The Two Most Important Marketing Communications Technologies...
That's right... there's only two. And they're not hi-tech. The two I have in mind are used in 95% of all marketing communications campaigns on the planet. These most important technologies are: writing and printing.
Why?
Writing. Doesn't matter whether it's for print or broadcast, if the writing isn't there, neither is your marketing. Writing is communicating. Copy is, more often than not, the carrier of your message, and the language of your call to action. Write poorly and there is no message. Write poorly and there is no call to action.
Good writing, for marketing communications, is more than simply shoving words around in an aesthetically pleasing way. Good writing requires a thorough understanding and articulation of the product and service benefits which are being communicated. It also requires good context -- that is, it requires an understanding of your market "position" with respect to your prospective buyer and your competitors. Can't articulate the benefits yourself? There's nothing to write about. Don't understand your "market position"? Likewise.
Printing. The physical manifestation of a very large percentage of the marketing communications done in the world, is in the form of printed material. Signs, brochures, letters, flyers, posters, packaging, magazines, newspapers, direct mail, billboards, and advertising specialties, all have to be printed.
The marketer that understands printing will outperform the one that doesn't. Here's a few simple examples of how:
= If Marketer A can print her direct mail piece in color for the same price that Marketer B can print his in black and white, she'll win.
= If Marketer A can print her direct mail piece postcard at 30% less cost than Marketer B can, she'll be able to mail more pieces than Marketer B can, for the same cost! In other words, Marketer A will be able to reach more of the market than Marketer B.
These situations are not unusual; they're very common. So common that you might begin to wonder whether your competitors know something about writing or printing that you don't.
The good news is that there are ways to learn the necessary skills. For writing, one of the best sources I know is the Direct Marketing Association. Copywriting seminar information (online and otherwise) from the DMA is available by clicking here.
For printing, you may want to check your local university, but the premier educator for all things printing is the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York. Their Print Buying Essentials course could well mean the difference between winning and losing to a print-knowledgeable competitor!
Click KLynn Business Consultants to link to the KLynn consulting site.
