6 Questions to Ask 30 Days AFTER Your Marketing Campaign Starts
I thought about writing a long article today. Then I remembered that my audience knows a thing or two about marketing in the first place.
So I decided on a short “reminder” post today. Reminders on what you should check after your marketing campaign starts (not before!).
- Is our marketing working?
(Are you getting anything like the results you aimed for?) - Are our goals the same now?
(Has a new goal or priority come up since this started?) - What do our customers think?
(See what’s said on social media. Collect email responses. Record phone calls. Put all of this in one place and analyze it.)
- Are we on track for the future?
(If the campaign response rate is already tapering off, you’ll need to pick up the pace.) - Is this adding value to other pursuits?
(The campaign’s responses should be usable in other pursuits, e.g. older lead revitalization.) - Should we change tactics, or keep going?
(Weigh your metrics against your campaign goals. If the content isn’t pulling well enough, try a different angle.)
That’s it. Just a few reminders. Success with content marketing these days takes much more than just good writing. But too often companies set the campaign up and just wait for leads. Or worse, forget about it and rush on to the next task.
Revisit those campaigns. I do it 30 days after start. Sometimes 2 months afterward is better though (for bigger campaigns).
And remember…no response at all? Is still a response.
More on that next time.
Why I Don’t “Guarantee” My Content’s Results
“Can you guarantee your content will help us out? Like, you’re sure it will boost our traffic?”
“No.”
Woah, woah, hold on. Why did I say THAT? Isn’t that like shooting yourself in the professional kneecap? Don’t I know how bad this could make me look to clients?
Sure I’m aware. But there’s a simple reason why I don’t “guarantee” my content’s results.
Because it’s impossible.
It’s impossible to guarantee a big result – or ANY result – from any one single piece of content.
Content Evolves With Your Results
It’s 2010. Content is no longer a “put it up and await the flood” item.
Everything must change over time. Testing, analytics, feedback…all of this is done to inspire changes in your website’s performance. Sometimes it works, and you get lots of qualified traffic. Sometimes it doesn’t, and you need to figure out where you’re bleeding visitors.
What gets changed for all this? The content. We have A/B tests for a reason.
No Phony Guarantees Please, We’re After Real-World Results
Anyone who claims they can guarantee X amount of traffic or X number of sales from content (or SEO, or emails)…is lying to you. They’re just after your money.
More importantly, they’re not interested in making a real effort towards effective content.
Why would they be? They can just slap a guarantee on the front, deliver content and walk away. Oh, it didn’t work for you? Hey, I guaranteed the content works. What did YOU do to screw it up? Sorry, no discounts on edits.
This kind of behavior really burns me (and most everyone else I’m sure!). Fortunately it’s rare.
But the “guaranteed ROI” mentality isn’t.
So keep this in mind. I will gladly work with clients to improve their content. I’ll happily edit my own work for better effectiveness. (Believe me, there’ve been times when I look at older work and think, “What was I ON then?”)
But I don’t guarantee results from the vastness of the Web. Nobody can. I just write my best and revisit it later.
Speaking of, I think I’ll blog about things to check on after new content’s up. Coming up next.
Meanwhile, have you experienced this kind of situation? Did you receive a “guarantee” that turned sour? Please share it in a comment. Or send it to me on Twitter at @blueferret.
Telling Stories vs. Bullet Lists: Which is More Persuasive?
In this corner, “Telling Stories!”
And in this corner, “Bullet Lists!”
(“Long copy!” “Short copy!” No, no, you guys aren’t in this one.)
For years now, writers and marketers have argued back and forth about what’s the more persuasive writing method. Many advocate telling stores in your content. Others look to the old stalwart “The Bullet List” to get points across fast.
There’s no way I could settle the entire debate with one blog post, so no, I’m not trying that. I’m just responding to one part of it, in the form of a question:
“Are there circumstances where one trumps the other?”
My response: Yes, there are. It all depends on where and when these methods are best employed.
What Factors Would Make Telling a Story More Persuasive (Or Bullet Lists)?
(Note: This post assumes a B2B audience.)
To hash this out, I’m detailing the persuasive power of telling a story vs. using bullet lists in terms of why an audience reads and what persuasion tactic the method employs.
1. Why An Audience Reads: What’s the reader’s main focus when they arrive at your content? What do they want out of it?
2. Persuasion Tactic Employed: What type of persuasive approach suits this method best? What will compel the reader to act the most?
TELLING STORIES
Why Read: When a reader comes across your story, it’s because you grabbed their interest with your subject. With B2B, they’re usually reading because they have a problem & are curious about you solving it.
Persuasion Tactic: Stories are a great way to emotionally involve others. They persuade via “Liking” – a principle that compels us to say yes to someone if we like and/or identify with them. The easiest way to do this is to admit that you (or your client) had a similar problem to the one that brought the reader. “Oh good,” they think. “I’m not alone here. How’d they solve it?”
BULLET LISTS
Why Read: Bullet lists have been around so long that everyone perceives them as straightforward information on a central topic. If people are reading bullet lists, they’re looking for information on that topic.
Persuasion Tactic: Because of this perception, bullets persuade via authority. We often look to an “expert” to show us the way to go. Using bulleted lists to back up your position/sales point carries the impression that you know what you’re talking about. (Which you’d better.)
When Stories are More Persuasive
When it comes to web content, I prefer using stories in blog posts, homepages, use cases and branding.
Case studies (one of my favorite projects) are pretty much one big story about 1 problem.
Even white papers can take advantage of storytelling. Best place for them is introducing the paper’s solution by giving a real-world example. Like a miniature case study inside the white paper.
When Bullets are More Persuasive
Bullet lists have more prominence (and more weight) in white papers and more content-rich websites. These are resources where readers will come seeking information. Give it straight and give a lot of it. Well-structured for easy reference, of course (that’s what the bullets are for).
These aren’t rules. (If they were, I’d have already broken them years ago.) But the principles are backed up by psychology, illustrious resources such as Robert Cialdini and Copyblogger.com, and my own experiences.
What’s your experience? Which is more persuasive to you? Leave a comment and let’s discuss it.
