Well done Vs well said

In business consulting, “well said” is important. Well said wins you projects, tenders and awards. Well said compels the right people to want more. Well said is a critical skill.

But well said is only the beginning. It is the “well done” that truly matters.

Well done produces change that sticks for your clients. Well done is the hard work: preparation, focus and execution. Well done builds your reputation and makes your career.

Well done is better than well said.

Marketing Strategy :

Benjamin Franklin said this about 225 years ago and it is still fresh today. Franklin had so much insight in marketing. Most marketing managers are still not walking the talk when it comes to measuring ROI for their marketing. Marketers need to stop talking about marketing ROI and start proving it. I am sure every marketer would like to hear “Well done” instead of just well said.

Instead of talking about what we will do, we figured we would just do it.

Don’t tell me what you’re going to say, just say it. And do it. (and back it up with data.)

Content Marketing :

Brands have a wealth of content to share. And readers want content that will help them improve their business or better their lives. But as Franklin understood, content succeeds when it’s focused on what the reader wants — not on what a brand is selling.

That’s why content marketing is all about brands building better relationships with their readers and providing value before selling anything. Franklin managed to establish a deep relationship with his audience despite a labor-intensive printing process and a difficult distribution channel. The idea of marketing to a customer base through periodical publications like pamphlets and magazines is hundreds of years old. Imagine what he might have accomplished with an internet connection and modern personalization capabilities. Modern content marketing tools help to save time and costs. They allow brands to publish content faster, at a higher frequency, and reach more people than ever before. Had Franklin had access to such technology, his almanac might have been a monthly publication instead of an annual one!

Marketers and brand owners today can learn from these examples, but they can (and must) go farther, continually adapting to what readers want. While the rise of the internet has changed everything for content marketers, the reality is that the web is continuing to evolve. Running a blog and offering up PDFs is no longer enough.

Today’s readers want visually compelling, media-rich, engaging content that they can consume quickly and share easily. It all needs to be responsive, accessible and entertaining.

In Franklin’s day, brands had to rely solely on words and handmade illustrations to connect with would-be customers. At the time, it was sufficient. But words are no longer adequate in a world where audiences expect to be continually wowed with stunning visuals.

Brand owners and content publishers can use stunning imagery; but they can also now incorporate video, animations, personalization and an interactive user experience to convey their message far more effectively than with static text and pictures. Using content that is both media-rich and interactive keeps readers engaged and makes digital sales and marketing collateral more valuable. Features like user-friendly navigation, videos, quizzes, games, feedback forms and social sharing are all possible — and they make content far more immersive.

Benjamin Franklin had a clear understanding of how to attract readers and keep them engaged with his content. As today’s marketers think about content marketing strategies for their brands, they’d be wise to follow in his footprints — or rather, stand on his shoulders. Franklin’s wisdom mixed with today’s technologies is a formula for strong content that will foster more awareness, new leads and more engaged audiences.

Let’s focus instead on saying less (but well) and doing more.

Let well done be our scorecard.

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