business tips

What’s in a Name?

~ Bernadette Geyer

Contributed by Peter R. Geyer

There is an old marketing tale (that is handily debunked here) about how back in the 1970s Chevrolet tried to market the Nova automobile in Mexico, only to find that it sold poorly. When they looked into the matter, they discovered that “Nova” in Spanish could be read as “no va” which roughly means “doesn’t go.”

While it turns out that this story is not actually true, it does demonstrate the usefulness of having somebody familiar with your new overseas target market actually review your product, its marketing, and its positioning prior to release. What may seem like an awesome name or marketing strategy in one language or culture, may actually end up sending all the wrong signals in another language or culture. Even the best product in the world can be an unnecessary burden if it unintentionally sends the wrong signals to its international customer base. 

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Imperial or Metric?

~ Bernadette Geyer

Meters? Kilometers? Yards? Miles?

Distances and measurements are tricky when you are reaching out to English-speaking clients. You need to ask yourself: Which English does my ideal client use?

With our German clients, we always have to ask at the start of any project: Are you specifically focused on the American market or the British and English-speaking European market?

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Have you ever seen a shop with an empty display window?

~ Bernadette Geyer

So why are you leaving these digital spaces blank?

I don’t know about you, but I love window shopping. Even if I don’t need anything, it’s fun to see how some shops get very creative about the displays in their windows. Tailors in my neighborhood have some truly eye-grabbing ones.

And most stores will change their displays according to the season or the next upcoming holiday. One glance will tell you whether Christmas, Halloween, or Valentine’s Day is on its way.

Would you leave a shop window empty when you know it’s a good way to attract customers? I don’t think you would.

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Why Did You Do That?

~ Bernadette Geyer

Our daughter plays ice hockey. Sometimes, we notice her doing something that seems out of the ordinary and we’ll ask her about it.

For example, after one game, we asked her why she was staying so far back by the blue line when the play was deep in her team’s offensive zone. She told us the coach specifically said that he needed her to hang back and hold the blue line, because her defensive partner liked to “go on excursions.”

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Take Your Text from Jargon to Cliché to Your Brand Voice

~ Bernadette Geyer

I have a problem with jargon. Many businesses think that using a lot of industry-specific terminology in their marketing materials makes them sound more impressive.

“Pimp your SEO for killer ROIs!”

But it doesn’t make you sound impressive. It sounds fake. It sounds like one of any number of jargon-spewing social media accounts I see out there featuring some 20-something guy in a suit standing next to an expensive car and claiming to make six figures per month. Continue reading →

5 Essential Things Your Pitch Deck Should Say About You

~ Bernadette Geyer

Guest Post by Peter Geyer, MBA

You have finally scheduled a meeting with a potential investor to fund your new company.

You only have a few minutes to convince them that you are their perfect future partner.

Your marketing department (you) has spoken with your controller (your co-founder) and your engineering department (both of you), and you have developed the perfect pitch deck to present to this investor. It has nice graphics, it has numbers, it has a description of your product.

The investor is not impressed.

But why? You have a great product and all you need is some seed money to make yourself and your investor millions. How could the investor not see your potential?

Maybe it’s because you didn’t address the 5 essential things that your pitch deck should say about you. Continue reading →

Guest Appearance on Real Talk, Real People, Real Business

~ Bernadette Geyer

Podcast interview number two is now online!

If you are on my email list, then you’ll know that one of my goals for 2019 is to be a guest on five podcasts.

In this video, Leanne Peard interviewed me for her YouTube podcast – Real Talk, Real People, Real Business – where we talk about copywriting, editing, translation, and my book, Branding for Beginners. In her other videos for Social Media Mate, she shares a lot of great information on how to promote your business on social media. Continue reading →