Look, mom! My first animated video!

There’s a great story behind Nat “King” Cole, the beloved entertainer famous for “The Christmas Song,” “Nature Boy” and other classics. Funny thing: he didn’t start out as a singer; he began as a pianist and a very fine one at that. His trio was renowned for its low-key sophistication long before Miles Davis made “cool jazz” a phenomenon.

One night, Cole and his trio were playing a swank bar frequented by gangsters. One of them approached Cole and asked for a song. “I’m sorry,” Cole allegedly replied. “I don’t sing.”

“You do now,” said the gangster. The rest is history.

Now, I’m not Nat Cole, I don’t expect to achieve equal fame and my client certainly isn’t a gangster, but . . . when Elsevier first asked me to script a Flash video, I declined; scripting was out of my area of experience, I said. But they insisted — and I’m glad they did. Here is my first animated, Flash video project. I hope you like it.

Kudos to Xplane for the excellent animation!

I started out writing consumer catalog copy, then moved into healthcare communications and B2B direct marketing. Today, most of my work is Web-content related. Things changed and my business has changed with the times. Ten years from now, who knows what I’ll be doing? How about you? You can’t predict the future, but you can prepare for it by rejecting overly-narrow specializations and embracing flexibility.

It’s a classic piece of carpenter’s wisdom that easily translates into the world of client correspondence: think twice, press the “send” button once. In the heat of the moment, it’s all too easy to react emotionally to communications that seem unjust, irrational or just plain stupid. Unfortunately, the very instantaneity of email can facilitate an impulsiveness that writing a letter, stuffing an envelope and finding a stamp once kept in check. Resist temptation: the more intense your feelings, the more you need a cooling-off period. Go for a walk, get a cup of coffee, goof around on Facebook. Then cast a cold eye on the correspondence and respond in your best interests – that is, rationally.

I’m exaggerating – there are times when brochures are useful. But why are they the first thing that comes to mind when marketers are launching a new product/service, when they should be the very last thing to worry about? When was the last time anyone bought anything on the strength of a brochure? Worry about creating a real marketing plan that complements a workable sales pathway. Worry about creating content that attracts attention by addressing your audience’s interests. Only worry about brochures when you’re satisfied with everything else.

Direct isn’t dead, but dominant. You know when the Web turned from a faddish plaything (late 90’s) to a real, commercial power (early 00’s)? When Google allowed us to apply tried and true direct marketing principles to the Internet: testing, metrics, offers and a relentless focus on specific audiences. If you think social media is any different, think again. The people who are successful aren’t merely “sharing the love” – they’re creating platforms for targeted offers with carefully crafted response devices. Watch and learn.

The fuel for every fad engine is the promise that this thing (whatever it is) will be the magic marketing bullet that every marketer craves – one that is simple, cheap and effective. But think about it: even if such a thing were possible, it couldn’t possibly last because everyone would do it and the competitive advantage would be lost. Truth is, you can only have two of the three virtues at a time: it can be effective and cheap (like blogging), but it won’t be simple; it can be effective and simple (like good PPC), but it won’t be cheap; and there are tons of simple and cheap things that aren’t worthwhile whatsoever. Abandon the fantasy. If you’re going to succeed, you’re going to pony up cash or sweat or both.

Speaking of perfection, remember “excellence”? That was the big thing businesses were supposed to achieve back in the 90’s. After all, the pursuit of excellence made Japan the rising sun in the global economy. Then Japan’s economy sank and that sun, set – and the “excellence” fad went with it. Today, there are gurus who’ll tell you that blogging, Twitter, Facebook, mobile, video or the social media app du jour is the must-have thing for any with-it marketer. Now, I’m not saying any of these things are bad, just watch the bullshit. In business, the real question isn’t whether a given thing is worth doing, but toward what ends and at what cost? If you’re not weighing costs against benefits, you’re just following a fad, not leading a business.

True story: I once worked for a bank on a direct marketing campaign that was delayed for well over a year as the client tweaked and retweaked the offer, the wording, the value prop, etc. Why? They wanted to get it just right. Here’s why they were wrong: while they spent months making incremental adjustments, they lost momentum, leads, opportunities and revenue. Had they taken action when they were 80% there – damn the remaining 20% — they would have gained new business and important lessons for improving their marketing program. Instead, they stalled and got nowhere. Moral of the story: Get moving. Perfection is for dreamers.

What really motivates the B2B buyer? Sure, features and benefits are important – vital, in fact. But if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll recognize that our competitors make promises very similar to our own. Inside the buyer’s mind is a fragile, timid little creature with one ardent desire: “make me feel safe.” This creature cowers before the multiplicity of competing offers, the complexity of conflicting information. Instead of being inspired by hope, it is numbed with fear; after all, in the B2B context, the rewards of a successful choice are far less vivid than the immediate and painful results of failure. Above all else, when you’re marketing to B2B influencers and decision-makers, you have to communicate the certain conviction that choosing you is the safe choice to make.

The antidote to the “its only” disasters is the creative brief, a document that articulates the project’s purpose, use, audience, key messages, proof points, etc. Creating creative briefs takes time, so it’s tempting to skip the step. Resist that temptation. Time “saved” on the front end almost always leads to unnecessary confusion that wastes much more time on the back end.