Many businesses are using their marketing communication channels to demonstrate that they are EXACTLY the same as their competitors, rather than doing what marketing is meant to do, and differentiate themselves.
We go out of oue way to connect with professionals and business owners and invite them to receive our marketing communication emails. By return, we’ve ended up on quite a few databases, which means we happily receive a LOT of e-newsletters.
Unfortunately, most of what we receive is administrative: due dates, legislative changes and the like (professionals are particularly guilty of this) or overly salesy and generally lacking in inspiration for the receiver.
Yes it’s informative, but give or take a few words, it’s generic and no matter how you dress it up, it’s not marketing.
Put your feet in your clients’ shoes and consider how you would feel if the same old stuff kept arriving in your inbox. Would you find it interesting? Probably not…
In our experience, most professionals and business owners appreciate that they need to spend time and money on creating regular marketing communications, but they often blow their investment on meaningless ‘fillers’ that simply masquerade as marketing. It’s a lose/lose situation. You waste your time and your client won’t read it (even worse they unsubscribe from your list).
You can fix your marketing in 7 steps:
Step 1 is to separate administrative (or compliance) information from your marketing communications.
Quality original content will set you apart from others. While it can be convenient to use white label or generic resources, it’s the original material you write from your own experience, knowledge and specialisations that will inspire your clients and identify you as a leader in your field.
Your clients and prospect clients crave leadership. Any thought provoking insights you offer about matters that are important to them, will be highly valued.
Marketing communication is a two-way street. It should help you to sell more of your services, and it should inform, educate and generally help your clients, so that they may benefit from them.
Step 2 involves clearly identifying your clients’ needs.
Step 3 is indicating the outcomes you create for your clients.
Step 4 is using your marketing communication to demonstrate why you do what you do, how you do it, and what clients should expect. Remember clients ‘don’t know, what they don’t know’, so your job is to help them understand the value you offer them.
Step 5 involves sticking to one specific issue within a broader matter and ‘speaking’ directly to those clients and prospects who are most affected.
Step 6 is to resist heavy technical detail and focus on outcomes… “if you take this action now, you will achieve this outcome and that will allow you to…”
When you speak directly to a particular type of client about a specific matter that has important impacts for them, you evoke a much more personal and emotional response, that will more likely prompt them to take up your recommendations.
Step 7 is to acknowledge how your client will feel when they achieve the promised outcome – relieved, financially safe, confident, empowered. Doing so will pave the way for you to introduce the services you offer that are necessary for achieving those outcomes. Contrary to logic, most clients won’t take action just because you say so. They’ll do it because it feels right.
If you have any questions about how to enhance your marketing communications, email me at marketing@boldcorp.com.au and I’ll be in touch.
At Bold! we specialise in marketing communication for professionals and business owners, and it would be our pleasure to help you to implement our ‘Do-Able’ Marketing model which is underpinned by a 7-Step Do-It-For-Me (DIFM) Framework for you. We’ve been working with professionals and business owners for over 20 years, overcoming the THREE key concerns that often prevent them from marketing their businesses: Time, Affordability and Accountability.
For a no-obligation discussion please contact Wendy Bold on 07 5477 0197 or email marketing@boldcorp.com.au