marketing messages, allow me to make it less general and more personal. Imagine you were going through your postal mail and saw an eye-catching mailer with a chicken on it (she keeps chickens, I’m pretty sure she likes chickens, and I’m going to go full ‘wacky agency creative brainstorm’ on this one) and that chicken was wearing a crop top emblazoned with the words: ‘Sister 1, here’s £20 towards your next (insert favourite band) concert on us’ . . . I might suggest that it wouldn’t go straight in the recycling without you at least reading it?
Sister 1: “I probably would bin a leaflet with a chicken on it.”
(Yep, she’s having a bad day. But I’m not giving up that easily – let’s try again).
Or, if you were looking to book your next holiday and you got an email from a company you recognised, and have had good experiences with, which was offering you a significant discount on your next booking, surely you’d be interested?
(Mercifully, Sister 2 has had an altogether more agreeable day and steps in to rescue the discourse)
Sister 2: “I think you’re right – you have to be interested to read / watch / listen to any marketing blurb. Cold calling of any nature rarely works.”
Cousin: “Yeah, I think I expect companies to work harder for my attention now, and to be much more subtle about it. I do sign up to mailing lists to keep in touch with info and offers from businesses I like – normally they’re giving me more than just sell, sell, sell, such as free info. For example, I am on a mailing list for a woman who sells business advice. I found her site from searching for information on a specific knowledge topic. I ended up downloading her free PDF. Now she has both my email address and my attention.”
“I actually look forward to her regular updates and since then have paid for her e-book. I feel like because I found her, I was already connected and engaged from the beginning rather than feeling like I am being ‘marketed at’. The other way I will give companies or brands my interest is if they are recommended from another trusted source. I read a few blogs that I love, and if they suggest something I should buy/check out then I’m much more likely to. But I totally agree with others about cold calling – I’m so empowered now as a consumer to get exactly what I want and decide exactly who I want to buy from because of the internet, that I want to feel like I have proactively found the product myself. I will certainly dismiss all email marketing that says, “You have a discount.” I’ll just assume it’s spam and hit delete.
Sister 2: “What she said, basically. The only marketing communications I look at are the ones I know I’ve specifically requested.”
And so, we all bid each other a fond farewell, give a cursory nod to the barman, leave the tavern and disappear into the night. Or at least the virtual equivalent of it anyway.
One of the most interesting musings that emerged during this process was that despite the increasing emphasis on understanding audiences, behavioural analysis and sophisticated granular insights, I think there’s still a tendency for us marketing types to assume we always know best and, to a greater or lesser extent, dictate. And I actually found myself doing it.
So then, after all of that, how should we communicate with prospects and customers? How do they want to receive marketing messages? The conclusion to this piece, and the answer to the question is, of course, remarkably simple: Ask them.
To find out more about Precision’s unique approach to connecting companies and brands to consumers and healthcare professionals, get in touch today:
Paul Tyrrell
Business Development Manager
t: 01284 715278