The Marketing Muster: Issue 4

Hello

Hello, it's Joh here.

Thanks for stopping by The Marketing Muster, and a special welcome to my new subscribers. 👋

I've got some great stories for you this week including a question about where (if anywhere) politics should fit into your marketing. And a Standing Ovation for a wine company with a chef's kiss brand voice that puts their heartwarming values front and centre.

I hope you enjoy this week's issue of The Marketing Muster.

If you've missed previous issues, you can read them in the archives.

And if you want this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week, make sure you subscribe.

Have a great week.

Standing Ovation

Goodwill Wine

Goodwill Wine is a brand literally built by the generosity of Australians. And it pays that generosity forward giving 50% of all profits to various charities. As a brand, Goodwill Wine lives out its mission in everything it does, combining good wine with good causes.

The company came to be when founder David Laity lost almost everything in the 2009 Black Saturday fires. Inspired by the generosity of Australians who as he says, 'dropped into donation tins around the country', Goodwill Wine was born.

And in the decade since, they've donated more than $375,000 to various Australian charities.

But it's not just the literal goodwill I love about this brand, it's the goodwill in its tone of voice, content messaging and packaging.

With an Instagram feed filled with feel-good photos and fun-loving memes, and inspirational wine label messages, including, You're Freaking Awesome, Thanks for Being Amazing and The World Needs More of You, it's super clear this brand is all about doing and feeling good.

And the wines are delicious, too!

Why I love it:

What's not to love?
It's all about giving back in a fun, real and clearly authentic way
It's a human story; though most of us will never experience what David Laity and other bushfire victims have, we connect to the humanity of it
It uses a strong, consistent brand voice to support the company's mission and promise
The message of doing good permeates throughout the operation with the use of recycled cartons and carbon offsets for freight
They make it almost impossible for you to walk away with a 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee
It's an interactive experience allowing buyers to choose which charity to support with their purchase

I've just ordered a mixed dozen with the donation for my purchase going to Puddle Jumpers, a charity based in my local area.

Losing most of what you own only highlighted to me what was important in life. We are not here for very long and it reinforced for me that it is how we choose to treat others that makes this life worth living.

Goodwill Wine is a feel-good story in what can often seem like a feel-bad time. And I think they very much deserve this week's Standing Ovation.

Breaking News

Is Ben & Jerry's political stance risky or necessary?

From our Standing Ovation for a local wine company built on giving back to a global ice cream brand whose progressive political views are embedded throughout their content. How political should we be with our marketing? This article by Elanor Parker for BuzzSumo is a fascinating case study on how political values in your marketing can help or hinder, depending on your authenticity.

Insights

Rewriting landing pages with a pro copywriter

If you've ever wondered why headlines matter, read these before and afters to see how focusing on the needs of your audience completely changes the power of your message. Great work by Harry Dry and Annie Maguire.

How to write a landing page title

To find out how Annie Maguire made those headlines so much better, read her list of tips on how to write a landing page title.

Website Wisdom

How to come up with a great idea for your next blog post

Stuck for ideas for your next blog post? Josh Spector of For the Interested has great ways to get fresh ideas from your previous posts.

Tools

Microsoft Clarity

Has anyone used Clarity yet? It's Microsoft's new tool offering FREE heatmaps and website user session recordings. An alternative to Hotjar? I haven't had a play yet, but here are interesting initial insights from George Nguyen of Search Engine Land. If you've had a play, let me know what you think of Clarity.

Podcasts & People

The How to do Marketing Show

The How to do Marketing Show is a podcast all about helping small business marketers. Hosted by Jane Hillsdon, Managing Director of the award-winning Dragonfly Marketing agency, this podcast features fabulous guests talking all things small business marketing, plus regular snacktime episodes for quick tips and insights you can action fast.

My News

This weekend, I'm taking two whole days to work entirely ON my business.

My laptop and I have a date free from kids, cleaning and general weekend chaos.

And I cannot wait.

What bliss to have uninterrupted time to work on business planning, refining processes and tweaking my service offerings for 2021.

If you're a business owner, do you take time to work ON your business? It can be so hard to do. This weekend is something I've been meaning to do for years.

I hope to make it a biannual thing from now on (or even quarterly if I can swing it...)

Can you make any room to work ON your business before 2021?

Just For Fun

Play the original Super Mario Bros game online

Sincere apologies for the hours of procrasti-playing this will induce.😬

See you next week, Musterers.