Using rhetorical mirroring to successfully communicate with your audience

Jul20

Have you heard of behavioral mirroring?

Often touted as an effective persuasion tactic used to provide an advantage in certain social situations, such as negotiations, mirroring is the behavior in which one person imitates another.

It’s commonly associated with forms of nonverbal communication, like postures, gestures, or facial expressions, but we also mirror back words and spoken language. By repeating back what people say, we often show empathy and understanding.

From a marketing perspective, mirroring can be a fantastic tactic in how we present and construct a message. It’s a way for us to build trust with our audience. We’re rarely our own target and often sitting behind a keyboard, though, so how can we know what messages or rhetoric we should be mirroring in the first place?

I use a simple method to ensure I’m mirroring my target demographic at all times in my marketing – and that’s what I’d like to share today (and yep – I used this exact process when writing this blog post).

Mirroring Study Data
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3 wildly success nonprofit marketing campaigns that drove massive impact with no budget

May24

In our small – but growing (join us!) – private Facebook group for socially-good marketers, we often discuss successful nonprofit marketing campaigns.

Particularly, those with a little-to-no budget.

Seeing how others drive massive impact with minimal resources is something we can all learn from, and take back to our own organizations and marketing campaigns.

We’ve had a few pretty incredible examples referenced recently, worth highlighting outside of our private group. Laid out below are three wildly successful nonprofit marketing campaigns that drove massive impact with no (media or advertising) budget – and what we can learn from them.

Continue reading “3 wildly success nonprofit marketing campaigns that drove massive impact with no budget” »

Create a content marketing strategy that actually works (plus a free content calendar template)

Jan20

Far too many brands confuse “output” with “outcome”, and there are few places where this is more evident than content marketing.

So. Much. Noise.

It’s a problem that’s causing brands to waste thousands of dollars and hours every year on marketing that offers limited value.

Content Marketing
Content marketing shouldn’t be about creating content simply for the sake of it, or because everyone else is doing it. It should be tied to very specific business goals and aligned with your overall strategy.

Here are the six steps (and the exact content calendar template) I’ve used to build out my content marketing strategy for the upcoming year.

(If you already have your strategy and just here for the free content calendar template, here you go!). Continue reading “Create a content marketing strategy that actually works (plus a free content calendar template)” »

How to scale ideas that can change the world

Jan04

In a recent post from a series of interviews with leading Schwab Foundation social entrepreneurs, 5 powerful ideas for global impact were highlighted. Unsurprisingly, the need for scale was a key feature in this list.

5 powerful ideas for global impact from social entrepreneurs
In traditional business, the potential for scale is closely intertwined with the level of resources available. Time and again, however, we’re seeing a lack of resources as the #1 challenge faced by social enterprises and nonprofits.

Fortunately, there’s now another, simpler, option. Continue reading “How to scale ideas that can change the world” »

Here’s insight from 5,000 marketers on how 2015 will play out

Jan19

Now in it’s second year, the Salesforce State of Marketing report was published last week, providing insight into the industry’s priorities, challenges, and metrics for 2015.

Five thousand marketers participated, giving us an in-depth look at their approach to email, social, and mobile marketing. Here’s a quick look at a few stats and takeaways.

Continue reading “Here’s insight from 5,000 marketers on how 2015 will play out” »