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Help! What Happened?
Let's be honest, when you're writing sales material for a product, there are a frightening number of things that can go wrong, aren't there? Remember Murphy's Law: what can go wrong will, and at the worst possible moment. Well, we're going to try to gain some control over events and the best way to gain control is to know what makes things tick ... The Communication Process There are four recognised steps in the communications process: 1. The message originates as an idea or concept (Academics get paid thousands of dollars to come up with earth-shattering findings like these!) As with most things in life, the system can break down at any one of these stages. The Idea In marketing, the source is usually a product (or service) concept that the sender wants to tell potential buyers about. The key point at this stage is to be certain that your product is going to meet the needs of your target group. Some time ago, a manufacturer of cake mixes came up with a mix that he was certain would appeal to busy housewives -- all they had to do was to add water and they could bake a perfect cake every time. The product failed miserably. Follow-up research indicated that women felt guilty that they were not giving their families nourishing food -- all they did was add water to what looked like flour. The cake mix was re-launched, but this time consumers had to add an egg as well as the water. The product sold for the same price, it cost the consumer more to make the finished product, but, it was a runaway success. MORAL: It doesn't matter how great your idea for a product is, if it doesn't meet the consumers' needs, it won't sell. The Sender Very often in advertising, it seems that the message is more important than the product -- beautiful images, clever jingles and flashing lights often have little to do with your product. How many times have you sat through a brilliant piece of advertising, but had no idea what was being advertised? We all have; the trick is to make sure that your marketing always focuses on your product and how it meets the needs of your target market. Another problem that can originate with the sender is the use of misleading claims; you just cannot say that your product cures baldness, smoothes wrinkles, eradicates onion weed, gets rid of cockroaches or will make you walk again, if it doesn't. Nor can you imply, by your marketing, that it does this, if it doesn't, because this is false advertising. At the moment here, there is a case of false advertising against a certain fast food company because a consumer claims that the burgers he has purchased at different outlets bear no resemblance to the burgers pictured on advertising boards outside the stores. MORAL: Tell the truth in your marketing, and you'll not only stay out of trouble, you'll also be able to sleep at night. The Transmission These days we're all subjected to a continuous bombardment of information (and misinformation) from a variety of media - we wake up to an alarm radio; maybe have the telly on for the morning news; listen to the car radio on the way to work; have a radio playing in the work place; read the paper or a magazine in our lunch break; do a few chores on the way home and glance at the ads on the shop fronts and in the stores; empty the letterbox of all the brochures and flyers; listen to more radio or watch telly; settle down for an hour or two on the Internet after dinner and note all the banner ads ... Is it any wonder that we often block out all this clutter from our lives. It's called selective forgetting, and it's a survival mechanism we all call upon in order to cope. MORAL: Don't let your message get lost in the cacophony of the advertising world; keep it simple so that your message can be understood. The Receiver If you get it wrong in any of the previous three steps, it's no surprise that it will be wrong at this end of the process, too. If customers think your message has no relevance to them, they'll ignore it, however great your product might be. I have no interest in welding, so it doesn't matter to me that you have the best deals in welding gear this side of the black stump; it won't matter how many glossy brochures you shove into the letter box, or how many snazzy coloured ads you run in the pet lovers magazine I buy, I just don't care about your product. So if you don't do a bit of research and find out where your potential buyers are, you may as well just donate your advertising budget directly to my Running Away Fund, and at least one of us will be happy! The other problem with this stage of the process is credibility. If you're a racing car driver, trying to sell me spare parts for my car, I'll probably listen to you; if you're trying to sell me crochet patterns, I may not listen at all. MORAL: Since your business depends on the receiver accepting your message, you must put all your efforts into ensuring that the right message reaches the right target. Look at your writing in terms of this communications model and make any necessary changes before you invest any more of your time or money. If the spelling of words like "recognised" in this article worried you, please read this: http://www.write101.com/aus.htm Jennifer Stewart offers Home Study courses in writing and professional writing services from her site: http://www.write101.com For those who want their own writing double-checked for accuracy, Jennifer offers proof reading and full editing services. Click now for your Writing Tips newsletter: mailto:WritingTips-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news Guests on today's TV news shows (San Jose Mercury News) News ShowsLineup for today's TV news shows: ABC's "This Week": Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. Veterans for Obama to hold forum in Newport News Monday (The Virginian-Pilot) NEWPORT NEWS Two retired military leaders will make four stops across Virginia Monday in support of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. Rear Adm. Jamie Barnett and Command Sgt. Maj. Michele Jones, both retired, will discuss challenges facing Virginia veterans, according to a news release from the campaign. At each stop, they?ll be joined by Virginia veterans. Get the latest news in racing (Daily Racing Form) In order to read Daily Racing Form's free daily news stories it is required that you have a DRF.com free membership. If you do not have a DRF.com free membership, please register here . You will NOT need to be logged in to read each day's free news stories. Good news for Johnson, but '08 over (MLB.com) Good news for Orioles' Johnson Ruling Party Predicts Big Win In Angola Election-News Agency (Nasdaq) LUANDA (AFP)--The governing MPLA party on Saturday predicted it will win big in Angola's first peacetime election, based on preliminary results it said it had seen, Portugal's Lusa news agency reported. Mid-American Conference News and Notes (The Sports Network) Mid-American Conference News and Notes UPI NewsTrack Entertainment News (UPI) ABC embracing 'Motherhood' ... Script work to delay '24' filming ... Two more 'Spider-Man' movies likely ... T-Pain wins big at BMI Awards ... News from United Press International. Journals week in review: news from One Microsoft Way (Ars Technica) In this week's top Microsoft news on Ars, we cover the Gates-Seinfeld ad, The Ultimate Steal, Internet Explorer 8, the Zune, a new non-laser mouse, SkyMarket, and OneCare. See inside for details on what's new with these products. Read More... Week in review: top news stories on Ars Technica (Ars Technica) It was a shiny, happy week in the world of tech news with the launch of Google Chrome and all the hype that surrounded it. We recap the week's most important stories. Read More... News Services (The Scottsboro Daily Sentinel) Letter to the Editor The Daily Sentinel welcomes your commentary. No letter will be published until authorship is confirmed. Press Release Submit your news and event information to The Daily Sentinel. Site: news - Google News Palm's new smart phone steals the show - MarketWatch
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for marketing SearchDay: Online Videos as Learning and Marketing Tools (Search Engine Watch) Today's search engine marketing news and opinion: YouTube-ery: Online Videos as Learning and Marketing Tools; Change How You Think About Your Life and Company; MapQuest, Google Launch Blackberry Mobile Apps; and more. Lend a Hand: Use marketing skills to help nonprofits (Portsmouth Herald) It's hard to get attention these days, especially as a nonprofit with limited means. If you're a marketing professional with skills from graphic design to public relations, then you can make all the difference for nonprofits that need to share their... Wechsel im Marketing (FVW.com) Helen Bardtenschlager verantwortet ab sofort die Marketing-Aktivitäten von LAN Airlines in Deutschland. Ihre Vorgängerin Angelika Lucius geht in den Mutterschaftsurlaub. Pfizer: withdraws Zeven marketing applications (Pharmaceutical Business Review) Healthcare giant Pfizer has announced that the marketing applications for its skin infection treatment Zeven (dalbavancin) are to be withdrawn, pending another multi-center trial for the drug. This setback could cost Pfizer dearly: another trial could push the drugs launch date out to September 2010, five full years after its proposed launch date and just two years before its first patent expiry. Ag Society, IdeaLogic Marketing part ways (North Platte Telegraph) The North Platte Telegraph The marketing firm of IdeaLogic has handled the marketing and advertising efforts for the Lincoln County Fair for the past two years - but there won't be a third. Kmart names new marketing chief (Chicago Sun-Times) Ailing retailer Kmart has reached into the hotel industry for its new chief marketing officer. Next plots marketing revamp (Mad.co.uk) Retail giant Next is overhauling its marketing strategy in a bid to increase sales, following a slump in its profits due to the economic downturn. The importance of marketing to open-source projects (CNET) Open source may make better software, but marketing is what makes people care enough to download it. Powered Shares the Secrets of Successful Social Marketing Programs at Shop.org Annual Summit (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance) AUSTIN, Texas----Powered, a leading provider of social marketing programs that drive measurable business results, today announced that it will be exhibiting at the Shop.org Annual Summit, taking place September 15 - 17 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Europcar UK plans major brand re-launch, strengthens marketing team (eyefortravel.com) Europcar UK Group has appointed Catriona Lougher as marketing director as the group strengthened its marketing structure in preparation for its multi-million pound re-launch in the UK in 2009. Site: marketing - Google News Columbus tech firm buys Dayton marketing company - Bizjournals.com
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