Posted by Catie Foertsch on Mon, Jun 22, 2009 @ 10:17 AM
I met Stephen Melanson at a seminar a few weeks ago and was completely absorbed during his presentation on verbal branding. It's not something you hear much about but it ought to be. Verbal branding is the art of positioning your business during a conversation so that you can manage that interaction, present what differentiates your company, have an impact and be remembered.
Verbal branding is very different from an elevator pitch, which is often nothing more than speed talking. During the typical elevator pitch, people try to cram as much information about their company as possible into 60 seconds. Two problems: first, the information is all about their company. A complete violation of the WIIFM rule (What's In It For Me).
In video, it's important to follow the WIIFM rule because, if there's nothing in your business video about your customers - current and potential - then there's no reason for them to keep watching. In person, WIIFM is also crucial. If there's no WIIFM in what you're saying, it's really hard for your listeners to pay attention & absorb because it's about you, not about them. You're making it impossible for them to remember you and your company because talking about what you do has no impact. It's background noise. Because, as Seth Godin famously said, "I don't care about you. I care about me."
The second problem with an elevator pitch is that it's a fire hose of information. While you're rattling on about your company, what you do, what products you sell or services you provide, your listener is trying to take it all in, figure out how it's relevant, and come up with an intelligent response. No wonder there's usually a pause and a blank look after an elevator pitch. They're still trying to figure out what you just said.
Verbal branding, by contrast, makes what you say all about your listener. It's got loads of WIIFM. It's quick - just a few seconds - and simple, so your listener doesn't get confused. It has impact. The most common response is, "Tell me more."
Another important aspect of good verbal branding is that it allows every single person in your company, from bottom to top, to speak about what you do in a simple, compelling and coherent way. No more message muddling, no more frustration because your people don't seem to be able to communicate your core message. Here's the essence of verbal branding:
"Make sure everyone can describe your company's positioning - why you're different and better than the competition - with a simple, differentiated brand message that can be said in about five seconds." (excerpt from Jaw Branding, by Stephen Melanson)
If you'd like to learn more, click here to download the Jaw Branding e-book.
ATOMIC
Posted by Catie Foertsch on Fri, Apr 17, 2009 @ 12:21 PM
Sometimes you'll come across a website video that's just not right. The video shows someone talking about their company - how long they've been in business, how their highest aspiration is to exceed customer expectations, how much they care about their customers... blah blah blah. You stop watching. You probably get irritated and leave the website. Because there's no WIIFM.
WIIFM, or What's In It For Me, perfectly defines why people watch video: because they expect to get something they want. WIIFM is entertainment, relevant information, a relationship, or a combination of all three. A no-WIIFM video presents content people don't care about, in a dull, static style by someone who's so boring you couldn't imagine having a social relationship with him. Or her.
Companies don't set out to waste your time with no-WIIFM videos. It usually happens because there's no plan. There's just a decision: We need a video. A script is written without an understanding of why the video is being made, or who's going to watch it, or what it should do. The company president is the person in the video not because he's warm and friendly but because he's the president.
So how can you add WIIFM to your video content? Lots of ways. Start with making it about the person who comes to your website, and not about you. Don't recite your mission statement. Do give good, relevant information, and do it in a way that's interesting to watch. This can be complicated, like choosing an editing style that supports the material and underlines your message. Or it can be simple, like making sure the person in the video looks at the camera and smiles. But most important - don't write your script or begin shooting until you understand WIIFM, and until you know why you're making the video, who you're making it for, and what you want it to do.