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Three tips to prove your value
Every business is challenged by proving their value to prospective
and existing customers and clients. While entire brand strategies
are built around this challenge (including language, design, customer
experience, etc), we're focusing today on the power of words.
Speak the language of your target market. This
point cannot be emphasized enough. Trying to reach the youth market?
Time to pick up some hip lingo and use short, energetic sentences.
The less educated your target market is, the simpler your sentence
structure and word choices need to be. Highly educated people prefer
more abstraction. And, while it seems obvious, if you're trying
to reach Latinos, make sure your copy is in fluent Spanish, with
the tone and nuance appropriate to the segment you're trying to
reach (Latinos are just as diverse as other ethnic groups).
Back up your pitch. Every company promises great
service and a great product. Can you prove it? Use customer testimonials
that explain how your offering made a difference to them. Include
stats or other data that show how your offerings save time, add
value, or perform against the competition.
Stay true to your brand. Every brand has a tone,
both visually and verbally. The tone of text for an upscale retreat
center needs to be totally different from that of an amusement park.
Too many companies consider the language of their marketing materials
as the least important aspect; on the contrary, it is just as important
as design and information architecture in connecting with your target
market.
Remember, it's not enough to use words that you or your colleagues
like. Use language that mirrors the way your target market thinks,
speaks, and writes. When the verbal, visual, and experiential aspects
of your brand are in harmony, you'll prove you can walk the talk.
Recent speaking engagements
Cairril Mills, principal of Cairril.com Design & Marketing,
recently was the featured speaker at a variety of area classes.
She taught the marketing segment of SEED
Corp.'s Small Business Planning course earlier this month. She
was the guest speaker for Indiana University's L577 course, Design
of Information Systems, discussing the career paths and
opportunities in web development. Cairril also spoke on a panel
of entrepreneurs for Indiana University's Entrepreneur Night, offered
through the Career Development Office. Joining seven other area
business owners, she shared her experiences both inside and outside
the corporate world.
To invite Cairril to speak on branding, marketing principles, print
and web design, or how to integrate online and offline marketing
efforts, please contact us!
Sparks goes on holiday until January
Sparks will be taking its usual break in December for the holidays,
but will be back in January with more news, tips, projects, and
the next VisoVerbo winner! We wish all our readers a joyous and
peaceful holiday season.
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