The Next Level Communications Podcast

In this bonus episode of the Next Level Communications Podcast, I get to hang out with one of my favourite people - the inimitable Jakub Grajcar!You know those folks that make you feel good just by being in their presence? Jakub is just one such person - and what I love about him is that making people feel something - excitement, delight, possibility - is part of his purpose. Not only is he a presenting and podcasting genius, but he's a natural community builder, someone who cares about others, and who thinks really deeply about the good stuff - how to make a life rich and meaningful, how to show up in relationships, how to get better at your passions, and more.I hope you enjoy this conversation (and all its golden nuggets!) just as much as I did!Love this episode?! Say hey to Jakub on LinkedIn, or buy him a coffee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakub-grajcar/https://ko-fi.com/jakubgrajcar

Welcome back! In this final episode wrapping up season one, I walk through my formula for crafting compelling customer messaging.As your host, I'm always grateful you've stuck with me on this podcast journey. It's brilliant we've made it to episode six together. I've wanted to start a podcast for years, so it means so much you've encouraged and supported me.To recap, we've been exploring metalinguistics: the art of talking about talking. This season aimed to make you more curious about how your words work internally and externally. My hope is you feel equipped to bridge workplace culture gaps and create shared understanding.Today, we get a bit nerdy (but really, when have we not been nerdy?) and look at my framework for building customer-focused messages.First, let's revisit last week's episode on sociolects. Have you shared any hilarious words your family used growing up? My grandfather called Egypt "egg-wiped" and we said "weekies" instead of ears. Share your family's silly words!But onto today's focus: the magic of customer messaging.Your formula is:Your customer tells you what you doYou tell them how you did itThis means leading with their experience, not yours. Your customer is the authority on your impact. Maya Angelou said "people will forget what you said and did, but not how you made them feel."Their feelings are valid - you can't tell them their experience is wrong. Instead, ask them about your positive impact. Their feedback gives you authority to relay your value.You have creative control over the "how." Explain your cultural values and brand story. Share what makes you proud and why it drives results.Weave in those brand values from episode four into your methods. Show how your culture and approach lead to their experience.So in messaging:Your customer describes the impactYou describe how your values achieve that, backed by their wordsThis hierarchy resonates because it puts them first, not you. As Nick Anderson says, you have to earn the right to say "we." Put them front and centre.That brings us to Grice's Maxims of Conversation. These provide universal principles for getting your point across effectively. See how they feel intuitively true:Maxim of Relevance: What you say must relate to the topic at hand.Maxim of Quality: You must be truthful and not mislead.Maxim of Manner: You must be clear, avoid ambiguity, and explain appropriately.Maxim of Quantity: Give as much or as little information as needed - no more, no less.Think of when these get violated in life. You ask how someone is and they launch into overly personal details. The maxim of quantity got overlooked. Consider if your website and collateral uphold the maxims. Do they speak truthfully and clearly to your audience's needs without wasting their time? The maxims create a brilliant guide for engaging communication.Here are some key takeaways:Notice when maxims get violated in conversations - it highlights communication breakdowns.Analyse your copy's percentage of "you" pronouns - higher percentages show audience focus.Ensure your messaging adheres to the maxims - your customers will thank you for respecting their time and intelligence.That wraps up season one! Let me know your biggest takeaways and insights from the podcast so far. I may have a bonus episode coming soon, so stay tuned. Thank you for joining me on this journey - it means the world.

I know the title is an odd one, but this week, we're talking about belonging! Did you know that as human beings, we create belonging through our language? Find out why this is important for your business, your staff, and your brand, and get in touch to let me know what *you* called the TV remote when you were growing up. 

An episode with a twist! Treat this as your very own personal brand workshop - grab a cup of coffee, a pen and a notepad, and get ready to unearth how awesome you really are. 

Let's turn on the lights with some good old customer insights!When we ask for feedback, it makes people feel special - and gives them a sneaky little stake in our success!In this episode, we talk all things customer research and why it's a non-negotiable. When you do research, the benefits just keep coming: increasing our confidence, giving us proof points for our strategies, and helping us get ahead of problems.Understanding the customer experience is everything, so how do we crack this research nut?We talk about why personal conversations are gold, why you need to keep it open-ended and let people really share, and why being curious, not critical, is key. We'll dive into asking about first impressions, values, problem-solving, and what improvements your clients would like to see, and why you need to talk to at least 8-10 customers to avoid drawing big conclusions from small patterns.Ultimately - research is your foundation for building a road that leads to customer delight. Tune into this episode, and see how you can do that for yourself. As always - get in touch: eloise@olimcomms.com or on https://www.linkedin.com/in/eloiseleeson/. Thanks for listening!

TL;DR!In this podcast episode, we discuss the importance of consistent branding and the major problems inconsistent branding creates. We explain that your brand makes a first impression on customers, so incoherent branding across channels confuses customers and erodes trust.Research shows inconsistent branding can reduce purchases by up to 30%. We contrast accidental, disjointed branding with deliberate brand consistency exemplified by Coca-Cola. We state that while specific brand colors aren't needed, strategic coherence in messaging and visuals builds engagement. We then dive into common website branding issues like unclear purpose, lack of integration with business strategy, confusing copy, and lack of user focus!The detailed bit:What is a brand?A brand identifies a seller's products/services as distinct from competitors. Branding imbues products with the power of the brand.Who's affected by your branding?Consumers: Brands provide decision-making shortcuts (and can lead to 30% loss in revenue if you mess it up!)Employees/shareholders/partners: Branding affects reputation, desire to work there, and overall engagement. What is brand consistency?Customers receive the same impression and experience interacting with a brand across channels. This builds familiarity and confidence.What are heuristics?Mental shortcuts people use to simplify problems and avoid overload. Help us reach quick conclusions.Who is Lumpy Space Princess?! https://adventuretime.fandom.com/wiki/Lumpy_Space_Princess How big is the branding consistency issue?8% of organizations have brand guidelines, but only 30% enforce them. Results in off-brand content.Why consistency matters:Inconsistent branding is confusing and erodes trust.Can reduce purchases by 30%.Strong brands like Coca-Cola deliberately ensure consistency.Common website branding issues:No defined purposeLack of integration with marketing, cultureUnclear purpose and confusing copyToo much jargonUnclear value proposition and toneNo visible user problem solvedPoor user experienceThis leads to high bounce rates and loss of conversions. The key is keeping user experience consistent across branding.Let's continue the discussion! What branding consistency issues have you faced? Which companies excel at consistency?Get in touch! eloise@olimcomms.com or say hey at https://www.linkedin.com/in/eloiseleeson/ 

In this debut episode of the Next Level Communications podcast, we talk about why it's SO important to focus on other people when it comes to communicating, whether that's on a personal level, or in business.In this episode, we cover:Why putting human relationships at the core of business transactions leads to better outcomes for both companies and customers. In an increasingly competitive market, empathy and understanding give you a competitive edge.The reality that getting curious about what your customers truly want allows you to serve them better (and I do a small rant about asking thoughtful questions, the importance of audience research, and the fact that we'll cover this in future episodes)The importance of articulating your value in a way that resonates personally, and why we need to STOP focusing on all the neat features of your product or service at the start of an interaction.That success should not come at the cost of compromising on delivering an amazing customer experience. Serving people's needs is the real purpose of business.Links to stats sources:https://www.gallup.com/workplace/229424/employee-engagement.aspx?campaignid=18945816141&adgroupid=143633586437&adid=635680356863&gclid=CjwKCAjwmbqoBhAgEiwACIjzEKcW-rvDh69vvO3rUfmzaleiqnr12m2VZ3oHG3XRYh68h5l5wVTevBoC6qoQAvD_BwEhttps://backlinko.com/b2b-marketing-statshttps://campaigntoendloneliness.org/facts-and-statistics/Want to get in touch? Reach out anytime: eloise@olimcomms.com or say hey at https://www.linkedin.com/in/eloiseleeson/