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It’s Show & Tell, Not Tell  & Show

It’s Show & Tell, Not Tell & Show

It’s Show & Tell, Not Tell & Show

The Facts

Today, 81% of Americans have been convinced to purchase a service or product by watching a brand’s video. 72% would rather use video to learn about a product or service. If you are in the “Tell and Show” business, and I see a lot of those videos currently airing, you need to switch up your video strategy and messaging. It’s been called “Show & Tell” since you were in Kindergarten, and it’s time to resort back to those days of showing and then telling the story​.

Spiker Insights

Humans are emotional, story-driven individuals that love to be emotionally stimulated. Laughter, excitement and curiosity are all evoked from videos, or as I like to call them “Films.” Even though video has been around for decades, there has never been more demand for video by consumers than what we see today. The problem is that much of what we see is terrible and boring − just drone footage flying over the property without any explanation. The power of video is to entertain and inform. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a good video is worth 1.8 million words.

A couple of quick facts on the strength of a good, professional video:

  1. Four times as many people would rather watch a good video than read.
  2. Viewers recall over 90% more of a message after watching a video than reading − so knock off the videos with no announcer.
  3. Embedding video on landing pages can increase conversion by up to 80%.
  4. Video content is 40 times more likely to get shared.

If we can be of assistance with a video or film, please feel free to contact us. You can see some film examples on our website: www.spikercomm.com

You Remain Behind The Times

You Remain Behind The Times

You Remain Behind The Times

The Facts

Recent research studies report that half of all U.S. websites are over three years old and are so slow-loading that they’re turning people off from even looking at them. And Smart Phones can’t even link in to many of them these days. And then there is the out-of-date content that won’t impress anybody reading it, not even your mother. Patience runs very thin in today’s “I Want It Now” mentality, with Amazon and others promising product delivery by this afternoon. And people also expect your content to be up to date, available on their phone, and featuring information on what you are marketing.

Spiker Insights

When your clients and prospects go online, it’s critical that they have a positive encounter with you. Today, more so than ever before, your online traffic is being turned off by slow and outdated websites, intrusive banner ads, and an overall clunky user experience which defeats the purpose of getting online customers and prospects. Many of these issues can be addressed today if you are willing to invest in updating your online presence by anticipating people’s viewing habits, phone usage, and understanding how they prefer to interact with you – which is online, and via their smart phone if you can handle that.

Today, 98% of U.S. consumers and prospects start their conversations with you via online, and most of it is via their smart phone. Websites and social media have made cowards out of us all. We don’t want to talk to anyone until we spend a few quality minutes online to become “self-taught experts” on you and your brand before they even want to talk with you. Sad, but true.

We hope to hear from you if you need a fresh kickstart to your online efforts to not only bring it up to speed, but ahead of the game and your competition.

You Can Change Anything!

You Can Change Anything!

You Can Change Anything!

The Facts

It’s political season and now until early November every television break will have up to six political commercials in it, with the majority of them being negative about one candidate or another. Usually it airs right before or after a commercial extolling the benefits of the same candidate how they deserve your vote.

This cluster is the same feeling your target audience sees when they look at magazines, websites and other media channels when looking for you and your competition. If you were in their shoes, would you even look at this? I was reviewing the latest issues of Mountain Living and the first 23 pages were ads for architects, projects and landscapers, and they truthfully all looked alike.

Spiker Insights

We’re here to tell you, because we’ve seen it work time and time again, but creativity can change everything about your business and sales efforts. In fact, we have seen incredible results, especially this year when the world has tilted off its axis for a time. Cutting through all the noise and clutter of same old boring messages is what is required today. Being disruptive, causing a mild case of shock and awe is what you should be striving for in today’s “me-too” culture. Consumers are looking for vitality and a willingness to be different from the majority of the generic offerings. By willing to be different and perhaps a little edgy, you are reminding everyone why you’re such a great brand and people like to do business with great brands.

We hope to hear from you if you need a fresh kickstart to your business, as in addition to a leading developer of creativity we also are strategic advisers to the industry.

Who To Believe?  Changes or No Changes?

Who To Believe? Changes or No Changes?

Who To Believe? Changes or No Changes?

The Facts
It’s August, and the so-called experts are arguing over whether Covid-19 has permanently changed marketing or not. Throw in a dash of civil unrest and add in a major political year and there is no doubt that a few marketers have had to step back and rethink relationships with their consumers. But the rest feel that the relationship between them and their consumers has in fact, strengthened.

Spiker Insights
It’s a proven fact that humans change little in the short term, but they can change a lot in the long term if the seeds are planted at the beginning. America did not magically change to a mask-wearing nation overnight. Even in the Covid-19 hot spots it took months for people to accept wearing masks. And in areas that are not hot spots, citizens do not want to wear masks. It’s an American right to do what you want to do and wearing a mask upsets a ton of people.

Airports are starting to implement a new layer of security checks that include thermal cameras to check your body temperature. Universities for the most part are planning on opening this fall with smaller classroom sizes, dormitories at far below capacity, and strict social distancing measures. Companies will likely abandon the open-plan offices and use specially designed cubicles and offices. Still, the world will likely return to most pre-coronavirus normal once the crisis has passed and a vaccine is developed.

What to do in the meantime:
1. Do not succumb to business hysteria. Think calmly and rationally to determine what exactly the coronavirus pandemic will change in the context of your general industry. However long the downturn will persist, we do have specific marketing-in-a-recession recommendations.
2. Make adjustments only as truly necessary. Most likely, little of significance will change and we’ll all have to adapt to new health codes and regulations.
3. Do not obsess about going digital unless absolutely needed. In the meantime, wear your mask, wash your hands, and use commonsense to think your way through this.

I hope you will consider us a part of your next team project.

We Need To Start Inspiring Again

We Need To Start Inspiring Again

We Need To Start Inspiring Again

The Facts
By now, like most of us, you’re no doubt more than a little sick of pandemic marketing. I know I wouldn’t mind a break from seeing automobile messages telling me how I can purchase a car contact free. It’s July now, and I still don’t want a new car, whether it is contact free or not. You, Mr. & Mrs. Car Dealer are not here for me in my time of need, you need to move expensive inventory off your lot and you think I’m dumb enough to help you out.

Spiker Insights
But heading into August, it’s time to smash the mirror and get back to what marketing does best – inspire, entertain and motivate. We need strong brands to show us the lives we want to live again; to help us feel something different; to create new ways for us to look at the world; and above all to provide us experiences and products that make us feel good, without purchasing a new car without human contact.

As marketers, we cannot stop selling. We need to produce more. We need to sell more experiences as we are tired of gazing out the window daydreaming of travel and vacations, whether it be a drive to a destination or a roll of the dice to fly someplace special like Hawaii. We all know we will hit the road and airways again − this is just an inconvenient pause. It’s our right to own second homes, visit exotic locales, get sand between our toes, and burn the first layer of skin off our nose.

It’s not the time to panic. It’s the time to be more strategic, more thoughtful, and listen to your customers more than you ever have before. We need brands to be brands. Be active, relevant to the current climate, yet still be on brand and turn this thing around.

I hope you will consider us a part of your next team project.

Size Does Matter

Size Does Matter

Size Does Matter

The Facts
It’s true in many cases that size matters: offensive linemen, builders of major dams, Federal government (although that one is for debate), airlines, cruise ships, and the military to keep us all safe and secure. But according to a few experts on size, small is the new advantage.

Spiker Insights
In my experience − and I used to work for the largest agency in the world when I was starting out − large agencies are too slow, with too many layers of bureaucracy. And due to their overhead costs, they will literally work with anybody to get billing for the young people they are training to be an important part of the agency within a few years.

Smaller, or boutique, agencies are typically described as nimble and scrappy and only have one team of people most firms would refer to as the “A Team” of specialists and experience, and not a jack-of-all-trades generalist. Things get done faster allowing the smaller agency and their clients to keep pace with the speed of change in the market. Actually when it comes right down to it, clients are only working with a small group or handful of people. But clients are being billed for the entire staff overhead, office space rent in prime locations, and generous compensation programs and benefits for the old jack-of-all-trades generalists on staff.

So whom would you rather work with today?

And as a small boutique agency, just by showing our creative problem-solving talents, our results, our costs and the value and service we bring to the table, it’s obvious that large size doesn’t mean anything at all.

I hope you will consider us a part of your next team project.