by Chester | Mar 28, 2013 | Writings
Stop thinking about your website. Think about your visitors. Think about what they’re thinking about. Think about what you want them to be thinking about. Think about how to change what they’re thinking about to what you want them to be thinking about. Most of your visitors aren’t thinking about your website, at least not in any meaningful way. They’re thinking about the stuff on your website. Most people call that stuff content. That stuff is you, or if you’re a business that stuff is your brand. You are your stuff. It may be the tip of the iceberg and a gross oversimplification of who you are and what you do, but in the eyes, hearts, and minds of your first-time visitors, that stuff is you. Stop thinking about your website. Think about your stuff. Now that you’re thinking about your stuff, stop and ask yourself, does your stuff *do* anything? Is its primary purpose informational or functional? If you stripped everything away, all the pretense, all the cleverness, all the web 2.0 design fads, all the SEO’d page titles and stock photography, what would be left? A button that does something or a message that communicates something? Regardless of whether your stuff is informational or functional, make sure it works on a napkin. Literally, go get a pen and a napkin and show off your idea, message, or feature. If it can’t be explained on a napkin, then you have not distilled it into a potent enough concept to be brought to life as a website—or as anything else. I hope you’re getting the picture. You’re website doesn’t...
by Chester | Nov 8, 2012 | Writings
I feel then I think. And afterwards I believe. This the fundamental marketing cycle. This is why branding is possible. Imagine a shoe or glass rectangle. So what, right? Now imagine that same shoe with a swoosh and that same glass rectangle with an apple engraved on it. Now you’re excited (or dismayed I suppose, depending on your brand persuasion). Based on a thousand indicators (including brand, context, tone of messaging, etc.) we develop an immediate emotional response to each marketing piece we see. It could be boredom, excitement, or disgust, but it’s still an emotional response. That emotional response leads us to reject, ignore, or pursue information about the product or idea we’re being sold. And of course after we’ve reached a conclusion (whether by using the product/service, or by using deductive reasoning), we form a belief about the product, service or brand. So when I’m approaching a communication piece, whether it’s a website, flyer, or speech, I keep two objectives in mind: inform and excite. While “inform” is listed first, it’s merely because with absolutely NO information, people tend to just feel confused—there’s no framework on which to hang their emotions. So assuming there’s a foundation of information, my primary goal is to excite my audience. Excitement is great. It’s anticipatory, positive, and it’s usually actionable and contagious. What can you say or show to your audience to excite them? Is it “5% off” or is it a photo of someone actively relishing your product? Once you’ve won their focus and excited their emotions, are you following through with effective information? Does the information overwhelm your audience,...
by Chester | Jul 15, 2012 | Writings
Jacob is an artist. More specifically he’s a professional painter and graphic designer. He currently favors mural work over the often unappreciated tedium required by smaller canvases. During an after-dinner discussion about life, the world, and everything, he commented that more often than not his pro bono clients get his better work and tend to be more happy with the final result. While not terribly shocking, it is a bit counter intuitive. I would have thought paying clients would provide the leverage necessary to elicit truly great work from him. And while that may sometimes be the case, it turns out that money isn’t the best motivator. Gasp. So if money isn’t the best way to motivate an artist, and if Seth Godin is correct in his assessment that Knowledge Workers are at their essence artists, what’s the best way to motivate the elite of today’s work force? Let’s look back to Jacob. His pro bono clients often get a sweet deal because when he takes them on as clients, they have to sacrifice their urgency. They care enough to wait. They’re passionate enough about their project to let it fully develop. Jacob accomplishes this by allowing himself the luxury of only working on their project when he feels inspired to do so. And in between moments of inspiration, the project stews in his artist brain, steeping in the creative juices that are the byproduct of his paying clients projects. It’s quite simple really. We’re at our very best when both our intellect and our emotions are engaged. And while money can sometimes redirect our attention, it can’t maintain a hold on both our thoughts...
by Chester | Jun 13, 2012 | Writings
Technology as a Commodity I began my career as a developer at Lambesis—a highly creative ad agency. After seven years there, I moved on to Hume Lake Christian Camps for the next five years to join their creative team as Marketing Technologist. During that 12 year timespan I saw technology turn from a cutting edge instrument into a decidedly blunt sledgehammer. This transition is the inevitable shift from novelty to commodity. The Human Problem Practically speaking, the commoditization of communication technologies has enabled me to spend less time focusing on the particular tools required to complete a project and instead focus on the original purpose and goals of each project. This means more research, strategy, copywriting, and managing than coding. Connecting a client’s passion with the eyes, ears, head and ultimately heart of their constituents is primarily a human problem not based in technology at all—and yet technological tools are still the nuts and bolts of the final solution. The Next Step This is where I’ve found my current consulting niche, helping my clients take the next step towards their organization’s vision. Sometimes this means sitting down and rewriting their marketing copy so that it connects with our impatient, ad-savvy techno-culture. Sometimes it means helping them see that their CMS isn’t their problem, it’s their internal workflow. And more often than not it’s simply giving them the knowledge they need to make an informed decision about which technologies will effectively support their marketing...
by Chester | Mar 8, 2012 | Writings
The cutting edge represents more than a cliché, a movie from 1992, or an insatiable appetite for the latest technology. The new cutting edge is authenticity, generosity, and community. Notice you can only own the first—the last two must be invested in and cultivated. The most effective technologies are transparent tools in comparison to the processes they facilitate. And the most meaningful process a person can engage in is human communication. So who are you talking to? What are you saying? What tools best facilitate the...
