Cat's Eye Marketing Blog

What Connects Us in Social Media: On Puppets, Davenports and Other Stuff

I had a strange memory return today.

On twitter (you know that micro-blogging thing where everyone talks at once?), a writer friend I follow, @copylicious, was having a bad day.

You see, the Bay Bridge from San Francisco to Oakland was closed. So she couldn't get home.

And the only word was that they would be sending "updates on when people might get the next update."

And, on top of it, it was her birthday!

And she had not one, but four writing deadlines staring her in the face.

So you see, she really was having a bad day, when she blurted (tweeted):

"Why don't they allow puppets in high-level meetings?"

Well, that started people talking.

"Yeah, why don't they allow puppets, anyway?" said @wildheartqueen.

"Did somebody say a meeting with puppets?" said @starshyne, "Sign me up!"

And so it started. Our puppet stories. Now, with twitter names like @copylicious, @wildheartqueen, @starshyne, and @CatsEyeWriter (that's me), you'd kind of expect it, right?

 

But wait. Why don't they allow puppets in high-level meetings?

My puppet story was begging to be told. So I told it. On twitter. The condensed story, that is.

Here's the slightly longer version:

Several years ago I was manager of writing resources for an international nonprofit that had 5,000+ life-saving relief and development projects in 126 countries around the world. Projects to bring clean water to villages. Health care. Agricultural tools. Schools and classrooms.

I worked from the headquarters in L.A.

It was a high-stress job. Tense deadlines. 14-hour days. I traveled to West Africa to film a documentary and got malaria. Survived 130-degree days and a sandstorm in a village chief's hut in the Sahara Desert.

When I returned, I was a changed person. And exhausted. And really needing a "normal" job again.

Of course, I was afraid to tell my boss, especially after having just returned from this month-long trip, which was my class in International Development 101.

Then I remembered. Bob and I had just been to a silly small-town carnival, where he won an adorable purple furry hand puppet for tossing a ring that landed on milk bottle lid. You know that carnival game. The one it's almost impossible to win? Oh, wait. Every game at a carnival is impossible to win.

We named him Pépe.

I didn't have the nerve to quit my job just like that. But I had a feeling I could get Pépe to do it for me.

We went to a restaurant by the Santa Anita racetrack called The Brown Derby. Just the three of us. Me, my boss Dori and Pépe, who I kept in my purse through lunch. After the meal, when the coffee had arrived, I pulled him out and he managed to say, in a high-pitched, squeaky voice, "I'm so sorry but I think it's time to leave this job."

Moment of silence. Okay, huge moment of silence.

Then Dori burst out laughing.

Pépe had broken the tension so we could have a conversation. I talked about how honored I was to have been selected from more than 200 applicants for the job. How much I had learned about myself and the world. How I would love to stay involved as a consultant (which ended up happening).

We connected, even though I had just quit my job.

 

How social media connects us

Yesterday on twitter, I found a way to connect. Over puppets. Again.

I found like-minded people who also loved puppets and weren't afraid to use them. Other weird people. Like me.

Plus, I recently connected with another twitter friend. The uber-talented and very cool @sparkyfirepants. He's a designer and illustrator who lives in the mountains of Oregon and raises alpacas.

I wrote an article for Biznik called FAQ Page Lessons from the Encyclopedia Man. It was all about overcoming objections in the Q & As on your website's FAQ page, so you can move prospects farther along the path to purchase.

@sparkyfirepants read the article and sent this message (publicly) to me on twitter:

@CatsEyeWriter: Enjoying your article. One of my favorite words is "davenport."

I had started my article with a scene from my childhood, where the door-to-door salesman was trying his best to sell my mom a new set of Encyclopedia Britannicas. I used the word "davenport" because that's what we called our couch.

I explained that to @sparkyfirepants (Don't you just love his name?).

He tweeted back:

@CatsEyeWriter: No, really, I love it. I have a story to tell you when we meet sometime. A funny davenport story.

 Another connection.

Now, mind you, I've known Sparky Firepants (real name, David Billings) for almost two years, but we've never met in person.

But I feel like I know him. We can talk about business, family and weird words like "davenport." How cool is that?

So much is written today about being authentic. Don't hide your uniqueness. Don't be afraid to show the real you.

But if the real you is someone who likes to make puppets talk, is that okay?

If you like to form bonds and connections with people by making them laugh, is that okay?

Once we started talking about puppets on Twitter, there was a separation. The people who definitely believe in puppets and story and magic. And the people who think it's a little weird.

We puppet people actually attracted each other.

What do you think? Do you attract people like you—on your blog, on Twitter, on LinkedIn? And if so, is that a good thing or a bad thing?

How has social media connected you with others? Do you sometimes connect over things that have nothing to do with business. 

Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.

 

 

Who Are You, Anyway?: Showing Up Online

It's been a strange week. I'm in day 10 of the crappy upper respiratory stuff.

Type. Cough. Sniffle. Repeat.

I'm keeping my water glass to myself and trying not to breathe on Bob. In fact, it would be better if I just didn't breathe at all, his eyes are saying.

And why is everyone talking about website bios all of a sudden?

This week had a weird synchronicity to it. People have been talking about website bios and social media profiles. In phone calls. On Twitter. On forums. In emails.

Everywhere. 

For a minute, I thought they'd all gone crazy. Then I put it together.

It's what I've been working on all week for clients. Fun, memorable bios. About Us pages. Social media profiles.

Bios are on my brain. So of course I'm paying attention more.

You know, like when you buy a new car and all of a sudden you see all the other ones on the road just like it? They were always there, but you just noticed them.

Showing up online: part II

This past week, I had lots of smart questions from people struggling to create their bios, to boil down the essence of who they are in a short paragraph or two—in a way that is consistent and that attracts the people they want to work with.

Here are some starter tips:

1. Align your profile and website bio with your brand.

Your website gives people a good idea of who you are (or it should). But if the bio on your website, the one on your blog and the one on Facebook sound like you are talking about three different people, I'd say you have a problem. Unless you have multiple personality disorder. Then, of course, it would make perfect sense.

Connect your profile with your brand. If you are playful, and your website copy reflects that, so should your profile. Got a quirky sense of humor? Go with it. Someone tweeted a line from my website bio on Twitter yesterday: She said, "@CatsEyeWriter's website bio says she can juggle, has been to Timbuktu and can say, 'Four knives will be sufficient' in Swahili. I LOVE THIS!"

Everything I said was true. And, yes, a little quirky. Just like me.

Just be sure you show yourself in a real and consistent way—across all platforms.

2. Tell what you do best—and for whom.

When I am browsing through Twitter profiles and bios or visiting someone's About Us page on their website, I am attracted to the ones that deliver their messages with style and originality.

One of my Twitter friends, Havi Brooks, says it this way on her website's About Havi page: 

My duck and I (okay, the duck is a little weird and that could be a blog post all by itself) help bright, creative kooky people (who she does it for) destuckify their stuff so they can do their thing (what she does best).

She goes on to say:

So they can work through all the overwhelming, sometimes-terrifying goo that gets in the way of doing what they love and biggifying it like crazy.

When I read this, I know right away. Either I am her target market or I am not.

3. Leave the cardboard person at the doorstep.

I saw a small business networking site recently that warned its members to only enter "basic business information" into their profile. They said, "It's not about you personally. It's a business profile.

I couldn't disagree more, particularly if you are a small biz owner. People who are deciding whether to interact with you are looking for someone real.

Asking yourself a few of these questions will help you uncover—and show—the real, multi-dimensional you:

1. What three things do you believe most about people?

2. What is the one thing you've done in your life that you are most proud of?

3. What's the one thing you haven't done yet that you want to do before you die?

4. What three adjectives best describe you?

5. Which movie or TV character are you most like and why?

6. What's your favorite food or beverage?

7. Name the two things that bug you the most when they happen.

Use phrases from these answers to make a list. From that list, mix and match until you come up with the whole person that best describes you.

On Twitter, it's a challenge to do that in just 160 characters, but that's part of the fun. And it's the very process that gets you to the core of who you are.

My Twitter profile says:

Slightly neurotic copywriter. Loves strong verbs, creating unique online identities, oaky Merlot & John Cleese. Thinks the word cree-A-tive is overused.

4. Act online in ways that match your profile.

People are getting to know and, hopefully, trust you, so your online behavior and the copy in your bio should not clash. Who you are should not change. Whether you write an article for a social networking site like Biznik, create a new blog post or make a comment on Twitter, stay true to yourself.

5. Play with the content as you change and grow.

You aren't going to be the same person you are today. None of us are. Hey, next year you might climb Mt. Everest. Or write a book. Or become a goalie on a women's indoor soccer team (which one of my clients did) You might join the hole-in-one club. Or master conversational French.

Profiles are easy to edit. Be sure to do that regularly so when things change, your customers, prospects and colleagues can keep up with all the cool things you are doing.

What does your profile say about you?

You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll buy stuff.: 5 Strategies for 'emotion-based marketing'

There's a big fat war raging. We've always been told that people buy based on emotions, but need to justify their purchase with logic.

They satisfy the heart before the head kicks in to tell them they've made the right choice because…blah, blah blah (insert boring reasons here).

But, the thing is, two nights ago I was in a fun audience (how many educational events do you go to where you get to sit in the auditorium and sip on wine as the presenter goes through his PowerPoint show?).

Anyway, this semi-famous marketing expert from the cold white north (Canada) was talking about social media as a marketing tool for businesses when he turned around and said:

"Of course you would never use emotions in B2B (business-to-business) marketing."

Kind of caught me off guard.

 B2B, B2C, Aren't They All Just People?

We forget that business-to-business and business-to-consumer have something quite obvious in common.

Consumers are people who buy stuff.

Businesses are run by people who buy stuff.

So why treat B2B marketing any differently?

My 5 strategies for emotion-based marketing

Inside that business owner in the stuffy shirt is a real person. She laughs. She cries. She likes songs and movies because they make her feel. She has a heart and a head. And when her emotions are touched, she tends to remember the message more.

Here are some ways to reach her:

 1.    Tell her stories. 

You can do a lot with the right story, one that appeals to the senses, one that shows your personality and voice, and paints a picture.

 2.    Use analogies. 

People love an analogy because they "get it" right away. And because they are visual, analogies touch a deep, emotional part of the brain. We explained why we dumped our brand new business by comparing the needy "baby" to our jealous 16-year-old, Cat's Eye Marketing. Use this powerful tool when you can. 

3.    Make him laugh. 

John Cleese, one of my heroes, said it perfectly: "If I can get you to laugh with me, you like me better, which makes you more open to my ideas." I'm not talking cruel or sarcastic humor here, or just telling jokes. I mean the kind of humor that makes us all see that we are a lot alike. The kind that brings us together.

4.    Scare her (in a nice way). 

Don't underestimate the fear factor. We all have fears of losing something or someone. Of not doing something right. Of losing our best clients. Of our business failing because we made the wrong decision, went with the wrong vendor, spent too much money on a solution that didn't work. Find a way to identify that fear, then walk your client to the solution which, of course, is your product or service.

5.    Satisfy other emotional 'cravings.' 

There are tons of these. It takes a little time and skill to hit on the one your customer may be feeling, but it's worth it. Put yourself in their shoes, find the right emotional craving, then satisfy it. 

What about you? Do you think emotions should be used in B2B marketing? Do you ever market to people's emotions? 

Good Stuff You Might Have Missed: Friday Customer Relationship Gems

Sometimes, there is so much stuff out there that good things slip right by us.

I've been blogging once a week for almost two years now. I also write a weekly marketing e-tip. Content overlaps every once in a while, but not much.

What I believe

I believe in giving stuff away, lots of stuff. I believe that trust comes with generosity.

And I don't like hidden agendas.

They say:

"Subscribe to my cool, very helpful newsletter."

They mean: "I'm going to sell you as much stuff as I can in it."

They say: "Want short, useful tips you can read in 5 minutes or less?"

They mean: "If you are a speed reader, you can read my newsletter in 5 minutes. The tip is at the very end, after all the invitations to buy my e-books and attend my paid events."

Really, I don't like hidden agendas.

My Friday gift for you. Actually, 5 Friday gifts

Here . Some free stuff on customer relationship marketing. In case you can't afford those expensive CRM programs or that $200 dollar an hour-consultant.

Now these don't substitute for in-depth consulting, but they are things you can do—practical things—to improve your marketing and your relationship \with your prospect and customers, right now.

If you find this helpful, you can always sign up for my free (and "hype"-free) Marketing Hotspots, delivered to your in-box every Tuesday.

If you don't want to subscribe, that's cool, too. But accept these gifts anyway (if you'd like):

Multi-Sensory Marketing: A Tale of Three Little Customers- Did you know that your customers respond to your marketing and advertising messages based on how they best process information: visual, auditory or tactile? Find out how to use the right marketing strategy for each of these unique customer groups. 

5 Tips for Following Prospects and Customers without Being a Stalker- Ever been hit with the hard sell moments after exchanging business cards with someone? Eew! Learn how not to be that clueless person. How to keep in touch without being obnoxious.

Cookies, Milk and Scraped Knees: 6 Things Your Customers Wish You Knew- Find out what your customer is really feeling when they are reading your marketing copy. And how to recognize and address them.

Promises, Promises: 5 Ways to Build Customer Trust with E-Marketing- There's  a lot of slimy e-marketers out there. Here's how not to be one of them. How to build the customer trust that leads to sales.

5 Steps to Finding 'Warm' Prospects: Melting the Ice- Chipping ice off the windshield is hard. But of you take some time to warm the car up first…Well, you get the idea. How to warm up your cold prospects.

Okay, that's it. Hope these tips are useful. I write them with you in mind. Every week. Sign up here for a free subscription. But only if you want to. 

No Time for Relationship Marketing: Why Can't I Just Sell Stuff?

Because selling without a relationship first makes me run away.

Remember the last time you were at the mall and you avoided eye contact with that carnival barker ahem, I mean, 22-year old clerk, at the T-shirt kiosk?

Or the time you got an email sales blast from some robot marketer you didn't even know and they called you by your first name? ("Hi Judy, I've been meaning to tell you about this cool [fill in the blank] we're offering only for the next 24 hours!!!!")

Always, the exclamation points.

In Internet marketing, we run away from people who pretend to know us but don't have a clue who we really are.

If you get this, you are in the top 5 percent of marketers on the web today.

Because I don't really know if I need your products or services yet.

Sometimes I don't know at first that I even need what you are trying to sell to me. It's pretty hard to establish a need, make an emotional connection, build credibility, and sell, all in one swoop.

Try a little empathy first. Relate to your reader. (There's that word again.) What are their problems, fears, dreams?

Because I've been screwed over before.

In other words, I don't trust you because that last guy took my money and gave me a crappy product and when I tried to reach him, I got no answer.

If you give first, your promises will be more likely to be believed.

Because there are too many others just like you out there.

But wait. Mr. Rogers said, "You are special. You are the only one like you."

How can you show that? Not by waving red-letter signs with exclamation points. You could try to have a conversation. Tell your customers and readers just why you can solve their problems better than anyone else. Why you are different.

Because I'm having an 'Alexander and the Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day' day

Like the boy in the picture book, maybe I woke up with gum in my hair and my brothers found the prizes in the cereal box and I got nothing and my teacher didn't like my drawing of the invisible castle and my dentist told me I have a cavity and…You get the point.

If you catch me on a bad day and I don't know who you are anyway, well, I'm not going to listen to you. Because I'm having a bad day, okay?

But if you are more of a friend, if you've been giving me good stuff all along and I happen to have a bad day, I'm probably not going to cross you off my list. I'll go back to your offer when I'm feeling better. Or I'll respond to another offer down the road.

My relationship marketing story

About a week and a half ago, I was honored to be a guest on The Brent and Brandi Show, an entertaining and engaging Internet radio show on marketing and branding. We talked about creative storytelling in the context of relationship marketing and, more specifically, content marketing. You can listen to the show here.

Do opportunities like this come out of the blue? I don't think so.

I met Brent Haeseker and Brandi Pierce on biznik.com, the ultra-cool business networking site for solopreneurs and indie professionals. We started talking online. We commented on each other's articles.

Later, Brent signed up for my weekly marketing etip and then subscribed to the blog. We were building the relationship. 

Six months later, I was a guest on the Brent and Brandi Show. Relationships don't always take six months to develop, but the point is, Brent and Brandi felt like they knew me. They had read my content and saw me as a credible "expert." How cool is that?

So, yeah, relationship marketing works for me. In so many ways and on so many levels.

What about you? Have good things come to you from relationship marketing?

P.S. Wanna start building more relationships? Follow me on Twitter!

5 Things Middle Schoolers Can Teach Us About Authentic Marketing

Last year, back when the Cat's Eye Marketing blog was a baby, I wrote a post that didn't get any comments. Okay, to be honest, I didn't have many readers back then.

But when I tell people about it now, they usually say, "Oh! I want to read that!"

So I'm resurrecting the post, and expanding on it, because, well, I think it still rings true.

One evening last May, Bob and I, as sponsors, attended a local event: The Ahead of the Class Excellence in Education Awards in Renton, Washington. One of the awards went to a team of high-spirited middle school teachers.

When their principal introduced them, he asked all of us to recall our middle school selves, or the days when we were (or still are) parenting one.

He said that he was still amazed at how many times he has to stop a student in the hall and say, "It might be better if you just keep some of it up here." (He pointed his index finger to his temple.) "Maybe think before you open your mouth?"

Of course, we chuckled. We got it. We all knew how 13-year-olds think, talk, behave. And, yes, sometimes what spills out of them can be downright weird.

I got to thinking. Authentic marketing is the new big thing. It's all about being who you really are, building trust with your customer, being transparent. In that case, would being more like our middle school selves be so bad?

Would being a little weird kill us?

I'm thinking that the average middle schooler could teach us a few things about authentic marketing:

Be 'in the moment'

13-year-olds are present. Now. 

They aren't thinking about what they'll be doing next week, or next month. They may space out from time to time, but they are feeling everything right here, right now.

Sometimes, as biz owners, we are so focused on goals and objectives and plans that we don't see clearly in the moment.

What would happen if we just stopped and focused on a client's needs right now? If we just picked up the phone for no other reason than a friendly chat. 

Say what you really think

We've probably all seen it. Our child—or our friend's—makes a true but socially awkward comment about Aunt Grace or the kid in gym class. They don't mean to be unkind. It's just what they think. What they see as true.

Now I'm not saying we should be mean, or say gross things about a colleague or client. But being transparent about ourselves, our goals, our passions, well, that's a good thing.

So much energy goes into trying to be something we're not. A little more of "this is who I am and this is what I feel," will not only help us find the work we were destined to do. It'll help us connect with the people we were supposed to be working with all along.

Keep in touch

Middle schoolers are great at this. They have cell phones growing from their ears. They like to call pals just to find out how—or what—they're doing right now, or when they can get together next.

What they thought of a movie or a concert Or the rumor going around the lunchroom today about that new kid from Oregon. Okay, that was a little weird. Maybe not that one.

You may not always use a phone, but you should be in contact with your customers regularly. Find out what's on their minds. What they like. What they despise. What they need. A blog is a good way to get that feedback. So is a survey, or a question you pose on an online forum.

Show the good and bad

 Back in my parenting days, I was amazed at the ability of my 14-year-old to show the different parts of her personality—the good and the bad—with a total lack of restraint. I knew her fears, her wants, the things she wished she could do better, the stuff she was proud of.

Middle schoolers don't feel like they have to be perfect. They are flawed and they know it. They don't always have excellent self-concepts. They are works-in-progress. They will usually (but not always) admit when they have made a mistake.

Wouldn't it be cool if we could be that way with our customers? If we didn't feel that we always had to have the answer. If we could say, "I don't know. Let me take a look at that and get back to you."

Or, "I screwed up. I'm sorry. Let me make it right."

Be a little weird

The brains of middle schoolers work differently. (It's actually been proven scientifically.) They ponder weird things. And they're not afraid to express them. Some are gross. Some are rude. Some are downright hilarious.

Are you a little weird? Maybe you like to turn the volume down on old movies and come up with new lines. Maybe you overhear something in the line at the market that gives you a new business idea. Or a quote from a politician on the morning news gives you a great analogy for your new blog post.

Don't be afraid to be weird. You just might attract the right kind of clients who are weird in the same way you are, and so fit your niche perfectly.

Did I leave something out? (I'm sure I did.) In what other ways would middle school kids make great marketers? 

What a Middle Schooler Can Teach Us About Relationship Marketing

Bob and I were at the annual Ahead of the Class Excellence In Education Awards the other night, an event that has never failed to touch me deeply in the eight years we've been a sponsor.

The local Chamber of Commerce organizes this event, helped by lots of business owners who have a tremendous sense of community. The coolest pastor in the city was the emcee this year and leaders from many segments of the community turned out to celebrate our best and brightest teachers: the board chair of the local hospital, the president of the college, city councilpersons, school board members, the school superintendent, teachers, parents and students.

I have to admit that I have a passion for education. I have been a teacher and know just how much heart, soul and energy goes into every single day in the classroom.

One of the awards that night was given to a high-spirited team of middle school educators. Something the school principal said as he introduced this team of 6th grade language arts and social studies teachers struck me.

He asked us to recall our own middle school selves, or those challenging days when we might have been parenting one.

He talked about how special the middle schooler is, how unique. But he also said that as a principal, he is still amazed at how many times he stops a student in the hall and says (and he pointed his index finger to his temple as he said it), "It might be better if you just keep some of it up here. Maybe think before you open your mouth?"

Of course this broke the audience up because we all know how 13-year-olds think, talk, behave. They are transparent. And yes, sometimes they can be downright weird.

I got wondering, though. In this day of relationship marketing, where it's all about coming out with who you really are, being authentic, being unique and not trying to be someone you're not, would being more like our middle school selves be so bad? Wouldn't being more spontaneous, less canned, make us more real to our customers? Would being "a little weird" kill us?

Or would it maybe attract the right kind of people, customers who are weird in the same way we are, who fit our niche perfectly? (Yes, I'm getting a little Long Tail-ish on you here.)

So much energy goes into trying to be something we're not. A little more of "this is who I am and this is what I feel, and this is what I'm passionate about" will not only help us find the work we were destined to do. It'll help us connect with the people we were supposed to be working with all along. And it'll make us real to our clients and customers.

Try it. Call your middle school self and see what happens.