Charlie Creative Blog

When you order chocolate, you don’t want vanilla. You want chocolate. Same thing with brands. If you make your chocolate brand taste like vanilla you confuse everyone. And you make them angry. There’s no benefit to changing your brand flavor. Instead, be consistent. If you think consistency is boring consider this: Boring is what people buy. How bored are you when you crave chocolate? Not very. You’re excited. When you want chocolate chocolate is thrilling. And it better not taste like vanilla.

In a healthy relationship, each person is unique and whole. They don’t need each other. They choose each other. They come together because together they’re getting a little fun out of life. Good brands work that way, too. Every product and service stimulates a unique feeling or perception in a consumer’s mind. And that’s a good thing. People make their best choices when they can tell the difference between offers. They buy right the first time, their expectations are met, and they feel good. Take a look at each of your products or services. How can you emphasize the differences between them so people buy smart and feel good about you?

How much would you expect to pay for a pillow—the kind you sleep on—if it was stacked along with others like a bag of rice or beans? What if the same pillow was packaged in a shiny box with an interesting story about the history of pillows and how this one was made and why it’s superior? And how about if the same pillow was wrapped in fine cotton, tied with a silk ribbon and had a phone number you could call before you buy to talk to people who own this style of pillow? Crazy, right? But would you expect to pay more or less for the same pillow? When you price your product or service it tells a story. That story needs to match your brand message. Avoid confusing messages—like selling lipstick at a garden center. People don’t buy when they’re confused. But your offer will feel right when your product, promotion and price match your brand story.

How many ways can you reach your market? Email, websites, search engines, sales pages, online communities, viral messages, word of mouth, direct mail, audio and video broadcasts, articles and blogs like this one to name a few. But each of these requires a different marketing approach. Plus the perception of your brand changes depending on where, when, how and why people experience it. How can you keep all this straight? Join your customers. Experience what they experience. Ask yourself how you’d feel about your marketing message if it came to you through the mail, during a seminar, or on the side of a bus. Be aware of what shapes people’s perceptions and get the most from the media you’re using. Keep your message clear and one last thing… No matter what the media, don’t change your message. Consistency breeds trust.

Good branding is like a friendship. If you keep your word, help people, do your job well, wash behind your ears, stay healthy, honest and authentic… People will be your friend. All you have to do is choose the people you want to work with and get to know them. No. I mean really get to know them. Ask them what they’re working on; where, why, when and how they do it. Take an interest. Let them know you care and offer to help them accomplish what they’re doing. Show them how you can help. The truth is, people don’t need your product or service, but when they know you care about them they’ll take an interest in how you can help. There’s no trick to good branding because you can’t fake it. You just do what comes naturally and if it feels good it probably is good. Enjoy.

Here’s a quick list of points to hit when you’re matching your message to the needs and desires of your audience. First, research carefully. Identify the need or desire of your audience. Next, be kind. Before writing, put the subject into a context that serves your message and your audience. Then, when you’re writing, be helpful. Ask what knowledge will really help this audience; who can you refer your readers to for more information. Last, and possibly most importantly, be yourself. Let your writing come naturally. Here’s the checklist for giving your readers what they want: Research, Kindness, Knowledge, References, and Authenticity. Tick those off as you write and your message will satisfy your audience.

Everyone gets writer’s block. There’s no way to prevent it all together. The question is how do you bust through writer’s block once it comes? Here’s a method that works consistently for me. Before you do any writing, create an outline of your project. What are the parts? Will you include a title, opening, main argument, supporting argument and so on? Decide on all the parts, list them as headings, and then fill them in. Good organization reveals your whole project before you start. You can easily make connections you might otherwise miss, and filling in the blanks speeds up your writing and makes it more efficient. When you organize your project ahead of time you’re creating a system that works. Everything has a place and a role that is designed to move your project toward a satisfying end. It’s like ordering lunch in a restaurant at noon. You get a hot, tasty meal fast. If you go to the same restaurant at 3PM you might wait an hour for cold, bland food. Why? Momentum. The secret to momentum in writing—and busting through writer’s block—is silencing your internal editor. Your mind wants constant assurance that you’re on top of everything that can go wrong. Shut out these fears by developing an outline for your project so your mind can relax. Then you can get into action, build momentum, write past your block and serve up hot, tasty writing every time.

To convey a message with fairness and accuracy, set aside what you believe is true and explore wider points of view. Not that what you believe is false. It’s just a good idea to be open to possibilities. This is hardest when you’re facing a deadline. Writers sometimes take shortcuts by making assumptions. They turn in their work on time, but—by relying too much on what they know—they unwittingly write a biased story. This is forgivable because setting aside your beliefs is unnatural. To prove it, name any subject. I bet you already have a view about it. Don’t worry. We all do this. And it’s tough to add an extra step when you’re in a hurry. So why is it necessary? As a writer, part of your challenge is to look at your subject with fresh eyes. You can do this by unraveling yourself from your beliefs—from what you expect is true. Fortunately, differences don’t indicate right or wrong. Instead, differences give us a wider view of reality. If you set aside what you know when you do your research, your writing will be richer and more meaningful. You’ll come up with more angles for balanced content. And you’ll enjoy the insights you gain about your subject.

You know that satisfying feeling you get as a reader when you finally find what you’re looking for? Or how about when the piece you’re reading makes you feel smart, included, peaceful, or inspired? Don’t you wish you could give your readers that feeling every time? Consider this: When writing, there are three major audiences: Your readers, your client, and—believe it or not—you. It’s true. Without including your take on the subject you risk sounding wooden and false. To get your writing to resonate with you, your client, and your readers, discover how the subject relates to all three. Look for connections and common themes. When you connect what you and all your readers care about you generate a sort of harmony through your writing. You needn’t announce the connection. Your audiences will feel it. Like smiling through a telephone or cooking with love. They’ll just know.

It’s a good idea to research your subject fully before you start writing. It’s not such a good idea to spend valuable writing and editing time doing research you won’t use. When you get a new assignment, determine what your audience wants or needs. There’s no point writing something no one will read. Once you narrow the subject, make a list of questions you need answered. Take each item on this list and research it separately. Always record your sources so you can verify your findings and go back for more details. Research is about thoroughness, accuracy and verification. It’s also about meeting deadlines. Focus on the right details and research them thoroughly. That’s a better strategy than researching every possible aspect of a subject. Do this and you’ll have more time to write—and that’s a good thing. Bad writing comes from researching too much and editing too little.