I recently presented this topic to my colleagues at the Oakville Networking group, and they found it very informative and helpful, so I thought I would repurpose it and share it with you – not to mention it’s a long overdue blog post for us at Sydcam! Here is Part 1 of a two part series on this topic.

The Customer is King

So what has changed so much in marketing to make it such a different playing field that it has been historically? Simply, the consumer has evolved into a position of power, if not even control by many of the developments in the last 10+ years. The era of the internet has provided consumers with something they never had before – easy access to a plethora of information on virtually every topic under the sun.

From product information to customer feedback and ratings on products and services to direct feedback loops via social media to retailers and manufacturers etc., the consumer has real influence over the marketplace and the products and services offered to them for consumption.

Being “Social” is more than Social Media

Many who read this blog’s title may assume that I was just going to talk strictly about social media and its influence on marketers. Wrong! While social media is an integral part of the many ‘social’ changes affecting society today, it isn’t the only one.

Being social touches on social media but goes much farther. In general, it influences marketers in its ability to enable active engage with your customers, the ability to add value to this relationship on a regular basis, and to broaden the reach of your marketing and communications messages – both on social networking platforms along with other mediums.

Use this engagement to learn more about your customers, and what they need or want from you. Encourage them to collaborate with you to build better products and services, and to share any ideas and unfulfilled wants they might have. You’ll build brand awareness, customer loyalty and a whole lot more!

Part 2 of this blog post will follow shortly in February, so stay tuned!

There are so many ways to market one’s products these days – web, print, social media, TV, radio and video – that some may be overwhelmed when deciding which tactic is most relevant for their business. At Sydcam Marketing Communications, we like to keep things simple for our clients when it comes to their marketing needs. That’s why for us the answer to this question is a straightforward one -create interesting and compelling content for your audience.

Why Content Matters

One of the best ways to engage with your audience and potential clients is by displaying your skills and knowledge and setting yourself apart from your competitors. Content that conveys this message in an informative and educational manner can go a long way to reinforcing your brand and value proposition. And this content can come in a variety of formats including:

• An effective email newsletter
• Professionally written blog
• Informative posts in social media
•  Engaging video  
• Interesting website content
• Captivating podcasts
• Photos that outline what you do

Regardless of the method or medium, there is a way to ‘wow’ your audience with pertinent content that informs and engages while at the same time demonstrates your unique capabilities.

Finding Content

So what’s the best way to find content for your blog, newsletter or social media service? Well there are an abundance of resources online that you can tap into for help. Blogs and articles by other companies and writers can be the inspiration you need to develop your own content. I recently came across an excellent blog on this subject by Joy Fleming, titled “6 Easy Ways to Find Compelling Content for Your Blog” that provides a number of ideas to help you get started.

Storytellers Unite!

You then need to determine the best way to write your content. This is always a difficult question, and there is no right answer. One important recommendation – ensure your style and personality comes out in your writing, whether you write the article yourself or hire someone to do it for you. In the latter scenario, make sure the writer truly understands you and your business and how you prefer to communicate with your audience.

I recently attended an awesome presentation by renowned communications professional Donna Papacosta from Trafalgar Communications, who spoke of the power of “Digital Storytelling”. Her message – communication through the use of stories and analogies is a powerful way to get your message across to your prospects. Why does this work so well? Simply because storytelling taps into our emotions, cuts through the noise and connects with us on a much deeper level than statistics or general information could ever do. More importantly, people relate to them more readily.

To learn more about employing storytelling and creative content development in your marketing efforts, contact us. We’d be glad to help you. Now go create!

Often, the above topic is mentioned in relation to its critical role in marriage and family life, not to mention in managing and leading employees. It isn’t emphasized nearly as much in the marketing realm, as it is often overshadowed by issues such branding and creative design, advertising, the online channel and the 4Ps, to name but a few.

At Sydcam Marketing Communications, we strongly believe that communication is the cornerstone of effective and successful marketing. A lot can be said for the importance of attractive and appealing creative designs in marketing, but only when it’s combined with a strong overarching and compelling message and story can it truly be a powerful way to communicate and connect with one’s clients.

“It’s all in the message”

This statement has been used in a variety of scenarios, from managing people to advertising to politics. Its relevance from a marketing perspective has never been greater that today, what with the emergence of online communities and social networking. For marketers in the 21^st century, motivating and encouraging their clients to advocate for their brand and business has become a critical measure of success. Effective messaging and communication has become a vital way to achieve this.

The significance of this evolution is that it has necessitated a much more subtle approach to messaging. Where marketers could once use overt, aggressive and even outlandish statements to get customers’ attention and get them to buy, now they must communicate in a much more intelligent manner, using credible and reputable statements to persuade and influence the purchase decision.

Marketers Add Value

So how do you construct these convincing and pertinent messages? While there are a variety of approaches, arguably the best way would be to develop a thorough understanding of your business’ competitive landscape, along with your own strengths. This will help you to identify your market niche vis-à-vis your competitors AND construct messages and communications that resonate with this audience.

In business circles, what we are referring to is the development of a SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats). Through a SWOT, business leaders and marketers can create a clear picture of where and how a business should ‘play’ and compete in order to differentiate itself. It’s this differentiated strategy that generates the unique marketing messages that the company must use to get noticed and stand out from the crowd.

So if you’re looking for a communications plan and strategy that will enable you to create unique, branded, marketing messages for your business, you will first to analyze a wide variety of internal and external factors unique to your business – in the form of a SWOT Analysis – in order to determine what those messages should say and how you should, at least in theory, say them.

To learn more about the importance of a SWOT Analysis in creating compelling and effective marketing and communications messages for your business, contact us at Sydcam Marketing Communications. We’d be happy to sit down with you and explain how this would be beneficial for your firm.

In today’s digital world, where ‘one-to-one’ marketing has been greatly facilitated  by tools such as social networking, many business owners assume that in this highly personalized environment, it’s not a concern if your messaging or positioning is different from one medium, audience or client conversation to the next. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, in such a divergent and complex world, it’s never been more important to have a consistent and integrated marketing strategy for your business. Here’s why:

1. “It’s all about focus.” – I seem to repeat this statement over and over again when speaking with clients.  Being focused on what your business stands for, how to convey this and where you want to communicate these messages is critical to any business’ marketing strategy. You need to think this through carefully and get it right.
2. Consistency is King – There is little value and almost no point in saying things one way in the online space and another in your print collateral. If your audience is the same or similar in both mediums, your messaging shouldn’t be very different regardless of which one you’re currently using. Of course, if you’re talking to two different target markets, you’ll need to do this in two different ways.
3. Reinforce key messages – Products or services that are unique to your business or a cut above your competitors need to be emphasized accordingly. Don’t be afraid to repeat yourself across different mediums, your clients won’t find you boring or repetitive. Instead, this will help to strengthen your positioning (you can always reword your messages a little to make them unique in each channel).
4. Think holistically and strategically – You always need to think about the ‘big picture’, no matter how deep in the weeds you are. What are your objectives, and how do you plan on achieving them? What could get in your way and prevent you from accomplishing this? Don’t get caught up chasing the latest fad marketing concepts and tactics. Instead, take a step back and look at things from your customer’s perspective – what are they looking for and how can you satisfy this? Plan out your approach as much as possible.
5. It makes good business sense – An integrated approach to marketing just makes sense. Having that consistency, where messages reinforce each other over multiple mediums can save you a lot of money, and reduce the amount of time it takes to establish and strengthen your brand. At the end of the day, an integrated marketing plan is just a smart business decision!

So if you want to enhance your marketing effort, online or off, be sure to first assess your plans and activities. If you’re currently employing a fully integrated marketing communications strategy for your business, this will come out in spades in terms of the focused, consistent approach you’ve developed.