As a kid, did you ever play cowboys/cowgirls?

I confess I lived in my little red cowgirl outfit, riding on our horse shaped see-saw, and playing with non-politically correct guns (… and yes they did progress to bigger things – I used to spend hours sitting on the back step next to the cement pond, shooting the pegs off mum’s clothesline in suburban Campbelltown … but I digress).

Even back then, I only ever wanted to be a white hat cowgirl. I always wanted to be the good-guy – the one chasing the bad dudes into the sunset.

Not much has changed. In the world of SEO, the people that help websites appear well in search engines by honorable means such as darn brilliant content and loads of it, are called White Hats. So it seemed normal that when I went into the world of SEO copy, that I would logically follow the approach of being a White Hat SEO copywriter.

But over the holidays I had a huge aha.

White Hats can also apply to other forms of marketing. I mean, I don’t know about you, but I am tired of copy that makes me feel afraid, bad about myself and the world we live in. I am tired of copy that pushes endless consumerism of stuff that we don’t really need. I am tired of copy that pushes false scarcity in order to make us buy now. And I am tired of copy that puts people down or is so beige that you have no idea what the person is really standing for.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not taking my six-shooter and galloping off into the sunset. I just think there has to be a better way.

Over much of last year I noticed a subtle change in my business. I was more choosy of my clients – I only took on people where I could see their spark of uniqueness and passion. Where they had a gift they were called to share with the world … but they just were stumbling over how to put their uniqueness into words.

In the past year I started only working with businesses that offered an honest service or product, that cared deeply about making their customers lives better (sometimes even at a cost to their own business). And I started only working with people who wanted to make people feel good about themselves – and not resort to fear mongering, dirty tricks or mind games to manipulate people to buy or sign up for stuff.

I think I have always been drawn to that approach. In my decades in Human Resources, my greatest joy was seeing the uniqueness or spark in someone, and helping to fan the spark into something brilliant through coaching, mentoring, leadership development, and helping to systematise things that were getting in the way of them being all they could be. I loved watching people realise that honest conversations were more powerful and created more sustainable change than manipulation, back-biting or politicking anyday.

I believe there is a way to share people’s stories and messages in a positive, ethical and sustainable way – so that the people they need to make a difference to can actually find them.

And my aha?  I want to wear my white hat all the time!

So, who else wants to play? Who else is a dreamer and wants marketing and leadership to be white hat all the time? What would that look like to you?

I would love to hear your thoughts partner.

Ingrid Cliff

Freelance Copywriter & White Hat Cowgirl

Heart Harmony – We put your business into words

I love Buffer. It is one of my favourite apps of 2011 … and it now comes with some funky new features. Yes, I loved the addition of Facebook to Buffer, but now you can add content straight from Reeder, Zite & Flipboard.

Rather than me go on and talk you through how to do it, Michelle MacPherson (one of the internet marketing people I follow with interest), has put together a useful video showing exactly what to do and how to do it.

Enjoy the new Buffer features!

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance Copywriter

I love the online world … My kids joke that my PC is hot-wired into my veins. There’s loads of places where the online world is revolutionising retail, but there is one situation where online struggles to compete with offline retail. Where? When there are problems with a product.

Over the past few months I have indulged in some online retail therapy. I picked up some clothes from the US (as most Australian stores don’t stock clothes for tall women). I religiously checked the measurements, but when they arrived they were 2 sizes too large. Unless the US has different tape measures than Australia does, this was a bit of a worry. So I had to return them for a refund. Cost of clothes $120 – cost to return them via post $75 = One lost customer.

I also picked up some smoke alarms online in Australia. One was faulty and had an annoying habit of going on a beeping rampage every few weeks (with no smoke or fire around). Usually replacing the battery every fortnight quietened the racket, but last week nothing worked. The problem was the alarm was about $85 to buy online plus postage. Then I had to pay for the electrician to install it (it was hardwired in). To return it would mean getting the electrician back out to remove it and seal the wires. Posting it off. Then paying for the electrician to come back and install the replacement. It wasn’t worth the hassle, so I threw the faulty one away and went to Bunnings.

Online sales of products are fine when things go well, but they can’t compete with local bricks and mortar businesses in fixing problems when things go wrong.

Smart businesses who are competing with online retailers should pay heed. One of the greatest sales strategies is fear.  Combine fear with guilt or regret, and you are more likely to get action. Martin Lindstrom in his book “Brandwashed”, highlights that studies have shown that women are more prone to fear and guilt than men are. Remember, more online purchases are made by women than by men.

If you are a bricks and mortar business, competing with online retailers, then perhaps one of the strategies you could choose to adopt is the fear of what happens if there is a problem if you bought the product online. How will you deal with the hassle, inconvenience and cost of fixing it.

“Safer than buying online” could be one strategy you adopt – particularly if you add in the increasing hacking of major company websites and leaking of credit card information (Stratfor is just the latest example of a hack causing major problems for online purchasers).

I have started seeing some smart travel agents adopting this strategy. The line they are taking is, “Sure you may get cheaper flights online, but what happens if there are airline strikes, flight cancellations or natural disasters – booking through a travel agent makes getting you out in those situations much easier, faster and safer”. A very convincing argument.

And if you are an online retailer, you need to be conscious of these fears. Make sure you encrypt all payments and data in your system (and tell your clients about it). Publicise your easy return policy – pay for postage of returns and refunds.  Unless you take direct action, bricks and mortar retailers will begin to regain ground.

Where else do you see that traditional retailers have it all over the online retailers?

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance Copywriter

One of the things I love about Christmas is the chance to slow down and chat with friends and relatives. One of our debates this year focussed on the 2012 elections, and who were good candidates in our local areas.

This raised the fascinating thought – if elections test the preferences of the electorate, what would happen if every ballot paper had a box that could be ticked – “None of the above”.

Think about it for a minute. What would happen if we treated an election as a true market research test – where we were provided with a range of options, including the option to say, “Actually I don’t want any of the candidates presented”.

“None of the above” could be treated like a third major party – if it won the majority vote for an electorate, all the parties would have to go back and start over:  finding new candidates and doing a better job of explaining what they offer.

Yes, it would be organised chaos for a while – but it would be interesting to see what changes the major political parties make as a result. My guess is the rate of informal votes would dramatically drop and we would see some interesting shifts in policy and the choices of candidates.

What do you think – should we have a “(c) None of the above” option in elections?

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance Writer

I talk with many business owners throughout the year. Many of them have big dreams, but only a few follow them up with action. There are always reasons why they can’t pursue their dream.

That’s why I love this video. First of all there is only 2 musicians. 2 … that’s it. The bands that make it big are the ones with a full band, complete with lead singers, back-up singers and a lot of pizazz.

And these 2 musos don’t exactly play the world’s sexiest instruments. One plays a piano – the other a cello. Guitars and drums – sexy. Cello and piano … ?

Normally people in their millions don’t stop to watch a cellist or a piano player.  But put these two guys together, add in dreams, a bit of determination, a splash of creativity and darn hard work, and you get …

At last count nearly 3 million people have watched them play, and a percentage of them (me included) have gone on to buy their music.

If just two guys, playing highly unsexy instruments can do this … what’s your excuse?

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance Copywriter

PS: If you want a laugh, then watch this video of theirs (shows they can also laugh at themselves and their craft!)