The problem with too much data

It’s easy to fall into the “don’t just take my word for it” trap and try to support our clients’ marketing claims with testimonials, case studies, research data, and other proof. But as Seth Godin points out in his latest blog entry, the piling on of data often is at the expense of not enough belief.

“In my experience, data crowds out faith,” Seth writes. “And without faith, it’s hard to believe in the data enough to make a big leap.”

I couldn’t agree more.

The skeptic who does not want to believe will never be persuaded by the abundance of data and proof you provide. And those with a more neutral attitude likely are interested in more compelling approaches that  attract their curiosity and engage their attention.

In the end, the targets of our branding and marketing efforts aren’t looking for an argument. They simply want to make an emotional connection.

Pain point? Wiggle your finger.

We always want to demonstrate that we understand our customers’  needs and their frustrations.

But once you identify these so-called “pain points,” it’s often effective to “wiggle your finger” in that wound a bit. Then, once they’ve experienced that emotional turmoil, you can then position your own products and services as the ideal solution to that challenge.

The pain subsides … and the healing begins!

It’s a tactic I picked up from my clients at Toshiba, where the crack sales reps in the Medical Systems division are asked to sell hugely expensive CT and MRI systems. They make sure they don’t rush in too early with technical data and white papers. Instead, they ask about the log jams and delays their customers experience in their hospitals’ imaging and radiology departments. They probe further, asking what it’s like to work under that pressure.

They inquire about the delayed response of current service reps once the systems go down, and what their life is like during those troublesome times. They wonder aloud about the frustrations of working with outdated systems with little flexibility and poorly designed interfaces.

In short, they identify the key pain points, and then wiggle their fingers in it. Then, finally — and to the relief of the prospect — they position their systems specifically to address that pain.

While this may be a proven sales technique, it certainly can be adapted to presentations, websites and other marketing media. Just make sure to explore that gap between the identification of needs and the positioning of solutions.

Buying decisions, after all, are often primarily emotional. To be persuasive, we need to help our customer experience those emotions.

When preparation meets opportunity

It’s important to make all the necessary preparations that allow us to create our best work. That said, I think it’s equally important to remain open to the surprises and unanticipated factors that can make our work even better.

My good friend Nick Souza had more than a few preparations to make in order to photograph this tanker arriving at the Port of Long Beach. Beyond scheduling and timing issues, there were the logistical challenges of shooting from a helicopter while communicating with the vessel itself.

Everything was set for an ideal shoot. But when the helicopter pilot spotted a pod of dolphins nearby, Nick seized the opportunity, switched gears immediately, and persuaded the tanker to change direction to take advantage of the opportunity.

As a result, a very good professional photograph became a truly dramatic image that will grace the cover of the client’s annual report.

Start emailing. Or the terrorists win.

Sometimes, apparently, it’s best to take a somewhat indirect route to asking for the business. Take this recent blog entry from our friends at email-marketing enabler Vertical Response.

“If you’re reading this blog you probably know the importance of a web presence and how email marketing helps your business grow. Why not help a friend who owns a small business or a non profit today?” they suggest. ”Oh, and tell them to start using email marketing, it doesn’t matter what email service provider they use.”

“If anything is going to strengthen our economy and get us out of these tough times it’s small businesses growing,” the VR folks remind us.

See? It’s not all about Vertical Response. It’s about helping the economy. (The latest spin on “It’s for the kids” and “… or the terrorists win.”)

I like this approach. But you may want to align your services in support of something a bit more relevant and immediate.

What’s missing? Graphic design.

I admit it; I’m intrigued by the Kindle, Amazon’s large-screen electronic reader. With it, you can download books for cheap, have newspapers delivered electronically, and have all your reading gathered and organized in one handy digital device.

Friends I’ve asked have said they’re not at all ready to give up carrying around their paperbacks and print versions of their newspaper. But I believe these are simply familiar habits that we all ultimately will break.

But a post today on Slate.com raised a drawback of the Kindle I had not considered.

The Kindle, Farhad Manjoo writes, is “missing what makes print newspapers such a perfect delivery vehicle for news: graphic design. The Kindle presents news as a list … It’s your job to guess, from the list, which pieces to read. This turns out to be a terrible way to navigate the news.”

I think the parallels to our marketing and branding work are apparent. In our quest to provide our audience with all the interactive tools they could ever want, we sometimes forget to use our design tools to help guide their selections.

“Every newspaper you’ve ever read was put together by someone with an opinion about which of the day’s stories was most important,” Manjoo writes. “Newspapers convey these opinions through universal, easy-to-understand design conventions—they put important stories on front pages, with the most important ones going higher on the page and getting more space and bigger headlines.”

“You can pick up any page of the paper and—just by reading headlines, subheads, and photo captions—quickly get the gist of several news items. Even when you do choose to read a story, you don’t have to read the whole thing. Since it takes no time to switch from one story to another, you can read just a few paragraphs and then go on to something else.”

Keep the Kindle’s drawbacks in mind the next time you approach web design.

Prevent your readers from leaving

More and more often, I find myself collaborating with web designers on effective ways to keep website visitors reading through the copy and preventing them from leaving. It’s a constant challenge.

On the one hand, we want to provide the visual appeal and variety of choices that make the site appealing. On the other, these features threaten to distract from our client’s message.

For starters, I know enough to keep the copy as brief and concise as possible. It certainly helps to keep the navigation clear and uncluttered, so the links themselves don’t distract.

Designers like David Salmassian and Melissa Mahoney have encouraged me to integrate subheads every few paragraphs to guide the eye. These also provide a “first glance” sense of the content, just like headlines in a newspaper.

And I like to suggest a next step or call-to-action with text or graphics at the conclusion of each page, perhaps recommending visits to related areas of the website. Short of that, an invitation to pick up the phone and call for more information is effective.

In her copyblogger post, Sherice Jacob goes a few steps further, suggesting in long sales copy that a call-to-action be placed in several spots for those already persuaded after just the opening paragraphs. Sherice also reminds us to break up the copy with photos, charts, bullets, and other embellishments.

That said, I cling to the conviction that the best way to engage website visitors and prevent them from leaving prematurely is to provide information that’s relevant, expresses the client’s brand, and offers unique solutions to very real needs.

Creating ways to support those objectives with great design continues to be an intriguing work in progress.

It’s time to think bigger

I’m a big fan of Michael Port. Among the many guides to self-promotion and building your business, his “Book Yourself Solid” stands out with solid information, practical guidance and innovative ideas. I highly recommend it.

His new book, to be released this week, is a call to action that is especially relevant in these anxious economic times.

“The Think Big Manifesto” encourages a personal revolution to stop accepting what is, and start energetically creating what is possible.

As the book’s inside-flap copy says: “Even the most talented and self-confident among us often forget to think big. It’s not always easy to do. That’s why The Think Big Manifesto is not your average motivational guide … The time has come. Port urges you not to sit back, hesitate, or wait. He awakens your big-thinking self. He stirs the contagious, catalytic power of once dormant big thoughts that are now ready to be released. He asks you to look inward, outward, and upward—to think bigger about who you are and what you offer the world.”

For more, check out the Think Big Revolution.

A simple guide to social networking

Noticed the explosive growth recently of people you know on Facebook? Or Linked-In and other social networks?

Design and marketing professionals are using these tools more and more. And in his blog The Marketing Voice, David Lecours of LecoursDesign offers some smart advice on how best to use these networks.

Among David’s tips: post presentations of what you’re working on, research your competition or new market sectors, practice “random acts of kindness” by offering recommendations to others, and make relationship-building a one-hour-a week habit.

Just as importantly, David shares “what not to do,” which includes lifecasting (“we don’t care what you had for breakfast”), too much sales promotion, forgetting that it’s all about narrowcasting, being too stiff with corporate-speak, and — my fave — “behaving like an ass and thinking you have some sort of on-line immunity.”

More choices do not make happier customers

Despite some 87,000 drink combinations offered by Starbucks, more and more studies are showing that a wealth of options does not lead to happier customers. Most marketers, however, believe that more options mean we’re more likely to find the perfect product.

“Having to make too many decisions can leave people tired, mentally drained and more dissatisfied with their purchases,” a recent L.A. Times story says. “It also leads people to make poorer choices — sometimes at a time when the choice really matters.”

When faced with a complexity of decisions, people naturally look for ways to over-simplify the choosing process. And even when we choose well, we often can be less satisfied knowing that perhaps somewhere out there was something better.

In fact, studies show that you can overwhelm consumers with “decision fatigue” to the point where they make a default choice, or none at all. It’s something to keep in mind when marketing products that are only slightly different than the competition, or from the other choices in your client’s product line.

Time to pre-package your solutions?

Most of us prefer to offer our clients custom solutions, and emphasize our unique design and brand-development processes that add value to the final result. But challenging economic times are prompting new approaches.

Scott Keawekane of Creative Squeeze this week emailed a unique offer — his first advertising campaign in 6 years — that bundled various design and print “marketing kits” with names and prices assigned to each.

The decision, Scott says, was driven by current circumstances.

“First, it allows us to methodically prepare solutions that will inspire potential clients to begin having a vision beyond ‘How much do you charge for a logo?’ — hopefully giving them a few ‘I didn’t think about that before’ and/or ‘Oh, I  could use some of those’ moments.” he says. “Second, cost has become the numero uno factor for decision-makers over the past several months and will continue to be for some time.”

“Finally,” Scott says, ” our country is inundated with ambiguity right now, so rather than adding to it, we’ve eliminated the guesswork and laid it all out there … clear and simple.”

Responses already are coming in, with no “unsubscribe” clicks and every single recipient at least opening the email offer. 

“I had some interesting inquiries this morning,” Scott says, “so I know it’s generating interest.”