actionable marketing guide

Dear ,

Originally I had planned to write about a different topic.

But living in New York City, I find it hard to not to address the tragedies that have occurred across the United States this week.  

I’m well aware that this is a marketing newsletter. Please stick with me there’s an important  connection.

From Baton Rouge to St. Paul to Dallas, the death of men in the prime of their lives saddens me. Even worse, it’s less than a month after the mass shooting in Orlando.

Any death is a loss to the people who loved and knew that person. This applies to every death. Even those people who take their own lives. This includes the 22 US veterans who commit suicide everyday in the US.

There were 2 women whose losses were particularly poignant. One in St. Paul watched and recorded her finance get shot by a police officer and the other in the first blush of being a newlywed was told that her husband, a Dallas police officer, was shot by a sniper.

Recently, I’ve written about using the bridal theme as a marketing hook. But what can you say to these 2 women and other family members who must make sense of life without their loved ones.

Unlike most marketing, death is personal.

What can you do?  

Take the time to tell the people you love and care about in your life how you feel.  Include your family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors.

It doesn’t matter how you do it. What’s important is that you do it.

You never know what twists life has in store for you. Personally, I always make sure I kiss my husband and tell him how much I love him, every time I leave the house.

After you’ve done this, take some time to realize how connected and loved you feel.

Then apply this type of thinking to your business.  I’m not talking about the empty communications you hope will stick.

When my oldest nephew was young and wanted mail, my sister gave him everything addressed to resident. He figured out pretty fast that it was trash.

How many of your prospects really believe that an email or a flyer addressed to resident or some other similar euphemism speaks to them?

What should you do?

Put yourself in your prospects’ and customers’ shoes. Consider what communications and information they’d like to receive.

Don’t assume you know what they want. Do the hard work and ask them. Reach out to them via your sales team and your customer service team.  Spend some time with these colleagues to hear the information yourself.  Also get your team involved so they hear the pain points and problems first hand.

Then go back and reassess your communications. Do they ring true to your intended audience?

If not, rewrite them to make them relevant to each of your key customer segments. Without doing this, your marketing results will fall far below your industry standards. They’ll just be more noise destined for the junk heap.

Go on.

Be brave.

Take that first step towards showing your human side.

Your marketing will improve. Please note there will be no emailing next Monday. I’m following my own advice and going on vacation. My husband and I will be in Paris next week. If you live there and would like to meet for a coffee, please let me know.

Happy marketing,
Heidi

Heidi Cohen
Actionable Marketing Guide

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• Heidi Cohen was named a Top 20 Content Marketing Influencer by Onalytica. Check out the list to fill your Content Marketing Twitter List. 

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