The MadAveGroup Blog

Isn't it great when you can turn a negative into a positive?

Putting your callers on hold, for instance. You know that none of them want to be on hold, but so often you don't have another option.

The good news is you can choose to make the time your callers spend on hold more enjoyable.

Look at some of the things people have said about Humor On Hold from BusinessVoice:

• "You actually want to wait on hold and hear what is said next."
• "Funny (and effective) stuff."
• "We have even had customers ask to be put back on hold to finish hearing the message."

Negative into a positive? You bet!

Read more quotes, and learn about the "dangers" and rewards of using humorous marketing content in the blog post "Why You Should Risk Being Funny." 

Have you noticed that it takes three minutes for the weather guy on the morning news to tell you that it's going to rain today?

By the time I try to process the excessive information and dizzying array of graphics in the average forecast, I've missed the answer to my simple question: Do I need to wear a coat to work?

So, consider these questions when you're crafting marketing messages.

1) Is the content you're providing visually overwhelming for your audience? Is the copy too long? Do the colors or images or video editing style detract from what you want people to remember?

2) Will your message be presented to a distracted audience? People too busy to notice your TV spot because they're getting the kids ready for school? Drivers passing your digital billboard on a busy stretch of road that requires their attention?

3) Does your audience even want or need the information you're providing? Frankly, I couldn't care less about WHY it's going to be cold tomorrow, just that it is.

I'll admit that my attention span and memory are shrinking by the quart, but also, I don't want to invest a relatively large amount of time to get a simple piece of information, like the hidden phone number on a website.

In an attempt to wow their audience with forecasting technology, TV stations have made it tougher for many of us to get the simple information we need. Don't make the same mistake with your marketing and communications.

As is so often the case, less is more. 

RELATED POSTS: What the Gettysburg Address Teaches Us About Marketing
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How will you become a more effective marketer in 2016?

Which skills will you develop?

How do you hope to improve your company or the ways you serve customers?

Here's how a few of our staff members answered those questions.

Charley Hobbs, Lead Developer: "I want to learn more advanced coding techniques and strategies. That will help us expand our dynamic web capabilities and allow us to provide more solutions for our clients."

Andrea Poteet, Creative Consultant: "I'd like to sharpen my humor writing, and then find new ways to use humorous content."

Valerie Likens, Executive VP of Fulfillment: "I would like to continue to learn about communication to improve our organization. Effective communication is essential to help departments run smoothly and keep our clients and employees happy."

Michael Deffely, Project Manager: "Overall, I want to create, serve, learn, and grow as much as possible this year. Specifically, I'd like to optimize our processes and create a more refined work flow. I also want to improve my knowledge of server and hosting issues."

Jessica Miller, Content Strategist: "I want to find more ways of producing engaging, valuable content that work with our clients' budgets."

Cody McCloskey, Creative Consultant: "I'd like to fine-tune my humor. Being funny has always been a part of my life, but since I joined Mad Ave Group I've been able to use humor as part of my work for clients, so it's even more important to me."

There's always more to discover about marketing and advertising. So we encourage you to keep learning. Please let us know if we can help in any way in 2016, whether you need a marketing partner, want specific services, or would just like some input on a problem you're facing.

Happy New Year from all of us at Mad Ave Group.

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Two recent posts to the BusinessVoice Blog are based on questions or objections that we hear from current and potential clients.

They may be questions or objections you've had, too.

If you think your company doesn't put callers on hold long enough to justify using On Hold Marketing, this post will give you a different perspective to consider. Read "Short Average Hold Times?"

And if you're an IT professional or in charge of vetting OHM providers, read "Common Technical Questions from On Hold Marketing Buyers." It should put your mind at ease.

Of course, our BusinessVoice team will be happy to address any other questions or objections you may have. Please contact your Account Manager or BusinessVoice Director This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

By the way, if you'd like to hear a few of the ways On Hold Marketing can be used, check out the videos on our On Hold Marketing of the Month page. You'll hear a sexy take here, a sensitive approach here, and examples of humor here, here and here.

RELATED POSTS: Two Phone Calls. Two Good Lessons.
VoIP May Affect Your Marketing and Customers' Experience
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Of Course You Should Thank Callers for Holding! Right? 

You can't control what your competitors do, but you can control how you react when your market starts to get a little crowded.

Our SensoryMax agency refers to it as adding "layers" to your brand. It doesn't involve changing your product or service; it's more about enhancing the experience consumers have with your environments and what you sell, as well as making it easier to remember your brand.

Take a look at this quick post on the brand new SensoryMax website. (The site launched in late November.)

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Abe Lincoln: Marketer?

Maybe not in the way we think of marketers these days, but the 16th president sure knew how to get an important idea across to his audience.

Today - November 19, 2015 - marks the 152nd anniversary of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, and it occurred to me that there might be a few valuable lessons about crafting marketing messages that we can take away from it.

Be brief. The address was only 271 words long. President Lincoln took less than three minutes to deliver a speech that, arguably, has resonated more than any other throughout American history. And that was during an era of long-winded orators. (The speech before Lincoln's lasted two hours!)

Be humble. There was no hyperbole in his address. In fact, Lincoln told the attendees that "the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here." Okay, so he was wrong on that account, but the point is he wasn't tooting his own horn or overstating his case. Resist any urge to exaggerate your product's benefits or only talk about your company. Instead, speak authentically about how you can solve your audience's specific problems or make their lives easier.

Be inspirational. "It is for us the living," Lincoln said, to make sure that "these dead shall not have died in vain" and that "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." Now THAT'S a call to action! What are your messages inspiring your audience to do? Whether it's visiting your website or changing their corner of the world, make sure your words provide the proper motivation.

(NOTE: The blog post above is 271 words long - the exact same length as The Gettysburg Address. I did that purposely so you can see at a glance just how quickly Lincoln made his points, while delivering a message that moved - and still moves - our nation.) 

RELATED POST: What Can You Learn from a Coal Miner's Daughter?
Apply the "No Kidding / Who Cares Rule" to Marketing Copy

You market to your target audience to encourage them to buy your company's products or services.

But are you marketing to potential employees to encourage them to work for your company?

I was invited to speak to that question at the 2015 Seasonal HR Association Conference earlier this month. The attendees are in charge of hiring people for jobs at national parks, resorts and other places that provide seasonal employment.

I had never addressed that specific subject before, but it occurred to me that these HR professionals - and you, as well - could attract top talent by applying a few of the same marketing concepts you may already be using to win customers.

Reach Out Year 'Round to Potential Team Members

First, embrace the idea that marketing to prospective employees is not a quick fix. It's a long-term, multi-channel effort. Placing a single newspaper ad in January won't attract a year's worth of customers. It won't help you reach the right employees on an ongoing basis either.

What's Your Story?

When the economy is stronger, recruiting gets tougher. That's why it's important to share your company's true, unique story as often as you can. What makes your work environment what it is? What are your beliefs and values and passions? What defines your company culture?

It may take a lot of effort and frank conversation among your team, but you must define your story before you can create authentic, engaging messages that separate you from other employers.

Share Your Brand Personality

Think of all the touchpoints you can use to make an impression on the people you want on your team: your website, business cards, email signatures and footers, packaging, invoices, online and on-site video, and On Hold Marketing to name a few. Use those opportunities to give glimpses into what makes your brand and your work environment unique. The cumulative effect of all those touches can provide interested talent with valuable insight about your organization.

Build a Storytelling System

Start by dedicating a section of your website to your future team members. Then, on a regular basis, add new content that tells your employees' stories and showcases your brand personality. Over time, you'll paint a rich portrait of what it's like to work for your company.

A few types of content you might create:

1) Capture video of your happy, successful employees talking about what it is they value most about your company. By showcasing their strengths, you'll also communicate your quality standards to prospective employees.

2) Encourage workers to tell their own stories in a dedicated blog.

3) Create recruiting videos that feature your management team speaking about specific employment opportunities.

4) Share your team's professional victories on your social media channels.

5) Maintain a database of people you'd like to have working for you, as well as recruiters and others who have access to talent. Send them monthly email newsletters about your current opportunities, stories about your company culture, and other positive news.

Yes, defining your story and building a storytelling system will take time, but since they both will lead to robust content that can attract qualified employees for years to come, it'll be time well spent.

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Many otherwise successful technologies have their drawbacks. VoIP technology is no exception.

VoIP - Voiceover Internet Protocol - allows telephone calls to travel via the Internet rather than through traditional land-based transmission lines.

While VoIP systems can reduce the cost of individual telephone calls, they can also be a factor in the lower quality audio your callers experience. Read "Why Does Some On Hold Marketing Sound Bad?" in the BusinessVoice blog.

Also, an I.T. professional is often needed to upload On Hold Marketing files to a VoIP telephone system. That can cause a headache or two for a company's marketing team. Read one such story in this BusinessVoice post: "VoIP: A Potential Problem to Consider."

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There's a grocery store somewhere that invites parents to take a free piece of fruit for their kids to snack on while they're shopping.

And there's a barber in Iowa who gives kids free haircuts. All they have to do is read a book while they're in his chair. (See the story.) 

What's important to you and your company? Is it promoting healthy eating or reading skills? Or maybe it's pet adoption like we told you about in this post. 

As a business, you and your team have tremendous power to spark change and make a difference, even if it's only in your neighborhood. And good ideas spread so rapidly these days that your actions could easily inspire others around the world to follow your lead.

It doesn't take a huge budget or time commitment to get started; just a desire to leave the world a little bit better than you found it.

RELATED POST: Unlikely Partnerships Can Make Complete Sense

Your company or product logo is very important, no doubt. But you already knew that.

What you may not have considered is how important it is to represent your brand audibly.

The marketplace is visually crowded, packed with plenty to see. So, while an effective visual identity is crucial, the need for a memorable audio logo is now just as important.

Read this quick blog post from our BusinessVoice team. It's called "You're Just a Few Notes Away from Building Greater Brand Recognition."

You'll hear samples of famous audio logos that will demonstrate how effective a short snippet of sound can be at getting you to think about a brand.

Want to talk about what goes into creating an audio logo for your company? (It's an interesting process.) Call me at 419/724-7330.

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