Imagine every one of your customers and prospects lined up single file at your desk. Would you describe your business to everyone exactly the same way? Of course not. You’d tweak the message based on what you know about each customer.

The more relevant your message, the more effective it is. So you can say it less often–which means you spend less as well. 

I was reminded of this just the other day, as I was creating the sales message for a division of a $100+ billion healthcare company. Now as you might imagine, a company that size has a lot of different sales audiences. And each one has a sales message that’s tailored uniquely for that audience. Sure, the corporate brand is the foundation of that message. But at its heart are the advantages most relevant to each audience. The words written just for them–the music to their ears.

If you’re saying the same thing to every audience you sell to, you’re missing an opportunity to be more effective, while spending less money. Don’t be part of the noise–be the one thing your audience has been waiting to hear. Be relevant.

There’s your 60–see you next time.

And now, here’s Shelby (again):

Starting a new chapter in your life is always a challenge, whether it’s moving from an agency position to a freelance business, trying to break into a new niche, or starting a whole new career. A lot of people try to jump the gun by relying on the Law of Averages – the idea that if you just do enough of something, eventually you’ll get results. It works, but it also has its drawbacks.

Imagine you’re at a carnival booth where you have to throw darts at a backdrop to pop a targeted balloon. The Law of Averages says that if you throw enough darts – even blindfolded! – you’ll eventually hit a balloon or two. And that’s absolutely true. But you’ll also have wasted a lot of time and money, annoyed the proprietor, and possibly slain a bystander. If you take off the blindfold, though, and aim carefully, you’ll be able to hit the same number of targets with a lot fewer darts.

As a young copywriter, it’s easy to feel like you have to do whatever it takes to get your business to succeed: hand out a business card to everyone you meet, spam a few thousand potential clients with emails announcing your awesomeness, talk about nothing but business – your business – 24/7. Some internet marketing gurus encourage this under the guise of the Law of Averages. But it’s important to remember that in business, as in life, you get back what you’ve sent out. And if all you’ve sent out is mild annoyance and unsolicited emails, it’s hard to expect riches to come rolling back in.

I’d be the last one to say that you should never put your trust in the Law of Averages. After all, throwing handfuls of business cards off the roofs of tall buildings would probably net you a client or two if you kept at it long enough. But before you try that, try putting some value out into the world: volunteer time with a local charity, join a networking group and give referrals to businesses you trust, write an article or give a speech offering useful information, and do great work for all your current clients. Even when these things don’t seem like they’re directly growing your business, they’re doing a world of good for your reputation.

And any kid on the playground can tell you the value of a good reputation.

And now, here’s Shelby:

The last American WWI veteran, Frank Buckles, died February 27 at the age of 110. It’s difficult to wrap my mind around the changes he saw in a life that went from silent films to Avatar. As for myself, I was born the same year that Microsoft welcomed Windows into the world, and it remains to be seen which of us will be ushered out first. It might seem like it would be easy for me to say that I have nothing to learn from the past, considering how different the world has become even in my lifetime, but that would be a huge mistake.

Recently I was fortunate enough to meet Andy Bartling, a successful copywriter whose career spans essentially my entire life. He expressed surprise that I had heard of David Ogilvy, and asked a really thought-provoking question: “What can young writers learn from the founders of modern advertising?” In a word: everything.

It’s probably easiest for me to explain my perspective by sharing what I love about copywriting. There’s a kids’ book called Grover and the Everything in the Whole Wide World Museum, in which Grover guides the reader through exhibits such as “The Things You See in the Sky Room”, “The Hall of Very, Very Heavy Things”, “The Carrot Room”, and the “All the Vegetables in the Whole Wide World Except for Carrots Room”. Eventually, Grover steps through a door marked “Everything Else” – which leads to the outside world. Copywriting is “Everything Else”. It’s an opportunity to learn things about which you might otherwise never have thought to wonder.

Already in my short career I have been asked to write about environmental graphic design, remedies for gout, commercial automation systems, bathroom sanitation services, and professional lawn care. Some of those topics might strike you as boring, some fascinating, but in every case there is someone who is passionate about solving a problem, and someone desperately in need of a solution.

Good copywriting is about creating a story that helps these people find one another. The founders of modern advertising and copywriting – David Ogilvy among them – are worth paying attention to for the same reason we still swoon over the tragic romance of Romeo and Juliet and giggle over the potty humor in The Miller’s Tale.

When it comes to human emotion, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

You can spend a ton on marketing research–or absolutely nothing at all. Does one approach work better than the other? Before you answer, read this email from Bob Bly, one of America’s best known and most successful direct response copywriters. What you hear may surprise you. I’ve reprinted Bob’s email, with his permission, in its entirety. You can check out his work at www.bly.com. Thanks, Bob…

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Anyone who graduated from high school before 1990 had to use a library. A student understood the importance of planning research to maximize their time.  Today, we have more information at our fingertips; yet it takes more time to wade through all the garbage and half-truths floating around on the web.

Many people wonder what a content research specialist does. In a nutshell, we are the treasure hunters of the writing world.  We find hidden gems buried in the rubble, but the writer ultimately decides how they use our research.

Often people wonder what skills a content research specialist needs.  I would say insatiable curiosity helps.  My jobs were all support positions.  I worked with marketing and sales teams helping process information.  I also worked with personal development coaches.  The turning point of my research career was Steve.  We worked together at an executive recruiting company.  He had a master’s degree in market research, and I worked as his assistant for four years.

Steve taught me how to:

• Create a solid research plan.
• Identify keywords, which we needed to develop a successful web search.
• Use Google for deep web search beyond names, addresses, phone numbers, peer reviewed papers, etc.

For example, when we used the Internet to find candidates to fill jobs, I had to dig deeper than a traditional resumes job board.  I needed a superstar who was working for a competitor, or a scientist who specialized in treating a type of disease.  Frankly, these people are not easy to find, but we managed to find several candidates for every job.

Steve also encouraged me to go back and finish my college degree.  I picked a college where I could use the internet to finish my marketing degree.  During that time I gained experience in educational citation styles.  I owe him a world of gratitude showing me how to dig for diamonds in an information overload society.

Now a marketing manager or writer might wonder…”How could a virtual content researcher benefit my writing projects?”

My question is how much time and energy do you spend now surfing the Internet for references?  Imagine a wealth of targeted research, compiled in an electronic format, without lifting a finger.  Writers can sit down at the keyboard and get right to work.  Having a virtual research assistant offers more savings than having a staff member doing the research.

The average cost of research is only a few hundred dollars per project.  Many writers who work on promotions just add the cost of a virtual research assistant into the overall price to the customer.  The cost to the customer is invisible, but the benefit to the writers is invaluable.

One thing to keep in mind when you hire a content research assistant is experience. You want someone with a track record in the profession.  Don’t hire novices in the field, because they won’t know which information is common, and which information is critical.  During my past I worked with scientific companies, and internet and personal development coaches.  When in doubt, give a content research specialist a small project to test his or her experience.

Becoming a content research specialist is a great career for an individual who loves doing research.  After you’ve established yourself in your chosen industry, word-of-mouth advertising takes over.

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About our guest blogger.

Christine Cavaliero owns her own virtual assistant marketing company – Lady In Red Marketing.  She works from her home office in Connecticut.  Visit her website at www.ladyinredmarketing.com.  Follow her on twitter at @ladyinredonline or friend her Facebook fan page – Lady In Red Marketing.

But, which metrics should you focus on? You can crunch numbers all day long, and they would be worthless unless you can clearly answer the most important question of all: How do you measure success?

Many organizations are content to measure ‘brand image’ and ‘brand reputation.’ These ideas are translated into a core business asset with intangible (albeit very real) monetary value. Who would argue that the Coca-Cola brand has no dollars-and-cents value? Indeed, image and reputation factor into pricing strategy. And that’s why you’ll pay more for a Coke than a store-brand cola, every time.

But, what if you don’t have the #1 image in your category? What if you’re Dr. Phizz instead of Mr. Pibb? That’s where the right message and metrics come into play.

When I build a Corporate Messaging Platform, I’m looking for two anchors: differentiation and relevance. To have an effective message, you must be both different from your competition and more relevant than your competition. Far too often, I see marketers solve for one or the other and then stop. That’s not entirely wrong; it’s just not entirely right. Consider this:

• You can be highly relevant, but not very different: The cap on a toothpaste tube is very relevant, but one is pretty much the same as the other. If it fits, it works.
• You can be very different, but not very relevant: Think of a Rube Goldberg machine (anyone remember the game, Mouse Trap?) It couldn’t be more different, or less relevant. Who really wants one?

The most effective sales message is both different and relevant. But, here’s the tricky part: These aren’t static ideas. You can’t assume that what makes you different and relevant today will hold true in a year. 5 years. 10 years. Messaging strategy is a process, not a project. It’s a long-term commitment. And metrics are your ongoing guide to ensuring your message evolves as your audiences and their needs do.

So, how do you measure differentiation and relevance? When I build a Corporate Messaging Platform, my first step is a Discovery process in which I conduct both primary and secondary research. From those findings I develop a set of what I call Value Drivers. These are key themes–usually 8 to 12–that have one common characteristic: they all showcase both differentiation and relevance. Value Drivers capture client advantages in any number of relevant areas, including price, innovation, quality, service, convenience–whatever establishes my client as having the ONE brand position that no competitor can claim (and more importantly, that customers want more than anything else).

From the initial research, I establish the relative importance of each Value Driver to each audience. For example, Customer #1 may value convenience over price. Customer #2 may be just the opposite. Convenience and price are relevant to both audiences–just not in the same way.

Once I’ve established this baseline understanding of how the Value Drivers relate to each audience, I’m ready to write sales messaging that’s tailored to each audience. That messaging becomes the basis for all marketing communications developed–both online and offline. But, that’s just the beginning of the process.

I regularly measure how my sales messaging is performing in the real world. I monitor the ongoing differentiation and relevance of each Value Driver, to ensure that it remains as effective as it was when first created. Depending on the client and her objectives, I may use static, online survey tools. Or take a more fluid approach, using online social analytical tools that monitor conversations continually and feed me data immediately. It’s a matter of client preference, objective and budget.

Regardless of the measurement tools used, the key is to use them. In the New Normal of Marketing, it’s not a matter of much you spend, but how you spend it. That starts by developing and maintaining the most effective message–not based on assumptions, but on metrics. This by no means restricts the creative process. Indeed, it provides a much needed focus. (My first boss, who worked with Leo Burnett in the 1950s and 60s and was a student of Rosser Reeves, called this “having the freedom of a narrow focus.”)

And that focus begins by answering one simple question, How do you measure success? My answer is simply, Measure your differentiation and relevance. And woe to your competitors who fail to follow suit.

An October 12th article in Advertising Age spells it all out: “Marketers are facing persistent headwinds and expect them to become a permanent condition. A recent study by Accenture suggested that pessimism is widespread, and almost all CMOs surveyed said they expect their marketing budgets to shrink and reflect market austerity. This likely permanent squeeze on budgets will become the new normal. It will force marketers to reassess every practice and reset their approaches.”

This is good for corporate writers who become expert at the pervasive blind spot of marketing: metrics. If you’re a direct marketer, this is old hat. You’re accustomed to measuring everything you do. But for the rest of us, it’s new–perhaps even frightening–territory. But you needn’t approach marketing metrics with trepidation. It’s not all about numbers; in fact, much of it is just plain common sense–recognizing the evolution taking placing in the marketing landscape, and then adjusting your corporate writing sales approach to take advantage of the shift. Start by acknowledging what’s happening:

> The community is king: More resources are being invested in building customer communities via social media and other online applications. Offline media aren’t dead; they’re just headed to the retirement home. Beware: “Marketing no longer controls the conversation with the customer,” according to Ad Age, “and occasionally is even banned from it.” The key is to listen, measure what you’re hearing, and use those insights to adjust your sales messaging.

> Be relevant, or be left behind: The direct marketer’s traditional rule-of-thumb is to expect a 1% response on any given cold-call prospecting effort. Forget it: That’s old-school thinking. Today, most prospects are too savvy to be sold–and too distracted to listen to someone they don’t know or care about. Says Ad Age, “the emergence of an attention economy has made consumers hard to reach.” I’ll say.

Recently, I was speaking with a top insurance agent for one of America’s strongest consumer insurance brands. His company regularly provides him with direct mail campaigns (at a sizable cost), which he mails to local prospects. “You can expect a 1% response from these mailings,” the corporate office says. My friend laughs, “The last letter I mailed had a 1/10 of 1% response. Didn’t even cover the cost of postage for the campaign.”

Moral of the story: No one listens to boilerplate pablum like they used to: You need a highly differentiated and relevant sales message that’s based on listening to what customers want. To develop an effective sales message, you need metrics: not annually, not on occasion, but all the time.

> Focus on lifetime value: Who knows how much money is wasted on customer acquisition every day, when the more effective approach is customer retention. A sales pro will tell you that current customers are always your best source of new business–either through cross-selling, up selling or new customer referral.

If you don’t already, learn to see your current customer database as the most valuable new-sales opportunity you have. Then, assign a projected, monetary value to every relationship based not on short-term thinking, but long-term relationship. Says Ad Age, “Analytics will become the foundation of the emerging new marketing model, ensuring ROI and efficiencies.” Prioritize your sales efforts based on who represents the highest value, then take advantage of every opportunity those relationships offer.

Okay, I hear you: If you were great at math, you would have been a rocket scientist and not a corporate writer. But, here’s the key: There are plenty of math whizzes that you can hire to crunch the numbers. But as the sales messaging strategist, only you can know what to measure. Take the lead and learn how to use metrics to improve customer engagement. Doing so “will provide marketers with greater precision… and it will result in better creative ideas and less waste.”

> The first step: Build a Corporate Messaging Platform. It’s a proven way to create more effective sales messaging that’s customized for every audience, while saving 20 – 30% of your time, effort and money with every communications project. Best of all, these platforms are built to be measured–and to evolve to keep pace with changes in customer conversation. In my next post, I’ll show you how.

To prove my point, I’d like to share an article from direct response writer John Forde. Take it away, John…

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Carnegie Mellon did a study inviting two groups of participants to take a survey. The topic wasn’t important — something about tech products — but what mattered was the small payout. Each participant got paid with five $1 bills. They also got an unexpected letter and an empty envelope. The letter asked for donations for an international charity called “Save the Children.”

But different groups got different letters.

The first group received a letter dripping with grim statistics. In one African country, it said, 3.2 million stand on the brink of starvation. In another, 2.4 million have no easy access to clean water. In a third, almost 4 million need emergency shelter. Each problem was gigantic and serious.

1. Why should I talk with you? When you’re trying to get the attention of a sales prospect, the key word is attention. Prospects are busy; what is the ONE compelling reason why your prospect should stop what he or she is doing and listen to what you have to say? I call it the itch factor. As a corporate writer pitching a marketing director, I might say, “According to the American Marketing Association, 80 – 90% of sales collateral is never used by the sales executives it’s intended for. Here’s why, and what marketing directors like you are doing about it now.” It’s an irritating truth, and it commands attention.
2. Why should I change what I’m doing now? Here, you make a compelling case for why your prospect should replace his or her current solution. Following my corporate writer example above, I might say to my marketing director prospect, “According to a CMO Council study, as much as 40% of a sales rep’s time is spent redoing sales messaging, collateral and presentations. Is that really the best use of your sales rep’s time, energy and focus?” What marketing director would say ‘yes’ to that?
3. Why should I choose you to help me change? Only after attracting attention and revealing the problem do you offer yourself as the solution. I might say, “By working with me to build a Corporate Messaging Platform, you’ll have the most effective message customized for every sales audience. Your sales reps will have a road map for consistently delivering a message they can believe in. And, because you’ll never again start a sales collateral project from scratch, you’ll save 20 – 30% of your time, effort and money every time. I’ve been creating these Platforms for Fortune 500 and mid-sized organizations since 1999. I’d be happy to share my approach with you.”

How should your client (or employer) answer these three questions? Be the one who knows, and you’ll be invaluable.

Well, it wasn’t a WHO, but a WHAT: the sales support materials that this marketing director had created. Brochures, PowerPoint presentations, flyers, sales sheets, binders, giveaway items–an entire litany designed to help this company deliver a strong story at the point of sale. Problem was, the story wasn’t strong. Indeed, when I looked at all of the collateral pieces together, I could quickly see that there was no consistent story at all.

No wonder the sales guys weren’t using the collateral system. It wasn’t helping. (It might even have been hurting.)

I’d like to say this story is rare, but if you’ve been a corporate writer for any length of time, you know it’s not. Effective sales collateral systems are the exception, not the rule. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. If you build a Corporate Messaging Platform first, you’ll accomplish three goals that will help ensure your sales collateral will make it to the meetings:

1. Deliver the right message: A Corporate Messaging Platform will help you develop a story that is both differentiated and relevant. You’ll answer the question, “Why choose me, instead of my competitors?” And then, have a system for customizing that message for each of your various sales audiences.
2. Deliver it consistently: Your Platform becomes the foundation for every sales support tool you develop. Whether you’re creating a corporate brochure that appeals to every audience–or a simple flyer that targets just one–you’ll have a system for maintaining clarity and consistency. Your sales collateral will look like a ‘family’–because it is.
3. Save 30% while you’re at it: When you use a Corporate Messaging Platform, you never start from scratch. Your launch point is already built, regardless of the tactic or audience. In my experience, this saves 20 – 30% of the time, money and effort you’d typically invest in a project. Imagine saving 30% of your creative development budget over the course of a year, and you begin to see the value of creating these platforms.

“How much of your sales collateral could be thrown out, and no one would notice?” It’s a question I typically ask a prospective client during our first discussion. I generally hear 30 – 40%. Once, I heard 90% (he wasn’t joking). With a Corporate Messaging Platform, a corporate writer can begin to cut that number down to size.