GIVE YOUR CLIENTS A "BACKSTAGE PASS"
I have a question for you: What business are you in?
I bet you said "real estate".
WRONG!
How about your dentist? What business is he or she in? If you said "dentistry", you'd be WRONG again.
All of us are in the same business. We are marketers. You-yes, YOU!-are in the marketing business. Whether you like it or not. (If you don't think so, then you'll be out of business fast.)
Products and services do not sell themselves. You could have the greatest invention since the wooden boat, but without marketing it will rot in your backyard.
No matter what it is you sell-candlesticks, financial advice, ice, real estate, obscure comic books-if you don't let people know what you do for them, you're not making any money. Which means you're not really "in" business.
And, in its simplest terms, that's exactly what marketing is: It's simply the way you let people know what you can do for them. I like to think of marketing as a "backstage pass" that lets people into your business's world and its details.
As a child, do you remember seeing those educational TV programs that would show "behind-the-scenes" of a particular business? One week they would show how chocolate is made. Another week they told all about packaging potato chips. I used to love watching where a product began and how it came to become the finished product. I still find myself mesmerized when I flip by a channel that is showing and explaining the making of a particular product or the explaining of a particular service detailing all the intricate benefits I had no way of knowing. Why do you think that QVC and The Home Shopping Channel are so popular......people love the DETAILS, people love to see the BENEFITS and people love MARKETING.
Most people are afraid of letting people see what goes on "behind-the-scenes". Their egos get in the way. But the very best marketers welcome the cameras in. They have nothing to hide and they understand the value people will place on them after seeing the intricacies of what they do.
Let's take real estate as an example. How could you apply this "backstage pass" principle to your own business? Well, let's start by examining how most people see the term "real estate agent". Most people will define it as a person who helps people buy and sell homes.
OK, nobody's going to argue with that. But there's so much more! It's not just about writing an offer and pricing and showing homes.
Have you told your clients lately what that process looks like? You can't expect everyone to know. Maybe they've never bought a house before. How about writing an article-or a SERIES of articles-on the buying and selling process? People LOVE information. When you provide them with information that truly helps them, you are seen as the expert to call. There is no better way to market your business.
Marketing has gotten a bad rap in recent years. Slick huckster campaigns and e-mail "spam" bombardment has tarnished what it means to be a marketer so much that many business owners now cringe at the word "marketing". But you don't have to cringe. Marketing should never be painful nor intrusive. The kind of marketing I'm talking about is true honest ADVICE for your clients. This is what they truly want-knowledge. They want what's inside of your head. Why not give it to them?
So, think about it. How could you take this "backstage pass" idea and package it in such a way that makes you stand out? Well, first start with my top 3 marketing rules.
The Top 3 Rules of Marketing:
1. A CONSISTENT LOOK
A look is a "brand" that is all your own. If people can't identify you by the colors and design of your article from five feet away, forget about it. You want to be seen and KNOWN by your design.
2. A compelling message delivered with a compelling headline.
When you develop your own "marketing message", you eliminate all competition because NOBODY does exactly what you do exactly the same way you do it. Carving out your "niche" and targeting it with your own specialized talents is a powerful way to get connected with your community and leave a lasting impression-one that makes you "stick in their heads" until they need you.
3. Consistent delivery of that message.
CONSISTENCY CONSISTENCY CONSISTENCY. I can't say it enough times. Just when you think your marketing "isn't working", that's when it's just about to take off. To warm your audience, you need to pass in front of their eyes many many times. With consistency, it WILL sink in. Don't quit. Keep delivering your message at scheduled repeated intervals.
Use the power of a "backstage pass" to inform your clients and you'll be amazed at how good of a marketer you really are!
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