Posted in
Relevance
This joke (after the jump) that my Dad sent to me has been around the Internet a few times, so it's not clear to me who wrote it, but it's worth a laugh. More importantly, what it shows is that sometimes we can get caught up in jargon and stop actually communicating with our markets. Much of what I do is help clients to think through how to cater to today's behaviors and speak in relevant language that engages rather than alienates their audience. After all, what you want to do is start a welcome dialog with your market, not impose your way of thinking on them. However, it is equally important to know when using evolving terms and tools are important to receptiveness of your audience.
Regardless of what methods you use to connect with your audiences, are you using the words that they will understand and will resonate with them, per audience?
Are you using industry terms that some of your market doesn't know? If this is necessary, then explain the terms to those who might not know them. As an example, a company a few years ago called their blogging tools "online journals" because they felt that their market wouldn't understand "blog". However, "blog" was defining a new experience that much of the target audience picked up quickly. The company appeared out of step with the market. Could they have used the word "blog" effectively?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is about relevance between what you do, what you say that you do and the terms that your target audience searches with to find what you do. Are you optimizing around their words or only your own? Does your site obviously reinforce the words that helped someone find you to validate relevance?
This joke (after the jump) that my Dad sent to me has been around the Internet a few times, so it's not clear to me who wrote it, but it's worth a laugh. More importantly, what it shows is that sometimes we can get caught up in jargon and stop actually communicating with our markets. Much of what I do is help clients to think through how to cater to today's behaviors and speak in relevant language that engages rather than alienates their audience. After all, what you want to do is start a welcome dialog with your market, not impose your way of thinking on them. However, it is equally important to know when using evolving terms and tools are important to receptiveness of your audience.
Regardless of what methods you use to connect with your audiences, are you using the words that they will understand and will resonate with them, per audience?
Are you using industry terms that some of your market doesn't know? If this is necessary, then explain the terms to those who might not know them. As an example, a company a few years ago called their blogging tools "online journals" because they felt that their market wouldn't understand "blog". However, "blog" was defining a new experience that much of the target audience picked up quickly. The company appeared out of step with the market. Could they have used the word "blog" effectively?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is about relevance between what you do, what you say that you do and the terms that your target audience searches with to find what you do. Are you optimizing around their words or only your own? Does your site obviously reinforce the words that helped someone find you to validate relevance? If not, the search engines will eventually penalize you by lowering your search rank.
Are you using the tools with which each target market is familiar or are you forcing them to learn new behaviors in addition to connecting with you?
If your target audience doesn't use Twitter, how effective is it to tweet? Conversely, if your audience is already tweeting and you are not in that conversation, how well are you maintaining a connection with them? Segment how you keep in touch just as you segment markets.
Behaviors evolve. If a segment of your audience is familiar with traditional media (newspapers, TV, magazines...), are you using that media to make them aware of new media options in which they may be interested? A study showed that including a URL in context with magazine advertising creative tripled the percent change in website visits. Over the last 10 years, the "Gen-Xers" and "Millenials" have gone from MySpace obsessed, to Facebook obsessed and are perhaps moving to Twitter obsessed. Are your efforts tracking with these changes?
Our audiences are not homogenous. Each segment may evolve at different rates. Other core behaviors stay fundamentally steady - young family nesting, hanging out with my friends and belonging, believing in a cause... Be sensitive to your segments and where they are and where they're heading.
*********** Original Source Unknown *************
You have to be old enough to remember Abbott and Costello, and too old to REALLY understand computers, to fully appreciate this. For those of us who sometimes get flustered by our computers, please read on...
If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their infamous sketch, "Who's on first?" might have turned out something like this: COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT...
ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO: Thanks. I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.
ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.
ABBOTT: Your computer?
COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.
ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.
ABBOTT: What about Windows?
COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?
ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows?
COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?
ABBOTT: Wallpaper.
COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.
ABBOTT: Software for Windows?
COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?
ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?
ABBOTT: I just did.
COSTELLO: You just did what?
ABBOTT: Recommend something.
COSTELLO: You recommended something?
ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO: For my office?
ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?
ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!
ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows.
COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?
ABBOTT: Word.
COSTELLO: What word?
ABBOTT: Word in Office.
COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.
ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.
COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?
ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue "W".
COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue "w" if you don't start with some straight answers. What about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?
ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.
COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?
ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.
COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?
ABBOTT: One copy.
COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?
ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.
COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?
ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!
(A few days later...)
ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?
ABBOTT: Click on "START".
