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Author: Kylie Fennell

Disrupt me! 5 things you need to know about disruptive marketing

Kylie Fennell

One business term or trend that’s just not going away any time soon is: Disruptive Marketing.

You’ve probably heard of it but maybe you’re not really sure what it means, or how you can use it in your marketing. Well here are 5 things you need to know to get disruptive.

1. What is disruptive marketing?

Disruptive marketing refers to the communication activities and messages that either challenge the conventional thinking in an existing market or speak to a new one.

It’s the complete opposite of traditional ‘interruption’ style marketing. Interruption or traditional marketing interrupts the daily life of a consumer via TV ads, billboards, commercials and such, while disruption marketing disrupts traditional marketing strategies by being so compelling that the consumer doesn’t feel like they’ve been disrupted by marketing or advertising at all.

In fact they’re grateful that they have been shown or offered something of interest to them.

It could be as simple as ‘non-advertising’ stunts or content that goes viral because it is just plain interesting and engaging eg. the Red Bull Stratos jump from space.

The term disruptive marketing is often used in tandem with a disruptive business model. This is where a company creates a product or service to match the demand of an emerging market, or re-designs an existing product or service to meet a need that’s currently not being fulfilled satisfactorily – thus disrupting and possible displacing existing market leaders.

One of the biggest poster childs for disruptive innovation and marketing is Uber. Uber doesn’t use much traditional advertising to market their model, yet they get plenty of promotion via free editorial in news stories about their ‘disruptive model’ and have used disruptive campaigns such as their cat delivery service where they delivered adoptable kittens for 15 minutes of snuggle time.

2. Small business can do it too

You could associate yourself with an important cause (hopefully that reflects the values of your business). Uber introduced its cat delivery service to coincide with Pet Adoption Day.

When you do this, your association with the cause becomes the focus rather than selling – suddenly you become a lot less interruptive and more shareable.

3. Revisit your target market or segments

Remember a key part of disruptive marketing and innovation is reaching an emerging or new market, perhaps a market segment that isn’t having its needs fulfilled.

Revisit your target audience to see if you could refine your messaging or target a new market segment.

4. Refine your products or services

Can you create or refine your products or services to meet an emerging or unfilled need.

Apple’s introduction of the iPhone, and the iPad are great examples of disruptive innovation.

You may not be able to adopt disruption on such a grand scale but let’s say you’re a small food or grocer store. Could you introduce a drive through option to ring ahead and pick up a couple of items such as bread and milk? I can’t keep count of the number times I’ve had my toddler or baby in the car and they were asleep or I just couldn’t bear getting them in and out of the car one more time, just to get a loaf of bread.

5.  Don’t wait to BE disrupted

You need to be the one doing the disrupting, instead of waiting to be disrupted by a competitor.

Keep an eye on your competition and listen to your customers for ideas on how you can connect with them and meet their needs in new ways.

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My top 15 excuses for not finishing my novel yet

Kylie Fennell

This week a friend of mine told me his novel will be finished by the end of the year.

He has a full-time job and three kids, but he has been super disciplined and through sheer determination and hard work…he will have finished.
I’m really proud of him but…it just reminded me how terribly far I have to go.
I have been analysing all the reasons why I still haven’t finished.
It’s been probably 7 years since I started my two novels.
Each of them is around 100,000 words – so I guess I should congratulate myself for getting that far – and now I am at the revising stage.
The revising stage is WAY before the editing stage.
It’s when you go back over things you wrote, maybe 7 years ago, and say “what was I thinking, that is complete crap!” or “maybe I should just completely change that character or plot line”…great idea, I’ll just go back to the start again.
To be honest, I’m not really sure why I have been dragging it out this long, but after some analysis I can tell you here are my top excuses.
1. I hate the revising stage
2. I really should be working instead
3. Oooo Dr Phil/Gogglebox/Masterchef is on the TV
4. I really should be playing lego with my son
5. It’s too late tonight – I’m tired
6. It’s too early to get up – I’m tired.
7. I’m too busy trying to get my business up and running
8. I might just have a ‘quick’ look at Pinterest
9. My writing is crap
10. Maybe I should do some more research
11. I need to clean the house
12. I’ll just take a little break for lunch
13. ‘You have mail’ pop-up
14. I’ll do it tomorrow
And here’s my favourite one.
15. I need to write my blog post (about why I’m not writing) first.
Anyway, I’ve got to run, as I am definitely going to work on the book today…hey look a bright shiny object!
So what are your favourite excuses?
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***Update. The first three novels are completed and just in various stages of editing. Just need a publisher now : ) And keep on writing, right ***

The 5 Biggest Marketing Mistakes Small Businesses Make

Kylie Fennell
Usually I write about all the things you can do to improve you small business marketing, but today I want to approach it from a different angle.
 
I’ve been doing this marketing gig for longer than I’d care to admit, which gives me great insight into what some small businesses are doing wrong when it comes to marketing.
 
So here it is, the top 5 biggest mistakes small businesses make when it comes to marketing and how to avoid them.
 
1. Unclear about what makes you unique
 
One of the very first things that must be done but is often overlooked is defining your unique selling point. What makes you so different that someone would choose you over the competition.
 
You need to do this right. Get yourself a positioning or brand story and make sure it is reflected throughout all of your branding, taglines and communication.
 
2. Marketing to everyone
 
All too often I’ve asked a client “who’s your target market?” and they’ve replied earnestly “everyone really”. 
 
You physically and financially can not market to everyone and more importantly you shouldn’t even try. 
 
The facts are your products and services are not going to appeal to everyone, and even if you do attract a wide market, ask yourself if they represent the type of customers you want.
 
Are they the right kind of customers? Read this post to figure out how to better identify your target market – which trust me makes the actually marketing process a heck of a lot easier.
3. Getting online and social media wrong
This covers off on quite a few items but the most common mistakes in this category are:
  • Not having a website because you don’t sell online – the facts are people will look for you online, so you need to be found. This can be kept simple though. Read these small business website tips. Your website also needs to be responsive so it can be used easily on tablets and mobiles.
  • Not doing social media – the biggest complaints I get are I don’t know how to do social media or “it’s a waste of time, as I haven’t got any sales out of it”. Don’t let social media overwhelm you – it’s possible to do it yourself quite easily. However have realistic expectations. Social media is about connecting with people. Taking this view is like when meeting someone at a party and when they ask “what do you do?”, you say “I’m only going to tell you if you want to buy from me”. Worse still, you may have spent 30 minutes boring them about your business without asking the other person a single question. Social media is the biggest cocktail party, your business will ever attend.
  • Trying to do too much – you should only be active on the social media platforms relevant to your target audience and the ones you can maintain a presence on regularly. It needs to be sustainable, so don’t try to be on every platform.
4. Ignoring your customers
Unfortunately many business owners think they know what’s best for their customers.
If you respond to them respectfully and in a timely manner, they’ll forgive you when you do get things wrong.
Finally, go that extra mile for them, and it will likely result in more sales.
The cheapest marketing you can do is to nurture your existing customers, as this is more likely to result in repeat business and referrals.
5. Not marketing
 
Many businesses make the mistake of not marketing at all.
They say things like, “but it doesn’t work”. My answer to this is “well you musn’t be doing it right”.
Start with a good strategy and stick to it. Remember to monitor and evaluate your activities. Continue doing what works, but stop doing things that don’t work.
The biggest reason though many small businesses aren’t marketing though is because they say they can’t afford it.
There are plenty of low cost and effective ways you can market your business and it’s possible to do much of it yourself.

My Imaginary Screenplay Playlist

Kylie Fennell

When I write, I always try to visualise each scene and character as if they were in a film.

It’s incredibly important for me to be able to ‘see’ it as if it was really happening.

It may also reveal my secret ambition; that my books will be so damn good, they’ll become movies.

There’s nothing wrong with dreaming big right?

Now if you have an imaginary screenplay, you also need an imaginary soundtrack.

With all seriousness, when I need a little inspiration for writing I turn to a playlist that resonates with my story or characters.

So here are my top 5 picks from my imaginary soundtrack playlist.

1. Game of Thrones Theme (Cello Cover) by Break of Reality 

My book is set in a medieval period reminiscent of Game of Thrones and this version is incredibly moody and emotive. Love it.

2. Tusk by Fleetwood Mac

I’m a bit of a sucker for Stevie Nicks and her rawness, and this song features an animalistic drum beat that sets the pace for a great story.

3. I Will Wait by Mumford & Sons

I love the tone of these guys’ voices, the folk style instruments and the storytelling in their lyrics.

4. Find the Southern Land by Simply Bushed

These guys are an Australian bush band and this song tells the story of the search for the land Down Under. I love the historical aspect but also the sea shanty style fiddle.

5. Big, Big Love by Troy Cassar-Daley

When it comes to storytelling and just a genuinely beautiful spirit you can’t go past Troy. An amazing songwriter, performer and great bloke – he also hails from my home town of Grafton, so yes I’m biased but also super proud of this Little Eagle.

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Let’s Break The Rules (of Marketing)

Kylie Fennell
If you’ve been doing the marketing thing for a while now and you are starting to get the hang of it, then it’s time to throw out the rule book.
New rules. Old rules. It doesn’t matter. It’s time to break them.
This doesn’t mean forgetting the fundamentals or the foundations of marketing – it means using what you know, to try something different.
If you want to stand out in this noisy world then you’re going to need to adapt what you know – bend the rules sometimes; break them other times.
Why you ask?
Because everyone has caught onto our marketing tricks. Our beloved audience is as learned as we are when it comes to the most used marketing tactics and frankly…they’re over it.
How do I know this?
Simple, because I’m a consumer too and every time I hand over my email address I cringe, because I can see the automated email series coming before it even starts to clog up my inbox.
Do you overflow with happiness every time you receive a “special offer” email or text from a marketer? Do you love those pop-up boxes on websites that so kindly interrupted what you were trying to read?
I know I don’t. So why do we persist with putting our customers through the same worn out marketing tactics.
Unless you’re at the cutting edge of marketing or have the good fortune of starting your own marketing trend – then the facts are, that by the time you’re on to a new tactic, so is everyone else.
Now I’m not saying automated emails and pop-up boxes or any other marketing tactic is bad. They’re not bad, especially if they’re working for you.
I am saying, if the tried and tested tactics aren’t working for you, then STOP DOING THEM.
Try something new.
Here are a few examples:
  • Try three key messages rather than sales scripts
  • Solve a problem rather than selling how good you are
  • Try snail mail instead of email for direct marketing.

Finally, offer free content such as videos, ebooks or guides without asking for an email address – give them the option. If they really love your stuff, they’ll want to subscribe and won’t just delete your emails. Go for quality over quantity when it comes to email lists and the emails themselves.

At the end of the day do what feels right for you and your target audience. Monitor what works and what doesn’t.
Filter what you initially think you want to share online or via email and focus on being indispensable to your audience and not wearing them out with tactics that have been done to death.
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Why I’m heading down the rabbit hole

Kylie Fennell
“Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, `and what is the use of a book,’ thought Alice `without pictures or conversation?’

So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her.

There was nothing so VERY remarkable in that; nor did Alice think it so VERY much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to itself, `Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!’ (when she thought it over afterwards, it occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural); but when the Rabbit actually TOOK A WATCH OUT OF ITS WAISTCOAT- POCKET, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge.

In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again.”

–      AND so begins Lewis Carroll’s, Alice in Wonderland.

Like Alice in Wonderland I go about my day-to-day life hopeful of falling down a rabbit hole and discovering new ideas or worlds. Sometimes that rabbit hole will lead to a different perspective or it might lead to a fantasy world where dragons live.

I have written before about dragons and their place in fantasy writing but not about rabbit holes.

So let me start where it began: Alice in Wonderland.

Lewis Carroll, of course, didn’t invent rabbit holes, but his story about a girl who falls down a rabbit hole into an unknown, disorientating and magical world has inspired many uses of the term.
For me I’d like to start with the story itself and the white rabbit.
I love from the first page its deceptively innocent beginning. The idea that an ordinary young girl bored with her life has her world turned upside down after seeing a talking rabbit with a pocket watch, and ‘burning with curiosity’ she follows him.
How wonderful it is for Alice and the reader to be totally surprised. Carroll uses simple but precise words that say exactly what needs to be said. ‘Burning with Curiosity’ – there isn’t a better way to say that.
THAT IS the kind of feeling I want to inspire in my books.
Now though to the term “down the rabbit hole”.
There are several commonly accepted meanings.
  1. A metaphor for entry into an unknown world
  2. Falling into and becoming entrapped in a nonsensical situation or environment
  3. A slang expression for a psychedelic experience
  4. Going on a never ending search on the internet where one search takes you to one page, that takes you to another, that takes you to another and so on
  5. It is also associated with philosophical and existential thinking in search of the true reality but also the notion that venturing too far down is probably not that great of an idea.
Which definition do you prefer?
Lets look to Alice when she says to the Cheshire Cat: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here? And the Cat replies: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.
For me where I want to get to is simple.

The promise of a rabbit hole is finding magical and extraordinary in every day life. Letting my imagination take me to bizarre and interesting places. It’s the possibility of these adventures becoming wonderful stories. And while the rabbit hole is a nonsensical escape, I can always come back to the real world when I’m ready.
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Stop the rot! Why we need to use ‘real’ words

Kylie Fennell

I have an important message for you.

As a leader in my field, and as part of my ongoing commitment to best practice, innovation and sustainability, I constantly strive to generate evocative statements that inspire and empower my stakeholders to achieve and exceed their expectations and bring their overarching vision, mission, goals and objectives into critical alignment, while ensuring operational and strategic methodologies are in synergy.

OR I could have said…

I use words that speak to my audience.

Yep, this post is about Weasel Words, Motherhood Statements, Corporate Speak, Buzzwords – or we could call it what it really is…WORD ROT…or in the spirit of this blog…a steaming pile of excrement from an intact adult male of the species Bos Taurus.

Like Wood Rot eats aways at the structure and foundations of a home, Word Rot eats away at the meaning of our words, destroying the integrity of our statements.

I call on all corporates, business owners, marketers, actually everyone to have their rot detector on high alert when writing.

Forget corporate speak – you need to write and speak like you mean it, write like it’s a real conversation, speak to your audience, and mean what you say.

Our audiences are smart people and trust me can read through the rot – if you want cut through in your writing…it’s simple, stop the rot!

Here are my Top 10 Tips to Stop the Rot

1. Are you saying something, or a lot, without actually saying anything?

2. Is your statement vague or non-commital? eg. It is said by experts that…

3. Are you using buzzwords because you think you should? eg. We’re committed to innovation and sustainability

4. Are you making vague generalisations?

5. Is it hard to understand the meaning?

6. Are you making commitments or claims with no evidence? eg. We’re an Employer of Choice

7. Are you using weak verbs or action words? eg. ‘strive to’, instead of ‘will’

8. Are you trying to bamboozle the audience?

9. Are you being misleading or ambiguous? eg. replacing ‘firing staff’ with ‘streamlining the workforce’

10. Have you chosen words or a phrase because you think it’s a popular sentiment? eg. Our employees are our number one priority.

AND BONUS ROT DETECTOR TEST…

Could you put all the words you used in almost any order and they still make sense? If you answered yes, you have some A-grade rot on your hands there my friend.

Now for a bit of fun…here is a corporate speak generator where you can turn words like: ‘vision’ into ‘enthusiastically e-enable an expanded array of infrastructures’ and ‘innovation’ into ‘dramatically empower B2C synergy’.

If you need help stopping the rot, get in touch with me via www.kyliefennell.com or check out my post on choosing the right words for marketing.

A picture tells 100,000 words

Kylie Fennell
When your’e writing fantasy it often involves creating worlds that don’t actually exist. I find that it’s critical to find pictures that represent or inspire the kind of places in my imagination.

Here are just a few images that tell part of my 100,000 word novel. If you want to see more images like this follow my Pinterest board.

Woman Warrior by pan.li75 used under CC BY 2.0



Moraine Lake, near Vancouver





Secret Falls, Nantahala National Forest, Highlands, North Carolina, USA found via youtube.com




Sherwood Forest – Nottingham, England, found on gloholiday.com

The Art of Asking Questions – 5 simple sales tips

Kylie Fennell
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/freedigitalimages.net

Would you mind if I asked you a question?

Do you want to know how to get more sales?

Can you do me a favour?…great just read a little further.

There is an art to asking questions in marketing that can make a big difference to your sales.

A lot of business owners or employees may say “I’m not good at sales” or “I don’t like being pushy”, even “I don’t want to sound too salesy”.

These statements resonate with me, as I have never liked the traditional ‘sales pitches’ but I’m here to tell you, it’s possible to improve your sales by just asking the right questions in the right way.

You will see from how I opened this blog post some examples of what I mean.

1. Ask if you can ask

When you come into contact with a prospect, it’s usually in the form of a general enquiry eg. How much is….? What’s included in….?. You helpfully answer their questions and they say “thanks very much and I’ll think about it” before walking out, hanging up the phone or ending the email conversation.

But what if at that point you asked them “Would you mind if I asked you a question?”.

Nine times out of 10 the prospect will say, “no I don’t mind”. They’ve given you permission to continue the dialogue. They may in fact be just doing it out of politeness but by doing this they’re actually providing an opportunity to hear answers to the questions they haven’t asked.

So you then can start with something like:

“Could you tell me why you rang/email/came into our store today, what was the problem you needed solving?”. Then “tell me more about that”.

Dig, dig to find out more about their exact problem and needs and use it as an opener to provide a LOT MORE helpful information that can take you closer to a sale.

2. Ask for a favour

This is similar to ‘asking if you can ask’ but more specifically you’re asking “Can you do me a favour?”.

Once again nine times out of 10 the prospect is most likely to be a little perplexed but is inclined to say ‘Yes’ as most of us by nature want to be helpful.

You may not even wait for a response, you may go straight from “Can you do me a favour?” to “Could you tell me why you rang/email/came into our store today, what was the problem you needed solving?”. Then “tell me more about that”.

3. Make the assumption

Asking for permission when you want to ask more questions or you want a favour makes sense, but don’t ask for permission when it comes to your call to action. Assume that they want to proceed.

So let’s say for example your call to action is book an appointment – don’t ask “Would you like to book an appointment”, instead ask “What days suit you best to come in for an appointment”.

Here are some examples of making an assumption when it comes to a call to action.

What’s the best address to send some more information to?
When would be a good time for you to book in…?
What day would suit you for….?

4. Ask a question that elicits a ‘Yes’

Try not to ask questions that elicit a no response. Yes is a much more positive word and while the difference in the question can be subtle it can make a great difference.

Eg. A gym might say “Are you ready for summer?” with the expected answer being ‘no’. This could be changed to “Do you want to be ready for summer?”; or “Do you have enough customers?” vs “Do you want more customers?”. You should also use loads of positive language.

5. But why?

Stuck for a question to ask when speaking to a prospect? then start with “why?”.

I remember seeing an interview a few years back with a celebrated Australian journalist and he said the only question he ever needed over the years was ‘Why?’. As a former journalist this really resonated with me.

Like an annoying 5-year-old – trust me I know this – “but why” is the most powerful question.

Ask a prospect, “why is that?”, “why did you…”, “why today?” or even “why not?”.

“Why” is the most powerful open ended question in existence.

So do you want to know more about how to improve your sales – go to www.kyliefennell.com. You can also check out my Sensational Sales Techniques blog post.

The Writer’s ‘Real Job’ Dilemma

Kylie Fennell

This is bad! I mean really bad.

My day job – you know the one that almost pays the bills – is so ridiculously busy at the moment that not only haven’t I got time to do any writing, I don’t have time to write a proper blog post either.

I wonder at what point you should bite the bullet and ‘write’ full time?

Actually I know the answer to that question. It starts with at least finishing the book, which brings me to my dilemma.

So yes I’d like to write my fictional work full-time, but in the meantime I need a ‘real’ job, but hang on if I have a real job, how do I find the time to write, and if I don’t get time to write and finish this darn book how can I justify writing full-time…a Catch 22 that has plagued aspiring writers through the ages.

Don’t mind me, just having a whingefest and trying to madly pad out this blog post – I keep looking at the clock – must get school lunch, uniform, bag packed, child ready for school and then go to real job!!!

Arghh…maybe I’ll have time to write next week…every aspiring writer said.

Seriously though…you need to brace yourself because that book is on it’s way, real job, school lunches or not. I promise!

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