Tag: social media

In the middle

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As it often happens with complex issues, even the discourse around the current pandemic has been shrinked to a binary matter: economy vs (public) health.

And of course, as with any complex issue, there is much more to take into consideration. There is the problem of parents who are taking care of their kids full-time while also working. There is the problem of foreign students who can’t support themselves for the lack of part-time and seasonal jobs. There is the effect of high level of stress and anxiety on the general well-being, that clearly mostly affects those who already face difficulties in a normal situation (and not only in the US).

If we want to move past (and forward) this serious situation, picking a side is probably not the wisest thing to do right now. Let’s stay in the middle instead, let’s listen to and appreciate the various stories that are emerging, and let’s together envision a future where greys are not squeezed for the sake of polarization.

A new wave

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Three opportunities for a new wave of social media.

Subscription based – As they say, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Social media is no exception. For years, we have thought it was free (or very cheap, if you are an advertiser), but the costs we have all been paying are actually higher than most can appreciate. Asking the audience to pay a subscription fee would force social media to actually narrow their scope and become niche products that need to innovate to thrive.

Verified identity – The past few years have proven that anonymity online is not going to work. Opening a social media account should not be as easy as getting a new e-mail address, and the part of audience that should not be allowed to use them (kids) need to be forbidden access right from the get go. People are not as toxic when their name and reputation is on the line, and that would go a great length to make social media a more pleasant arena.

No second guessing – Algorithms behind timelines and promoted content are hugely unsatisfactory for the audience. What if instead their task would be to ask? Interruption is always annoying, and banner blindness has been discussed and studied for at least twenty years now. Putting people back in charge of what they are offered (also in terms of ads) can only increase engagement and make for a better user experience.

Weak signal

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Companies are about to send a signal to Facebook. But a signal, as strong as it can be, is stuck in a single moment in time. What about when July is over? Losing 1% of ad revenue for one month is not going to change the way Facebook carries out its business.

So, what is next?

Subtracting

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Challenge yourself (and your team) with a question that begins in the following way: what is the minimum amount …?

What is the minimum amount of information we need from a customer before we let them download the whitepaper?

What is the minimum amount of words we have to force our customers to listen to before connecting them to a human being?

What is the minimum amount of steps a visitor to our website has to take before finding what they came for?

What is the minimum amount of words we can use to describe our product?

What is the mimimum amount of people we need to tackle this problem?

Subtracting is often the best approach.

The first reader

FabrizioLeave a comment

Three things to keep in mind when you are writing a marketing message.

The other person does not know. Even when they share your same background, even when they face similar challenges, even when they have already tried similar products, even when your name is known and celebrated. Who reads does not know what you mean, what you care about, why you are good for them, why you are interrupting their day, and a whole lot more. And if they are left doing the effort to figure that out, they are gone.

The other person does not care. You might have the most brilliant invention of the past two decades, a flawless and unmatched technology, a fantastic company culture, and the most talented people working in each of your teams. Who reads cares literally zero about all of this, they have their own inventions, technology, culture, people and agenda. And if they are left building the bridge on their own, they won’t even start.

The other person is a human being. When you enter a room full of people, you most likely will not talk about “future-proofing”, “streamlining”, “best-of-breed”, “capabilities”, “artificial intelligence”, and so on. The mind of who reads gets fuzzy when they are faced with inflated jargon, they stop focusing on the message and they start thinking about what they should do instead. And if those are the words you are building your message around, they will find someone who treats them as a person.

Of course, the most important thing to remember is the fact that you are the first reader of your marketing messages. If something does not sound right, if something is unclear, if what you are producing is not what you would read in your own time, reasearching a product, seeking a solution to a problem. Then others will probably not find it more compelling.