We live in a fast-paced market…but when is good enough not good enough? With the new way of communication, technology has starting re-writing our language and the way we communicate, especially in professional communications. That is totally acceptable, as language too must evolve with the needs of the society it serves. It wouldn’t be the first time that the English language has changed. Today, we communicate so fast when we text message, tweet, post Facebook updates… this need for speed makes us just want to get the message out to our audience, regardless of spelling, grammar, punctuation.
Maybe I am showing my age… however, I believe that there is increasingly a blur between our personal communications and our professional communications… and really that shouldn’t be. Business is business, and if you start your first impression with a typo or poor grammar because it’s an e-zine or digital media, it doesn’t make it all right.
Is misspeling and poor grammar accepaible in bisiness? Okay, I jest. I know that this is really an extreme, but believe me when I say, even one misspelled word sends out the same message as a whole bunch misspelled words, poor grammar and even poorly written copy.
Below is an e-blast message as an example. Shouldn’t brilliant ideas also include great execution? Does having no rules imply that anything goes… and with it your brand and business? When I received this I was shocked.What is proper etiquette here; do you gently tell the sender/author that they have a typo?Recently I caught the same saw the same sort of issue on a Linkedin profile and and I sent a private message. Isn’t Linkedin a professional environment where the first impression counts
Bad spelling, poor punctuation and grammar can say many things about your business…it’s not talking about you… and it says that you do business carelessly. When we communicate on the internet, 99% of the time it is done by the written word. Spelling errors in business will make you appear unprofessional. Avoiding common misspellings and grammatical errors ensures that your writing is clear, precise, and comprehensible, making a positive impression on readers, which is particularly important in business communications. What’s the issue and how hard can it be? It couldn’t be any easier to check spell and re-edit your grammar with all the tools like spell check found in most and all software… It’s not 100%, but at least it’s a start.
The need for speed and cutting costs have made businesses accept good enough and I don’t believe that’s a good strategy. Think about the investment that businesses make about building their brands/business only to have it undermined by the need to communicate to their potential customers/clients quickly. At the end of the day that’s a high price to pay.
Am I starting to show my age? Am I not going with the flow? I’d like you to share your comments about this.
Designing for a niche is a well-targeted sales strategy. When your product caters to too many targets, the customization becomes diluted and your product doesn’t stand out. Nowadays, with so many options out there, you really have to make what you’re offering reach out and grab your target’s attention.
Because of its specificity, a collaborative, agile niche market design that really speaks to consumers at a deep level is long lasting.
Print, news and web are changing the game, demanding more comprehensive design materials that allow for interaction, and the reflection of social media integration. It’s not all about pretty pictures. But whether it be print, web, packaging or specialty products – the niche is a lucrative place to look.
Engaging an optimal audience is also possible through niche marketing. As reported by the Globe and Mail, when designing women’s shaving cream packages, Toronto Agency Juniper Park took little things into account like the fact that women shave in the shower – easy gripping – and that they like scented products – colourful variations.
Reaching out to a target in this way creates deeper dialogue between its members – who are already more invested in the product than the norm. Said Paul Kemp Robertson, editor of Contagious, in a article over at Marketing Magazine: “The beauty of niche is you get people who are very engaged and create thicker connections…The smaller the network, the thicker the connection.” These are the people that will pass along the information with others they think will be interested, because they are.
Like most successful marketing, the key is having that agile perspective. To really put yourself in the shoes of your target, and create something distinct that they will want to share and discuss.
Clever advertising is never about selling but about awareness. You will never sell anything using advertising. That may sound counter-intuitive, but it is fact. The fact is awareness sells.
There is no such thing as guaranteed sales. Advertising is about engaging people… like prompting them to go to the store… checking out an online contest or calling in for a meeting. Advertising is there to infiltrate the public conscious. It sounds invasive, but really it’s just about getting a name out there. It’s about making the audience identify with the concept, so that it becomes part of them, culture and resonates with lifestyle.
For commercial advertising, flashing dollar signs, discounts, and urging commentary in the realm of infomercials doesn’t engage us at the core of our consciousness. If anything, it makes us take it less seriously, and we don’t focus on it. We watch it, process it and move on.
During the world cup, official sponsor stock prices went up. More movement in the market wasn’t due to their commercials, but the stories they told and their presence in the games. Interactive ads such as online banners, viral video and mobile applications have greatly increased this adaptation. A good ad would like to share a concept with you, make you laugh, cry, to get motivated, and then with that set of ideals in mind, hope you identify with it.
The ad has to have meaning, and once it does, it is in the mind – therefore, the long run. Don’t think of advertising as selling; think of advertising as a propelling awareness.
Though social media has allowed us a lot of insight into market trends and preference at little expense, classical research methodologies are still something to be looked upon highly. They sometimes say “You will never reach niche groups through proper research methodologies like focus groups, surveys and case studies.” (more…)
Foursquare is one of the latest players in the social media market, quickly catching a following of over 6.5 million.The mobile-based program has been marketed as a game. It leverages itself as a social networking platform using “check-in” to local venues to gain loyalty points. (more…)
