John Melchinger The Marketing Coach

Marketing Technique

John Melchinger--The Marketing Coach™

Multi-Media "Business Cards"

"The media is the message" is a time-worn marketing statement that comes pretty close to the truth. It suggests that the form by which you deliver your messages is more important than the content of the message itself. Another way of saying it: "It's all packaging." Regardless, you should work carefully with both the medium you use and the content you create.

After redesigning, rewriting, redirecting and reproducing more than two dozen audio, video and CD-based "business cards," I should make these observations:

almost every effort I've reviewed shows inferior quality at too great an expense
the interview format is a good idea, but the pasting together of separate recordings creates problems (the interviewer's questions edited in
after the advisor's answers have been recorded in a separate studio)
the "interviewer's" stentorian professional voice distracts from the
advisor's by overpowering it
advisors who rely on a script they've written sound stilted, dull,
un-alive and not in a "live" interview environment
the packaging seems very good overall, except the letters inserted inside read like sales letters and not the introduction you'd expect from an
advisor

If you want a great result, think through these questions before you do anything else to create a great multi-media business card.

Who is your audience? Do they listen to audio cassettes or watch videos? Easily (do they have easy access to players?)
>>If the audio will be listened to mostly in a car while driving, then you
should plan for that in your content.
>>If you make a video, or the audio should be heard immediately, perhaps you should also deliver the machine to play the tape at the prospect's office
What does your audience/market need to hear from you?
>> If you want to convey that advisors advise; that the relationship is productive when it is based on a collaborative process; that process
unveils opportunity; that your role is 'leader' of a unique process, then you better make sure t is interestingly and clearly part of your content
>> Salespeople 'pitch' and you don't want to sound like this if you are an advisor
Can you keep all you want to say to 9 minutes or less? If you cannot, you should go back to the drawing board.

How can you do this effort and get the result you want? Here's the minimum I think you should do.

To get a great "live" interview feeling into your production, get both the "interviewer" and yourself into the recording booth together.
Do not practice the interview very much right before you begin recording. Practice all you want, to feel comfortable, before recording day. Tape your voice and replay it to decide where to place emphasis, or where to raise your enthusiasm. Just get used to each other's voices and where you will stand in the booth. You can do this while the sound technician sets all the recording levels and microphone placements. Make the recording environment as "natural" as possible.
Use bullet points on index cards for your notes, not a script. Talk from
your mind and your heart this way, rather than from your script.
Instruct the sound technician that your voice should not be overpowered
by the "interviewer's" voice. That is: your voice should be as prominent (in volume at least) as the professional's voice.
Consider an interviewer of the opposite gender.
For packaging, use a graphic designer who will consider your stationery
and other designs, your message and the image you want to convey, and
let that professional produce packaging that compels people to hear your message.

There's a bit more to producing a really great, compelling multi- media promotion package, but this should give you a good start. Yours may not be a Hollywood production, but for a nine minute piece as your best first impression, it should be as good as you can make it.