Visibility

What works better: Web 2.0 “search and converse” tactics or traditional marketing?  Often, the most robust results come from mixing the two.  But neither will perform if the messaging is wrong. In fact, from online and mobile media, to landing pages and direct-response e-blasts, the more tactics you use, the more your messaging determines your visibility and your profitability.

Messaging isn’t just headlines, text or talking points.

Messaging is everything you say, everything you do and how your website, marketing materials and even your employees present themselves. You can do a great job on any one piece of messaging. But if what you say is different than how you appear or how you act, you’ve got a disconnect — and a major marketing problem.

It’s fairly easy to avoid disconnects when you’re using traditional marketing because you have more control over the transaction environment. For example, in a direct response mailing or emailing, the prospect uses a print or electronic order card. Because the transaction is targeted at a single audience and occurs within a single environment, you only have to look within that environment to make sure that what the piece says, how it looks and what it offers is right for your brand and the particular audience receiving the mailing.

But what happens when you start integrating Web 2.0? Once you make your website more interactive, build search traffic, and begin to use social media, you’re suddenly engaged with multiple conversations, audiences and environments. Plus, other sources start picking up your messaging.  Getting mentioned by bloggers, flagged by search engines, and having “fans” spread the word is a very good thing.  But if you don’t have the right messages — and keep them consistent — it can be a very bad thing.

Case in point: a trade association successfully used traditional marketing to push out clear and consistent government relations messaging. Unfortunately, the association didn’t get key members on board with that same messaging. As a result, many of the member companies began to go “off message” across a wide range of new media. Opponents soon had an arsenal of blog postings, video clips from members’ keynote speeches, and online records of campaign contributions that all showed a huge disconnect between how the association was representing itself on Capitol Hill and members’ real-world actions.

Consistency doesn’t mean repetition

Search engines don’t like duplicate content and neither do your audiences.  That’s why consistency doesn’t mean repeating messages.  Instead, it means creating a set of messages (words, images, actions) and using them consistently and in the right sequence.  If, for instance, your over-arching message is that you can save a customer money, don’t just repeat that phrase – amplify it with specific examples. Promote one example in a blog, promote another example in an online press release, and promote a third example in your traditional-marketing ad or mailing. All three examples support your overarching messaging.  Plus, instead of one set of keywords, you’ve got three phrases that can bring your name up in searches. Make sure your website — your marketing hub — pays off on all three and you’ve got a great shot at converting consistent messaging about how you save customers money into new visibility.

Keywords: the kernels of effective messaging

Before you choose your keywords, you must clearly define what it is you want to say and to whom. Unfortunately, too many companies don’t adjust their traditional-marketing messaging for new media, and that means the keywords they choose are “off message.”    A law firm, for example, had been extremely successful using offline tactics. But when they invested in paid search, they saw zero ROI. The problem lay in choosing keywords from messaging that had worked for them in their print brochures.  There, it was fine to emphasize the phrase “litigation support.”  As keywords, however, “litigation support” bombed since searchers were looking instead for “lawyer, Richmond, VA.”

Once you choose the right keywords, make sure you use them.  Seems obvious, right? But some companies invest in paid search without mirroring those keywords on their website.  For example, an IT firm specializing in PeopleSoft® applications suddenly found its business dropping off. In an effort to regain momentum, the CEO decided to supplement traditional sales efforts with a greater online presence. He bought keywords. He even updated the design, content and navigation of the website – but didn’t change his messaging. Despite his whopping investment, results were minimal. He concluded that “search marketing didn’t work.” But it was the messaging that didn’t work. He’d chosen very generic IT keywords that basically put him in competition with everyone from Microsoft down to solo entrepreneurs. Plus, his home page lacked any messaging about what specific IT services the firm offered. Words like “PeopleSoft,” “business analytics,” and “scorecards” appeared ZERO times. Instead, the vague word “solutions” was used repeatedly.

That’s not just an SEO issue. By the time people arrive at your website – from search, your business card or a referral from a colleague – they want specifics. Your messaging needs to deliver those specifics immediately and in a way that positively differentiates you from your competitors.

Bad sequencing can squash good messaging

Whether you’re using traditional or new media, you need to remember that CEOs and CFOs are very different people.  CEOs want you to get right to the point: they want to know how they’ll benefit and what action is required. If they’re interested, they’ll give you a quick chance to say why taking action is a good idea. You can’t use that same construction with CFOs – or CIOs, engineers, attorneys or other evidence-lovers. Tell these folks what action to take before you’ve presented evidence and they will perceive your messaging as hype. You can keep the same messaging you use for CEOs, but flip how you sequence it:  start with the evidence and funnel down to a “so that’s why you need to …” urge to action.

Bottom line: Messaging matters — and it matters in a 2.0 world more than ever.  So before you market, message. Be absolutely sure that the messages you’re about to pump out onto the Web (and which, according to Trendwatching.com, will stay visible forever)  are (1) right for your brand, (2) right for the media you’re using, and (3) right for engaging your specific audience.  With a little upfront work on messaging, you can create a rich mix of new and traditional tactics that can quickly increase – and sustain – your visibility.  Plus, with messaging that’s tightly connected to both your brand and your audience, you won’t waste money “un-marketing” yourself so every dollar can buy you better results.

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To create a tightly integrated visibility strategy, find – and fix – these common messaging disconnects:

MESSAGING DISCONNECT #1: The “look” undercuts your value proposition

Example:  A company promises its product will streamline clients’ businesses and help them reduce errors … but clients question the company’s credibility and deals fall through.  Why?  Because the print and online materials are jammed with typo-riddled content that’s hard to read and navigate.

THE FIX: Align everything from fonts to grammar to content with your brand and value proposition. Remember that while search engines don’t “see” visual attributes, your audience does — so make sure your website, landing page, or video all reflect the look you want to convey.

MESSAGING DISCONNECT #2:  Forgetting that Social Media isn’t just social

Example:  An executive coach’s website and traditional marketing materials are polished, professional and consistent in messaging and branding. But clients are suddenly starting to cancel and he can’t seem to close new business.  Why?  Because anyone Googling his name has started to find blog postings in which he shares personal – and very passionate -- views on politics and religion.

THE FIX: Yes, participate in communities, networks and blogs.  And yes, adjust your tone to Social Media’s more personal, informal environment.  But always stay true to the brand you want to project (personally and professionally) and never forget that anything you post on the Web can stay visible FOREVER.

MESSAGING DISCONNECT #3: Someone missed the memo

Example:  A financial services firm sought to turn its website into a better lead generator for its sales force. But after spending a fortune on design, SEO, and keyword-rich press releases and whitepapers, online leads came in, but didn’t convert. Why? Because the website was optimized for new messaging, but in following up the leads, the sales force continued to use old messaging (e.g., describing themselves as money-saving brokers rather strategic advisors). The inconsistency between the marketing messages vs. the sales messages made prospects distrust the firm and turn elsewhere.

THE FIX: Messaging isn’t just words and it’s not just marketing.  It’s everything your business says and does, including customer service and what employees say to friends about what your company does and why it matters. Make sure everyone gets the memo — literally!  Just as you’d create a mission statement or code of values, create a messaging statement.  Also identify very specific ways employees are expected to “live the brand.”