It’s a fair question, and one I should have addressed in the previous post: Web video is a lot like TV, so why not make your videos highly promotional, like TV commercials? 

1. Because the Internet has always been, and still is, primarily an information tool—much more than TV is.  A study released May 18, 2008 by the Pew Internet & American Life Project (see summary) emphasizes that consumers use the web to learn about products and services, and then combine that learning with information from offline sources, before buying.

Jeffrey Grau, Senior Analyst at eMarketer and author of the new report, Multi-Channel Retailing, explained in February, “Online consumers are becoming precision shoppers. They are availing themselves of the wealth of information resources online to discover and evaluate products, compare them and find where they can be purchased.”

2. Because the web is an increasingly social place, given the rise of Facebook, YouTube, MySpace and other social-networking sites.  More than ever before, it’s about conversation and relationship-building.  On these sites and across the web in general, users are unlikely to “talk up” any company’s video if it’s blatantly self-promotional (more likely they will comment negatively on it). 

3. Because your site’s content probably isn’t, um, compelling enough to justify TV-commercial style video.  No offense . . . just don’t be misled by the fact that slick TV commercials are turning up more and more beside online entertainment.  Viewers tolerate those promotional spots in order to get the premium entertainment they want, on demand and for free.  In contrast, your web site (mine too) is already one big ad for your company, so why would a visitor want to see a highly self-promotional video for it?

Given these and other realities of today’s online environment, what should be your company’s approach to using web video?  Be useful: create videos that give your audience information they can use to solve real challenges.  If you’re a furniture store, for example, why not make a video explaining how to determine if a couch is truly well made?  It’s something most people don’t know, but presumably would like to know if they are shopping for furniture.

Yes, in the previous post I said that your video need not be directly related to your business.  That’s still true.  In general, I recommend featuring a mix of videos on your site, some directly related to (but not heavily promotional of) your business, and others that simply make visiting your site more enjoyable and/or interesting.

You’ve heard it before: Make the content of your web pages as relevant and specific as possible to the audience you’re trying to attract. Find out which keywords and phrases your audience is using to search for the services and products that you offer. Feature those words and phrases prominently on your web pages, and include other content (articles, photos, media) directly related to them.

All very true. Smart marketers recognize that web surfers increasingly can zero in on the exact product or service they’re interested in. As a result, many web sites and pages are very narrow in their subject-matter focus. In addition, many competitors in a given category offer nearly the same items at prices very similar to each other’s.

What’s the impact on people visiting these sites? Sooner or later, it’s boredom: you and your competitors all feel pretty much the same to the visitor.  So . . . the more competitors you have, and the more your audience tends to analyze or comparison-shop for the product or service you offer, the more that your web site (and all your marketing communications) needs to engage the audience’s heart and mind.

Now, let’s not forget: Job #1 of your web site is still to provide content that’s relevant to the needs of your audience. That content, most notably the top-performing keywords and phrases in your category, is also essential to pulling in visitors from Google and other search engines. But once they’re on your site, what can you do to ensure that their experience there is not just relevant, but enjoyable . . . even memorable? Lots of things, actually. In the coming weeks we’ll cover many of them, one by one. Let’s start with this:

It’s now easier than ever to have video on your web site. You don’t even have to produce a video of your own. Sites like YouTube and Yahoo provide the HTML code for nearly all the videos, right there next to the screen where the video plays on their site.

Find a video you like, and that you think your audience will like, right-click on the box labeled “Embed Code,” select save from the dialog box that appears, and e-mail the HTML code to your web master. OK, if that sounds too complicated, just do this instead: Find the video you like on YouTube or Yahoo, then tell your web master to go pick up the embed code for that video and put it on your web site.

The video you choose does NOT have to relate directly to your business. Remember, people who visit your web site are interested in more, much more, than just your product or service. Allow them to take a break from the routine of that search, and start building a relationship with them, by featuring a music video, a how-to video, or just a slide show of interesting photos (you can pick up plenty of those on the video sites) on your web site.

A word of caution: Although the video doesn’t have to relate directly to your business, remember that its tone and content will reflect on your business. Choose carefully, and before adding the video to your site, get feedback on it from a few of your best customers, vendors, or advisors. Explain to them that you are trying to make your site more interesting, enjoyable, and memorable for the people who visit it. Once you add the video to your site, consider adding a “Rate This Video” graphic beside it (your web master can add this for you easily).

A well chosen, non-promotional video on your site will do more than simply engage your visitors. It will increase the time they spend on your site—and in some cases, give them a reason to come back—which in turn, increases the chances that they will buy from you.  For an example, please visit http://www.jhwm.net/about.html and scroll to the bottom of the page.

At the top of their web pages (below the title bar), many companies like to have both their company name and a few words describing their business.  If they’re smart they include one or two top keyphrases, not just a vague slogan or tagline.   Too often, however, those key words end up embedded in a header graphic . . . and that’s not good for generating leads.  Here’s why:

Google and other search engines seek to provide the most relevant search results possible for any phrase searched.  In determining how relevant a given web page is, one of the factors they evaluate most heavily is the text (both headlines and body copy) on the page.  So it’s essential that the key phrases that describe your business appear on your web pages.

The problem is, search engines can’t “see” any text that’s embedded in a graphic object, such as a .jpeg or .gif file.  And if they can’t see the text, they can’t index the page based on those words of text . . . which, in turn, reduces the chances that the page will rank highly on the results page when the given phrase or word is searched.

It’s no mystery why this problem occurs.  Smaller companies increasingly realize that their logo has to convey more than just their business name and visual identity.  So they ask their logo designer to include the key descriptive words about the business, usually at the bottom of the logo design, so those words are closely associated with the logo.

The finished logo design, usually a .jpeg or a .gif, is then handed to their web site designer for placement on the company’s web pages.  And once it’s there, everything looks fine . . . but in the fact is, an opportunity to improve search-engine rankings has been missed. 

When looking at a web page, how can you tell if a piece of text is embedded within a graphic? 

1) Try moving your mouse so the cursor hovers over the text you’re wondering about: If the cursor changes from an arrow to a little vertical line, the text probably is not in a graphic. 

2) Next, left-click (that is, press and hold the left button of your mouse) and drag your mouse within this text: is the copy now highlighted in blue?  If so, the copy is NOT part of a graphic, and therefore is visible to the search engines.

Granted, in the quest for better search-engine rankings, there are other opportunities to place keyphrases on pages.  But considering how intense the competition is for rankings on virtually any search term, an issue like this can make a difference.  And considering how easy it is to put keywords as plain text below or beside a logo, there’s really no good reason not to.

That April 14 post was a bit long, I know . . . but you know how it is when the ideas start flowing, right?  Let’s review the basic steps which have been recommended in building your collection of testimonials:

1) Research: Find out from your customers (and if possible, from your competitors’ customers) which benefits of your product or service they consider most valuable.  Talk to them directly, or survey them, or conduct focus groups . . . but find out somehow.

2) Brand Statement: Develop a brand statement for your product that reflects how your audience prioritizes the benefits of your product.  See the March 31 post for details.

3) Ask for Testimonials, using the best practices outlined in the April 14 post.

Sounds fairly simple, doesn’t it?  Probably the most challenging part is #3, for a variety of reasons: Your customers are busy, some of them may not want to be “featured” by name in your marketing communications (even if they love your product), or there may be other reasons.

Obstacles such as these are why many companies, even smaller ones, choose to hire a copywriter to work on obtaining testimonials for them.  A good marketing copywriter can create or help refine your brand statement, and then use it to ask your customers for the specific testimonial you want from each of them.  Another advantage: the writer can work with your customers to ensure that each testimonial is focused on the benefit it should be.  A professional copywriter also will ensure a consistent level of quality across all testimonials.

The point here is that testimonial editing is a key part of the process, it should begin as early as possible, and it should be handled by a professional.  The result you’re looking for is a group of testimonials that work together to reflect and increase the power of your brand statement.

In editing your customers’ testimonials, your copywriter should seek a balance between broad superlative statements (”Their product is the best I’ve ever used”) and specific, factual statements that prove the superlatives.  Too much of either is not a good thing: all of us absorb so much advertising day after day that our minds tends to dismiss short, empty claims of how ‘great’ a product is.  On the other hand, testimonials shouldn’t be too long.  So cramming in too many facts about why a product works so well is likely to lose the reader.

One other thing to remind your copywriter is that even customers who say they are going to provide a written testimonial . . . sometimes just don’t get around to it.  Always start by giving the customer an opportunity to submit a statement of their own, but if they keep putting it off, your writer should offer to interview them, develop a testimonial based on the discussion, and give it to the customer for review.  The more testimonials you’re trying to get, the more likely it is that your writer will need to do this at some point.  And as long as the customer gets to review and comment on what’s been written, it is a valid way of creating a testimonial.

I hope the example in the March 31 post helped you write a brand statement that can guide you in building a great set of testimonials. Oh, but I was just getting warmed up! First let’s backtrack a bit, then move forward to “the ask.”

In earlier posts I didn’t mention the importance of audience research, so here it is: Your brand statement should be based on more than your own “gut feeling” about which benefits of your product matter most to your target audience. You need some real feedback from those people, who should be defined as specifically as possible. For our fictional Sunrise Rent-a-Car, the audience is not just “travelers” or “Central Florida visitors,” but “budget conscious families and business people visiting Central Florida.”

The more your product is like those of your competitors (and chances are your offering is more like theirs than it is unlike), the more essential it is to know how your specific audience prioritizes benefits. If your company is small and can’t afford to hire a research firm, at least do some online surveys.

Free, web-based tools like surveymonkey.com make it easier than ever to create and administer surveys, and even allow you to graph and analyze your survey results. Especially if you have a relatively small number (say, fewer than 100) customers and prospects willing to be surveyed, these online research providers can be an ideal solution.

The main point is to take what you learn from your research and use it in creating your brand statement. Others in your organization may feel a particular benefit has to be the star of the brand statement . . . but if you have the facts on your side, stick to them.

If your research shows that benefit X is by far the most important one to your target audience, your brand statement should “lead with it,” and you know you’ll need more than one testimonial focused on it. Keep in mind, however, that you also need testimonials about your product’s less prominent benefits . . . just as the star of a show needs a supporting cast, and vice-versa.

Once you feel confident that your brand statement is true to both your audience research and your product’s benefits, it’s time to start asking for testimonials. How you go about asking will make all the difference. Here are three ways to ensure you get it right:

1) Do you have one or a few customers whose opinion(s) are likely to have a strong impact on other customers or prospects? If so, work first on getting this customer to discuss a primary benefit of your product in his/her testimonial. Getting this high-profile endorsement early can help you persuade other (usually smaller) customers to give their testimonials, which could help you build a large collection of testimonials sooner.

2) Are you sure your product will get a positive review from each of the customers you plan to ask? Like a job seeker hoping for positive recommendations from former employers or co-workers, this is not the place to make casual assumptions. Before you ask for a testimonial, “put out some feelers” to try to confirm your likelihood of getting a strong thumbs up.

One way is to do this in a B2B setting is to have your assistant talk to the assistant of “Ms. Big,” the well known client from whom you’d like a testimonial. If asked, Ms. Big is more likely to speak candidly about your company to her assistant than she is to you. If the word comes back that Ms. Big is (or was) actually less impressed with your company than you had hoped, don’t immediately ask for the testimonial. Instead, begin trying to address her concerns, so that when you do finally ask for the testimonial, you’ll be in a stronger position.

3) Ask your customer in writing for their testimonial: Yes, it’s fine to use a phone call to make the initial ask for the endorsement. Just remember, everyone is busy, and you are asking for a favor, so follow up with an e-mail to make it as easy as possible for your customer. If you don’t, chances are you won’t even get a testimonial.

Besides, you want the customer to focus on a specific benefit of your product in his/her testimonial, so you need to reinforce that point in writing. Your e-mail should:

- Start by thanking the customer for her willingness to help build your business (that’s literally what they are doing).

- Explain that this testimonial can also help build her business, as you plan to feature it prominently on the following marketing communications (list them). Also very important: emphasize that you will show the testimonial to the customer before you use it, so she can have final-edit privileges. Do this even if the customer doesn’t ask you to: it will increase her trust in you.

- Ask that she begin her testimonial by focusing on the benefit(s) you specify. Don’t tell the customer what to say (unless asked!), just ask him to write as factually as possible about how that benefit(s) helped her or her organization achieve a key goal. If you can, also have the customer explain why that goal is (or was) so important to her or to the organization.

- If it’s a B2B testimonial, ask the customer to confirm her current job title, so you can use it in your marketing pieces. If it’s a personal (non-B2B) testimonial, confirm the customer’s city and state of residence, and ask for permission to feature both her first and last name.

- Be sure to hand-write a thank you note to the customer after you receive his/her final OK on the text of the testimonial. They deserve this.

These are the best practices that came to mind first when I started thinking about how to ask for a testimonial. I’m sure there are many others which have been or are being used successfully today. Please log in and share any that you know of or, better yet, have used.

In the March 24 post, we looked at a strategic approach to getting customer testimonials for your product or service (we’ll say product from here on, but the advice applies to services as well).  I thought it would help to give an example of this approach in use:

Let’s suppose your product is a car-rental service, operating exclusively in central Florida, called Sunrise Rent-a-Car.  Here’s how your brand statement might look:

For budget-conscious families and business travelers coming to central Florida, Sunrise Rent-a-Car provides higher-quality vehicles and better service than the national car-rental giants.  Sunrise makes your visit to central Florida easier and more pleasant, because we:

- deliver your rental to you at curbside, just outside of baggage claim

- add points to the airline-miles account of your choice every time you rent from us

- guarantee that every car we rent will get at least 35 mpg, saving you on fuel costs

- provide with every rental a Garmin GPS for the customer to use during his/her visit

Remember, you don’t need–and probably shouldn’t have–a testimonial that covers all these points.  The impact on your prospects will be greater if you have (on your web site or other marketing communications) a series of shorter, easier-to-read testimonials, each focusing on one or at most two of these benefits.  It’s usually much easier to get these shorter statements from your customers, because you will be asking them to “testify about” a specific benefit(s).

That doesn’t mean all your testimonials are equal in value, of course.  In the brand statement above, the words in blue are your product’s primary benefits–the words that you want your audience to associate most strongly with your product.  For each of these benefits, your first step is to acquire either one great testimonial, or a minimum of two very good ones.

For now I’ll leave it up to you to decide what makes a testimonial great (or very good), based on your own knowledge of your industry and the players in it.  But don’t wait until you’ve got these primary-benefit testimonials before pursuing the ones that reflect your brand statement’s supporting bullets.  You need ”stars” as well as “supporting actors” in your testimonial production–because neither type can win over your prospects all by themselves.

Sure, customer testimonials are everywhere . . . but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use them on your web site or in other marketing communications.  Do testimonials right and they still can help lift your product or service above your competitors.

Doing them right means doing certain things before you ever even ask someone to give their opinion of your product (we’ll say product only from here on, but the advice applies equally to services).

The first thing to keep in mind is that you’re going to need multiple testimonials in order to get the overall impact you need.  You don’t want your testimonials to all sound the same, so it’s best to plan out an entire set of them all at once.

Your planning should be guided by a brand statement for your product.  Make it as concise as possible–just a paragraph or two that describes:

• who your product is intended for
• the one or two primary benefits that it provides, and
• the ultimate desired result that it produces or helps to produce. 

This brand statement should be supported by bullet points,  some of which “prove” the claims made in the statement, and others that briefly explain additional, less-important benefits of the product.

Now, use this brand statement to define the focus of each testimonial you’d like to have.  Testimonial #1 should focus on one of your product’s primary benefits, and #2 should emphasize a different primary benefit.  Additional testimonials can focus on the support points in your brand statement, but should also refer (at least briefly) to one of your primary benefits.  Focusing like this helps in two ways:

• - First, it makes it much easier to ask for and receive a testimonial from your customer.  “Pat, I appreciate your business, and I was hoping you could give me a testimonial about [benefit #1] for our marketing materials” is a specific request that your customer can respond to fairly easily.  On the other hand, “Pat, could you give me a testimonial?” is too broad.  Don’t make Pat (or anyone) figure out what to focus on when crafting their testimonial.

• - Second, because the focus ensures that the testimonial will be about something, it’s more likely that the testimonial will have a real impact on the reader.  It also ensures each testimonial will be different enough to be worth reading.

Important: Don’t tell your customer exactly what to say.  Assume they are capable of some original thought, and let them express their thoughts in their own words.  No matter how good an original testimonial is, it almost always needs at least minor editing.

Key question, however: If your customer says, “Aw, I’m too busy . . . just write up something for me, e-mail it to me and I’ll let you know if it’s OK to use,” are you really getting a valid testimonial from that customer?

Welcome to the new blog of JH Writing & Marketing Services (JHWM for short)!  The “JH” stands for Jim Hinckley (that’s me), a copywriter and designer with a strong background in direct marketing, both online and offline.

Although most of the marketing-communications work I’ve done over the last 20 years has been for the financial services, B2B, telecom, or health care industries, I want to emphasize: what really interests me is discussing what works.  I look forward to sharing and debating ideas with you on what’s truly effective in marketing today.

Let’s jump right into it then, with a topic that’s always fascinated me: branding.  Does that word make you think of the Super Bowl, Procter & Gamble, and big, mass-media ad campaigns?

Sure, that’s all part of it, but what about smaller companies?  Is branding relevant to them?  And if so, how do they pursue it?  Let’s get into it . . . please click this link, Branding Your Growing Company and let me know what you think of it.  Thanks in advance, I appreciate you sharing your time with me!