So the winner for best session title here this year's Marketing Sherpa Email Summit might have to be "The New Microsoft Comic Strip: Innovating Content and Design that Resonates in Business Marketing." Microsoft? Comics? Yes, I had to attend.
Karen Davan, the Senior Marketing Manager for Microsoft Office Live Small Business, was the presenter, and she shared Microsoft's creation of "Margie" a comic strip character through whom Microsoft could explore the business problems & solutions needed by small businesses.
Here's a sample strip:
Personally, I love marketers (or, the more friendly "marketeers," if you prefer) who are willing to take risks like this. Using humor and characters in marketing--let alone email marketing efforts--can go horribly awry unless you REALLY know your audience. Fortunately, in this case, Microsoft not only new their audience, but they were also to have her share the perils of starting and running a small business.
It was this empathy that helped the strip connect with customers and prospects. As a result, Margie not only ran in Microsoft's email newsletter but also the email newsletters of affiliates who liked the comic strip so much that they wanted to share it with their subscribers.
Beyond the email newsletter, Microsoft also pushed Margie to the web and appropriate social networks to increase exposure and engagement. The net net is that Margie helped Microsoft Office Live Small Business increase awareness of their product offering within that tough-to-reach small business/entrepreneurial crowd.
So what's Karen's advice to marketers considering doing something innovative like Margie?
Karen Davan, the Senior Marketing Manager for Microsoft Office Live Small Business, was the presenter, and she shared Microsoft's creation of "Margie" a comic strip character through whom Microsoft could explore the business problems & solutions needed by small businesses.
Here's a sample strip:
Personally, I love marketers (or, the more friendly "marketeers," if you prefer) who are willing to take risks like this. Using humor and characters in marketing--let alone email marketing efforts--can go horribly awry unless you REALLY know your audience. Fortunately, in this case, Microsoft not only new their audience, but they were also to have her share the perils of starting and running a small business.
It was this empathy that helped the strip connect with customers and prospects. As a result, Margie not only ran in Microsoft's email newsletter but also the email newsletters of affiliates who liked the comic strip so much that they wanted to share it with their subscribers.
Beyond the email newsletter, Microsoft also pushed Margie to the web and appropriate social networks to increase exposure and engagement. The net net is that Margie helped Microsoft Office Live Small Business increase awareness of their product offering within that tough-to-reach small business/entrepreneurial crowd.
So what's Karen's advice to marketers considering doing something innovative like Margie?
- Thinks about creative! Break out of the mold to stand out.
- Utilize a personality that customers can relate to.
- Enable a variety of avenues to acquire information (email, portal, social media, PR, search, etc.)
- Give your customers opportunities for interaction.
- Provide a clear call-to-action.
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