CEO tips for managing corporate Marketing Messages during any crisis

You’ve sent employees to work from home, reassured your customers that your service to them won’t miss a beat, and you’ve got them top of mind as you work through supply chain issues, etc. But what about your advertising messages?

Crisis management comes with a checklist of communication items and if you don’t have one, just check LinkedIn for an overwhelming sea of advice on the subject over the last seven days! But what Communications teams often miss doesn’t lie in their purview – advertising.  

Most likely, if you have a CMO or other senior marketing leader, it’s already been taken care of. But if you don’t have this critical role yet in your organization, here are a few time-sensitive moves you should make to reflect the true nature of your company and its business(es) or risk alienating customers. Don’t damage your image unintentionally. Determine what is appropriate for your company and set that expectation for your teams. 

SHOULD YOU PULL ALL ADVERTISING?

Unless your product or service is directly aimed to assist or support the unique needs of this pandemic, I suggest that you pull your advertising. Replace your planned messages with a reassurance about putting your employees and their families as well as customer well-being first. If you have them, get your Customer Service and Sales teams aligned, trained and ready to answer questions and include contact information in your messaging. These teams should be joined at the hip with Marketing especially during this time. Now more than ever, consistency across all your messaging is key.

REASSESS YOUR USE OF DIGITAL

Much of digital today is pre-programmed, but that exact convenience also sets up organizations to send the wrong message during a crisis. Just check your inbox, LinkedIn or even Facebook feed and you’ll see advertising today that’s selling non-essential items. This is off-putting to some, but to others, it’s completely offensive. Paid search, display and affiliate advertising all need to be reviewed and re-programmed. Paid social media falls under the same guidelines, plus you’ll need to be sure that your team is suspending any posts or blogs that are simply not appropriate at this time.

Have your team reassess SEO terms particularly if you are in a product or service industry that’s helping during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Include appropriate terms so those searching online can find you easily.

A good rule of thumb for digital advertising is to wait a week and reassess. If public sentiment appears to be returning to normal begin scheduling your planned advertising messages, but at a slower rate. Think drip not tsunami. Your marketing team and/or digital agency should be watching customer and consumer sentiment online and reporting back to the team.

The good news is that digital advertising is much more accessible and easier to adjust than other forms of advertising and marketing. 

UPDATE OFFLINE AD CHANNELS WHERE COST-EFFECTIVE

Offline channels require longer lead times to prepare and place than Digital advertising. This makes shifting messaging challenging during any crisis. In many cases, you may be able to work with your media vendor to change up messaging at a minor cost. They want to work with you and keep your business. They are likely quite sensitive to the crisis as well, and will want to help.

Most print media can pull and substitute advertising, but there will be costs associated. Depending upon the level of marketing spend you place in the channel, you may be able to suspend and reschedule planned newspaper, magazine and other print ads – or simply change your message.

Direct mail processes are stringent and tight and for most, highly personalized, which means making changes here may also be challenging. Weigh the risk appropriately. Is it worth damaging your brand to preserve budget? How many customers will you potentially turn off?

Outdoor including billboards and tramstops, bus/train wraps, etc. all require significant lead time – again check with your media vendor and negotiate. 

Television and radio are also purchased on long lead times, but the good news is, you can make changes to scripts and creative fairly quickly. There will be associated costs, but you’ll be much more relevant to your audience if you meet them where they are today. 

It goes without saying that sponsorships, tradeshows and events all need to be reviewed and many are being rescheduled anyway by the organizers. 

THOUGHTFULLNESS NOW, REWARDS LATER

It only takes a bit of time to review and ensure that your marketing messages are appropriate, consistent and clear during any crisis. Invest the effort and you’ll reap the rewards later. If you don’t have an internal marketing leader, or even a marketing team, consider bringing on a fractional CMO to help you through this challenging time. Their knowledge and abilities can save you significant pain and dollars in the long run.You have an opportunity to build good will for your company by the messages you send.

Creating Presence and Banishing Fear in Public Speaking

I’m sitting here in the Audi dealership because my beautiful, five year old S5 threw a tantrum on the highway today. Well, she is five, after all. And so, after rescheduling two appointments that I know I won’t be able to make it to in time, I’m hunkering down in a very nice, if not sterile, environment, with a span of uninterrupted time stretching in front of me. A perfect opportunity to pick up my blog series I let languish over the summer. 

Now that the fall is upon us, many of us will begin to plan and prepare for fall conferences, meetings and seminars. If you happen to be lucky enough to be a presenter at one of these events, good for you. For some, this is a fun activity. For others, there is no need to panic or dread it. You’ve been asked for a reason – you are seen as an expert and people want to hear from you. This is the topic for today’s blog: how to prepare your best presentation and take the fear out of public speaking. I’ve spoken and taught groups that range from 30 – 2500 attendees, so I’ll share what I have found to be helpful. 

Fair warning: this will not be a formulaic discourse advising you to plan, refine and practice. You are adults and already know that. Effective presentations go beyond those basics. Just as in branding a product or service, success in public speaking is about making emotional connections with the audience. And when you make those connections as a speaker, you can feel that energy from the audience. That emotional connection can be a tsunami washing back over you, dispelling any nerves that arise along the way. 

As marketers, we know how to create emotional connections between  our products and our customers. So why when some of us are tasked with presenting, does that knowledge seem to fly out the window? I’ll tackle this in two parts: crafting compelling content and creating personal presence. 

I. Crafting Compelling Content

While you do need to plan your presentation content, think simultaneously about how to keep your audience engaged. No one wants to listen to a presenter drone on about obscure facts and begins to sound like the adults in a Peanutsâ cartoon. On the opposite extreme, Susie Sunshine who has had too much coffee and is over-the-top with emphasis is no fun to listen to either.

First - Know your audience – craft your content to appropriately address the people who will attend. Not sure who they really are? Contact the event organizers to get an overview of the attendees’ backgrounds, years in business, etc. and use that as a baseline from which to build your content. When in doubt, take your level of industry-speak down a notch or two, ensuring all attendees will follow your points. Knowing who is in the audience will help you refine your message in a way that makes it easy to understand and follow.

Second - Narrow the overall presentation to no more than three key messages. Most likely, you have more information to convey than you have time for in your presentation. What is the main point you want your audience to take away after you finish? Once you have that answer, develop three pillars that tree up to that main point.  Build those pillars out- with real life examples to illustrate what you mean – and tie each pillar back to the main point. Connect the dots for your audience, don’t make them do it.

Third - Most importantly, inject authentic personality into your presentation. The examples that you use to illustrate your main point should inspire others by evoking humor, empathy, frustration or happiness as appropriate. When you craft examples to illustrate your pillars, consider adding in personal stories. You are an evangelist for your topic when you present to an audience, and they need to feel that emotion to be fully inspired and to retain your message. 

Key takeaway: Make sure that you are the author of your presentation, not delivering someone else’s words.When you write your own presentation, the word choice and cadence sound the same as when you are speaking – making your delivery all that more authentic and memorable. When you present another’s words, it doesn’t sound at all like you and that disconnect is conveyed to the audience. Plus, you’re apt to “read” a presentation that you didn’t write.   There’s nothing less interesting than listening to someone who is clearly not athletic use sports analogies in a presentation. You know they did not write it and therefore as part of the audience, you subconsciously discount what they are saying.

Once you have written your own presentation, you’ll be 100% comfortable delivering it vs. presenting anything someone else wrote for you. Committing it to memory will also be much easier as you know the key concepts you want to get across to the audience, and you can ad lib if need be. Writing and delivering your message allows your personality to shine through whether you are a scientist presenting a new discovery or a professional salesperson extolling the virtues of a new product line.

II. Creating Presence in Front of an Audience

Part two of your prep work is to spend time thinking about how you will create presence. You have the content solidly planned and now the key is to convey your own personality while maintaining a professional demeanor. 

Presence stems from an authentic sense of self and enthusiasm for your subject. Presence also dispels some of the fear. By the way, others can tell when enthusiasm is faked – it comes across in the way you modulate your tone of voice. When enthusiasm is real, it flows effortlessly. When practicing, if you find your delivery feels stiff, try inserting a rhetorical question into your presentation to break things up. The unexpected change in pace combined with the lift in your tone that comes naturally when you ask a question will pull the audience back in to focus on you and what you are saying. 

Another important part of crafting personal presence is carefully selecting your “armor”. In this case, armor refers to what you’ll be wearing and any props or visual aids you’ll use. As with your words, this armor must be consistent with your personal brand. For me, it’s always a pair of really great shoes that make me stand taller and with great posture. Plus, I can’t walk fast in heels so I naturally slow down the entire pace of my presentation – which benefits the audience. 

If you are known for your sense of humor, but the setting is professional, consider a fun prop to illustrate your point. A colleague I worked with always used his team members in a skit-like fashion onstage to illustrate his points. This allowed him to maintain his executive presence while they joked onstage alongside of him. It also conveyed to the audience that his team was the lifeblood of the organization and he was just representing their hard work. Whatever works for you. 

Remember you can relax, you are speaking because you are perceived to be an expert on the topic you are presenting. Not everyone is a natural in front of a crowd like Billy Graham or Bruce Springsteen, but you already have what these well-known crowd-pleasers do. You have faith in your knowledge of your topic. And if you genuinely want to help others see your point as clearly as you do, that will shine through. 

If you do get nervous in front of a crowd – be it 5 or 5000 people– know that everyone does to some degree. Just remember that you’re the expert, you’ve done the work and you’re here to teach what you know. Channel those nerves into positive energy. Try using the old trick of picking out 3-4 people in the audience in different areas of the room – look into their eyes and smile after making a key point. This tactic allows your brain to stay focused on your points and not on worrying if others are judging you. Ninety nine percent aren’t and that one percent? To heck with them. 

If you are in a small enough room where you can make eye contact with most of the people there, read the room. If they look confused, slow down, stop and ask if they are following you. If they are disengaged, stop and ask a question to re-engage them. Interact with them and then get back to your points. Is English their first language? If not, plan for that when you craft your presentation.  I always watch collective reactions to help me steer the emphasis within a pillar/topic as well as my pace.  If you tend to be nervous and if your natural speaking cadence is quick, it will most likely get quicker! Pause throughout your presentation and take a few breaths – this lets your audience absorb what you’ve just said and follow your train of thought. 

A note on practicing: Of course you’ll practice your presentation several times before delivering it. I recommend putting on the outfit you plan to wear and standing in front of a mirror. You’ll quickly figure out if that suit is scratchy and distracting, or if your posture is poor, etc. If you’ll be using a teleprompter for the first time, I highly recommend getting a practice round in before your speech. Teleprompters are wonderful things, but they can be awkward the first time around, and each one is different. 

To summarize: Remember that presence is personal and unique to each individual. What works for one will not be authentic for another. So “go back to your roots” so to speak, and dig into what makes you truly YOU and build from there. Remember that you are the subject matter expert and that’s why you’re presenting – no need to fear anything. And have fun. It’s an honor to present to any audience, and you get to talk about something you know and (I hope) love. Good Luck, let me know how it goes. I’d like to hear from you!

#publicspeaking #presentationstyles #presence #businessconferences #conferences #tradeshows #speakwithoutfear #creatingpresence #personalbranding

Storytelling – the newest marketing buzzword

If I’m a storyteller does that mean I just make things up? And if so, does that make me a liar? 

Three years ago, my intro headline in my LinkedIn profile read: “I create stories.” Recently, I completely changed it because literally EVERYONE in marketing is claiming the title of storyteller. It’s the new keyword for the modern marketing employee. When I introduce myself as an expert at differentiation, I can’t credibly make that claim and then use a buzzword that every other marketer is currently touting! Do you have the goods to back up your claim?

If you work in brand marketing then I hope you do tell stories – it’s literally your job to craft the story around your brand. This is not a new idea. What is new are the channels through which the marketer can communicate these stories. If you don’t have a branding background, this article might provide a new perspective on today’s favorite buzzword: storytelling.

Stories are a brand’s emotional touchpoint

Brand marketing and agencies have been crafting stories for decades. These narratives serve a purpose – they connect a brand to its target audience, evoking the necessary emotion required to create a lasting connection. They bring the :30 ad to life regardless of where it is viewed: online, via DVR, live TV or in an airport. Stories are sticky and provide instant connection to a brand’s benefit, raison d’etre and lasting value. Crafting a story, verbally and visually, has always been a foundational element of  branding. Consider what comes to mind when you think of:

·     “Milk’s favorite cookie”

·     Mr. Whipple squeezing the Charmin – now evolved to Charmin and the bear family

·     Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in Jobs’ parents’ garage – evolving into Apple’s continuous innovation story

·     Disney, the ultimate storyteller, has parlayed their tales into a universe of consumer connection points

How to think about storytelling

For B2B brands, some of the best stories to use in marketing center around problem solving attributes, sharing customer success stories and business impact. #Ecolab and their acquisition of #NalcoWater not only helps them shift the organization’s long term focus, it also delivers the story of how a chemical company is evolving into an ecologically conscious, forward thinking, preserver of the planet. 

For B2C brands, allowing target consumers to imagine themselves as part of the story - the star of the commercial - makes for great storytelling. The bank’s president knows me by name, #SpireCreditUnion. Or, instant sex appeal even if you are a self-described nerd, #OldSpice. Or a smart, thrifty customer of #Harrys who appreciates convenience.

It’s amazing to me how many organizations don’t do this, they simply pick up the accepted industry jargon and apply it to their own messages. This lack of insight into their brands translates into lost sales. Marketing provides reasons to buy and should answer the “why” in the customer’s mind. Today, a list of product features is no longer sufficient – brands must answer the “why” for their customers.

How to craft your own compelling story or pressure test your current story

Creating a story takes effort, and I don’t just mean creativity. The best stories are rooted in history and fact. Up front, there’s a good deal of detective work that starts with in-depth research across various constituencies (customers, salespeople, competition, suppliers). Taking a hard look at the brand’s milestones and studying forecasted trends that might impact the customer are important steps. All these data points are then fed into the brand marketer’s brain to analyze and interpret. 

Analysis delves intowhat’s really distinctive about the brand: Comparisons with the competition, revisiting conversations with customers both pro and con, meeting with those along the supply chain and listening, all help to shape this framework. From these interactions come the seeds of a great story.

Where is the emotional tug? This is where the creativity needs to spark. Your brand’s emotional link may not be a tear-jerker, it may instead be a moment of innovation that saves consumers time delivering satisfaction, or a dedicated focus on sending 10% of pre-tax profits to a global charity. This work is the fun part of storytelling, don’t overlook it. It’s not easy. If it were, everyone would be doing it well.

You have the story, now tell it and stick with it

B2B organizations can effectively communicate online, but the sales force is your true front line to communicating with your customer. Train them. Get them comfortable with the story – they have to believe it to sell it. If you did your prework correctly, you’ve already talked to them during the data gathering phase and kept them in the loop as you refined the message along the way. Now is the time to build evangelism across your sales force. It goes without saying that all of your public relations efforts and marketing materials should also reflect this story. Going to a trade show? All pre-conference marketing efforts and in-show activity should be built around this story.

B2C organizations already know how to advertise and reach consumers. Ensure that all messaging consistently builds off the story you now want to tell. Inconsistency is the enemy of branding so don’t undermine all your hard work. Advertising must be reviewed and updated, from paid search to display to your website. Consider traditional channels like print and public relations to enhance your digital effort where it makes sense. Do you have an agency to support your social media marketing or do you keep that in-house? If it’s in-house and not living next to your brand managers, you should consider training those folks just like you train your salespeople. Social channels lend themselves to storytelling and are here to stay – get your story out there.

Whether working in B2B or B2C channels, resist the temptation to change your story simply because you are bored with it. The story is an extension of the brand. Over time it can shift and grow, but its essence remains the same. Otherwise, that storytelling is not truth and your customers will never buy into it. 

Branding is fun, and with a strong foundation stories emerge. By no means have I described every option available to the brand marketer in shaping the story. But I hope that I’ve sparked interest and ideas in either revisiting how you talk about your brands, or in how to start formulating that story. Want to talk more about this? Send me some feedback or ask a question. I’m happy to respond.

I used to think sabbaticals were crazy...here's why I've changed my mind

Last spring I departed my organization following a restructure that decentralized my department into other areas of the company.  I didn’t disagree with the decision, and while I knew I’d miss my team and the relationships I’d built, it was “on to the next adventure”. I jumped into my job search with wholehearted vigor.

 But I was mentally exhausted and didn’t realize it. Luckily for me, I have mentors and friends who did. I had spent the last fifteen years working on challenger brands in evolving environments with multiple leadership changes. Candidly, I love this. But it was clear, at least to others, that I needed a break. I’d also been handling an eldercare situation solo for the past ten years which simply added to the stress in my life, but I didn’t realize that either. My mentors gently prodded me into taking time away from the corporate world and a job search. Other colleagues were supportive, but many gave me the side eye silently wondering what I was thinking! I get it, because I was partly thinking the same thing.

 I realize not everyone can take almost a year off. But what I learned early on is even two weeks after I changed my focus, I felt better physically and mentally. There definitely was a lot of sleeping involved in those first two weeks! The idea that you can give yourself permission to rest and possibly to explore other areas that you never make time to, is something I encourage everyone to consider. It was foreign to me. But I can say that you don’t need to take several months to reap the benefits.

You also need to put aside fear. The fear that you’ll fall off the radar screen of recruiters and hiring managers. All that will work itself out. And you’ll be in a much better place to take advantage of new opportunities on the other side of your sabbatical.

I’m not a big fan of “top ten” lists or “five easy steps to take” formats. This is simply my recap of what worked for me and what I learned. Not convinced? Here are a few things I learned along the way that might inspire you:

1. A sabbatical can expose you to new challenges that are not work related, that help you grow and heal. I chose three areas to delve into to make positive changes in my life: Philanthropy, Learning, and Personal Wellness.

 Philanthropically, I elected to become more involved with an environmental non-profit where I’ve been on the board for five years, but never had the time to roll up my sleeves and dive in. Ok this was work, but giving back in any philanthropic environment is energizing and provides much more concrete, immediate feedback than many corporate arenas. You end the day knowing you’ve made a difference, if even in a small way. And the challenges are often completely different than what you are accustomed to in for-profit America.

I love to learn and am naturally inquisitive. In the corporate world this inquisitiveness can drive your peers and managers nuts as you constantly ask “why” in an effort to deliver the best possible outcome. Now with time on my side, I enrolled in several seminars, marketing roundtables, made a few presentations and podcasts. Also, I became a Certified Scrum Product Owner, after having served as an executive sponsor of several Agile teams in the past. Asking why and learning takes additional time, and that is not something that is often embraced in corporate culture. Making time to learn can be a foundation for innovation and growth both personally and professionally.

Improving my health and fitness seems like an obvious track for a sabbatical and I was committed to working on my golf game, biking the many trails near my home and eating a simpler, healthy diet. Gradually, these changes morphed into an openness to trying new wellness practices including Pilates and meditation – activities for which I previously did not have the patience. I’m not exactly an expert at either, but I find that I have better focus and dedication to stay the course.

These may not be the three areas that appeal to you as you embark on a sabbatical. That’s great! Figure out what will be meaningful to you and then go do it.

2. Positive changes made throughout the sabbatical have a way of forcing one to step back and analyze other forces at work in your life. First by slowing down. It’s a natural outcome of being on a sabbatical. You’re no longer at the mercy of the eight to ten (or more) hour day at your office and therefore can allot your time differently. Note: this happens gradually and not effortlessly. I think it took at least two months before I really felt myself slowing down, being calm about taking time off and paying greater attention to the world around me. Everyone will progress at their own pace. Slowing down improves so many things in your life – your relationships, your need to be in control, and your awareness of what’s going on around you. Importantly, it also allows you to regain focus on what’s important to you. For me, it rekindled how I engage regularly with my faith.

Throughout your sabbatical you’ll also find yourself connecting with people differently, interacting with them and actually hearing what they are saying, not thinking about what you want to convey next to them. This deepens and grows your relationships and your self-awareness as you learn from those around you. In addition, when you connect with others completely different from you, it engages your mind in new ways, expanding your world view and perspective.

One practice I identified that works for me when I need to slow things down, is to get out alone in nature. It can be a walk, on a bike or in a canoe. The enveloping silence that’s punctuated by the sounds of nature has a calming effect on our hearts and minds. Try it. Rain or shine, warm or snowy days, it works every time. The outcome of realizing what impacts your life helps refine what’s important to you, and where you want to spend your time. It’s an energizing part of the process.

Taking the time to analyze the other forces, both good ones and not so good, in your life, is a critical step to growth. Interactions with others, slowing your pace and taking time to reflect all contribute to this effort.

 3. The serendipitous self analysis that naturally occurs during your sabbatical has a way of opening your mind to new possibilities and growth that make you a happier and more focused individual, setting you up for your next chapter. For some, that might take shape as new life goals, new professional goals or simply a renewed sense of excitement and energy. For others, it can simply be that you’ve expanded your circle of friends and colleagues or rediscovered a hobby that gives you joy. For me, I identified old habits that were holding me back, addressed them, and let them go. Or, at least, I am trying to!

In my first role out of college, I worked for a Fortune 25, global, CPG firm and credit that experience with building my professional foundation. It was there that my managers instilled in me the rigor of setting goals and consistently measuring progress against those goals at every turn and interaction. But over time, I took this behavior to an extreme. This constant analysis evolved over the years as I moved to other companies, into critical self-assessment. Even when I performed exceedingly well, I could find fault with one small thing I needed to improve. I never took the time to celebrate or acknowledge what I did that was excellent. That same critical self-assessment is what almost kept me from pursuing my sabbatical. How could I derail my career progress and long term goals by stepping out of the workforce for any length of time? Ironically, it was only during my sabbatical that the realization hit me that I was already derailed, and I needed the time away to get back on track.  

Becoming open to new possibilities and personal growth are a natural outcome as you progress through a sabbatical. Recognizing behaviors that may be holding you back from this growth helps you to shift your point of view to one that allows you to take advantage of those new possibilities.  

 To summarize, the reasons for engaging in a sabbatical will be different for every individual. But each of us finds motivation in exposure to new challenges as we engage in actions we normally don’t make time for. These experiences lead to improved self-awareness as you begin to step back and analyze what’s important to you. And as you make your way through the sabbatical you find yourself applying your discoveries to all aspects of your life. It opens the mind to new possibilities, relationships and innovations. You may find ways to give back, participate in new ventures, travel or simply read a book or two you’ve had for a while.

This in turn opens new doors for your future endeavors, be that in your career or personal goals. Importantly, you emerge with a renewed sense of who you are and the energy to make things happen. Even if you can’t take the time I did, consider how you’ll spend this weekend, your next vacation, or your next career transition. And let me know how you did and what the impact was to you personally. Sharing your story is part of the process, and others will be inspired by you too. Good luck!