My daughter, Laura, got engaged a few weeks ago… it was great news! Her fiancé, Wade, is a terrific young man and my wife and I couldn’t be happier for them. And what was really interesting about the announcement was how Laura did it (like a real marketing pro!)…
She used the phone first, calling her mother and I and a few really close friends; think about this when your firm has a big announcement – a new product or service launch, for example. Yes, it takes a little more effort and a little more time, but when your best clients or prospects hear it directly from you, it shows them that they’re a little more important to you than everyone else. Remember, clients don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
- She chose a medium where she is sure her friends would see it – in this case, Facebook (of course); just like when you choose where to distribute your marketing message – on social media, print ads in an industry publication, exhibiting at a conference – make sure it’s where your clients and prospects gather. Too often in our industry, I’ve noticed firms putting their marketing message in front of their direct competitors… which provides no ROI, other than to alert them about what you’re doing
- Web-based content marketing should be a key component of your marketing & sales strategy. And what makes it work is providing content that interests your readers and that they find interesting. Just like Laura did… her engagement is information that all of her friends (her target audience) would find interesting. Remember to write for your readers – not yourself. And please stop writing about where you’re having lunch… no one cares!
- When possible, include photos. Laura did… she included the photo you see here. Rule of thumb in marketing… Content (of any kind) with photos is more compelling than content without photos. Photos showing people are more compelling than photos of other things. Note: within minutes, she had nearly 300 “likes” about her photo.
- Be authentic. Laura was… she was genuinely excited and it came through in her Facebook post. If you try to fake it – people (and lots of them) will take notice. If you don’t care about something, don’t write like you do. If you’re pretending to be informational but are really trying to sell – it’s easy to see. Write from the heart and the head and about things your readers will care about.
So, take a lesson from my daughter as you work on your marketing & sales plan. Call it Laura’s competitive advantage!