An Instagram lesson from “The Dress.”

August 14, 2019

Filed under: Marketing Strategies, The Power of Persuasion, Observations From the Field, This is Cool, Social Media — @ 10:38 am

Recently, I learned about a dress available at fashion retailer Zara that has its own Instagram account. At the time of this writing, The Dress had 21,000 followers.

The Dress (credit: Zara)

Not being a fashionista myself – whatever the opposite of a shopaholic is (shopaslothic?), I’m it – I figured that following The Dress on Instagram wouldn’t interest me… except as a marketer. Because the thought of a dress having more followers than some of our clients is mind blowing, and just a teeny bit depressing. I needed to know its secret.

Before I looked at the account, I tried to imagine what kind of content The Dress could offer to keep an audience engaged and growing (because when I first learned about it a month ago, there were only 13,000 followers). Pics of The Dress in different locations? Suggestions for jewelry, shoes, or other accessories that best complement The Dress? Fan photos sent in wearing The Dress? It’s true I’m no fashionista… but why on earth would anyone care enough about THE SAME DRESS to see pictures of it repeatedly and voluntarily?

So I looked. And then I knew: it’s not The Dress. It’s The Voice.

OH, THAT VOICE. The woman who created and manages the account, stylist Faye Oakenfull, sees the world through a clever lens…and that bit of brilliant, humorous cheek comes through with each post. If she’s even half as good a stylist as she is a content creator, her fashion services should be in demand for eternity. I scrolled through so many posts, and was smiling the entire time… and even though I’m not into fashion, and I was only looking at this account as a marketer doing research…in the end, I found myself clicking “follow.”

Because if this account brings me a shot of joy every time I see a post, then I’ll make room for it in my Instagram feed.

The Dress – and The Voice of The Dress – offers a valuable lesson for anyone managing an Instagram account in a lifestyle industry like travel, tourism, and hospitality: you need to EARN your place in a person’s feed. How? Here are two useful suggestions:

Be entertaining: That doesn’t necessarily mean funny… it means ENTERTAIN them. Bring joy to their day. Inspire them. Make them think. Surprise them. And yes, make them laugh sometimes. Stop thinking about what you want (or need) to sell, and stop doing obligatory posts (with no thought, and at the last minute) just to check a box and keep to a posting schedule.

Be relevant: Never ever forget that your audience is made up of individual people… and they are all doing different things and leading different lives at the time they see your post. Why should they care that you’re having a happy hour special today when they live 1,000 miles away? Talk to them as humans having a conversation (“This cocktail at today’s happy hour is so delicious, we won’t judge when you lick the glass after it’s gone”… pic of the cocktail, then swipe for pic of person hilariously actually licking the glass), not as a brand doing marketing (“Two for one happy hour specials on the patio today!”). The former gives them a relevant sensory connection…the latter just pushes a transactional sale.

The Voice of The Dress does both – entertainment and relevance – beautifully. And when my mother hears that I’m following a dress on Instagram – me!…who grew up as the tommiest-of-tomboys and tried to wrestle myself out of every dress she put me in – she’s going to laugh her head off. And I wouldn’t be surprised if she buys me the damn thing for Christmas. (New idea for an Instagram account: Mom Gets the Last Laugh).

Learn more about the story of The Dress here.

Masking tape: the unsung hero of authentic branding.

July 10, 2019

Filed under: Observations From the Field, Branding Strategies — @ 12:41 pm

First, a warning: this post might make you hungry. I confess to involuntary drooling just while writing it.

Now, let’s talk about authentic branding. And biscuits. And masking tape. And grandmothers.

Recently, as part of a winter tourism strategy and business development consulting assignment for Nova Scotia’s South Shore Tourism Cooperative, I had the pleasure of doing some business coaching for the Anchors Away Family Restaurant & Dairy Bar in Clyde River, NS. Within this coaching relationship, we studied their business patterns, identified trends, assessed operational needs, uncovered opportunities, crafted marketing ideas, and surveyed market potential. We also evaluated the visuals and the vibe – internal and external signage, interior design, menus, service – with a branding eye: how strongly can customers connect to this restaurant and what does it mean to them?

All great stuff, and super helpful to charting their growth path. But it wasn’t until the menu tasting that the magical branding lesson happened.

I sat there and tasted a bonanza of lovingly homemade goodies, including: gravy so tasty I wanted to do shots of it, frozen cheesecake that literally melted in my mouth from extreme creaminess, and then…oh, those glorious biscuits. Flaky. Buttery. Addictive. The perfect balance between light and substantial. One bite in, I felt like I had died and gone to biscuit heaven.

Me: “Sweet lord. You could make a fortune selling these. You make these here?”

Owner: “We do. My mother makes them.”

Me: “YOUR MOTHER MAKES THEM? Do you sell them by the pack for takeaway?”

Owner: “We do.” <goes and gets a six-pack of biscuits to show me> “We just started recently, and I know we need to get more professional-looking labels than masking tape if we’re going to keep selling them.”

Cue magical branding lesson. Actually, a handwritten label with masking tape is PRECISELY the right label for a pack of drool-worthy biscuits that were lovingly baked in the back kitchen of a family diner by (essentially) someone’s grandmother. It screams “homemade,” “just baked,” “no preservatives,” “small batch,” and “made with love.” JUST LOOK AT THE FORK MARKS. I COULD HUG THE BAKER JUST FOR THOSE ALONE. So, the masking tape vibe fits perfectly into the authentic positioning – and unique selling proposition – of the restaurant.

What’s the lesson? “Branding” sounds like a fancy and formal concept, and to achieve it, many businesses think they need to standardize, formalize, and professionalize their touchpoints. Slick, glossy brochures. Traditionally staged photos. Professionally printed collateral. But branding – correction…successful branding – is really just the appropriate visual and emotional expression of an entity’s personality. Branding means being who you are, not trying to be something that you’re not. And effective branding makes a connection with the guests you most want to court… whether that means self-serve iPad menus or biscuit packs with masking tape labels.

So… nope nope nope: Anchors Away, you absolutely do NOT need to get more professional-looking labels for your biscuits. If you did, it wouldn’t feel like “you,” and all the magic would be lost. You should go ahead and lean right the heck into the image fostered by ragged strips of tape and a trusty Sharpie fine point. I honestly believe it even makes the biscuits taste better. Draw a heart on the tape and I might even swoon.

And then – bonus – you don’t even have to spend money buying fancy labels.

PS. Anchors Away…please start a weekly Biscuit Delivery Service to the US. You can have all my money. Just please do it.

You can’t say no to bunnies.

February 20, 2019

Filed under: Marketing Strategies, The Power of Persuasion, Observations From the Field, This is Cool, Effective Communication — @ 10:07 am

Here’s the problem with the cards in hotel rooms that encourage guests to “save the environment” by reusing their towels and sheets each night: consumer skepticism.

The bubble over our heads: Really, hotel? You think we don’t see through this? You’re just saving laundry costs by making people feel guilty about selfishly destroying the planet. We all know that some marketing shyster came up with this angle to trick guests into doing it…and damn it, it burns us that you’re racking up the profit on the backs of our guilt.

The irony is…we really ARE conserving the planet by washing things fewer times. But that’s a massive, fuzzy, intangible outcome, which relies on everyone around the world doing it too…because my ONE little towel is pretty impotent in that crusade all by itself. This makes it hard for folks to embrace, and so – of course – our skepticism kicks in. We might reuse the towels (it’s not a tough ask), but it doesn’t bring us the satisfied, warm glow those cards were meant to inspire.

Enter: bunnies.

During my recent stay at Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, I quickly noticed the subtle presence of rabbit art around my room. Then I saw this and it all clicked:

The gist: We invite you to help us conserve. Savings from our linen program support the Inn’s “Rabitat,” a habitat restoration project with the Department of Conservation for Maine’s endangered New England Cottontail Bunnies, preservation of open space locally, and migration routes for butterflies.

Cue warm glow. I’M HELPING SAVE THE BUNNIES! And not just ANY bunnies… THOSE BUNNIES. PROBABLY RIGHT OUTSIDE MY WINDOW. Hopping around IN THEIR “RABITAT.” They even have an adorable name: New England Cottontail Bunnies.

Dude, if you don’t choose to reuse your towel to save a New England Cottontail Bunny, you’re just going straight to hell.

Bravo, Inn by the Sea. You nailed this for several reasons:

It’s tangible, so guests can visualize and embrace the reason behind linen reuse.
It’s meaningful…both to them and to you. It gives you something to rally around together in a shared way, which deepens your connection and fosters good feeling.
It’s different and specific, so it stands out and makes an impression in the sea of vague “help us save the planet” white noise.
It doesn’t hide the fact that you’re saving money…rather, it shows what you’re doing with the rediscovered funds, which REALLY makes guests trust you and want to help.

Lastly…it’s authentic, genuine, and credible. It smacks down that natural human instinct we all (sadly) have for skepticism about marketing.

And, let’s call a spade a spade: it’s fun and it makes people smile. That…AND it saves the bunnies? #winningatmarketing

Even accountants can have fun with marketing.

September 19, 2018

Filed under: Marketing Strategies, Observations From the Field, This is Cool, Branding Strategies — @ 9:49 am

“I was so inspired by all the fun examples you shared, but I work for accountants and we could never do anything like that.”

So said the woman who came up to me after my recent speech about inspiration at the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce annual meeting. The speech highlighted the ways in which businesses can transform everyday customer interactions into inspirational, engaging encounters. And as part of that, I shared dozens of examples from around the world…businesses using everything from tip jar signs to colorful portable toilets in order to make memories for customers.

My inspired-but-dejected accountant friend scooted away too quickly for me to show her a different point of view. I mean…she hugged me, so she wasn’t THAT dejected. But there was clearly a boundary in her mind: other businesses like hotels and restaurants can have fun…accountants cannot.

Every scrap of my marketing DNA rebelled against that philosophy. So in my mind on the drive home, I reviewed all the examples I shared in the speech, and this one leaped out… the hours of operation sign at Hot Dog Tommy’s in Cape May, NJ:

Hot Dog Tommy's Hours Sign

Wouldn’t it be marvelous for an accounting firm to have office hours from 8:57am to 5:02pm, with the tag line “we’re accountants…we’re precise?”

Their hours and that tag line could be shared in their email signatures, on their website, business cards, advertisements, and more.

And what does that get them? A conversation starter. A point of difference. A personality. A smile from a potential customer.

A way to be memorable.

And doesn’t EVERY business want to be memorable to its audiences? Even you, accountants. You want people to think of you over OTHER accountants. So…without that tag line, your business card is ordinary. With it? You make an impression.

Any business can use nearly ANY touch point to make customers care about them. No business has to be boring…that’s a choice you make, and you can simply choose to be interesting. You just have to do it with care and thought to what makes sense for your brand and industry. Accountants with hyper-precise hours? YES. Accountants with colorful portable toilets in the reception area? Well…that will certainly make you memorable, but perhaps not in the way you want.

PS: In 90 seconds, see how I prepared for this speech, and I’d be the biggest hypocrite in the world if this video were boring. Watch here.

A valuable sales lesson from a homeless gent.

August 7, 2018

Filed under: Marketing Strategies, Observations From the Field, Social Media, Effective Communication — @ 9:43 am

If you’ve ever been a client of Redpoint, you’ve heard our (constant, loving, unwavering) counsel on balancing “the hard sell” with “relationship building” in your marketing messages.

We get it. When you have rooms/seats to fill, budgets to hit, expenses to pay…the urge to repeatedly reach for the hard sell is super strong. But this is doing your marketing a huge disservice because you’re developing a one-sided relationship with your audiences: you only (or too often) talk to them solely when you want them to buy something from you. That’s quite selfish, and who likes to be in a relationship with someone selfish? They’ll quickly tune you out.

But it requires a patient leap of faith for a brand to favor relationship-building messages over sales messages. The conversion runway is longer and less trackable…so how do you know/prove the ROI is worth it?

Here’s the proof you need, delivered from an unlikely source: a homeless gentleman who sits out on William Street in NYC every evening.

From around 4pm until after rush hour, he sits in the same spot and says nice things to folks passing by, such as:

“Have a lovely evening!” (all the time)
“Stay cool tonight!” (summer)
“Stay warm tonight!” (winter)
“Stay dry tonight!” (raining)
“Be careful of the ice just there!” (snowing)
Etc.

He pets dogs, smiles at everyone, and waves at children. He’s SUCH a nice man. He never tells a down-on-my-luck story. Never plays the guilt card. Never shakes a cup full of coins.

And he never – EVER – asks for money. Or food. Or clothes. Or anything.

But he gets them…in spades.

Every morning when I walk by his spot, there is a small collection of stuff left there by people overnight and in the morning prior to his arrival. Most often it’s food, but sometimes it’s a hat, shoes, or clothing.

Think about this, folks. People…busy, desensitized New Yorkers…think about him WHEN HE’S NOT EVEN THERE, and leave him things he needs but never requests.

THAT is master-class-level relationship building. He brings them repeated, consistent joy and kindness and ultimately, they give it back…freely and thoughtfully and often.

Take a page from this guy’s book. Find ways to be memorable to your audiences. Engage them. Treat them with affection. Ensure that you matter to them. Because when you matter to them, selling requires very little “ask” on your part.

This “Blind Date” concept wins at marketing.

May 29, 2018

Filed under: Customer Service, Marketing Strategies, The Power of Persuasion, Observations From the Field, This is Cool — @ 2:15 pm

This idea – Blind Date with a Book – is so brilliant, I just stood there admiring it for several minutes while my marketing brain lit up with joy.

At Book Culture on Columbus, a reader’s paradise on the Upper West Side of NYC, there’s a center table piled with books wrapped completely so you can’t see their titles. A label on each one gives you clues to the book’s content, like so:

Blind Date with a Book

Trying not to look like a creepy stalker, I hovered around the table for a long while…just to observe the reactions of people who stumbled upon the table for the first time.

Here’s the big headline: every single person HAD a reaction. Some thought it was the coolest idea in the universe, some said they’d never buy a book sight unseen, some wanted to rip off the wrapping and see if they guessed correctly, some thought it was a unique gift for bookworms.

But… Everyone. Had. A. Reaction.

Do you know how hard that is to achieve? Breaking through the cluttered awareness of busy shoppers, amidst a sea of tables and shelves and displays and gifts and noise? Nearly impossible.

But Blind Date with a Book achieves it, because it’s rich with multi-faceted marketing power:

It’s the bricks-n-mortar answer to the online suggestion algorithms (“If you like this, you’ll ALSO like…”) that the Amazons and Spotifys of the world have trained us to crave.
The power of secrets and surprises…people can’t resist the mischief.
It addresses a business need with grace, whimsy, and a consumer-facing benefit: the titles are all picked by staff because they’re worth a read, but for whatever reason don’t get as much purchasing love as they should.
It connects with people…engages them, and definitely makes them smile.
No question it gives shape to the store’s personality…anything unexpected and fun like this ignites a positive feeling for the brand. Even if you’re not the type to purchase a wrapped book, you still think they’re cool for doing it.

What’s the moral here? Stop reaching for the same old sales and marketing tools. If Book Culture had wanted to push slow-moving titles, they could have done a sale or marked them as “Staff Picks” or whatever. All usual tricks for bookstores, and all standing a 50/50 chance of getting people to care.

But wrap up a book in brown paper and call it a Blind Date? Winner. Hands down.

One small question can lead to BIG ideas.

May 2, 2018

Filed under: Marketing Strategies, Observations From the Field, This is Cool — @ 3:59 pm

Thinking visual

So…you know “those” marketing people? The ones who seem to have a dozen (or 100) spectacular ideas every day? Chances are, this question plays in a continuous loop in their brains:

What could we do with this?

“Idea people” get inspiration from everything they encounter, every single day.

While browsing social media: Oh, an underwater filmmaker/choreographer performs a jaw-dropping dance in the world’s deepest pool? What could we do with this?

While reading an online newspaper: Oh, a restaurant in Maine is only accepting reservation requests by postcard? What could we do with this?

While subtly eavesdropping on a nearby subway conversation and trying not to be creepy about it: Oh, Jennifer Garner is doing an (adorable and oh-so-fabulous) pretend cooking show on Instagram? What could we do with this?

Every new bit of sensory input is an opportunity to spark a new idea. Maybe we don’t need an actual DANCE underwater… but could one of our clients benefit from cool underwater filming? Or is there something we can do with the world’s deepest pool? And POSTCARDS. That’s an unusual way to use postcards. Is there ANOTHER way we can use postcards in an unexpected fashion? Or can one of our clients accept reservations in an unusual way? We’re about to plan a big conference… can postcards play a role in the attendee experience?

And Jennifer Garner. Can we just hug her? Or partner with her? Or can one of our clients send her a recipe to try? Or can they do their own cooking show? Wait… she tried to make bagels and it was REALLY hard. Is that true? If it’s hard… can we do a bagel-making class at one of our restaurants? Are bagels a thing? Do they pair well with prosecco (doesn’t everything)? What about bagels for dinner? Or Bagel Turndown Service at a hotel? Is there a National Bagel Day?

<must…turn…off…brain…>

The point is…it’s not about copying ideas. It’s about using a germ of one thing to springboard into a new idea. Maybe related…maybe not. It’s kind of a long stretch to get from Jennifer Garner’s cooking show to launching Bagel Turndown Service at a hotel. But it all starts with… what could we do with this?

If you are ever stuck for an idea, make this your magic phrase. Open a magazine, surf the web, take a spin on social media, go to a shopping mall… pay attention to the things that grab you and think what could we do with this?

Yesterday on the subway, I saw a woman carrying a Yorkshire Terrier in an Easter basket, and the dog was wearing tiny little bunny ears and a tiny little bowtie shaped like a bone. RANDOM. Believe me. You don’t even want to know how long my “what could we do with this?” list was.

Marketing works better when you get out of your own way.

April 10, 2018

Filed under: Marketing Strategies, Observations From the Field — @ 10:00 am

Last year while consulting with a hotel client, we decided together that a certain kind of in-room marketing piece and promotional offer was needed to spark interest (and reservations) in their restaurant. They were TOTALLY jazzed about the idea and their in-house design team was going to “get right on it.”

It’s a year later and no piece was ever produced. The reason? Marketing, finance, and the executive team couldn’t come to an agreement on details… how long the promo would run, how deep the discount would be, and how the piece would be designed for the room… a door hanger? Something to place on the bed? Hanging from the bedside lamp? Table tent on the vanity?

It got too hard to shepherd to the goal line, and so it’s still sitting in approval purgatory.

And yet, they are still banging their heads against the wall in frustration over the empty seats in the restaurant.

In contrast: last month, I was traveling through the tiny town of Blackville, New Brunswick in Canada, and I stopped at the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Burke’s Diner for a quick snack. While waiting for my food, I noticed the napkin holders in the dining room:

Burke's Napkin Holders

Are those promo flyers slick and perfect? Nope. Are they even smooth and unwrinkled? Nope. Did a marketing team sit with the finance team for weeks, and then do a presentation to executive management before sending the idea to the design team to execute? Pretty doubtful.

But do they work? Absolutely. I ate there just once, and even *I* know that Friday is Steak Night, and so forth.

Here’s the moral: GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY. That hotel client I mentioned above? They are not alone. We see that sort of stalling-due-to-lack-of-agreement all the time. And folks…it’s hurting your business. Because while you’re gearing up for the United Nations Talks of Marketing, your restaurant seats are still empty.

Doing something is better than doing nothing, and things can always be changed, evolved, or removed. Just find a way to forge ahead.

And if you’re ever hungry in the Blackville area, here’s Burke’s version of a “light snack”…

Pile of Fries

FYI, there’s a grilled cheese under there somewhere. #prizeunderfries

If you want brand engagement, just be human.

February 22, 2018

Filed under: Marketing Strategies, The Power of Persuasion, Observations From the Field, This is Cool, Branding Strategies — @ 2:03 pm

There I was, innocently chopping vegetables for a salad at my kitchen counter, my mind on a million other things while my hands worked on autopilot. And then, without warning… the little tomatoes seduced me.

I had picked up the container to peel back the cover, when my eye caught the writing on the tab:

Cherub Grape Tomatoes with "Lettuce Out" tab Cherub tab "Lettuce Out"

Seriously. “Lettuce out?” Produce packaging with a sense of humor? It’s corny and goofy and oh-so-endearing, and I am not going to lie: I giggled audibly. And that particular salad brought me a great deal of joy.

Why? Because THE TOMATOES MADE A JOKE, people. In this world of legal jargon, marketing buzzwords, and brand manifestos, a simple salad pun like “lettuce out” is unbelievably charming and disarming for consumers. I didn’t really have an opinion of my tomatoes before. Suddenly, I cared. I felt like the folks at NatureSweet® must be pretty cool and groovy…and human. Real people, not a faceless sea of business operations. And I liked them. As if they were a single person, making a one-on-one connection with me, in a very unscripted, informal way.

Learn from this, folks. It cost them nothing to add this dash of personality to their packaging, and yet it did more to inspire my warm feelings than any expensive ad campaign ever could. Not convinced? How about…

The napkins at Chipotle Mexican Grill:

Chipotle Napkin

The inside of a Dove® chocolate wrapper.

Dove chocolate wrapper

The tip jar sign at Cape May Brewing Company:

Tip jar at Cape May Brewery

The point is…brands spend a ton of money on marketing and chasing brand loyalty, and yet they miss these simple, often no-cost opportunities to quietly worm their way into people’s hearts. With that one little lettuce joke, I became a “Cherub Girl,” just like the guy who once told me he’s an “EverRoast® Man”…except I’m not just using it as a pickup line.