26/03/2024

The Art of Statistics, with Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter

Statistically significant listening for 100% of marketers: ten minutes with Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter and his book The Art of Statistics on 🎧📚Strand Review of Books📚🎧 https://strand-uk.com/strand-reviews/ #applepodcasts #spotify #acast #amazon and more.

19/03/2024

High-Impact Content Marketing – strategies to make your content intentional, engaging and effective

Big thank you to the amazing Purna Virji, author of the excellent 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝-𝙄𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, for ten minutes on the 🎧📚𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀📚🎧 – available now https://lnkd.in/ey7hZrjd on hashtag#applepodcasts hashtag#spotifypodcasts hashtag#amazonpodcasts and on 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥 https://lnkd.in/ey7hZrjd

12/03/2024

GLUE – Transforming Leadership in a Hybrid World

If you have ten minutes to spare, I recommend listening to John Dore, author of GLUE – Transforming Leadership in a Hybrid World, on the surprisingly popular 🎧📚𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀📚🎧. The show focuses exclusively on interviews with authors of business and marketing books. Previous episodes feature gems such as Using Behavioral Science in Marketing,…

05/03/2024

The Customer Copernicus – how to be customer-led

🎧Listen up!🎧 Action-packed 10 minutes all about customers with Charlie Dawson and his excellent book 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝘾𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙨 on the 🎧📚𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀📚🎧 https://lnkd.in/ey7hZrjd and on Apple, Amazon, Spotify and more.

27/02/2024

Can Marketing Save the Planet?

🎧Listen today! Ten minutes with the outstanding Michelle Carvill and Gemma Butler and their thought-provoking book 𝘾𝘼𝙉 𝙈𝘼𝙍𝙆𝙀𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙎𝘼𝙑𝙀 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙇𝘼𝙉𝙀𝙏? on the 🎧📚𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀📚🎧 – Amazon, Apple, Spotify and more https://strand-uk.com/strand-reviews/

20/02/2024

The Human Experience: How to make life better for your customers

Giant thank you to John Sills, author of The Human Experience (how to make life better for your customers and create a more-successful organization), for a great ten minutes on 🎧📚𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀📚🎧 Listen on 🎧Amazon, 🎧Apple and more.

13/02/2024

The New Rules of Marketing & PR

Despite the constant media revolutions, David Meerman Scott’s classic book The New Rules of Marketing & PR continues to sell millions of copies. Listen to David in the newest episode of the [surprisingly popular] 🎧📚𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀📚🎧 – ten-minute interviews with business book authors, on Apple, Amazon and more. Of course, The Strand Review…

06/02/2024

cALm tHE marKEting ChAoS!

Ever been frustrated by the tyranny of the marketing funnel, filling the pipeline, and closing those deals? May I invite you to listen to the newest episode of 🎧📚𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀📚🎧, with author Georgiana Laudi speaking about her book Forget the Funnel! In her ten minutes on the show, Georgiana explains how she and…

02/01/2024

Welcome to 2024!

In 2023, The Strand Review of Books – a series of ten-minute interviews with business book authors – turned out to be surprisingly popular. This year I am delighted to announce that, among others, the amazing and highly entertaining Rory Sutherland will appear on the show, speaking about his book Alchemy – The Magic of…

07/11/2023

The Fifth Phase, with Dr Mark Powell

Mark Powell PhD delivers a new take on the possibilities of AI, described in terms of opportunity and new ways of thinking. He argues that business spends too much time collecting and storing data, wasting money on data lakes in which many IT departments have drowned without being able to deliver useful insights to business…

31/10/2023

Let It Go, with Dame Stephanie Shirley, CH

Dame Stephanie Shirley CH speaks about her life lessons, from child refugee to $3 billion IT entrepreneur to philanthropist – an amazing and extraordinary story told in her book Let it Go. An ardent venture philanthropist with an unrelenting energy for creating positive change, she arrived in England as an unaccompanied child refugee at the…

17/10/2023

21st Century Business Icons, with Sally Percy

Author and leadership specialist Sally Percy talks about the lessons from very public business leaders such as Jeff Bezos to the secretive Satoshi Nakamoto. Sally writes about business, finance, banking, treasury and accountancy, and edits Edge, the official magazine of the Institute of Leadership & Management. Does leadership charisma, quality, or ability exist, or is…

10/10/2023

The Social Brain, with Tracey Camilleri

Author and thought-leader Tracey Camilleri comments on her amazing book The Social Brain – The Psychology of Successful Groups. In The Social Brain leading experts from the worlds of evolutionary psychology and business management come together to offer a primer on great team working. They explain what size groups work and how to shape them…

03/10/2023

Decoded: The Science Behind Why We Buy

On The Strand Review of Books, Author Phil Barden explains the behavioural science techniques that can be so valuable in sales and marketing campaigns. Decoded delivers a practical framework and guidelines for applying science to the marketing practices you use every day. As a marketing professional, you can look to this book for behavioural knowledge,…

28/09/2023

Do influencers have a role in B2B marketing?

Briefly, the answer is Yes. Yesterday, Gordon Glenister spoke at a Strand breakfast (Claridge’s Hotel, London), asking “Do influencers have a role in B2B marketing?” Not all influencers have millions of followers. In specialized and B2B markets, a highly valuable influencer may attract a relatively small but intensely loyal following. Your influencer could be a…

26/09/2023

B2B is really P2P, with Frank Somma

This week I was lucky enough to interview the charming, amazing Frank Somma about his outstanding book B2B is really P2P – how to win with high touch in a high-tech world. Selling is an art and a science. This book brings you both! Joe Calloway, award-winning speaker, and author of A Category of One…

19/09/2023

The Invisible Brand, with William Ammerman

With William Ammerman on The Strand Review of Books. Listen to author William Ammerman for ten great minutes, as he talks about his fascinating book The Invisible Brand. As we enter the age of mass customization of messaging, power and influence will go to those who know the consumer best. Whether you are a marketing…

01/09/2023

Predictably Irrational

By Dan Ariely, Predictably Irrational must be the closest to “If you read no other book this year, read this one!” https://www.amazon.co.uk/Predictably-Irrational-Hidden-Decisions-Paperback/dp/B002SL0SLU/

02/08/2023

Bees; sentient, but not as we know it

Yes, bees are sentient – and so are slugs, fish, monkeys, dogs and people.  Being sentient comes in degrees. Generally, I accept that other people are sentient because they are likely to be somewhat similar to me; their me-like behaviour persuades me that they are sentient. That’s the case we make for dogs. Exhibiting happiness,…

23/07/2023

Mechanical dinosaurs

How will our children and grandchildren view the combustion engine? Even now, a diesel truck seems as old as a pony and trap; the rorty-snort of a petrol-powered muscle-car seems quaint, almost from another era. Mechanical dinosaurs. We’re better off without them.

20/07/2023

What ChatGPT says about Strand

Unlock Your Business Potential with Expert Technology Copywriting! Are you tired of struggling to create compelling content that truly showcases the power of your cutting-edge technology solutions? Look no further! Our world-class technology copywriting service is here to revolutionize your marketing efforts and help you soar to new heights in the competitive landscape of software…

11/07/2023

Season 1, The Strand Review of Books

On Apple, Acast, Amazon, Deezer, Spotify and Strand – and wherever you get your podcasts. The Strand Review of Books https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-strand-review-of-books/id1710370430https://shows.acast.com/6426bd9a0cfcac00117aa9d0https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/4ab39ceb-cd36-4845-b255-d0d0bcc9a1bf/the-strand-review-of-bookshttps://www.deezer.com/show/6006717https://open.spotify.com/show/1O2xAyTBCQvkyhTRS2WuBThttps://strand-uk.com/strand-reviews/

27/06/2023

Using Behavioral Science in Marketing

With Nancy Harhut on The Strand Review of Books On this week’s show, Nancy Harhut delivers amazing insight into how behavioral science applies directly to marketing, turning instinctive responses into action! Using Behavioral Science in Marketing shows how to apply behavioral science principles in key areas of marketing, including marketing communications, email, direct mail and ad…

20/06/2023

Audacious Goals, Remarkable Results

Ten minutes with Brad Borkan on The Strand Review of Books talking about “Audacious Goals, Remarkable Results,” co-authored with David Hirzel. Brad explores what it takes to get things done even in the face of extraordinary diversity, looks at decision-making, and considers how the lessons may be carried over into business life. Buy the book:…

13/06/2023

The Customer-Base Audit

by Professor Peter Fader on The Strand Review of Books. Continuing my series of super-short book reviews, you may like to listen to Professor Peter Fader (quite a scoop, by the way!) speaking about his book The Customer-Base Audit. In essence, Professor Fader suggests that establishing genuine metrics are essential to understanding your customers, simply…

07/06/2023

Influencer Marketing Strategy

With Gordon Glenister on The Strand Review of Books. Influencer marketing can no longer be ignored.  The enthusiastic, entertaining and energetic Gordon Glenister brings a fresh eye to influencer marketing for B2B companies in his book Influencer Marketing Strategy, the ultimate guide to developing a successful influencer marketing strategy—and building campaigns that create real value….

30/05/2023

Digital Branding: a step-by-step guide

Interview with author Daniel Rowles for The Strand Review of Books. Author Daniel Rowles talks with conviction based on insight about the key elements in his book Digital Branding: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Strategy, Tactics, Tools and Measurement. Drawing together each of the core marketing avenues such as content marketing, social media, search engine…

23/05/2023

Data and Analytics Strategy for Business

Interview with author Simon Asplen-Taylor on The Strand Review of Books Simon Asplen-Taylor talks about his book Data and Analytics Strategy for Business: Unlock Data Assets and Increase Innovation with a Results-Driven Data Strategy. Excellent insights in just ten minutes from an authoritative, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic speaker. The big question: is it worth reading? Buy…

16/05/2023

The Hidden Psychology of Social Networks

Interview with author Joe Federer on The Strand Review of Books Author Joe Federer talks about the high points and themes of his book The Hidden Psychology of Social Networks. Great insights in just ten minutes into how B2B marketers can make social media work effectively. The big question: is it worth reading? Buy the…

09/05/2023

Account-Based Marketing

Interview with author Jessica Fewless for The Strand Review of Books Author Jessica Fewless talks energetically about her book Account-Based Marketing: How to Target and Engage Companies That Will Grow Your Revenue. If you’d like the skinny on ABM in less than ten minutes, listen to Jessica’s sharp observations. The big question: is it worth…

02/05/2023

The Customer Catalyst

Interview with author Daniel Bausor on The Strand Review of Books Ten insightful minutes from an engergetic, enthusiastic and expert practitioner: Daniel Bausor comments on his book The Customer Catalyst, and how market power has shifted forever from seller to buyer. Really ground-breaking stuff! Daniel is an enthusiastic advocate of the change in B2B and…

25/04/2023

The Laws of Brand Storytelling

Interview with author Ekaterina Walter on The Strand Review of Books Ekaterina Walter talks about the themes of her book The Laws of Brand Storytelling. As one commentator put it, “Filled with valuable insights, tools, and frameworks, The Laws of Brand Storytellilng is sassy, strategic, and chock-full of great brand stories!” The big question: is…

05/04/2023

What makes writing readable?

You may have come across software solutions that score text for readability. Often, the scores are based on the Flesch-Kincaid (F-K) system. Yet at an F-K of 65.88, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix rates close to Moby Dick at 57.9, which seems peculiar. Whatever happened to engagement, emotion, peril, revelation, surprise…? In…

23/03/2023

What’s happening with ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a classic case of garbage-in-garbage-out. For one client, we trialled ChatGPT to write blog posts, which produced well-phrased outpourings of a lunatic. In that example, we asked ChatGPT to write posts based on prompts concerning industrial chemistry. But ChatGPT is not an expert; it generates content based on its training model’s sources, regardless…

02/02/2023

ChatGPT is conscious

Consciousness appears to be the experience of an internal dialogue. As I think about what to write, my unspoken voice-in-my-head suggests the next thoughts; as I taste pineapple, it provokes a (very personal) revulsion. You, of course, do not hear my internal voice, or know why I find pineapple revolting. You take it on trust…

16/01/2023

Account-Based Marketing

Nothing helps kick-start my New Year’s planning like a little holiday reading! If you’re searching for inspiration, I recommend “Account-Based Marketing: Unlocking Sustainable Value Through Extraordinary Customer Focus” by Bev Burgess and Tim Shercliff (Amazon). Many of the examples and case studies in the book refer principally to the enterprise technology world, including Fujitsu, IBM,…

13/12/2022

Quick intro, if I may…

Quick intro: Strand helps B2B technology companies sell the business benefits of their solutions, principally by writing case studies and thought leadership papers. “When I brief Strand, I have total confidence that the final job will be done exactly as we want. I find your service invaluable and unique, and see Strand as an extension…

22/11/2022

The Nike swoosh is nothing without “Just Do It”

Let’s face it, you’re not reading this because of the typeface. You’re reading this because the words might convey a useful thought. How to get free stuff. How to make money. Find a partner. Dump a partner. Whatever. Many marketing managers start by looking for design, marketing, or branding agencies. Sooner or later, they discover…

15/11/2022

If you hide how hard you work, people think you do not work hard

In March 2019 (aaaages ago), Harvard Business Review published an article on operational transparency (https://hbr.org/2019/03/operational-transparency). The summary is: If you hide how hard you work, people think you do not work hard. Yet in sales and marketing materials we constantly strive to make things look and sound easy. How many times do we say “smooth deployment” and “streamlined…

08/11/2022

Marketing barometer 2022

Here’s a marketing stat that might be of interest to you: year-to-date, Strand has already handled around 10% more writing and design projects than in 2021. In fact, the 2022 year-end project numbers might be 15% higher than last year – though not necessarily more budget! Perhaps the figures above provide you with a barometer…

01/11/2022

AI or Security?

For some time, a sure-fire way to gain media attention has been to write about Artificial Intelligence. No matter how obscure or tenuous the connection, AI was marketing pixie-dust, to be sprinkled liberally on blog posts, white papers, and solution briefs. However, here at Strand we think security may be emerging as the new hot…

14/10/2022

Information security

Strand recently reviewed and renewed its ISO 27001 Information Security Management Systems certification. If you would like to know more, please drop me a line. Toby Chapman-Dawe [email protected]

11/10/2022

White Papers

Outside the technology bubble, the term “white paper” means a government policy document that sets out proposals for legislation. In the enterprise technology sector, “white paper” means a long-form (2,500 words or so) piece that describes an industry or marketplace, and its likely future. Strand is writing waaaaay more white papers than in the past…

08/09/2022

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.” — King Charles III

11/08/2022

Emotion vs Cold, Hard, Cash

The latest advertising, sales and marketing techniques borrow heavily from the B2C marketplace: emotional engagement and impact. For example, knowing that a logistics management solution helps to deliver humanitarian aid will engage potential buyers more deeply than ROI. But now you have their attention, what criteria will buyers use to assess the solution? My instinct…

08/07/2022

Summer: the perfect opportunity to relax, refresh and renew

…and to create new content for September onwards, such as eBooks, white papers, videos, and written case studies. Strand offers: Fixed fees per project No limits on amendments No retainer, no monthly fees Not-happy no-fee guarantee “When I brief Strand, I have total confidence that the final job will be done exactly as we want….

08/06/2022

Best-practice mailshot

One of the most effective – in terms of response – mailshots from Strand… announced a change of phone number. No sales message, no Carefully Crafted Content™, just a new phone number. Toby Chapman-Dawe [email protected]

25/05/2022

Strand offers…

In brief, Strand offers case-study writing and related editorial services, specifically and exclusively for enterprise technology companies. We help explain the business benefits of sophisticated technologies to your prospect customers, by writing your case studies, white papers, blog posts and more. Who at your company would find Strand’s content-writing capabilities useful? Send them an email…

19/05/2022

Testimonial

Here’s what one client thinks of Strand’s services: “When I brief Strand, I have total confidence that the final job will be done exactly as we want. I find your service invaluable and unique, and see Strand as an extension of the team, not a supplier. I am really happy to recommend Strand to any…

04/04/2022

Yes It Could

My favourite technology test is whether the same outcome could be achieved by other means. If the answer is “Yes It Could,” then the real benefit has nothing to do with technology, but the outcome that the solution delivers. And the answer, by the way, is *always* “Yes It Could.” Toby Chapman-Dawe [email protected]

01/03/2022

It’s not about the technology

Yeeeeears ago, a Large Financial Institution launched web-based loan application solution. Punters entered their application details, which were processed by the bank’s back-end system and the results returned two hours later. Usually the in-branch paper-based process took weeks to return an answer. The slight hitch was that in those days nobody could get the web…

28/02/2022

Combined written/video projects

As the year accelerates away from us, you may be interested to hear about the growth of combined video and written case study projects. In essence, the idea is to promote the business benefits of your solutions by asking your customers to go on-camera. We have found that today’s customers are very comfortable with being…

25/02/2022

Ukraine

All our flags are Ukranian. To know the outcome, look no further than The Art Of War, by Niccolò Machiavelli.

01/02/2022

Feed the Marketo-Mailchimp machine

Marketo, Mailchimp and the many, many similar solutions have transformed marketing. Sophisticated automation now powers the marketing machines of almost every large enterprise. Consequently, the appetite for compelling reasons-to-write has expanded, almost beyond comprehension. Some email nurture campaigns contain thirty steps, each with possible downloads or story hooks or new animations and images. The demand…

04/01/2022

Welcome to 2022!

Prediction for the year: the first AI will be considered ‘conscious,’ and it will pass all tests designed to prove otherwise.

13/12/2021

Strand moves

Strand has moved office, from 165 The Broadway SW19 1NE to 165 The Broadway SW19 1NE – two floors up!

08/12/2021

Life-giving water

  Here’s to the generous, the visionaries, the world-changers – to you! Your generous donation of $2,500.00 will make lasting safe water and sanitation solutions possible for people in need. Here’s to you and here’s to changing lives with safe water! To learn more, visit Water.org.

01/12/2021

In praise of nuance

Marketing = ensuring your prospective customers know of your sales proposition. Enablement = ensuring your prospective customers have sufficient information to make a purchasing decision. Generally, marketing is proactive, outbound, and designed to generate attention and interest. Enablement responds to incoming enquiries (created by marketing) with nuture sequences, assets, and calls to action. The assets…

23/11/2021

In praise of middle management

History is written by triumphant leaders and their acolytes. Lost in the miasma, middle management tends to get bad press, along the lines of “You can’t manage your way out of a crisis.” I’d argue that success arises from the capture marginal gains, and that’s where middle managers are at their strongest. Let’s take two…

14/10/2021

Strand launches the Customer Catalyst Conference online

Are you ready for the New Customer Economy? It’s a world where *everything* is available as a service. The peril is that you can sign customers up quick, and in the next breath they quit for the competition. How do you respond, how do you drive growth?

04/10/2021

Good-bye sales teams?

If buyers have better-than 75% decided on what to buy *before* they engage with a company, is there any room for the sales team? Some while back, the sales director of a large software company admitted to me that the customer support team brought in more revenue than the sales team. The support agents would…

30/09/2021

The True Foundation of Business is Trust

Thoroughly modern management is focused, for the large part, on the definition, automation and industrialization of business processes. For example, today’s sales process is seen as a function of pipeline, qualification, and deal-closure, all to be measured and managed. And note the use of the word ‘process’ next to ‘sales.’ The true foundation of business…

15/01/2021

Top Ten Technology Analysts 2020

Found this on the Apollo Research site, here: https://www.apolloresearch.com/blog/the-top-10-technology-analysts-2020/ “In total, we at Apollo Research recorded 3,960 different technology analysts quoted over the last year. With that much competition for coverage, Patrick Moorhead’s achievement in 2020 is quite exceptional.”

14/12/2020

The content flywheel

Came across this: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/becoming-inbound-business-what-does-mean-fundamental-steps-maurice/ Worth five minutes of your time, perhaps.

08/12/2020

The True Foundation of Business is Trust

Thoroughly modern management is focused, for the large part, on the definition, automation and industrialization of business processes. For example, today’s sales process is seen as a function of pipeline, qualification, and deal-closure, all to be measured and managed. And note the use of the word ‘process’ next to ‘sales.’ The true foundation of business…

18/11/2020

The Customer Catalyst Conference

WOWSERS! Just finished the world-first Customer Catalyst Online Conference with speakers from Zoom, Cisco, Advanced, Slack, Ritz-Carlton, ServiceNow and many more. FOMO? If you are hungry for great content but short on time, ON DEMAND is the way to go. Pick and choose from TED-length presentations on a grab-and-go basis. REGISTER! To watch these world leaders, register…

26/10/2020

The Customer Catalyst Conference

WHO? If you sell or market enterprise IT solutions, or are engaged in customer advocacy or reference programmes, then The Customer Catalyst Online Conference is specifically and exclusively for you. ONLINE? If you are hungry for great content but short on time, online is the way to go. Pick and choose from TED-length presentations on a…

02/07/2020

Technology Marketing Managers’ Index, June 2020

Welcome to the survey results from the Technology Marketing Managers’ Index, June 2020. I invite you to compare the results with your own views. Should you be reining in, or trying to out-market your competitors? On that topic, the Budget Barometer hints that people may be increasing their marketing activity: Confidence has declined slightly, from…

01/06/2020

Technology Marketing Managers’ Index, May 2020

Welcome to the survey results from the Marketing Managers’ Index, May 2020. Scroll/swipe down for the interesting bits! The results may give you some insight into current industry sentiment. I have not commented on the data, and leave you to draw your own conclusions. If you have any questions, please let me know and I…

18/05/2020

Four Kinds of Value

How do we assign value to what we hear? How about this: 1 Zero Value: Me telling me how great I am 2 Some Value: Me telling someone else how great I am 3 Fair Value: Someone else telling me how great I am  4 High Value: Someone else telling someone else how great I…

13/05/2020

K.I.S.S. my Content

Every day I try to think of new, gripping, ripping yarns to post: Five-Point-Plans, Fascinating Facts, Illustrative Alliteration for the Amusement of Muddled Marketers. You get the picture. But today I gotta tell ya about the Most Successful Marketing Campaign Ever – and it wasn’t even intended as a marketing campaign. We changed our switchboard…

07/05/2020

B2B vs SEO

The internet is a land of numbers: hits, conversions, dwell, rankings & more. It is now possible to measure almost every aspect of our web interactions, holding out the prospect of validated ‘performance marketing.’ And, as we all we know, “What gets measured gets managed.” (Peter Drucker never said or wrote this, but thanks to…

01/05/2020

Marketing Managers’ Index

Foreground The Marketing Managers’ Index is based on a four-question survey of execs in the enterprise technology sector. The aim is to build a picture of confidence and future prospects. The questionnaire link changes each month. Mail surveys@strand-uk to find out more. Background You may have heard of the Purchasing Managers’ Index, which surveys the…

31/03/2020

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is one of my favourite business tools right now. Yet with the sheer volume of traffic, how do you cut through the cr** and have your messages seen by the right folk? First, if you’re posting or advertising on LinkedIn, have a look at the scale of the challenge: https://blog.hootsuite.com/linkedin-statistics-business/ https://www.oberlo.co.uk/blog/linkedin-statistics https://kinsta.com/blog/linkedin-statistics/ How about…

04/03/2020

Shoot a video without leaving your desk

Sorry to jump on the coronavirus bandwagon, but it’s on everyone’s mind…  These days, if you find customers are reluctant to host a visit from your video team (and their dirty germs), then all is not lost!  Create the video from stock, b-roll, animations and graphics.  You may be surprised at what can be done…

27/02/2020

The power of a microphone

What’s the most-prized profile photo on Linked In? Yep, the one with the microphone. Why is that? A photo or video of yourself striding the stage, microphone in hand (or better yet, with a performer’s wearable set) sends a powerful message. And boy-oh-boy, that sure feeds the ego! Look at all those fawning acolytes, just…

28/01/2020

A sense of purpose

Whatever you might think and whatever the customer might say, a good technology case study is *never* about the software – or the hardware, or even the services & support. A great case study is *always* about the outcome, and the outcome is *always* about something personal that somebody wanted to achieve. Why? Companies –…

20/01/2020

Top Ten Tips for creating a great case study

Normally I avoid ‘top ten’ and ‘tips’ articles. It’s all too easy to say how *someone else* should write a case study; the only real test is to write the darn thing. On the shaky ground that two negatives make a positive, I am adding ‘top ten’ to ‘tips’ for my Top Ten Tips for…

13/01/2020

How do you solve writer’s block?

Without question, Strand’s clients are among the brightest and best, easily capable of writing their own blogs, papers, case studies and clerihews. So why do clients, every single one of them an IT marketing leader, hire Strand? In economics terms, it’s down to the rules of comparative advantage, defined by David Ricardo in 1817. In…

09/01/2020

How do you write a great case study?

Recently I read an article focused on the value of storytelling, couched in terms of a coherent, compelling, persuasive piece of writing. The author recommends that you create a connection, provoke the audience, offer evidence and empower action, etc etc. In one section, the author writes “implement these steps to craft your own stories and…

20/12/2019

Case study writing: make a choice

Faced with case study writing, it’s all too tempting to report what the customer said. But is the customer always right? Take a case study sparked off by an ‘enforced upgrade,’ moving from out-of-support software (which works perfectly well) to a new version. The typical customer (often the CIO) will say “We needed to upgrade.”…

04/10/2019

Nobody has to do anything

Here’s a story. Often we are commissioned to create case studies on your clients who are upgrading their software. You know, Version 2 to Version 4. SAP ERP to SAP S/4HANA. That kind of thing. And the upgrade is a big sale, and the team wants a case study to help push along the next sale….

02/10/2019

Agreement, approval

Writing for clients can be a revealing exercise, especially when it comes to what we clumsily call ‘approval.’ When we send draft text to clients, we so often find ourselves drowning in a sea of feedback from multiple individuals, all with their equally valid opions. I realized that we usually invite clients to *approve* the…

01/10/2019

Flash in the pan (and tilt and zoom…)

Does ‘digital marketing agency’ or ‘video marketing agency’ sound worrying? When faxes were new, new ‘fax marketing’ agencies sprang up, possessed with the immediacy and urgency of faxes. When email arrived, new ’email marketing’ agencies sprang up, determined that email was the way to grab people’s attention. Right now, video is a hot medium –…

24/09/2019

Re-position yourself

A new client has asked to re-position the [perfectly good] brand. The fundamental point, though, is that while we can create video, written, infographic, press and social pieces until they come out of your ears, we believe that the first step is to re-position yourself. What on earth does that mean, ‘re-position yourself’? Here’s a…

17/09/2019

Events, dear boy, events

Events, whether technical, sales or marketing, are huge opportunities to beef up your customer testimonials output – and yet so rarely are the opportunities truly siezed. We have found that even at the busiest events, your clients are surprisingly willing to find 30 minutes for a conversation that can lead to a reference either on…

16/09/2019

Blockchain for a greener planet

Like lasers, blockchain started as a solution looking for a problem – and of course lasers are now ubiquitous (theodolites, DVD players, display pointers, scalpels, optical tweezers…). Practical blockchain applications are emerging – for example, blockchain technologies will enable automated, secure micro-trading of energy generation and consumption. What does it actually mean, though? It’s easy…

12/09/2019

Robin Sieger, success, and customer satisfaction

World-renowned speaker and thinker Robin Sieger (https://siegerinternational.com/) asks “Would you go to a film if someone said it was satisfactory?” and “Would you go to a restaurant if someone said the food was satisfactory?” Why do we use customer satisfaction scores to measure success? By the way, if you’re looking for a conference keynote speaker,…

09/09/2019

Social video

There is no question that video is hot, but the big debate is short- or long-form? Budweiser might spend millions on a 30sec ad to air at the Superbowl, and yet so many companies insist on four-minute product-focused, feature-led talking heads. Aaargh! My Ridiculous Video Rules: Shorter Cut out the intro Shorter, please It is…

01/09/2019

Tell Mum (and the dog)

As a rookie journalist I learned the Iron Rule: get the punter’s name right. Why? Because in print, the first thing anyone checks is their name. Katherine not Catherine. Thompson not Thomson. MacDonald not McDonald. (I could go on…) Today, we’re more visual. When you see holiday snaps or video, who do you look for?…

01/08/2019

Sheep dip

It’s an old theme of mine, but it comes up time and time again: the customer sheep dip. Creating a written or video customer reference, case study or testimonial takes time and effort, and that translates into love, care and attention. For a relatively short period, the customer is treated with super-soft kid gloves, encouraged…

02/07/2019

The Entrepreneurs’ Marketing Manual

If you fancy a refreshingly direct view of marketing, I recommend The Enterpreneurs’ Marketing Manual by Chris Willman. Visit the site, too.

01/07/2019

Testimonials: real proof

From: Susan Date: 26/06/2019 18:11 Subject: Re: Year to Date Report: Case Studies and Videos June 2019 ________________________________________ Wonderful work!!! Thank you so much for all you do and to your extended team of writers/designers etc. -Susan Global Product Marketing Manager

26/06/2019

Sales psychology & relationships

In the past, perpetual licenses and support contracts were handled exclusively by sales teams, and the company Sales Director was responsible for near-100% of revenue. Speaking with many software companies, I now know that the effect of cloud and saas is dawning on many software companies. For them, more than 80% of revenue comes from…

03/06/2019

Video vs Written

There’s a good deal of talk about video taking over the world, displacing the written word. Here’s my take on it: Yeeeaaars ago, when faxes (remember them?) were new, ‘fax marketing,’ blossomed. The idea was that faxes commanded immediate attention, and fax marketing was a way to cut through the clutter. Ring any bells? The…

06/05/2019

Unpopular social media

In a recent client meeting, their social media guru reported in tones of breathless excitement – how hits, posts and tweets were soaring. Not only that, the rate of soar was itself soaring. Bearing in mind that I’m a miserable curmudgeon, the presenter – an enthusiastic, personable West Coaster – really had me interested. Gee,…

04/03/2019

Writers never ‘need to’

Nobody ever needs to do anything. What about if I hold a gun to your head and demand you give me access to your super-secret codes? Even then, you have a choice – give the codes or be shot. There is no ‘need to.’ People want to avoid a consequence or achieve an ambition, and…

04/02/2019

Nobody ever has ‘requirements’

It’s a commonplace to talk about ‘requirements,’ as in “to meet your business requirements.” Well, Yes and No. Using ‘requirements’ like this is lazy shorthand, which covers up the underlying decision points and motivations. It is far more powerful to spell out what is actually going on: maybe the company is drowning in costs or…

17/01/2019

Get Shorty!

Brevity can be the heart and soul of clarity, for both video and written pieces. Here’s a thing: a 30-second TV ad lasts an aaaaage. You can grow a spare head watching a John Lewis ad (two minutes, twenty seconds). And even though the advertisers spend a TON of money on these efforts, they are…

07/01/2019

Advocacy, trust, referrals and testimonials

Advocacy is somewhat like loyalty: if you have to ask for it, then you probably won’t get it – and you might even create the opposite effect. The next-best-things to advocacy are probably referrals and testimonials, because you can certainly ask for those. If the answer is positive, you may incidentally create advocates. If the…