Kris Clark Marketing Consultancy

Author: krisclarkconsultancy

  • Storytelling series: narrative

    Storytelling series: narrative

    Another installment in my storytelling series. I wanted to focus, with regard to storytelling in marketing, on the differences and similarities between narrative and storytelling. We often ´forget´ in marketing that we have a narrative.

    Storytelling and narrative are related terms, but they refer to different aspects of storytelling.

    Storytelling refers to the act of telling a story, whether it is orally, through writing, or any other medium. It is a way to convey information or entertainment to an audience through the use of characters, plot, and other elements.

    Narrative, on the other hand, refers to the structure or framework of the story. It includes the way the story is told, the point of view of the narrator, the sequence of events, and the overall message or theme. The narrative can be seen as the underlying framework that gives the story meaning and coherence.

    To put it simply, storytelling is the act of telling a story, while narrative refers to the way the story is structured and presented. Both elements are crucial to effective storytelling, and they work together to create a compelling and engaging story that resonates with the audience.

    We often overlook that we have a narrative in marketing. To talk about the product or service we are selling. That gives us the framework to play with the story on top of it but we should not create flights of fancy.

  • Will AI tools replace marketers?

    Will AI tools replace marketers?

    Another in the series of tips. Yet a bit different – as with AI tools it really depends on what it is you need.

    As with everything start with your goal – want to find a better and more professional-looking email on a regular basis? Then a marketing automation tool will be helpful.

    Want to measure how customers respond to content and follow up with the most engaged in your database? Again a marketing automation tool is helpful.

    Want to give customers to your e-commerce site real-time help for frequently asked questions? A chatbot is fabulous.

    Natural language processing tools can help analyze customers’ feedback to improve your product offering.

    And recommendation engines can encourage shoppers to add a similar or related item to the basket.

    Let´s not forget Grammarly for checking spelling and grammar (English language )!

    Okay, we´re all tripping over Chat GPT as a substitute for writing. See ChatGPT as an inspiration engine. Enter in say ´AI tools in Marketing´ and see what it suggests. As with storytelling be authentic and use your own words.

  • Metrics – of everything, always.

    Metrics – of everything, always.

    A new blog post in my series of tips & tricks in marketing. A very important one – metrics. Data, analytics. If you don´t know something quantifiably then you don´t know it. And yes even brand can be quantified namely are you seeing more visitors or sales? But when it comes to spending your hard-earned money on things you need to measure. Data and analytics can seem scary but truly it isn´t.

    Measurement is an important aspect of marketing, allowing businesses to track the effectiveness of their strategies and make informed decisions. By regularly measuring key metrics such as website traffic, conversion rates, lead generation, and customer engagement, businesses can identify areas of success and areas that need improvement.

    Not everything can or should be measured in marketing. Some things like brand awareness and customer loyalty can be challenging to quantify and may require qualitative methods to assess their impact.

    Ultimately, the goal is to measure what is relevant and meaningful to your marketing goals and objectives. Thank you ChatGPT for that definition.

    Next point – the I don´t have time or I don´t understand it. No problems. Hire someone to help. However make sure that their goal is to help you grow or improve. If you are going to run a promotion to say increase site visitors then ensure there is a pre-promotion measurement and during the promotional period. Along with all kinds of sexy things like UTMs. Otherwise how do you know what worked?

    Sometimes you discover things by trial and error. If you stand outside selling umbrellas each and every day you are bound to make better sales on the days it rains.

    What measuring things can help you do is to discover which types of umbrellas sold better, and at what time of day, so that you can be better prepared for the next rainy day.

  • Storytelling: what is authentic?

    Storytelling: what is authentic?

    Welcome to my 2nd article in the series on storytelling. Think of it as chapter two. Another word that gets bantered about a lot is authentic. Brands want to be authentic, we are authentic storytellers etc. But what is authentic?

    As with frequency, this is a term that gets taken out of context or confused with historic.

    So let´s break those 2 words down. Both are adjectives and describe the noun they are reflecting. Authentic means not false or copied, but genuine. Having a verified origin or representing one´s true nature or beliefs.

    Historic means something is well-known or important in history.

    Spot the difference. Something can have an authenticated history as in verified and of historic value. But you do not have an authentic history or historic authenticity.

    For marketing, as much as leaning on the historic when valuable is great, I believe you should lean on nature or beliefs. A young brand can be authentic, a historic brand can be authentic. A young brand does not have a history.

    While there is some overlap, authentic typically implies that something is true to its original form, while historic implies that something is important or significant in the context of history.

    Trickier is that you can model some of your authentic values on other brands/names/things and be honest about that. You cannot however fake either history or authenticity. Start with being truthful.

  • What are vanity metrics?

    What are vanity metrics?

    A part of the semi-regular marketing tips series:

    Metrics, KPIs, business intelligence, and data – are all very important terms and I personally love to analyze and measure things. However, often entrepreneurs and marketers fall into the trap of vanity metrics.

    Vanity metrics are performance indicators that are often used to measure the success of a business, but do not necessarily reflect the true value of the business or its ability to generate revenue. They are often used to make a business or product look good on paper, but do not provide any meaningful insight into the customer experience or the effectiveness of the business’s strategies.

    Examples of vanity metrics include website traffic, social media followers, or the number of downloads of an app.

    These metrics can be easily manipulated and do not necessarily indicate whether a business is profitable or sustainable. It’s important to distinguish between vanity metrics and actionable metrics that can help to improve the business’s performance.

    But you say, those figures are straight from a dashboard! True, however, for example, website analytics, and organic followers come to the landing page and then jump off after 20 seconds. They don´t continue the journey. So even if your traffic is increasing your revenue isn´t and you need to do something about that.

    It isn´t easy but try to avoid the vanity metrics trap of just more likes, unengaged followers, and empty website traffic.

  • What is frequency?

    What is frequency?

    What do you mean by ‘posting frequency’? How often should I post?
    Most of the time, we confuse frequency with “often.” A good frequency is based on the service or product’s message, how often you think your buyers need to hear from you, and how often you have permission to contact them.

    Your frequency should be daily if you have content (e.g., consumer goods) that is likely to change regularly. A biweekly schedule might be more appropriate if you are a slow burn.

    Consistent frequency requires you to sit down and think through the message you want to convey. To do this, consider your message and determine how often you can deliver it. It’s important to be consistent to stay on top of your audiences’ minds, as well as test what works best for your product, provided frequency is spaced out.

    Keeping the cookie jar full does not mean having to bake every day.

  • Storytelling in marketing: what is it?

    Welcome to my brand-new series of articles about storytelling in marketing. I wanted to dive deeper into the concepts of and behind storytelling. I will confess there is a personal motive as well. I plan to publish these short articles monthly. So stay tuned!

    Storytelling has become a buzzword. As a follow-up to authentic, you have probably heard the term storytelling thrown around for the past few years. Pop in a few references to Simon Sinek´s Golden Circle and Seth Godin´s Tribes, you’ve got a strategic storyteller on your hands.

    According to the Product Marketing Alliance: Storytelling is a process used by product marketers to communicate a message to their audience via the combination of fact and narrative. While many organizations use stories based on fact, others combine fiction and improvisation to drive home the key components of their brand’s core message.

    In other words, it’s similar to describing your product to those you would like to purchase/use it. But it’s not that simple, as internally, we think everyone understands our company own shorthand. Or even that our target audience has done deep research into the product/service and wants details.

    Stories are a journey. The storyteller’s role is to take the listener on that journey. Not just leading the way by saying ‘follow the yellow brick road’ but narrating the path–walking alongside.

    A library with white walls, rounded shelves nd 2 chairs on the left side. Image by Rafael Cosquiere and courtesy of Pexels.com

    Although we may use fiction, hyperbole, similes, and exaggeration in the story, it must be based on at least one solid fact. However, we must also take the person to the finale —the end of the story. Just driving down the road and back isn´t storytelling.

    Storytelling is more than just making things up.

  • Do Hashtags Matter?

    Do Hashtags Matter?

    The simple answer is yes. However, it is critical to understand what a hashtag does.

    A hashtag—written with a # symbol—is used to index keywords or topics. They were first developed for Twitter but are now a broader indexing tool. It allows people to follow topics they are interested in quickly. That topic (hashtag) is the most searched when something is trending. In other words, it helps you navigate an ocean of content and is a quick tool for people to find you.

    Don´t abuse them, though old-school trending hacks were to jump on popular hashtags even if they had nothing to do with your content or message. This doesn´t work as people will ignore you and, even more detrimentally, not trust you.

    But smart use of hashtags helps people find you. So don´t just ignore them.

    Number 1 in my series of ´tips & tricks´ in the world of online marketing.

  • What I learn(ed) from Mary Poppins

    What I learn(ed) from Mary Poppins

    I am a Mary Poppins fan – and there are levels to her that many don´t stop and think about. So here are some life lessons I have learned from her to share:

    A spoonful of sugar: Politeness is easy and kinder. Always be polite. It´s effortless to say please and thank you, costs nothing but makes everything just a little more pleasant. Mary Poppins always had a smile. I like to take things to the next level, smile, and say hello to random passersby. It lightens my heart and maybe lightens someone´s day. Try it!

    Collect people: Mary collected people. Just pay attention. So many people knew her. They might not remember when or where but they knew her. Because she made contact. And more importantly, she knew them. A stranger is just a friend you haven´t met yet and who knows what adventure that could take you on.

    Lead by example but don´t stand alone. Cleaning up is not a spectator sport she says in Mary Poppins Returns – she starts and at the same time instructs the others what to do. Everyone joins in. Spit spot and the work is done.

    Best foot forwards or always have your game face on. Sounds strange but with the homefront becoming the office and the endless round of video calls borders have greyed. Whilst I am the first person to say get to know people better and enjoy a cat marching across a keyboard – if you have a meeting with colleagues and it is cameras on show up with your game face on. The same applies to back to the office. Be on time and show up prepared for meetings.

    Believe in the impossible. It´s very good for you to contemplate wild ideas. And to quote Adidas ´Impossible is Nothing´. Wonderment, and impossible things – lead us to bigger things. So believe in the impossible. Technically it´s ´blue sky thinking´.

    #blueksythinking #imagination #creativitiy #kindness #friends

  • Being social savvy

    Being social savvy

    I shouldn´t have to say this but I recently read a #jobposting that reminded candidates that their #socialmedia accounts would be checked. Yes, we are now seeing #selfies on LinkedIn and interview reels on #instagram. However, be careful and clever.

    Remember that social media profiles are your public face and story – so think about the story you are telling. I live a lot of my life on social media – as an Expat it is an easy way to keep my scattered family and friends connected. But I am clever about next to what I post – what my profiles are.

    Here are some easy tips to help you keep a clean separation.

    Tip #1: claim your #linkedin profile name. It sounds silly, but there are still many candidates without their name in their profile name and still ´just a number´.

    Tip #2: have your contact details in your profile and if you have a whacky email address consider changing it to something a bit tamer. Seriously, would you respond to Gotbeer@hotmail.com?

    Tip #3: turn on your privacy settings for Facebook and Instagram! Only be discoverable by say friends of friends unless your ambition is to be an influencer. If you have a public profile such as an artist or online shop spend some time setting up profiles for that (drop me a line I can help).

    Tip #4: as with LinkedIn do the opposite for Facebook and Instagram – turn your online name into something only you, friends, and family know. That increases the separation between your professional and your personal profile. Be just that less findable.

    Happy New Year and Happy job hunting!