Tag: content

3
Jul

Meaningful Marketing Messages

Make your marketing message meaningful—in every way. To do this, every time, begin with the customer

Know your audience. Your message for new customers might vary from that of a repeat customer. Reward loyal customers. Always make a returning customer feel they are being treated well. Word of mouth from a happy customer is your best marketing message.

…then follow these three C’s.

Keep your message clear, concise and compelling.

Make your benefit clear for your customer. Show them and tell them what your product or service can do for them. Answer your customers’ question: “What’s in it for me?” Tell it in a way that distinguishes your offer from all competitive options.

A concise message is to the point. In other words, don’t make your customers think. State your message in the most simple terms and in the most memorable way. Brevity will help memorability of your proposition.

Be compelling. Help the customer picture themselves receiving the goods or service. An image or a narrative can help them imagine selecting your offer and enjoying the benefits. Show the customer the “payoff” they will get by choosing your brand. Create contrast with other brands to amplify the point of difference your product or service provides. Contrast helps create value around your brand, giving customers a reason to choose you over a rival. And, it can help create a sense of urgency. Show it with a visual or paint a picture with words.

29
Jun

Re-purpose Key Twitter Posts

A great way to extend social media efforts is to re-purpose Twitter posts. You can do this on your website by embedding tweets which allows readers to interact with it as if viewing it on Twitter. To do this, find the tweet you want, expand it and click details. You will see the option “Embed this tweet” appear in a new screen. Copy the code and add it to your web page.

2
Nov

GRAMMAR: ME vs I

It is important to use language correctly so not to diminish credibility of your content. Here is a tool to help guide the use of I (noun) versus ME (pronoun). Keep it handy till it becomes a habit.

Guide for the proper use of I vs ME.

Guide for the proper use of I vs ME.

“I” is the noun—refers to oneself as speaker or writer.  “ME” is the pronoun—refers to self as object of a verb or preposition.

RULE: If you can’t replace the “YOU and I” with “WE,” you’ve got it wrong. If you can’t replace “YOU and ME” with “US,” you’ve got it wrong. Tweet: RULE: If you can't replace YOU & I with WE—you've got it wrong. If you can't replace YOU & ME with US—you've got it wrong. @tamaraparisio

Thanks for meeting with HIM AND ME. (Thanks for meeting with ME. Thanks for meeting with HIM. Thanks for meeting with US.) vs HE AND I appreciate your time. (I appreciate your time. HE appreciates your time. WE appreciate your time.)

It is bigger than YOU AND ME combined. (It is bigger than ME. It is bigger than YOU.) vs YOU AND I are smaller than this idea. (I am smaller than this idea. YOU are smaller than this idea. WE are smaller than this idea.)

To YOU AND ME, this idea is big. (To ME, this idea is big. To YOU, this idea is big. To US this idea is big.) vs When YOU AND I succeed (When I succeed … When YOU succeed… When WE succeed…)

They will praise YOU AND ME for this. (They will praise ME for this. They will praise YOU for this. They will praise US for this.) vs The praise YOU AND I receive will be stellar (The praise I receive will be stellar. The praise YOU receive will be stellar. The praise WE receive will be stellar.)

Between HIM AND ME there is chemistry. (Between US there is chemistry. Between HIM & ME. Between ME & YOU. Between ME & HIM.) vs HE AND I share an office. (HE shares an office with me. I share an office with him. She shares and office with HIM AND ME. WE share an office.)

He took a photo of HIMself AND ME. (He took a photo of US. He took a photo of HIMSELF. He took a photo of ME. He took a photo of US.) vs HE AND I posed for a photo. (HE posed for a photo. I posed for a photo. WE posed for a photo.)

13
Aug

The Top 10 Mistakes Bloggers Make

I love a list. And here in brief is one from a podcast by Michael Hyatt with Michele Cushatt (find it here).

Here are the top ten mistakes bloggers make:

  1. You don’t post enough.
  2. You post too much.
  3. Your posts are too long.
  4. You don’t invite engagement.
  5. You don’t participate in the conversation.
  6. You don’t make your content accessible.
  7. You don’t create catchy headlines.
  8. Your first paragraph is weak.
  9. Your topic is off brand.
  10. Your post is all about you.

In a nutshell.

11
Jun

Content Creation – Magazine Articles

Tamara Parisio for THE BARKTORIALIST

Tamara Parisio writes for THE BARKTORIALIST

Tamara Parisio writes for THE BARKTORIALIST

Tamara Parisio writes for THE BARKTORIALIST

The Barktorialist Magazine

Tamara Parisio writes for THE BARKTORIALIST

27
Apr

A Pretty Perfect Plan

Like any plan, your business or marketing or life plan begins with thinking. Creating your plan is a process to help focus and guide efforts for optimal success with available resources – creating a strategic, integrated and consistent approach to the journey.

The process gives you clarity and focus. Be excited about this journey of discovery. Determine where you are going, and where you won’t go. To do this, you benefit from a Playbook. This life is your show. Let’s #ScriptYourShift and create the plan of actions that serve you in your award-worthy performance.

THOSE SERVED: Understand your target market, competition and industry marketplace

Your Target Market. Who do you help and how do you help them? Spend time and thought crafting the perfect marketing message—that’s time well spent. At the heart of every compelling marketing message are two factors: Who do you serve? And, in what way, specifically, do you serve them better than any of their other options? Answer these two questions carefully, and the rest of your marketing message will flow so much more easily.

Take a look at all solutions your market has to turn to instead of yours. List strengths and shortcomings for each of these competitors. This will assist in answering how you serve the market better.

And, consider the marketplace. What are the trends? Outline opportunities such as new distribution venues or growing demand. And, consider the threats such as growing competition and demand dilution. Address how you will capitalize on opportunity and thwart threat.

YOUR GIFT: Define your USP (Unique Selling Proposition)—your purpose, raison d’être

Here again we look at how you serve the market better than all other options. We boil it down to the core and then communicate it with clarity.

RELEVANT MESSAGE: Develop your marketing messages and ensure the right people are targeted

The way you look has a lot to do with the way people look at you. What you say will make your day, and it will make someone else’s day too! More and more, advertising is becoming advertorial Content Marketing. It is about what you stand for, not what you sell. Informational needs of customers and prospects is the driver. It’s not a proposition, it’s a conversation.

STRATEGIC PLAN: Identify the best marketing mix—most appropriate, cost-effective channels

Social media (and which venues), print, outdoor, cable television, events, and etc. are dynamic channels of communication that offer specific benefits and costs. Take a look and determine the “fat rabbits” to give you the biggest bang for your media buck.

ACTION STEPS: Set out a month-by-month plan of action that schedules your tactical activities then break it down week-by-week and day-by-day

Be consistent. Build your presence and amplify it. Plan around seasonal commemorations and themes, incorporating those that are appropriate. Be ready to adjust with current events and news.

Whether it’s to generate leads, find customers, drive website traffic or build your brand, let’s look at your target market, competitors and positioning then develop a strategy designed to consistently deliver the most compelling message to the right audience.

Set a plan and be ready to revise the plan as the playing field changes.

It is my intention to be iconic in what I do in order to give gifts to my family, friends, and community, plus support the world with ample resources to do it. What is your intention for you?

Create your character, or others will create it for you—concentrate on the image you want to convey and focus your full attention on that image, and that your body will then align with that through your body language, facial expressions, and demeanor.

My why is to be a creative director for our most epic life. I believe we belong to one another. My family is everything to me. My friends become family. And my community is an extension of family. We are each the star of our life, coming together to co-star in the human experience. Each of us has an essential role to play in the story, the epic tale, the saga of the human race.

The audience I serve is primarily small to mid-size female-owned businesses. Clients seek a plan that strikes a balance between personal and professional demands. It is one life. Your plan, your Playbook, addresses your life with a birds-eye-view.

“The most important story you tell is the story you tell yourself.” — Tamara Parisio

And, as with any script, there are times that a scene doesn’t come together as planned. Revise your script—your Playbook is a living document. Take a new perspective and set a new direction for this act. Then carry on with your most epic life journey.

 

21
Mar

Storytelling & the Three T’s

Do you have an underlying story for your brand? Is there a consistent message threaded through everything you do Determine the core concepts that resonate with your customers—and with your fans—to create the foundation of your brand story.

Here are some key areas you can investigate to unlock compelling threads that are engaging as your story unfolds.

Topics

Discover what your audience is interested in. A quick scroll among your followers will reveal repeated terms. Identify top keywords used to engage with your brand. Consider looking at areas of influence on Klout.  And take a look at the competition, how are they talking about their brands? This can help you distinguish yourself, recognize important attributes that bring a customer to your brand rather than to a competitor.  Grab on.  Follow the topic as it relates to your product and as it extends in other areas. Have fun with it—even topics that are “unspeakable” can be addressed in a tale or two. Consider the antics of PooPourri.

Trends

Capitalize on the trends. Seasons. Holidays. Events. News. Fashion. Sports. There’s an opportunity to hook your brand story on to what’s happening—as appropriate and applicable—and continue to unfold your story as it relates to current events and timely happenings. When you hook onto a trending concept with your product or offer, you gain awareness among those interested in the trend while staying relevant with your message. For instance, take a look at the Dough Boy taking the the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Many other brands capitalized on the trending event.

Themes

Develop content themes based on trends and topics relative to the goals of your company and your customers. Find the most universal theme to carry your story to the widest relevant audience. For instance, happiness. Show how your product inspires and spreads joy. And then, tell it like it is—with pizazz. Make it memorable. Here is where creativity conquers. Get your audience involved in your story and you will have a life-long fan. A great example of this is the Dancing Guy who was sponsored by various brands, beginning with Stride Gum.

With this, you can build a compelling message that unfolds consistently while continuously telling the tale that is at the core of your brand.