Three questions to ask before every presentation

1- Who is the audience?
This seems obvious, but you don't know how many presentations I have sat through that were meant for people not in the room. You have to consider the audience; what do they know about the subject? What questions will they have on their mind? Why are they here? Knowing your audience will let you pick the right approach, the right content and connect with them.

2- So what?
The burning question you should have ringing in your ears throughout the presentation is your audience asking, "So what?" What does this mean to me? What am I suppose to do with this information? If you answer this question for your audience, based on the correct audience information, you will engage them like never before, and get the best chance to succeed with the third question.

3- What is the desired action?
What do you want the audience to do with what you have told them? Do you want them to buy something, think about a problem, or start a conversation with a particular audience? At the very least you should want them to share something they learned with their colleagues and friends.

Equipped with the answers to these three questions you can then craft a more compelling presentation than the last one you delivered. I guarantee it. For more tips on presentations, check out Guy Kawasaki's 10/20/30 rule of PowerPoint.

Stop shouting and start listening

Most marketers spend months creating their message, making sure they have three points with support for each one. Then they agonize over how to creatively present that message. Then they pick a mass marketing channel and start blasting out the message.. it reminds me of trying to have a conversation during an argument. When one party is solely focused on shouting... it is time to change the channel, delete the email, or just walk away.

Today's successful technology marketing is about listening. Start by listening to your target buyers to determine what they need, how they research and find solutions to those needs, and how and where they connect with others to share their solutions.

I find so many marketers showing up in social media and they are still shouting. Start by knowing your audience. Listen to them, hang out, then contribute to the conversation. Become a trusted source and then you can talk to your friends, instead of shouting at strangers.

Many marketers assume that their target market is just like them, so they can just use themselves as a stand in instead of doing their homework. Wrong approach.

Try buyer personas as a tool to help make sure you are listening. A couple of good resources are Buyer Persona blog and Pragmatic Marketing.

"Things" get marketing

I admit it. I am a sucker for tech gadgets. I also appreciate great marketing when I see it. As I was looking for apps for my new iPad, I ran across a "to do" manager called "Things". Two items worthy of note: a professional video and a $20 price tag!

The Video
Cultured Code, the creator of "Things", obviously did the homework to know their audience. They counted on the early adopter of the iPad to be looking for cool apps that showcase the abilities of the iPad device.

They knew that Apple had created a certain look and style for advertising the iPad. What they did was leverage the advertising investment that Apple was making, to promote "Things", and did they ever get it right.

The Price
Because they had their product and promotion ready for the launch, they were one of the first "to do" list managers in the market on the iPad. Instead of basing their pricing strategy on the iPhone, as others did, they correctly judged that the early adopter audience would be willing to pay much more than the standard $5.00 price point. Can they hold that price.. maybe not, but they are on the top grossing lists of applications.

Know your audience first, then develop your go-to-market strategy.