Ghostwritten blogs and a lesson from the Wizard of Oz

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain! Dorothy and her friends are crushed to discover the Wizard of Oz really is no wizard at all; he’s just a man who’s been hiding behind a curtain pulling levers and making noise. They thought they were talking to a real wizard and getting to discuss what mattered to them with someone whose opinion they valued—but they weren’t. Therein lies the risk in a ghost-written blog. It’s a dilemma Todd Defren draws to light in a great piece titled “In Defense of Ghostblogging: Social Media Ethical Dilemmas.”

But leaders are busy leading and they’re not writers or they’d be doing my job instead. So I’ve ghostwritten emails, newsletters articles, and more for many years. In fact, one membership invitation I wrote received so many compliments that the leader I wrote it for was grateful when the kickoff event was over. The reason: it wore him out to pretend he wrote it. The piece worked, though, because I knew the leader so well that I could write in his voice. I knew what he would want to say and how he would say it. The piece, in essence, was from him even if it wasn’t written by him. Most important of all is that he requested the topic and he personally edited and approved the final copy.

Blogs get grayer because they live somewhere in the world of “Dear Diary” and talking over the fence or water cooler. In other words, they’re a conversation specifically between the author and the readers. They work specifically because they’re not corporate-speak from corporate writers like me. If readers figure out—or come to believe—it isn’t really the listed author doing the writing then the trust is gone.

Does that mean I think you should never ghostwrite a blog? No. It’s an awfully slippery slope, though, as soon as it shifts from editing to drafting to writing. The further it moves in the other direction, the more the Wizard of Oz becomes just the man behind the curtain. Dorothy and her friends may not have been able to walk out and “hire” a new wizard, but customers and potential customers can “walk out” on a business. Once they walk out, they almost never come back. To me it’s not worth the risk...

1 jingle and 20 years of value: music matters even for small business

373-7350. 373-7350. Jake’s Pizza… It’s not nearly as catchy without the music to go with it. For the moment, though, that’s not the point. The point is that I remember the phone number and the jingle for Jake’s Pizza in Albert Lea, Minnesota over 20 years ago—even though I never lived there. I did, though, go there to visit family and every time the radio was on I heard that jingle. I couldn’t tell you the phone number for any other restaurant in America, but I will know that one until the day I die.

So, what’s the point?
Music is an underutilized tactic in any marketing or branding strategy. According to a study cited by music branding expert Ruth Simmons,

• "Brands with music that fit their brand identity are 96% more likely to be recalled than those with non-fit music or no music at all” 
• “Respondents are 24% more likely to buy a product with music that they recall, like, and understand compared with 8% where the opposite applies"

Music helps you stand out and, I’d argue, it can be a key component in helping you move from brand recognition (consumers know who you are) —to brand value—(consumers care who you are and they’ll do business as a result).

Why does it work?

As music therapy research has shown, “music with a strong beat can stimulate brainwaves to resonate in sync with the beat” and “bring lasting benefits to your state of mind, even after you’ve stopped listening.” In other words, music creates chemical and emotional reactions that can stick with you long after you’ve stopped listening.

When should it be used?

Music tends to work best in saturated industries or unfamiliar industries and where the consumer is purchasing a product rather than a long-term relationship. In either case you’re dealing with what appears to be a virtually identical product, purchased on a one-time basis, where the service or the atmosphere is the key differentiator. Automobiles, personal injury attorneys, and even fast-food are good examples. 

What doesn’t work?

Music just for the sake of music, music that’s overused (e.g., ad saturation), music that overpowers the message, or music that doesn’t fit the taste of your audience.

What does work?

• It’s memorable: if you can reproduce it before bed, the shower, or car, it works.
• It’s short: whether it’s your “calling card” (e.g., the Intel “bum, bum, bum bum”) or your call to action (e.g., putting your name and phone number to music to encourage the dialing of your number) aim for three seconds and cap it at ten. You want even non-singers to be able to sing or hum the key part in their head. 
• It sets a mood that captures your brand.

Used strategically, music can be a compelling means for setting a company apart. Used poorly, it can drive business away. And the beat goes on…

A 3rd grade report card and simplifying your business

“Kevin is a joy with his ability, humor, and ambition.”  No, I’m not making this up. I have the report card from 3^rd grade to prove it! I took that report card home where my mother dutifully filed it in a box. She also filed away every school music program, picture, and certificate of achievement I ever received. I was left with a stack of boxes so voluminous I was convinced Jimmy Hoffa, the Davinci Code, and several ballot boxes from the 2008 Minnesota senate race were inside them as well.

Fast-forward to 2009. My cataloging and organizational skills now rival that of the head of the National Archives. At work I became the go-to person for requests of company documents, policy memos, and that one report from 1982 about some obscure topic that’s come up again. I’ve decided it’s time to turn those skills on the Library of Congress inside my house and downsize in preparation for a home sale. I’m left with four choices:

1. Contribute to our nation’s cultural heritage by donating everything to the Smithsonian
2. Hiring a crew from the TV show “Hoarders” to clean up this EPA Superfund site
3. Borrowing a flamethrower.
4. Digging in and going to work.

I am proud to say I chose Option 4 and I have emerged victorious. Among the results…

• 8 inches of file folder content shredded
• 700 computer files deleted
• 1 Winnebago camper decommissioned (OK, so technically it was a toy camper)
• 25 books donated

As for that report card? It’s now encased in glass, mounted on the wall, and lit up by two spotlights. Simplifying is important, but I’m not letting things get too out of hand!

The business lesson in all of this?

Keep half of what you think you should, keep your initiatives down to three or less at a time, and keep honing in on the one thing that you want everyone to know you do better than anybody else.

Charity challenge results

This one turned out to be a non-starter. Whether you just don’t want to read these documents to begin with, you don’t want to read about them in a blog, or you had some other reason the verdict is in. Time for a little humor instead. Let me know if the next entry is more to your liking…

Take my charity challenge as I set out to make Banks and Brokers Clear and Engaging

Most of what I read from banks, brokers, and insurance companies makes my eyes tired and numbs my brain. It’s time to turn the tide. Bellyaching is tempting, but I kicked the antacid habit about a year and a half ago and I’m not going back. Instead I’m going to put up or shut up so here’s my challenge:

The basic challenge
Show me the worst of the worst or simply something you just don’t “get.” I’ll rewrite it so you do and make it engaging at that. If I can’t do it—as voted on by you my website visitors—I’ll donate $25 to a charity of the submitter’s choosing. I’ll do so for up to ten submissions.

What I need from you:

1. The examples.
2. What about it confuses you or bores you and why you care enough to send it to me.
3. What charity you’re selecting.

What I don’t want from you:
Don’t send me anything with account numbers on it or “employees only” stamped on it. You don’t need the privacy risk and I don’t need the lawsuit.

What I promise to do:

1. Redesign my blog so you can see the samples and vote on them.
2. Tell you if I can’t or won’t use your submission and why.

Why I’m doing this:

• Money makes a difference. I want you to understand it and have control of it so you’re in the best position possible to live the life you choose.
• I’m committed that my work makes a difference. What I do only matters if it’s used. If you don’t get it or you’re bored by it you’re not going to read it. I’m not OK with that anymore.
• I’m committed to accountability. This goes for the corporations and the consumers. When we know what we’re agreeing to we can hold each other accountable to achieving it. No excuses, no whining, no bull.
• I’m committed to simplicity and workability. Life can work, it can work well, and it can be worth living every single day. That’s the world I’m committed to.
• I need work samples. Most of my work prior to the layoff was proprietary. I want to show prospective employers and business owners what I can do.

Dates for this challenge:
All entries are due by Saturday, January 16, 2010. I’ll complete all ten samples chosen by Friday, January 22, 2010 at 5 p.m. Central Time.

And start saving your Help File and assembly instruction examples too. They’re my other pet peeves so I’m taking those on next. Let’s have some fun!

Morality tales in business: from AIDS to Fox and Cable System Providers

So what the heck do AIDS and the current Fox/Time-Warner, et al payment disputes have in common with each other? A Shakespearian wish for a “pox to befall your both your houses?” A tempting thought, perhaps, but that’s not it. What they have in common are metaphors, morality tales determining what the facts are, how a “problem” should be resolved, and who gets to decide who wins. And it’s how business gets done more often than we probably realize.

Here’s why you might want to care:
Disputes must be resolved on the first attempt or you will lose even if you win. When customers feel powerless, confused or both they turn to morality tales, look for white knights, and you lose control. They will either:

• tell their version of the story to their friends.
• look to either a white knight (a competitor) to give them what they want or a white knight (laywer/regulator) to compel you to do what they want.

Result:
Money out of your pocket—either in lost revenue or time and money spent in court

So, how does AIDS tie in?
It’s a perfect example of how this process works and it’s a time-proven process I first identified over 15 years ago. Reading it may help you be aware of if/when that’s happening to you in business so you can take steps in time to stop the spiral.

When AIDS first came on the scene people were scared. Nobody really knew how it was spread or how to protect themselves. They just knew they could die from it. People filled the vacuum with guesses, pseudo-experts, and looked for someone to blame. People who had AIDS started out with the role of immoral disease carriers and, over the years, were given the new role of victims. Either way, they largely lost power over their situation and the public lost valuable time in effectively responding as virtually everyone got caught up in the blame game. More people died and millions were spent on medical care that could have gone elsewhere if effective treatments had been developed sooner.

The dispute isn’t nearly as significant in the Fox/cable-provider drama on today’s stage. The process, though, is very similar. Consumers don’t have a clear, objective view of the facts and they feel they have limited to no power in the situation. Many to most want to make someone wrong for this so they can be punished and everyone can move on. Whichever side they dislike the most is turned into the perpetrator and the other side is still covered with negative emotional residue simply because they’re part of this too so they must have done “something” to allow this to have happened in the first place. The consumer gets to be the victim and everyone loses.

So, what to do?

1. Paraphrase the customer’s complaint: make sure they know you understood what they said and what they want.
2. Give the consumer some power: This doesn’t mean a blank check. Just acknowledge they can choose who they do business with and give them some choices in resolving the matter.
3. Get the facts clear without bias or judgment: you might try a timeline approach and acknowledge that even if you disagree what to do about it, you want to be sure you and they are working from the same information. Just be sure to get agreement up front to work through the full timeline before you discuss what to do about what happened.
   
4. Be clear about what you need and want: unless it’s 100% your fault, it’s legitimate to share what you need and want for this to work for you too.
5. Leave the consumer with some kind of win. Even if they walk away completely, consider something like a thank you card for past business. Just be sure it’s sincere and they know it. Otherwise it’s salt in the wound and it’s worse than doing nothing.
6. “Keep it in the family." Sour-graping disputes to a broader audience only guarantees that you get a reputation for bad-mouthing others when things go bad. Vent with a trusted friend or colleague but never be the first to take a dispute public.

You’ll never resolve every dispute successfully, but in the end if you can resolve most successfully and keep the damage to a minimum on the rest you’ll be well on your way to continued growth and prosperity!