Ah, the influencer fail. You know one when you see one. The second my eye caught this Brabantia Facebook ad, I knew I had to check out the comments 🙂 And they did not disappoint.

About hanging your laundry while maintaining the perfect Lolita pose. About the yeah-right practicality of hanging laundry while snuggling a baby. About why dad wasn’t helping with either the laundry or the baby. About moms really looking like that and being depicted like that. And, girl, about needing to do something about those weeds in the garden. All of which set off a good old-fashioned Facebook bitch fest between posters.

The influencer fail

Dear Brabantia, influencer marketing can be a powerful tool, but you still have to get it right. Influencer marketing seems to fall into two categories. Either it works because it is authentic in the way it shows real people we admire because of their authenticity. So no baby snuggling while laundry juggling. Or it is superfake, showing a polished reality (just like ads always have) we aspire to. Think Kardashians. But then you need to pull out all the staging and make-up and Photoshop stops. This Brabantia is a sad-looking in between.

The influencer fix?

Unsurprisingly, there was do-over. I would have loved to hear that briefing: “Yeah, so less Daisy Duke. And ditch the baby, but throw in the dog. And maybe roll in the barbecue? And a tray of food! After all, a mom who takes care of her family, feeds her family!”. The result? Well, I guess we’re not laughing anymore. Now it is just meh.

Of course, there is a good chance Brabantia will sell more products because of the snickers the first ad got. No publicity is bad publicity! After all, we have given the Wallfix more attention than we ever have before. But in the long run, you really don’t want to be the butt of the joke. Oh well, in the land of social media, every day is a do-over. Let’s see what Brabantia comes up with next.

Last week, I attended the breakfast meeting of the local BNI chapter as an invited guest. I am an introvert and definitely not a morning person, so these types of early morning network meetings are very much out of my comfort zone. Luckily, BNI Lokeren Durmestad is a lively and welcoming bunch.

Eggs, bacon and a hairpiece

Still, I was happy to have my pitch ready, as us guests only had 1 minute to present ourselves and our business. I was pretty pleased with my ability to condense the full.stop consultancy and agency offer and put a verbal bow around it within one minute.

The real star of the morning, though, was Ingrid Berckmoes, owner of Altijd Mooi and the new LILBHair. She simply stood up, reached up to the top of her head and pulled out a hairpiece nobody realized she was wearing. While the crowd literally gasped, she quickly explained the benefits and while talking, put the piece back in. Without using a mirror and looking as perfect as she did before. Everything she could have said, we could see for ourselves. How beautiful, natural and seamless her hair looked. How safely the hairpiece was attached and how easily it could be put in and removed. I think just about everyone in the room was making a mental note to remember her name for future referrals. It is a beautiful product that will make men and women, often going through trying times, feel better about themselves.

Show, don’t tell

Aside from her product, Ingrid also demonstrated the power of simply showing something. Why try to convince your audience with words when they can just see it for themselves? Seeing is believing. Instant credibility and buy-in.  I know, we are all excited about what we do well and love to talk about it. But if you have a product that basically sells itself, focus on communication that showcases rather than promotes. Think video rather than brochures, live demonstrations rather than a PowerPoint. Or as fellow Shankminder and owner of The Mogul Mom Gabriella Ribeiro reminded us the other day: Show, don’t tell.

There is only one good reason to issue a press or news release: when you have actual news to share. Well, um, isn’t that a given? Why would that even merit a blog post? For one, because the frivolous, irrelevant or just plain dumb press release is an age-old problem. They were the bane of journalists’ existence when I talked to them every day as a media analyst in the early 2000s. And that was –gasp! – almost 20 years ago. Most still get bombarded with hundreds of releases and pitches every day, very few relevant and well written. Now, there’s also the SEO press release adding insult to injury.

The SEO press release

Don’t get me wrong. I am obviously all for SEO. It is an absolute requirement in today’s digital world. If you want people to find you, people need to be able to find you. And a good press release will certainly help your SEO. It generates press coverage, which results in the very elusive, SEO-boosting high quality backlinks. Everybody wins! Unfortunately, this has inspired too many to use press releases as just another tool in the never-ending SEO battle. Hence the SEO press release. No real news to share. Just a block of copy stuffed with just the right keywords, parked on distribution services just to get the backlinks. Somewhere, somehow, the one and only reason to issue a press release got lost in the shuffle. It isn’t just making journalists keel over in disgust. Because you’re not impressing any living person much with your actual “news”, especially the ones that can generate valuable media coverage for you.

What is the real message of your SEO content?

The content you put out there in the vast expanse that is the interwebs, does much more than prop up your SEO. It communicates something about you. And a vapid SEO press release is a great tool to make you look like one. Never mind getting that quality backlink. We’re pumping out so much pointless content, it is clogging the online universe like the plastic debris in our oceans.  With any content you create, ask yourself the question: does this do anything for me except boost my SEO? If the answer is no, keep working on finding that relevance. Taking a step back and creating more judiciously will give you the quality that rises above the ever-increasing quantity.

Sports and B2B communication could not be more different. In many ways, sports is the envy of any B2B communication professional. Involved fans who love your brand and who welcome any information you put out there. And they happily spend money on your merchandise. What is not to love? Maybe the more pertinent question is: what is there to learn?

In October, I traveled to Kona, Hawaii for the World Championship Ironman. I have been involved in sports communication for more than 10 years, but Kona remains extraordinary. The race, the atmosphere, the number of athletes, the heat, the sheer suffering … it never gets old. In the 40 days leading up the 40th Ironman Hawaii, we had counted down on social media to Tine Deckers’ Ironman Hawaii. Once on the Big Island, we ramped up the online effort with daily Instagram stories with behind the scenes sneak peeks, a Facebook live, a photo shoot and live race updates. The result was an exponential increase in likes and comments, and in social media followers. But also: “Thank you for letting us be part of your journey.”

It’s the kind of gratitude you never ever get in B2B communication. Which made me think, what are the lessons of sports communication that carry over to B2B? I can think of three: involvement, emotions and storytelling.

Involvement

Sports fans care. In short, that is why can never get enough information about “their” brands. They go out looking for it, subscribing, following and commenting along the way. Most B2B communication gets ignored or deleted. So the question becomes: do you matter to your stakeholders?

This is where relevance comes in. Rather than talking about yourself, demonstrate your usefulness to your audience. Still, it is a minimum requirement. Providing specific value at a specific time will only get you noticed. But how do you get people to care about you? Social corporate responsibility can play a key role. People will root for the good guy.

Emotions

Sports is all about the big emotions. The ecstasy of winning, the sadness of defeat or injuries. It’s the highs and lows that keep people invested. Of course, the B2B environment tends to be a rational one. But that doesn’t mean your communication has to be. Science tells us that people make their decisions based on emotions, rather than reason. What are the subjective reasons customers (don’t) like your brand? Status? A personal connection with your sales rep? Fear? Find the emotions behind the seemingly reasoned decisions and use them to drive your communication.

Storytelling

Sports are full of compelling stories. That crazy match, the athlete with the captivating journey, the epic tale of that winning streak, … stories make sports memorable. Why not use storytelling techniques in B2B communication? The stories, about people, products, trends are right in front of you. You just have stop thinking in terms of features and benefits for a second to see them. Or how about not focusing on your story per se, but on how you fit in that of your customers?

True, B2B communication will never have the passion and involvement of sports. But it doesn’t have to. Just use the lessons of sports to make your B2B communication more relatable and significant for your stakeholders.

Here’s the thing about the elevator pitch: every business absolutely must have one. “One” is the key word here. While many companies don’t have an elevator pitch at all, others have too many.

Why you should have an elevator pitch

First, let’s figure out why it is so important to have one. The answer is simple. You never know when you will share a brief moment with somebody who could make a difference in the future of your company.

Whether that’s in a coffee shop, in an airport, in a brief interaction online or in an actual elevator. When that moment comes, you should be prepared instead of fumbling for words. So be ready to explain in a few words what your company does and what sets it apart.

And it’s not just the CEO or top managers who should be familiar with the elevator pitch because any employee can find themselves in a pitch perfect situation.

Do the pitch test

If you think your company is ready, why don’t you take a quick test? Ask a handful of your team members for your elevator pitch and see whether they are on the same page. Chances are that you’ll get all different answers.

Obviously, that’s a problem because you want each of them to be able to make the best possible pitch. And if you get five different answers from five people, at least four of them aren’t the best.

Your perfect pitch

So the first step is to come up with that ideal pitch. It should be brief (about 30 seconds) and concise.

The best pitches offer a solution to a problem, are intriguing and/or offer the listener an opportunity. That means don’t get lost in generalities. “We make machine parts,” is not going to get anybody excited about your company. Even throwing in “high quality” won’t set you apart.

However, “We use patented and innovative technology to produce machine parts that are lighter than any others to save you a lot of money” might just get somebody interested.

• it could meet the need of a business that wants to make its machines lighter.
• the other party might be intrigued and wants to find out more about the innovative technology that achieves this reduction in weight.

You could also add some of your best credentials. For example, “We are an award-winning small business with customers on four continents.” Talk about specific credentials. Calling yourself “leading” has never convinced anyone that you actually are. When nobody has heard of you, then try to make sure you convey the necessary credibility in your pitch.

Finally, your pitch should try to get the other party to take some action.  This could range from simply accepting your business card to a promise to keep the conversation going.

All of the above has to be achieved in just a few seconds – seconds that could be vital to the future of your business. Which is why it is so important to invest some time and effort into coming up with a really good pitch that everybody in a company knows by heart.