Whether it’s a great poet, painter, chefs or storyteller, it’s been said that the signature of a masterpiece is that its creator knew when it was ready to be consumed. Although all artists possess an ability to show us what they see, it takes mastery to know the moment when their vision is complete enough to entice us into being a living part of their story.
In this digital age, noise and volume are the highest they’ve ever been. It’s never more important to really know your vision, and when others will want to enthusiastically be a part of your story. For marketers, there is simply too much at stake, too much competition, and too much to lose to not be a master.
Here are four elements you can use to create a marketing masterpiece:
Storytell, not sell. In almost every case, it’s the story behind a product or service that drew you in to learn more. A story helps us understand how things fit into our individual experiences and gives us context to make decisions. Stories add the color, personality and relevance of what you’re trying to sell. Speeds and feeds are necessary, but shiny pieces of metal standing alone will never be as interesting as the human interpretation of why they exist. Tell me, don’t sell me.
Share your voice. The best brands understand their tone in the marketplace, but in today’s social business, brands are co-owned by everyone. With the thousands of places brands are consumed, and the millions of feelings consumers feel because of this brand, it’s simply impossible for brands to control. My own company has experienced this itself; although our name “PureMatter” hasn’t changed in 12 years, our tone evolved from “Serious Fun” to now “Marketing Energized.” It didn’t happen overnight or from a brilliant epiphany. Our change in tone was a direct result of the relationships in our brand universe and ourselves recognizing increased value that evolved into this new platform. We co-own our brand with everyone – the trick is finding what the shared tone is to find something that resonates.
Be easy on the eyes. You’ve all heard the saying “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” I’d say for marketers, that’s half true. Yes, certain audiences will understand stories about certain products that appeal to them more, but there is a standard of excellence you should be holding your brand to in your campaigns as well. Make your marketing interesting. Create a mood through imagery. Speak at your audience’s level. Be smart and clever when you can. Marketing masterpiece’s course-correct the consumer experience into thinking differently about your story. As humans, we naturally appreciate nice looking things. Think your IT or engineering audience doesn’t care about great-looking marketing? Think again.
Make it make sense everywhere. Imagine how different a marriage proposal would feel if it happened in a baseball stadium under the lights in front of thousands sheering versus in your living room on a busy Tuesday morning. Environments change your perspective, mood and perception. The multiple sized screens we have today – smart phone, tablet, laptop, desktop, televisions, big screens – all deliver different environmental experiences. People don’t care that as marketers, you have to consider and think through each and every experience. They only care about the one they’re using. Controlled environments are a thing of the past, but use this to your advantage by putting effort into the perception, mood and perspective you are trying to deliver. The latter goes much farther to the bank than leaving it up to the user experience gods.
KEY TAKEAWAY: Resisting change and trying to control everything has always been an inhibitor to the open-mindness and vibrant spirit inside every true artist. Find new, thoughtful ways to share what you see and don’t be surprised when people come back asking for more.
Artwork source: DeviontArt
