Kranz Communications | B2B Content and Copywriting

L to R: Nick Barber, Rob Ciampa, Lisa Kilborn, me

Last night, I had the prvivilege of moderating a panel discussion on rich media at the Microsoft NERD Center in Kendall Square. (See: The New PR – How to Use Rich Media to Create Winning Campaigns)

Worst part of the evening: Getting hopelessly lost in Kendall Square. Kendall Square is like Hogwarts, except that instead of shifting staircases, there are shifting streets. One expects little gnomes from Google and Microsoft to leap out and demand passwords. I circled the Square for three quarters of an hour, narrowly avoiding one traffic accident, almost hitting one runner (would we really miss one less smug runner in Cambridge?) and incurring the wrath of one driver who invited me to perform a physically impossible act of auto-eroticism.

Best part of the evening: The practical insights of the panelists themselves. In summary:

• Lisa Kilborn of Zmags showed us how her company turned a simple survey about consumers’ use of tablets for holiday shopping into an infographic that landed 80 million hits plus favorable plugs from Guy Kawasaki and Seth Godin. Nice!
• Nick Barber of IDG played a couple of clips from CES that demonstrated the new reality of video: today, editorial and production are a Zen-like one. Got a camera, got a laptop? Then you got everything you need to make compelling videos on the spot, fast. No need to drag out crews of cameramen, audio techs, post-production gangs, etc.
• Rob Ciampa of Pixability delivered some of the most memorable soundbites of the evening, including an exhortation that we should no more “outsource our social media than outsource sex.” (To each his or her own, I say.) With three videos at very different levels of production value, Rob demonstrated that video is NOT one kind of rich media, but actually covers many kinds of communications tactics (viral, “personal,” brand-oriented, etc.), each with its own virtues depending on audience and context.

All in all, a great evening and I deeply appreciated the warm welcome and hospitality I recieved from the PRSA’s Jackie Lustig and Denise Hutchins!

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10. Expect change

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.

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7. Direct marketing methods remain relevant

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.

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6. Simple, cheap, effective: pick two

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.

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5. Fads come and go

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.

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Tomb of the Neglected Blog

Yeah, I know. I’ve neglected my blog. Bad Jonathan. I’ve been working on a major project I’m not going to talk about until it’s done. In the meantime, the weeds overrun my website. Weasel rip my flesh.

However, in a sign of life, MarketingProfs has published an article of mine: Five Things to Think about Before You Launch Your Next Website. Enjoy.

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There comes a time in any movie that with a nautical theme for a an old salt with a pipe and a wayward beard to croak sagaciously about the double-sided nature of the sea, a force both generous and fearful in unpredictable turns.

So goeth the Web, it seems. This week, I approached two important milestones since relaunching my website at the end of July. On the plus side, The eBook eBook has received more than 1,000 downloads. On the downside, I’ve been plagued with spam; this morning, I deleted the 539th spurious post comment. (Note to spammers: No, I don’t want to see Kim Kardashian naked. Really.)

In short, I lift my stein of grog to the mixed blessings of the Internet. Cheers!

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I rarely get excited about a retail site; most are boring, self-absorbed and entirely devoid of either interesting or helpful content.

But the Saddleback Leather Company is an exception. Here’s why:

1. First and foremost, it’s the product: beautiful, hand-made leather bags and packs that look as if they could survive the apocalypse. When Armageddon comes, the surviving roaches will carry these bags. And they’ll look good doing it, too!

2. The product info is deep and explicit. Handy image tools let you see the craftsmanship up close. The copy describes each product precisely, without dreamy ambiguity.

3. The videos are both funny AND informative. Most product videos (IF they’re available at all), are either one or the other. These do both.

4. The design of the site matches the product: earth tones, rugged construction, simple elegance.

5. You gotta’ love the tagline: “They’ll fight over it when you’re dead.” Boom. That’s what makes these bags different from all others. Cheeky, but right on target.

6. The 100 year warranty. ‘Nuff said.

7. Great customer content. Their pictures and testimonials are all the evidence anyone would need that this is a product that lives up to its promises.

8. The company doesn’t apologize for its prices. This is a premium product designed to last more than a lifetime; expect to pay more for the privilege of owning one.

9. Even the stuff about the business owner, Dave, is good. Most of the time, this cutesy “we’re family” crap is a huge turn-off. But Dave’s adventures are actually interesting and worth reading; I was genuinely moved by the loss of his dog, Blue.

10. Dave has the stones to include a list of his rivals (no links, alas) for comparison shopping. Boy, does that send a message: Saddleback ain’t afraid of the competition.

11. See #1 again. If everything else were great, but the products were mediocre, none of it would matter. These bags are completely drool-worthy.

Message to all other B2C online retailers: THIS is the standard your website should aspire to. If your site isn’t this good, why should I shop with you?

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