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Meet the five W’s: Who, What, When, Where, Why.

Oh, them, you say. Inverted pyramid and all that journalism stuff. The five W’s are old-timers, old news.

Well, yes. But there’s a reason they’ve been around a long time.

Plus, I’ll let you in on a secret: They’re not just for reporters writing breaking news stories or publicists cranking out press releases. You can apply the 5 W’s to marketing pieces, even advertising. Let me show you how.

Beyond PR

The five W’s have long been the mainstay of PR professionals who must write newsworthy press releases to get media attention for their clients. By effectively using the five W’s, they’re speaking the language of journalists and the news business.

However, marketing, advertising and sales promotion are undisguised selling. How do the five W’s apply? Let’s run through them. Think about an ad, Web site, brochure, or sales letter.

Who - Who is the audience, customer, or prospect? Who are you?
What - What is the product, service, offer?
When - What is the time element? Why is it important or urgent now?
Where - Where is the market(s) or company (yours and/or theirs)?
Why - Why should they respond or buy? What are the reasons or benefits? Why you instead of your competitor?

I’m not suggesting that the five W’s are a marketing cure-all.

You still need to stick to marketing basics: presenting products and services as solutions to problems; showcasing features and benefits; providing proof with testimonials, opinions and statistics; and having a strong call to action.

Simply use the five W’s to help flesh out all aspects of your message.

Stress-free Interviewing

With a firm grasp of the five W’s, I believe you can adequately steer your way through any interview. The five W’s give you the question-asking framework to approach any person, subject and project.

Ideally, you prepare for an interview, considering the focus of your piece, gathering background information and preparing questions in written form or in your head.

The five W’s are a good starting point, but you’ll find them absolutely indispensable in those instances when you have little or no time to prepare for an interview. The five W’s will help you ask some decent questions and come away with what you need to write the piece.

Don’t Forget ‘How’

Not widely publicized because it doesn’t begin with a “W,” “how” is a frequent sidekick of the 5 W’s.

How important is “how”? It’s of prime importance in every rags-to-riches story. We all want to know how they did it. It’s critical to new technology, as in how it works. You can probably think of other examples. Lean heavily on “how,” for it can be just as important as the five W’s.

Copyright (c) 2006 Neil Sagebiel

Neil Sagebiel is a veteran copywriter who has served clients such as Microsoft, The Seattle Times, Lucent Technologies, March of Dimes, Airborne Express and Unisys. To sign up for his FREE expert tips to help you write better and sell more, visit http://www.neilsagebiel.com.

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Business marketers have a lot of weapons in their arsenals but they often overlook some very important ones. So, let’s do a quick inventory.

Of course, you already have a company name, a positioning statement, logo, stationery, business cards and a website.
Right?

The next thing I suggest is an employee survey. Ask them about what’s happening where the company meets the customer.
Find out how employees feel about the company. A recent survey shows that employee attitudes have a huge impact upon a company’s bottom line. Motivated employees provide great service, and great service can separate you from your competitors.

Next, develop a customer retention program. It costs five times more to develop a new customer as it does to keep an old one. E-newsletters are an essential part of my customer retention program and should be a part of yours too.

Finally, here is a random list of other items that can be considered part of your marketing arsenal.

your reputation

advertising

consultations, demonstrations, seminars, samples

community involvement, cause marketing, philanthropy

media contacts, bylined articles, op-ed pieces

guest speaking program

great working environment

employee training & development program

networking, referrals

contests

customer surveys

special events

If your time for marketing related tasks is limited, take some advice from my marketing mentor: pick three things from above and do them right.

Harry Hoover is managing principal of Hoover ink PR, http://www.hoover-ink.com. He has 26 years of experience in crafting and delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for serious businesses like Brent Dees Financial Planning, Duke Energy, Levolor, North Carolina Tourism, Ty Boyd Executive Learning Systems, VELUX and Verbatim.

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For most small business owners, marketing is an overwhelming concept. They need marketing solutions that ensure a smooth-running, profitable business yet most don’t know where to begin or how to focus their efforts.

90% of small businesses don’t even have a marketing plan. It’s difficult to reach your destination if you don’t know where you’re going!

If you’re a small business owner looking for ease, focus and marketing success, we recommend that you focus on just 4 tactics:

1. Establish a memorable and unmistakeable brand identity:

The secret to business success is determined by your ability to powerfully communicate your business with laser precision and your ability to deliver a clearly-defined and consistent experience.

In a nutshell… it’s called branding, and, when done right, it ensures a thriving business with all the customers and profits you need. The secret is to establish a powerful brand identity that sings distinction. And establish that identity before you launch any marketing activities.

2. Create a deep connection with your core target audience - your potential raving fans!

Who wants and needs what you have to offer? The only wrong answer is “everyone.” If you’re a pediatrician, you may see infants and children. Are they your target audience? No! They are your patients, but it’s the parents you need to connect with to get the kids in your door. And it’s not just any parents - it’s a definite group of parents.

In marketing, you get a lot more “bang for your buck” if you focus your spending on a well-defined group of people that you enjoy working with. The better you define this group, the more effective your marketing can be.

3. Design compelling offerings that pull customers in like a magnet.

80% of all purchase decisions are based on emotion. It’s your job as a marketer to know how your customers want to feel and to get them to visualize how your services can meet their needs. People want to know, “What’s in it for me?” Tap into the emotion and create offerings that touch your customers.

4. Craft A Personal, Workable Marketing Plan

Marketing is everything you do to make your product or service more visible, more desirable and more profitable. Your marketing plan will clearly define the big picture and provide focus and direction based on the 4 ‘P’s of Marketing - product, price, place/distribution and promotion.

Since 90% of small business owners do not have a plan, you’ll have a leg up on your competition by crafting your personal, workable marketing plan to ensure that you reach your business goals.

Following these 4 criteria will transform any small business into a money-making machine guaranteed to grow your client list, sales and profits. The upfront work is the secret to a million-dollar business, literally and figuratively.

Leslie Hamp, Certified Marketing Coach & PR Whiz, shows small business owners how to blast their business to the next level of success. Find out more at http://www.boostyourbottomline.com

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