Fans like the Beatles'

Fifty years ago today, America experienced the British Invasion.

The Beatles, then gaining in popularity in Europe, exploded into people's homes in America through their televised appearance of on The Ed Sullivan Show. Remember, at the time, there were only a limited number of viewing options, primarily the Big Three — ABC, CBS, or NBC — plus PBS and a handful of independent stations.

With 73 million people tuned into the performance, it was the highest rated television show ever, with 45.3% of households with televisions watching and 60% of households with the television on tuned in to "the youngsters from Liverpool," as Sullivan introduced them. To give you a sense of scale, about 111 million people watched the 2014 Superbowl, which also represents 60% of households. 

As you ponder the significance of the Beatles performance on the trajectory of popular culture and rock 'n roll's impact on our culture, consider, too, the epic change in our media options and the ways we market.

Documentary film about Beatles secretary Freda KellyCheck out the film (available on Netflix) Good Ol' Freda, about Freda Kelly, the Beatles' secretary and manager of the Beatles fan club. It's a fascinating study and firsthand account from behind-the-scenes of the Beatles' early days.

From a marketing perspective, it also provides interesting insights. For example, Freda Kelly responded to millions of pieces of handwritten fan mail with handwritten/handtyped and often tangible responses. People asked for autographed photos, locks of hair, and even more personal requests. One person wanted Ringo to sleep on and autograph the pillowcase she mailed in! The level of audience engagement at the time was physical, tangible, intimate, tactical, personal, and thus relational in a different way from our electronic media today.

Also you didn't get an instant reply, which meant you had to wait for weeks until your response showed up in your mail box. Anticipation and excitement built daily for fans wondering if today would be the day that their fan mail response would appear. Plus, that it was physical created a greater sense of value — there's more meaning and sentimentality to the reply compared with a like or a retweet. I know a former corporate CEO now in her 60s who has a piece of fan paraphernalia — a signed photo — framed and hanging on her kitchen wall to this day. Try doing that with a Facebook like!

Freda Kelly & Paul McCartneyAnother observation is that with marketing, you start where you are. In the early days, the Beatles didn't have a lot of fans. Naively, Freda Kelly included her home address for the fan mail address. Very quickly that had to change as cartons of letters began showing up at her family's doorstep. 

Same for your organization. Start where you are. Develop a set of marketing best practices, keep building your audiences, and at some point, you'll have your own fan base. No guarantees you'll have audiences like the Beatles, but within your arena, anything's possible.

Share a comment below and let me know what else you enjoy about Good Ole Freda.

Update on February 25, 2014 by Gail Bower

The original post had a full video version of this Beatles performance which was removed from YouTube. I've replaced it with this excerpt.

Are your messages accurate?

A frequent challenge organizations have is implementing marketing strategy. One common mistake is getting the messages right — translating that strategy into messaging — and communicating, in a compelling way, about the value deep at the heart of a brand. Here are a few examples.

 

Take this clause. Besides being a little clunky, it makes you wonder. Is this how graduate students select universities? "Largest selection"? Would this billboard inspire you to dust off our GRE scores and apply? Is that the key attribute — the core value — of a university?

Here's another. Maybe for hardcore accordion afficionados, this sign harkens welcome news. Otherwise, I find it amusingly ambitious. Feeling hassled by making several stops to pick up all our accordion needs is not an experience most of us are having. Indeed very few of us likley have any accordion needs. Thus, this sign communicates a solution to a problem most of us do not have.

(That said, I love the ambitiousness implied.)

Both of these examples make the same mistake: they haven't identified the key buying reason at an emotional level. They're communicating benefits ("selection" and "one stop" [sic] shopping) but not the key reasons a customer might buy.

Communicating core value is as important for a big brand as a small, for a for-profit brand as a nonprofit, B2B and B2C. The strategies and tactics look different, but the imperative is there for all.

Take a look at this little flyer I found on my front step. Also a bold approach, the folded flyer made me curious to unfurl the page to learn more. I remember reading the bold statement about being the answer to my problems and thinking to myself, "OK, let's see what you've got?" 

Calling themselves the "house whisperers" and listing myriad home projects they tackle got me. I do have some of these problems. Are they the answer? We'll see.

Homeowners, especially those who own historic homes like I do, have never ending "problems." Finding good support is always a challenge. So this down-and-dirty flyer does the trick.

3 Steps to Compelling Communications

1. Understand at the most core, fundamental level, the emotional drivers for your program, service, or product.
2. Identify your customer, constituent, or members' buying steps.
3. Communicate about your value addressing what they need (#1) and where they are in their buying cycle (#2). And don't forget to have your claims backed up online.

And one more suggestion? Use grammatically correct language.

Tips on talking: banishing blah blah blah

Has this ever happened to you at an event? You're having a nice time, networking, connecting to the cause or conference, or having fun at a festival or fair, when suddenly the collective energy spirals to a stop.

Someone is standing on the stage, holding the microphone, and all you hear is "blah blah blah blah blah blah." A montonous stream of words exits the speaker's mouth and tumbles out of the sound system, casting a pall over the audience. 

Public Speaking Tips

Here are 4 tips to help you improve your speakers' or your own presence as a public speaker, even in short roles.

1. Don't read.

I advise a client on an awards event that is part fundraiser and part influence-builder. Through our strategy, we engage civic leaders from disparate arenas in brief but meaningful speaking roles. The speaking effectiveness has been equally diverse.

Here's my petpeeve: reading remarks. If you have a :30 to 1 minute speaking role, jot a few bullet points and talk to us. Do not read to us. It's deadening, and as I learned from a speaking coach I worked with early on, the audience will forgive you of anything except being boring. Worse, you sound disengaged and dispassionate, coming across as if you invested no time or energy in your role. If you can't make that small commitment, decline the speaking engagement.

If your speaking engagement is longer, your notes may need to be in another form, and it's perfectly acceptable to use them — discreetly. You may also benefit from mnemonic devices. Or you may do well with training or personal coaching to build your speaking presence and skills.

2. More is not more.

How many events have you been to where a speaker gets on stage to make "brief" remarks and talks so long you think the person has moved in? Me, too.

People, more is not more. If you haven't noticed, we have become an attention-span deprived culture. Even if we're at a professional development event or class, our key reason for being at an event is probably not to hear speakers pontificating. The pontificator list includes:

• sponsors with unclear messages or blah blah blah about how wonderful their companies are,
• many politicians, especially before an election,
• presenters who are really nervous, and
• people who seem to love to hear themselves talk.

Imagine listening to yourself as an audience member. Are you telling a story? Are you making me laugh? Am I engaged or emotionally moved? Am I gobsmacked by a new discovery or statistic or result? Or am I hearing blah blah blah? What's the experience you want to deliver?

4. It's not about you.

An event is really about a connection between the audience and the subject matter. Even if you're receiving an award, the event is really not about you. It's about engaging and transforming the audience.

Tell us something inspiring. How did you get to this place to win this award? How did you do it? How can I emulate your behavior and improve my life? How can I follow in your footsteps and make the world better?

4. Contain yourself.

It's natural to feel nervous about speaking. You're up there all by yourself with hundreds of faces staring at you, waiting for brilliance, and who knows if the sound system will work or if, unbenownst to you, the static electricity in your pant legs is exposing your socks and bare legs (yes, I saw this once).

As the saying goes: "Keep calm and carry on." The audience reflects your energy right back to you. Breath. Relax. Be in control and contain your emotions.

Once at a major conference for a top national association where I spoke, even they had challenges. The sound from another session was broadcasting into my meeting room, precluding my audience from hearing me. 

I could feel myself getting angry and flummoxed — how could I simultaneously handle the problem and continue speaking? Afterall, the show must go on, right?

I took a deep breath and soon realized the audience was as aggravated if not more so than I. They took care of it. Several people ran out to find a tech guy. People complained to the organizers and in evaluations. I realized this was not my problem but rather my opportunity.

I continued my talk, calmly and with large doses of humor, maintaining continuity in my subject matter, so the audience stayed with me. At the end, the audience applauded — not necessarily because I was so brilliant, but because together we achieved success. I maintained control of the room and session, and they got what they came for.

Practice staying calm and relaxed behind the microphone. Make your presentation about the audience.

Whether you're speaking or your engaging speakers for an event, don't leave their speaking behaviors to chance. Craft strong messages. Prepare your speakers. And consider training if necessary. Just don't blah blah blah us.