Can you believe we are already in the second half of 2019? How are those New Year’s goals coming along? Yeah. Thought so. Well, here’s a chance for a mid-year reboot. If we’ve learned anything from tidying master Marie Kondo, it’s that organization can go a long way to help put goals within reach. 

So who’s Marie Kondo you say? Marie is a Japanese organizing consultant, author of “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing”, and the host of a very popular Netflix program. She literally transforms lives.

Her philosophy is pretty simple:

1. Tidy by category, not by location
2. Follow the right order
3. Ask yourself if it sparks joy

So while you’re cleaning up your workspace, it’s a good idea to start thinking about your content marketing as a whole to see if there are areas you can streamline or rework. Here are three simple steps to get started:

1. Take stock of what you have (content inventory)

Marie says to sort belongings by category. Gather all clothes into one pile, all shoes into one pile, all books — no matter which room they’re in.

Use a similar approach with your content. Clean up your content not by platform, but by type. Are you posting presentations from 2005 or what about videos that are still in 720p spread across your social platforms? Are you using four logos, two different taglines, and disparate messaging? Now’s the time to create cohesion not confusion. Update and upgrade your tools, messaging, images, and graphics accordingly.

2. Decide what to discard and keep

“Effective tidying involves only two essential actions: discarding and deciding where to keep things,” Marie says in her book. “Of the two, discarding must come first.” Get rid of items that no longer bring joy.

It’s time to declutter your content. ONLY KEEP useful content — content that solves a problem or answers a question — brings joy to the user. Decluttering might be tough, since your biases will want to hold on to your favorites. It will be hard to let go of these, especially after putting time and money into them, but it will be better to focus on what’s best for your business. Taking shortcuts will not create better returns. Delete. Delete. Delete!

 

3. Spark joy for your audience

The KonMari method of “keeping what brings you joy” could turn into “keeping what brings you results”. Your content should be fun to read, great to look at, well organized, digestible, and as a result of all of those things—it needs to inspire the recipient/reader to want to take some form of action. Make sure when you’re building joy inducing content that it has a clear goal, audience, message, and call to action. People love clarity and direction. And we love sparks and clicks!

Tidying creates space for new ideas and inspiration! See if you can push yourself to find innovative ways to spread your story(joy) and get people’s attention. 

Happy Kondoing!!

Sales Incentive Program

The Challenge

Star2Star wanted to boost its numbers at year’s end by incentivizing its sales reps to book more meetings with their clients/partners. They needed an engaging way to motivate both the reps and the partners to have the face-to-face meetings, which they know are more productive than calls.

Our Solution

In less than a month, Yalo concepted, designed built and launched a fun, fresh sales incentive program that created a win-win situation for both reps and partners by offering a cash prize just to have a meeting. Partners received instructions and a custom printed die by mail. Reps received a passport to log meetings and their own die. When the two met, they rolled the dice together and checked the combination on a landing page we created to see what prize they had won.

Chart-Busting Results

Within just over a month, the program generated 200 completed meetings across the country.

If your marketing is stuck in a rut of rinse and repeat approaches, check out Arnold’s latest radio interview on the Scott King Show and find out how Yalo can help you get off the hamster wheel using film, art, music and sports to create unique, differentiated, atypical content that sticks. Take a listen below.

What do Homer Simpson, Daenerys Targaryen and Walter White all have in common? Hint: it ain’t a love of Duff beer and donuts. OK yes, they are all fictional characters on TV shows, but let’s take it a step further. Afterall, these aren’t just your average, run-of-the-mill characters, these are the kind of characters that MAKE a show.

Think of the last binge-worthy TV show you really got into . . . chances are it features at least one truly memorable character like this. Heck, some of the very best shows of all time feature multiple iconic characters. And while everybody has their different tastes in TV shows — some of us are looking for laughs while others want a bit of drama — the one constant is a show-making character that you will never forget.

If you look at a great TV show like you would a successful company, then these characters can be thought of as the marketing that elevates the vibe of the overall brand. They are entertaining, memorable and keep us coming back for more. With that in mind, let’s see what kind of “marketing” our Yalo Tribe is drawn to. Here are some of our favorite TV show characters of all time.

Kristen (Claire Underwood)

Brandon (Will Smith)

Rachel (Jerry Seinfeld)

Pete (Fred Sanford)

Eric (Coach)

Chris (Hawkeye)

Denise (Olivia Pope)

Rachel (Jerry Seinfeld)

Brian (Phil Dunphy)

Anne (Jon Snow)

Arnold (Raylan Givens)

Lance (Stringer Bell)

So the next time you step back to look at your company and its marketing, ask yourself what kind of TV show character it features. I like to think of it like this, The Office with Michael Scott had a totally different vibe than The Office with Robert California. Is your marketing true to the soul of your company? Is it helping to elevate the overall vibe of the organization? Does it entertain your audience while also informing them? Is it binge-worthy?

Growing up in Virginia, back-to-school time signaled the transition of summer to fall. The start of a new season. A clean slate that rivaled even New Year’s Day. It was a time of year to make a fresh start, complete with new jeans and backpacks; pristine notebooks and factory-sharp pencils; reuniting with old friends and making new ones; and a wide-open world of possibilities.   

As an adult, I still get a little tingle when this time of year approaches. Here in Atlanta, back-to-school arrives a full month before Labor Day, making it much less of a seasonal transition and more of a transitional state of mind. I sent my second grader back last week in shorts and short sleeves, and we have several more weekends of pool time ahead. But, for me, this time of year still means a chance to regroup and refresh, a moment to get my mind (and workspace) straight and set my goals for the rest of the year. 

One of those goals is to be more creative. Sounds weird coming from a creative director, right? But I’m the first to admit that when schedules get busy and deliverables need to get out the door, making the creative can get to be more of an assembly line than the inspiring and fulfilling process it should be. So to reset a bit, here’s my lesson plan for the next few months. It’s not AP Physics or anything, just a few tried and true tricks for anyone looking to get those creative juices flowing again.

NEW SUPPLIES A fresh new notebook and a couple pens I love definitely help set that back-to-school vibe. I’m a supply nerd, so these are inspiration in themselves. But in addition, many people believe that writing by hand versus typing can boost your creativity. 

DAILY HOMEWORK Speaking of writing, I’ll be doing that for 30 minutes each morning. Not writing emails, not writing for clients, but 30 minutes of stream-of-consciousness writing. It’s a great way to loosen up your mind, release anything that’s been weighing on you and solve problems. Yes, you may even write your way to that next great idea! 

FIELD TRIPS  A creative mind needs to be fed with new perspectives and new experiences. Spending 8 hours a day every day at the same desk in front of the same computer ain’t gonna cut it. Whether getting out means just working at a coffee shop for the day or heading to the High to see the Warhol exhibit (yes, please!), getting a new view once in a while is a must. 

RECESS Sunshine, fresh air and a little heavy breathing aren’t just great for the body. They’re great for the creative mind, as well. Science says so. Whether it’s the endorphins or the simple act of putting your brain on autopilot a minute while your body does the (maybe literal) heavy lifting, a little regular exercise can help when you need to flex those creative muscles.

GROUP STUDY  Sure, some creative geniuses need to be left alone. But for the rest of us, talking through our ideas usually helps us make them better. Likewise, socializing with friends and especially laughter have been shown to increase creativity by helping us relax. So, if I ask you to hang out with me in the coming months, we’ll probably both reap the benefits!

There is no off-season in professional sports anymore. At least in the traditional sense. Professional sports is a year-round activity that operates in different phases marked by — and marketed around — specific highlights. Let’s take a look at the NBA. In June alone, the Golden State Warriors won back-to-back titles, 60 players will get a chance to realize their dream of playing in the NBA after being drafted, and Lebron closed out the month by turning NBA free agency on its head with his decision to become a Los Angeles Laker. Oh by the way — they even televised which team was going to get the first pick back in May.

July brings a whirlwind of free agency where players maximize contracts, request to be traded, and try to create the next super team. Some would argue that the NBA “off season” is more popular than its regular season. When Jrue Holiday can make more money in a season than Kevin Durant, and Paul Milsap was the 3^rd highest paid player in the league — that is saying something. Not to be forgotten: the NBA runs its summer league for rookies and younger players in a little town in the desert called Las Vegas.

Under the leadership of Pam El, NBA’s VP and Chief Marketing Officer, who was recently named one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business, the league put an emphasis on fan engagement and saw a 8% rise in TV viewership this season. The NBA is a clear leader in social media (largest footprint of any North American league) with individual players, teams and yes — even burner accounts creating trending stories every day.  The league ran game promos during the playoffs simulating Instagram like clips showing fans going crazy in their own homes over buzzer beaters and dramatic shots. In these same promotions, and during the playoffs — the league also integrated popular music and movies. Case in point: last year during every re-join they were playing Kendrick Lamar’s critically acclaimed 2^nd album, DAMN. They also ran commercials with NBA players trying out for the leading role in Denzel Washington’s Equalizer II this summer. This intersection of music, sports, movies and even technology is probably best represented in the Google ad spot featuring Kevin Durant.

Always Relevant. Staying top of mind. Capitalizing on key events. Leveraging inspiration from other media. That’s the name of the game. Sure you might not have the budget of the NBA but your marketing plan and execution should be executing on themes at the beginning of this paragraph. Not surprisingly, it often comes down to content. The NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently referred to the league as producing all this great “content” that is packaged up and distributed. He did this in reference to justifying the NBA getting a cut of the new legalized gambling laws. Great content. Great Execution. And sprinkle in a little inspiration. That’s our way at Yalo. To Lebron from our Yalo North Team: Thanks for the championship – really wished you would have stayed in Cleveland!

Last week, the Laurel or Yanny incident made people who have had ears for decades question everything we knew. It ripped friendships apart and nearly broke the Internet. Obviously, #TheDress episode a couple years ago underscored how differently people can see the same image but I never knew our ears could play the same kinds of tricks on us. Of course, there are science-based answers for these particular phenomena in human perception, but it got me thinking: What do your customers take away when they hear your message?

You’ve probably spent a lot of time crafting your message, from perfecting the substance to carefully choosing the words and images to express it. You think it hits all the right notes. But if you’re focused on what you want to say instead of what your customers want to hear, you could be completely missing the mark. For example, you might think playing up your company’s long history positions you as experienced and trusted. Your customers might interpret that message as stodgy and lacking innovation. Obviously, you can’t control every individual interpretation, but creating customer-centric messaging is a good place to start. How?

Use Personas to Understand Your Audience

Creating rich personas is key to nailing down who you’re talking to and what messages will resonate. Don’t just paint a demographic picture. Go deeper to tell the story of emotional drivers, like pain points, motivators and influencers, that can influence their perceptions and behavior.

Map Out Your Customer’s Journey

Journey mapping can help you understand the sources of information and influence your prospects and customers encounter while making their purchasing decision. It helps in determining which message they may need to hear at each step along the way, as well as the format and channel where it can make the most impact. (Learn more about the 3Cs.)

Think Like Your Buyer

Using the insights you’ve gained about your customers and prospects, you can better craft messaging and creative that will really resonate. Put yourself in their shoes to deliver brand information and experiences that connect with their interests and clearly articulate how your products and services can meet their needs.

#TeamYanny

Are you getting personal enough with your marketing efforts? Speaking to clients and prospects based on their specific industry or business challenges is a strong way to make an impression and gain credibility. Taking the time to zero in on various segments of your prospect list and what motivates them, versus using mass-messaging tactics, can make a big difference in your success rate. Account-based marketing (ABM) is all about delivering timely and relevant content that can pique interest and start a conversation. These five basic steps can help you get started.

1. Segment Your Targets

Who do you want to market to and build a relationship with? Current client and prospect lists is a great place to start, but don’t treat them all the same. Segment them by industry, product type or another data point that makes sense and you start to get a more refined group of people to message to. Think in the same terms when you’re building prospect lists, and you’ll have a better chance of speaking their language from the start.

2. Develop Your Personas

Next, you’ll want to make sure you understand what challenges each of your audiences is facing so you can develop content that shows how you can help — they’re likely not all the same. For example, Yalo recently helped our client, Metalogix, develop an ABM campaign directed at a European audience with compliance deadlines coming up. Having insight about that one issue they were facing allowed us to develop really relevant messaging and time our campaign accordingly.

3. Identify the Best Channels

Timeline and budget are obviously always factors, but think about where you can deliver the most impact — which isn’t always just in your audience’s inbox. Is there a combination of channels you can use to build out a campaign that tells your story over a few weeks in a few places, versus a single hit? Think digital + traditional + in-person opportunities to find the best opportunities to connect.

4. Develop Killer Content

Just like in every other type of marketing, on-point messaging and an interesting hook is essential to getting their attention. For example, in our Metalogix example, data security was the key message so we locked up the mailer we delivered with a real padlock. A hand-written note from sales reps gave it a personal touch. Think about fun and unique ways to deliver your message for a better chance that it will get the attention it deserves. 

5. Run the Numbers. Refine. Rise.

Reviewing your campaign analytics and refining your message, timing or tactics accordingly is the final critical step to campaign success. And it gives you the insight to make the next one even better. Digital elements that can be tracked like a custom URL or a Facebook Pixel can help give you valuable insights beyond shifts in revenue, letting you know if you’re getting engagement from the right people in the first place. 

While the Masters golf tournament brings fans the traditional, Augusta National pomp and circumstance, the Zurich Classic, down in New Orleans, is looking to widen the appeal of golf by channeling its inner happy place…as in Happy Gilmore. Last year the tournament introduced a two-man format (essentially team golf), but this year they are looking to make some real noise. For the first time ever on the PGA Tour, the golfing pairs will get to select their own walk-up music for the first tee intros!

Adding music to the festivities will not only solidify the Zurich Classic’s unique golf brand, but it will also further enhance the competitive team atmosphere and most importantly, it will help connect the players and the fans. Since making the announcement earlier this month, some of the golfers have taken to social media for fan assistance on song selection.

Some of our Yalo Tribe decided to join in on the walk-up song fun this week by making our own selections. Check out our Spotify Playlist and Videos below!

Brian – Thunderstruck

When it comes to great digital experiences, details matter. To build the right one for your audience, you need to understand what they need, what they value and what will get them excited. Are they looking to get in, get their info and get out? Are they just browsing and easily wooed by interesting content, offers or eye candy? Are there specific tasks they want to complete or do they engage purely for entertainment and fun? There are a lot of parts and pieces that can combine to make an experience that will resonate with your audience because it provides something valuable to them. Peter Moreville’s UX Honeycomb is one of the best-established ways way to break down the most important factors to consider. Is your experience . . .

Useful? Your content and/or services your experience provides should be original and fulfill a need.

Usable? Your experience must be easy to use.

Desirable? Image, identity, brand and other design elements are used to evoke emotion and appreciation.

Findable? Content needs to be navigable and locatable onsite and offsite.

Accessible? Content needs to be accessible across screens and to people with disabilities.

Credible? Users must trust and believe what you tell them.

Okay, great. But how do you get there? Long story short, get inside your users’ heads before you do anyting else.

Yalo recently helped GenomOncology do just that, as we began the process of developing a new website for this healthcare technology client. This is part of the process our UX team typically uses to ensure we are delivering a valuable experience for your specific audience(s).

CUSTOMER INTERVIEWS & PERSONAS

We interviewed constituents from three of our client’s most important audiences: Community Oncologists, Academic Oncologists and Bioinformatics Professionals. Then we developed detailed personas for those users, detailing not just general demographic and information about their roles and responsibilities, but also attributes like their pain points, goals and success factors that could help us to create an experience that doesn’t just meet our client’s goals, but truly gives their multiple audiences and experience that sings.

WIREFRAMES

Everybody loves pretty pictures, but before anybody on the design team ever opens Photoshop, it’s critical to map out the experience without the distractions of photography and fonts. Based on our personas, we worked closely with our clients, to ideate on the best ways of surfacing information and cues quickly so that our three audiences would know there was something there for them and could get to it quickly. In this case, homepage modules speaking directly to each audience were the answer we finally arrived at, along with a homepage hierarchy that follows the priorities of our audiences and surfaces the most important parts of the GenomOncology story.

CONTENT STRATEGY

Throughout the site, we developed eSpots and cross-linking to surface additional relevant content at the right times and help users move from one piece of GenomOncology’s story to other relevant ones. We also made contacting our client easy at every turn. Additionally, photography and copy guidelines helped our client elegantly straddle the line between healthcare and tech, be relatable to their audiences and stand out from the competition while doing it.

While we can’t share the artifacts from this part of the process, we can share some of the creative work that resulted and note that the new site will be launching soon! Our approach is similar for any client in any industry. So, could your UX stand to get turned up a notch or two?

Do your brand communications deliver? Whether you’re spreading the word about a new capability or product, or introducing your company to new prospects, providing the right message in a compelling way at just the right time and place to make the most impact is key. We help our clients shine at these critical moments by harnessing the power of the 3Cs (Communications, Content and Channels) in a unique approach that combines research, strategy and creativity for maximum effect. See how:

With all the recent buzz around Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and its Golden Globes Best Drama win, plus Oscar wins for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor, it seemed like a relevant time to tell our own little story about a billboard in Missouri — hopefully one with a more conclusive ending.

Yalo has spent the last few months working with the United States Air Force Reserve’s 139th Airlift Wing in St. Joseph to develop a campaign to bolster the unit’s local recruiting efforts. Sure, the unit flies planes, but that’s nowhere close to all they do — it’s much bigger than that. Recruits can learn skills and gain experience in over 200 careers while serving their community and country. Our job is to let them know that joining The 139th lets them be part of that something bigger.

Our team has developed bold, simple messaging meant to appeal to young residents looking for their next career move. A mix of imagery that both inspires and shows recruits what they can expect on the day-to-day completes the picture. And a brand badge used on all campaign components makes the work instantly recognizable. As the school year ends and young adults not going off to college start to think more about what they’ll do next, The 139th will be rolling out Yalo’s marketing materials as part of their recruiting efforts. Watch this space to see all the work soon. And if you happen to be in St. Joseph later this spring and summer, don’t be surprised if you run into TV, radio and newspaper ads, brochures, t-shirts, thermal cups, stickers, social media posts . . . and, yes, one big, beautiful billboard.

Many companies struggle to quantify the value of their trade show or conference investments, yet they continue to spend year after year. Everyone hopes that conferences will bolster their demand generation efforts, building brand awareness and gaining some new leads. Unfortunately, most come up short in this area. Their interactions with prospects aren’t memorable, and the quality of new leads who were trolling the exhibition floor is often questionable.

Some trade show investments are motivated by fear of not being there while their existing customers meet new potential partners. There’s merit to this argument, and customer interactions in a trade show setting can be extremely valuable. If strengthening existing relationships and staying top-of-mind with customers are real (valuable) objectives, then they shouldn’t be afterthoughts. 

At Yalo, we help our clients get a better return from their trade show and conference investments by creating memorable experiences that break through the clutter. We provide a complete, end-to-end marketing solution for events that starts with our team ideating experiences that are truly unique. To promote the experiences, we develop a comprehensive communications plan that grabs attention. If you want to generate demand, don’t send another email that says “Stop by Booth #1616 at ELA in Orlando” and don’t invite prospects to another boring 3-hour steak dinner. Instead, create a memorable experience that will have a lasting brand impression. Host a private dinner event at Frank Sinatra’s estate. Give your guests the chance to view Saturn through a high-powered telescope. Interrupt dinner with a surprise performance by a Prince impersonator or a family of fire dancers.

Make every aspect of the trade show experience work for your brand. Every interaction should be memorable: pre-show communications and social posts; booth design and tchotchkes; private events and experiences; post-show follow-ups and content marketing efforts. Stand out from the crowd, and get the most from your trade show investment. At the very least, make a lasting brand impression that converts ice-cold prospects to lukewarm leads.

And, please stop by to see us at Booth #1263E at Inn-Oh-Vate in Grand Rapids in January 2019. (Just kidding.)

“In a conversation, do you listen or wait to talk?” Think about your answer. Odds are (like for most of us) unfortunately it is the latter. Effective or Active Listening is incredibly powerful in both our professional and personal lives. It is a proven fact that humans can absorb more content listening than when speaking.

The Tribe at Yalo recently had a roundtable chat about being a good listener. For most of us, it is certainly a learned skill that requires tips, practice and conscious effort. Run the highlights!

Embrace the uncomfortable silence. Mia Wallace and Vincent Vega did and so can you. Our minds are racing, we want to say what we planned to say or immediately react to what someone said. Next time before you speak, wait 5-10-15 seconds. Odds are someone in the room will say something else and it just might be the information you are looking for. 

Take notes and playback. Copious and serious note taking forces you to listen to what someone is saying where you automatically translate it into your words. Remember, professional relationships are partnerships with mutual, shared outcomes. Playback to your audience what you heard in your language to make sure these desired outcomes are truly the same.

Politely probe. What, where, why, who, how. You know the drill. Many business conversations use very generic terms (benefits, value, and improvements). Use these terms as triggers to politely follow up on what is being said to gain better insight. This creates a natural back and forth in the conversation and often pleasantly surprises the person who is speaking to you.

Make eye contact. Another proven fact is people talk more slowly when they are making eye contact. You, as a listener, should do the same. It will naturally have the speaker slow down and allow you to focus on the information and process it more effectively.

Be prepared, not scripted. Conversations and meetings usually are goal or outcome oriented. That is why effective meetings always begin with an objectives/agenda confirmation. The trap is when you as a participant try to script the conversation. This goes against almost every effective listening tip previously listed. Plus, remember what Mike Tyson said. “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”

So the next time you are in a meeting or at the family dinner table, work on being a better listener. At a minimum, you can keep the audience guessing.

“It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt.” – Mark Twain

If you’re like us, you’re ready to rock 2018 with great conversations with new potential partners and clients and, of course, some new wins. What will be your approach to providing your sales team with the most effective content and tools to successfully engage throughout the buying process this year? Same old PowerPoints as last year? A few templated emails that your sales team may or may not use? Maybe 2018 is the year to up your game.

In our experience, custom content with targeted messaging is the key to success. That can mean creating everything from social and email campaigns to engaging presentations for meetings and conferences, as well as leave-behinds with lasting impact. Our team has helped companies in industries from tech to manufacturing develop sales enablement content that really connects with prospects — from the initial hook to the final meeting. 

Check out these three critical elements of content creation and delivery for sales teams. Learn more about Yalo’s sales enablement work for manufacturing and digital supply chain powerhouse, Jabil, and marketing assessment work for the Veritiv’s Facilities Solutions business.

Right Audience, Right Message

Segmenting your target audiences and speaking directly to them with your materials is key to helping them understand why your product, service or solution is really right for them. Our team does the research to understand your various audiences and develop targeted messaging that answers “what’s in it for me?” for each. This approach can be applied to a single presentation deck for one meeting or across a series of materials.

Sequencing & Cadence

Speaking of a series of materials, if you’re deveoping multiple communications pieces, what’s the best way to break them down and build up your brand’s story in the most impactful way? We can help with both the strategy and calendaring for programs that are released over time or will be seen at different points in your sales process, and then help you create a playbook that makes the process repeatable with each new prospect.

Buy-in & Education

On both the front and back end of your content creation process, getting your sales team involved is key to making sure what your marketing team creates is actually valuable to the sales team. Up front, learn what types of materials and content would really be helpful for them — an app versus a printed one-sheeter, detailed product benefits in addition to pre-packaged offers, etc. Once it’s created, a communications plan will help your team understand what’s available and how to access it and use it to always be closing.

We’ve all got our favorite websites and apps, and can easily call out what we like about them — the content, the design, what they help us accomplish. These are the most obvious attributes, but what about the more subtle details that keep us coming back? Much of this magic lies in UX decisions that affect how these favorite sites and apps look and function, but are so seamlessly integrated that we don’t think much about them.

These four tricks are a just a few simple ways to delight users with great UX. Think about your favorite sites. How many of these do they incorporate? Now think about your company’s site. Could it use a little more UX magic?

Think Like Your Users

Sure, as marketers, we have our own agendas, messages and products to push. But what does our audience really need to see or hear to engage, connect and buy? Doing the research to understand your audience and how they make their purchase decisions is key to creating experiences that will resonate with them and help you meet your goals.

Personalize It

Whether you’re serving up content based on a user’s location or their last session on your site, personalizing the experience to feel like it was made just for them adds wow factor. It also gives a sense that your brand really knows them, which can help to deepen their connection to you.

Keep it Simple, Consistent & Orderly

“Intuitive” is probably an overused way people like me describe digital experiences. What it means is that features and content are organized in such a way that they are easy to find and move through, behave in familiar ways and remain the same throughout the experience. Clean design with clear visual hierarchies and consistency in elements like buttons helps to create an elegant experience. If a user has to overthink how to navigate your site, you’ve probably lost them.

Incorporate Interactive Content

And speaking of short attention spans, engaging users with content like quizzes and video is an effective way to hold their interest. The more they want to interact, the better their impression of the overall experience. Once again, simplicity wins. Your interactive content doesn’t need to be elaborate — in fact, sometimes the least complex interactions are the most fun.   

Before you read this, did you happen to read our blog post Are You Not Entertained? If not, you should read that one first. And if you have read it, then you might be looking for some good examples to help you kickstart some of your own ideas. Check these out:

Ally Financial: Team Huddle

TD Ameritrade: Consolidation (Yalo)

Jabil: Internet of Things (Yalo) 

What do these examples have in common? They are interesting. They are entertaining. Yet they still deliver their key message and value statement. Pretty cool how this can be accomplished, even though the topic might be a little dry or boring — as if consolidating your monetary assets can be all that exciting? A crucial element of creating interesting and engaging content is to understand your target audience. Nothing you probably haven’t heard before, but worth reiterating. Developing clear, concise personas will help you understand your targets’ interests, expectations and what makes them tick. A good persona will make all the difference in creating something that is interesting and engaging, versus being just another piece of content that delivers your message without a hook. A few key things you should strive to understand in your personas are:

• Drivers – What is motivating them?
• Goals – How will they measure success?
• Needs – What are enablers to their success?
• Pain points – What are the impediments to their success?
• Behaviors – What makes them tick?

Armed with this knowledge, you are in a much better position to address your target audience and give them what they want in a way that doesn’t turn them off or bore them. Now get out there and kickstart your customer’s heart!

While you’re working hard to hit your 4th Quarter numbers and close out 2017 on a strong note, it’s a great time to think about your marketing strategy for next year. Imagine how your business development team might perform in 2018, if they don’t have to deal with the same nagging sales and growth challenges for another four quarters.

Need more leads in the top of your sales funnel? Want to attract better quality leads? Looking for ways to tell the world about your new product or service offering? Enough with the willy-nilly, one-off marketing tactics. Whatever your challenge, take the time to define a powerful creative direction and set a strategic marketing plan that’s smart.

At Yalo, we think the buyer journey from ‘Prospect’ to ‘Customer’ is like the 100-yard path down a football field. Some teams perform very well in the Red Zone (closing deals in the last 30 yards with actively engaged buyers), but struggle to move prospects through the more passive 70 percent of the buyer journey. Business development professionals clamor for more active leads, and tend to work harder when they get them. If you are not effectively creating more active leads, then you are putting an incredible strain on your sales team to be even more efficient than they already are. And we all know that there is a cap to how efficient that can ultimately be. So, start your 2018 planning by considering the full length of the buyer journey, and ranking your organization’s opportunities for improving lead creation with an integrated marketing approach in your up-field funnel.

Maybe your biggest challenge is maintaining top-of-mind brand awareness. Buyers know who you are, but it’s difficult to actively stay on their radar so they call you when the timing is right. Your target buyers are overwhelmed with content, and it’s difficult to break through the clutter. If you are positioned as a ‘solution provider’ (just like your competitors, and your suppliers, and your customers, and everyone else), then a more differentiated creative direction could help. The creative direction will create a consistent, persistent storyline that will become a lightning rod for your yet-to-be-known prospects to identify with and pay attention to.

Give your team a marketing playbook they will rally around, with memorable messages and tactics that will march your prospects down the field to your sales team so they can carry those prospects from the red zone into the end zone.

#OmahaOmaha

Another year and the Yalo team is preparing for SX…the ATX Austin Spring festival where interactive, music and film collide to celebrate. Once a year, the best minds in the industry come together to celebrate, inspire, innovate and share. The hype and energy on 6^th Street alone can be felt through a Facebook live stream. Now just imagine that energy pulsing through the entire city of Austin, TX. It is yours for the taking as soon as you step off the plane.

Packing your bag and planning your adventure add to the excitement of 5 days of learning and exploring. As a veteran of the festival, I’ll share a few tips to make sure you’re ready for the full experience.

Check the weather. Sounds basic, but trust me it’s important. Nothing worse than getting off the plane in 90 degree Texas heat in a heavy clothing.

Pack light. Wear comfortable shoes for running around the city. Casual clothing, not a three-piece suit, but add some flair. (Note: Not this ‘flair’.) A portable charger will also come in handy for all your devices.

Relax, it’s Austin. Let’s be honest here, Austin is weird and people love it. This “festival” is not the stuffy conference where everyone is wearing the same black suit and don’t have a personality. Embrace it.

Chat with your drivers. You have to get from point A to point B. Ask the locals what they recommend, where to go/stay away from and what makes Austin great. It helps you get a feel for the city and people.

These are your people. EVERYONE in Austin, at this time of year, is here for the same reason. Have fun with it. You see someone drinking your favorite beer, tell them it’s your favorite beer. You could make a new friend, but you don’t know if you don’t try. CAVEAT: If you’re favorite beer is BUD LIGHT, you will be saying “Hi” to a lot of people and making a lot of new friends.

Target your experts. Plan your sessions, check your schedule and look up the speakers. If your hero is speaking, attend their session and soak up what they have to say. If you recognize them on the street or see them at an event, go up and say hello. They’re human (Just like you) and you won’t regret it.

Laugh out loud. There are some great comedians and shows that will have you wiping tears from your eyes in the first 15 minutes. Check your schedule and add a few if you enjoy them.

Party. Attend as many as you can and experience it all. Every venue is hosting something, register ahead of time or ask the person at the door to sign up. Definitely don’t miss Get Plugged In at Bat Bar on 6^th. Register here. (You’re welcome.)

Hydrate. The heat, walking, and Texas BBQ will all dehydrate you. Trust me, 8 glasses a day will help you stay on your game.

Leave it on the plane. As soon as you land in ATX, leave the stress, doubt and nerves on the plane. Approach your stay in Austin with excitement and an open mind for learning and having fun. You will return home beyond tired, but reenergized with a new determination to make your next project the best ever.

Year 4 for Yalo and the buzz of heading to Austin never gets old. We have a feeling 2017 won’t let us down.

If you are a B2B customer, tell me if this sounds familiar. A B2B brand tells its story in a way that is accurate, factual and detailed. That is because they are experts in themselves, their product or their service. They love to talk about themselves. But as a potential customer, you are left sleep walking through the details, with no emotional connection or interest. Next thing you know, you are drooling, doing the head-bob struggling to keep your eyes open. And just as Russell Crowe dramatically exclaims in The Gladiator “Are you not entertained?” after he defeats several enemies in the gladiator pit in front an unimpressed audience. And the answer to that question for many B2B customers is…no, I am not interested, not engaged, not entertained enough to pay attention. 

The reality is that you, as a B2B customer, are an everyday consumer. You watch football or tennis. You probably have seen Breakfast Club or Wedding Crashers or The Walking Dead. You rock out to Led Zeppelin or Nirvana or sway to Jimmy Buffet or dance to Katy Perry. And you probably enjoy playing your piano, painting, cooking or gardening (or all of the above!).

So you should expect better from your supplier and their marketing. They should interest you. They should connect with you. And if you, as a B2B customer, can find that supplier, you will be rewarded with not only a supplier that fits your needs, but a partner that cares about their relationship with you as a customer.

If you’re reading this, perhaps you’re a B2B supplier thinking that your chrome needs a bit of polishing to keep your customers engaged? Our brand strategists can conjure the words, pictures, events, ideas and designs to do just that, with attention towards your particular style and flair. Let’s have a conversation, so that no one gets thrown to the lions needlessly.