Author: Ryan Dolotallas

The last time I ate a Red Delicious apple, I thought, “Hmmm. ‘Red Delicious?’ That’s half-true. Red? Yes. Delicious? Not so much’?”

Bad texture. Bland taste. All beauty. No substance.

How can something so pretty and shiny be so terrible?

I discovered the nasty secret in this great article in The Atlantic.

Reds used to be delicious. But a chance genetic mutation “made the apples redden earlier (and) also given them a deeper, more uniform color,” according to the article.

“The cosmetic changes were a boon for industrial agriculturalists: Apples that turned rosy before they were fully ripe could be picked earlier and stored longer, and skins with more red pigment tended to be thicker, which extended shelf life and hid bruises. But as genes for beauty were favored over those for taste, the skins grew tough and bitter around mushy, sugar-soaked flesh.”

Apple growers opted for beauty over substance.

So it goes with too many marketers, too.

I’ve seen so many marketing pieces that are prettier than a Grand Canyon sunset but otherwise bland and ineffective. Red Delicious marketing.

Business people spend big bucks and countless hours making their stuff bright and shiny while often neglecting the more important stuff:

Are you targeting the right audience?

Is the copy concise, compelling and persuasive.

Are there good calls-to-action?

In general, is their good marketing strategy in place or is it just a bunch of mush behind a shiny red facade?

I’m not suggesting you have to deliver ugly emails or launch dull-looking websites. I’m saying focus first on the substance: Great marketing strategy, strong copy, calls-to-action, etc.

Then add the sparkle and the shine if you wish.

Want some tips on how to add the substance? See below…
April

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. Want to add substance to your marketing? Check out MarketVolt.com/Resources. Tons of free downloads, including tips to:

• Improve your website.
   
• Make your marketing messages more persuasive.
   
• Get more referrals.
   
• Increase email open-rates with better subject lines.
   
• Build your email list more quickly.

On April Fool’s Day 1998, Burger King ran a full-page advertisement in USA Today to introduce the new “Left-Handed Whopper”

The ad proclaimed: “Finally, after years of neglect, left-handed eaters will no longer need to conform to traditional right-handed eating methods when enjoying America’s favorite burger.”

Highlights:

• “Whopper rotated a full 180-degrees to ensure better grip on bun…” 
• “Rearranged orientation of condiments, allowing left-handers to have it their way.”
• “Sesame seeds meticulously placed to ensure least amount of loss during consumption.”

Good joke.

Here’s the funniest thing: Thousands of lefties visited Burger Kings that day and asked for the new sandwich.

“Many others requested their own right-handed version,” according to Burger King’s next-day news release. 

Some hear that story and think, “stupid people.” I hear that story and think “smart company.”

Sure, the left-handed Whopper was a joke, but it still promoted the idea that you, the customer, should “have it your way.”

That’s a good idea. That’s the essence of hospitality.

And it’s a good model for all businesses…

Know your audiences and cater to them. Your customers value you more if they think you’re on their side. That should happen in your business transactions. That should happen in your marketing.

When marketing, that means we deliver the right messages to the right people at the right time.

That means messages that are pertinent and valuable.

That means messages that are customized for different audiences — kind of like a left-handed email for lefties. 

I know this may sound a little pie-in-the-sky or difficult to master, but it’s easier than you may think.

If you want to discover how, attend one of my upcoming webinars (details in the p.s. below…)

Thanks for reading (reply with feedback if you want to share some thoughts) and see you next time…

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. They’re back: 5in25 Webinars — Five Powerful Marketing Lessons Delivered in Less than 25 Minutes. 

We’re offering left-handed and right-handed webinars (just kidding).

We ARE offering separate webinars for B2B and B2C businesses (also webinars for nonprofits coming soon).

Discover how to put the right messages in front of the right people at the right time so you can build connections with your subscribers and grow your business. Webinar times and registration here…

Back in high school, I had a crush on Amanda, but she had a boyfriend named Cam.

A few days before her 16th birthday, she was flirting with me, bad-mouthing Cam, hinting that he was toast.

So I made my move. 

During the birthday party at her house, I snuck up to her room with a dozen long-stem roses and placed them on her bed — without a card.

A few hours after the party, I called her and said, “Do you like the roses?”

“I love them,” she said. “I knew they were from you.”

Then she told me she and Cam were finished. She wanted to “go with” me.

Alright!!!!

But wait…

There was a catch.

The Rolling Stones concert was in eight days, and Cam had two tickets.

“I don’t want to miss The Stones,” she said. “I’ll break up with him AFTER the concert.”

She was going to spend the next eight days pretending she still liked Cam, go to the concert on his dime, break his heart after the concert, and become my sweetie the next day!?

“Sounds good to me,” I said.

In retrospect, I wish I could have rewritten the script.

I wish that voice inside my head told me: “Hmmm… I don’t think this is going to turn out well.”

I wish I had mustered the courage to tell Amanda, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

I wish I had anticipated the inevitable: A month after The Rolling Stones concert, I was toast.

Fast forward a few decades to this morning.

Minutes before I drafted and sent this email (really), I called a prospect who wanted to hire my firm or a big project.

“Thanks, but no thanks,” I told him.

This prospect is a great guy with a great business. The opportunity was lucrative. But it wasn’t the right fit.

That voice inside my head told me: “I don’t think this is going to turn out well.” And I listened.

I had struggled with the decision. Marketers and salespeople are taught to “get to ‘Yes.’”

But sometimes the best thing we can do for ourselves and our business is know when to say “no.”

That voice that says, “This might not go well…” It doesn’t just magically appear. You have to summon it.

You have to take the first step and think, “How will this turn out?” And you have to respond honestly.

You have to have the courage to say, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Impossible for a 16-year-old boy wooing his crush.

Still not easy for a (relatively) mature businessman with decades of experience.

We work so hard attracting leads, wooing prospects, trying to close the sale.

We cherish the sale. We want the thrill of victory.

In this case, though, it was more thrilling to choose a different path: 

I referred my prospect to another company I trust. The folks at that company are grateful. The prospect is grateful. And I’m relieved and grateful to bypass a project that would not have turned out well for the prospect or me. 

Thanks for reading (reply with feedback if you want to share some thoughts) and see you next time…

Tom
MarketVolt

The following story discusses one company’s marketing failure related to the pedestrian bridge collapse in Florida. I hesitated before sharing this story. I didn’t want to make light of the tragedy or dishonor the six people who died in Florida. I’ve chosen to proceed with the email because I think it contains a valuable marketing lesson, and that is the point of these emails…******Two days before the pedestrian bridge collapsed at Florida International University, a Colorado-based engineering firm trumpeted its participation in the project by posting a video about it on Twitter and Facebook. Minutes after the bridge collapsed, the company, BDI, deleted all references to the project from its social media and website. Bad move. A local television reporter caught wind of this and called the company. No response. So he posted this on Twitter: “Hi @BDITest. Please contact #9NEWS. We have questions about your decision to scrub any mention of your structural monitoring work on the collapsed bridge as well as questions about local projects.” Before speaking to the reporter, BDI posted a reply-tweet: “We are deeply saddened to hear that the pedestrian bridge has collapsed at #FIU. Our hearts go out to the individuals and families that have been affected by the collapse.” BDI posted the same message at the top of its Twitter and Facebook feeds. I learned about this while vacationing in Colorado. I turned on the 5 p.m. news and the lead story was about BDI and how… …It participated in the project. …It scrubbed its social media of all references about its role in the project. …It didn’t post a condolence message until a reporter (and others) cried foul. …And, finally, it claimed it deleted the posts “out of respect for the victims.” The twitter-sphere wasn’t buying it. Here’s a selection of the posts you’ll find if you search “BDItest” on twitter: “Why did @BDITest delete this tweet after the #FIUBridge #FIUBridgecollapse not good” “Why did you delete this tweet, hmmmmmmmmmm?” (followed by a picture of the deleted tweet). (Before BDI posted the condolence message): “You deleted your post celebrating the bridge that collapsed, but won’t even post a tweet of sympathy for the victims?” And my favorite: “Sorry, you’re not gonna get away from this one, @BDITest. The internet remembers.” Yep, the internet remembers. That’s a lesson for all of us. You can’t hide in the internet age. You can’t erase history. As one tweeter said, “You effed up. Own it!” The irony: BDI most likely had nothing to do with the collapse. It was responsible for safety monitoring when the pre-constructed bridge was transported from the construction site to the campus where it was installed. But BDI neither designed, nor built the bridge. And it was not responsible for safety and monitoring after the transport.  The company might have been able to explain this if it had owned its role in the project. But, instead, it was busy answering why it tried to outsmart the internet that always remembers.  Thanks for reading (reply with feedback if you want to share some thoughts) and see you next time… Tom MarketVolt

I ran across an article the other day about a dumb dude in Michigan who smelled gas coming from his newly installed water heater. He checked for the leak by lighting a match. He shoulda died, but he got off easy… …with singed eyebrows. Mixing fire and gas leak — that wasn’t his first mistake.  Installing the gas heater himself — THAT was his first mistake. Soon after the installation, he smelled that funky odor… …which really isn’t how gas naturally smells. The odor is an additive designed to warn people to…you know…NOT light a match. As soon as that odor hit Dumb Dude’s nose, he had a few options: Option 1: Call a qualified expert to check for the leak and fix it. Option 2: Check for the leak himself by choosing tools that won’t result in death and destruction. Option 3: Check the leak with a match. Options 1 and 2 have pros and cons. Option 3? All cons. A match is simply the wrong tool for the job. Grab a flashlight. Then…after realizing that you have no idea why the heater is leaking (and that it’s unsafe for you to attempt a fix), go for option 1 and call an expert. So it goes with marketing. I know, you’re not going to set your hair on fire, and you’re certainly not going to blow up, if you misstep while marketing. But your marketing can backfire if you choose the wrong tools for the job. For example, email is great for keeping prospects and customers interested and closing sales. But if you send tons of email to people who have never met you (aka SPAM), you can tick people off, generate tons of complaints, damage your brand, and undermine your marketing program. There are better tools to help you make your first connection with leads. Social media is great for building a following and increasing engagement, but not as great at closing sales. And just like fixing a water heater, fixing your marketing sometimes is easier and safer if you engage a qualified expert to help you. Sure, you have to pay the expert. But if you choose the wrong tools or misuse the right ones for your marketing, you waste your precious time (which isn’t free) and you miss opportunities to grow your business. That’s dangerous for your business. Do it too much, and your business may (figuratively) blow up in your face which could (literally) make your head hurt. Thanks for reading (reply with feedback if you want to share some thoughts) and see you next time… Tom MarketVolt