Jul
Do You Think Marketing Is A Dirty Word Or Are You A Marketing Whore?
[Excuse the crudeness of the title but I really couldn't think of an equally suitable word that worked]
Read the following questions and tick either A or B for whichever statement best describes you…
A - You feel passionately about what you do and believe that people who need you, will find you.
B - You feel passionately about what you do but no-one’s going to come to you unless you shout it from the rooftops…all the time.
A - You think there’s something just a little bit trashy and pushy about promoting what you do.
B - There’s nothing wrong with telling everyone you meet what you do; you never know, they might be a potential customer.
A - You think marketing is for big companies who have a big budget and prefer not to spend any money on promoting yourself.
B - You’re up for trying the latest & greatest when it comes promoting what you do, even if it ends up being money down the pan (hey, at least you tried it).
A - You don’t have a blog, only really use Facebook for connecting with friends and have no idea what Twitter, Viddler or Squidoo are.
B - Not only do you have a blog, it’s linked to your Facebook profile, your Twitter account and all your other online networking profiles so they all get updated at the same time and people can’t fail to notice when you post something new.
A - You would far rather spend your time coaching/consulting/training or whatever, than spend your time marketing so you don’t bother even trying.
B - You’re happy to coach/consult/train because it earns you the bucks, but you’d far rather spend your time figuring out how to promote yourself some more.
A - If you do have a blog, you blog because you can’t bear to let down your 5 loyal subscribers but you’d never promote the blog because that would be, well…marketing yourself.
B - You blog only because you know it’s such a great marketing tool and an opportunity to tell everyone what you’re doing, not because you enjoy the conversation or to add value to peoples’ lives.
And the results? Doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure this out…
Mostly A answers: You need to get over yourself and your fear of marketing and get out there to market yourself some more.
Mostly B answers: You need to get over yourself & take a chill pill…and think about the fact that if you’re having to market yourself so hard and so much, what you offer might not be quite as great as you think it is.
I normally I love your posts - and am a big fan of you and your concept of a traveling guru, in general. But, this post didn’t sit totally right with me. I feel like you’re a big advocate of self-employed people to social network through other blogs (guest blogger), social networking (twitter especially) and talking to potential customers through blogs? I don’t agree that it’s as cut and dried as the A-B quiz.
Nobody loves your baby like you do. No one will promote and advocate for your business like you do. And, there’s nothing wrong with that.
It’s your job as a self employed entrepreneur to be spreading the message and figuring out direction for your company. Talking to your customers through blogs and social networking is a valuable part of this process.
Anne-Marie - I completely agree with you - no-one else will promote your business if you don’t. And yes, you’re right I’m a big advocate of networking on social media, blogs etc.
The types that irk me however are the people who view these tools purely to sell, sell, sell (and there are a few people I know like that)…I’m sure you know the sort: the twitterbators, the people whose updates are solely geared to promote what they do and not engage friends, customers, fans, critics, prospects.
I guess what I was trying to get at (and clearly failed) was that talking “to” your customers is vital…not just talking “at” them which is what many people still seem to do - and view social media tools as simply another way to do this (or of course, they don’t market themselves at all which is also not ideal).
I was also trying to touch on the fact that some people sell & promote things they don’t necessarily believe in (some internet marketers, maybe?) and leverage online tools & social networks/communities to do this - without ever stopping to think whether they are (a) passionate about what they do or (b) believe in what they’re selling.
As I wrote the “B” answers, I kinda, sorta recognised myself in parts and also how I try not to behave…maybe I’m a marketing whore?!? But I do know that my intentions for blogging, for marketing and for interacting are “good” and honest - I don’t think that’s always the case.
I also think there’s a lot to be learned from a business perspective that if you’re spending an awful lot of time and energy pushing, promoting and selling - that it’s sometimes worth re-looking at what it is you’re marketing and making sure it’s as good as it can be.
We’ve recently done that and realised that some of our products/services could be vastly improved which in turn, makes our marketing simpler and less of an effort…sometimes looking internally is better than looking externally if things aren’t going your way - what do you think?
I totally “get” what you mean. I really get bugged with people that are only about self promotion and are not about giving back to the community that feeds them.
Having a two-way conversation is ultra important - and that only happens when you’re genuinely interested in what your customers have to say. And that spirit comes from a very different places then a strict “Sell! Sell! Sell!” philosophy.
With you and your businesses, much of what you are selling is you and yourself so I’m not surprised that you often feel like you’re pushing yourself too much. You sell a product that is built on well, *you* and so self promotion becomes part of that game.
The key, and I think you’re also alluding to that, is to do it in a way that is driven by a desire to truly help people (who then, hopefully, become your customers in the end).
To answer your specific question, if things aren’t going my way, definitely - internal is the way to go. After all, ya’ can’t change anyone but yourself. And, if you need to change a process or procedure, that starts with you as well.
Lea,
Thanks for the post. I enjoy your posts and they have given me many ideas. Your post has a strong emphasis on virtual gorilla marketing. While this may be effective for your market base, one size does not fit all. Folks should consider their market and target client base. For example, my clients are government agencies and organizations working on land use and environmental planning issues. For the most part, online networking has little value and can even be detrimental. Based upon comments and conversations I have heard while working with clients, the use of things like Facebook and twitter would undermine one’s professional creditability. I would suggest that folks carefully consider their market before launching an online presence. Perhaps you could provide some commentary on other promotional approaches?
I think what may be missing form the posting and from Anne-Marie’s comments are the concepts of “Value” and “Ethics.” If a person is selling a product or service that offers good value for the customer, and if the business follows legal and ethical marketing policies, then I say sell, sell, sell. If not, I will tell then to go away and not bother me.
@Kate - be happy to…any specific requests for other promotional approaches you’d like me to comment on?? And you’re dead right…online marketing can be absolutely useless if your target markets don’t spend time online - that’s what I always tell prospects/clients who approach us wanting to create an online presence when their target markets are nowhere to be found online!
@ Ron - you’re spot on; value and ethics are missing from so many companies, particularly those who market themselves heavily online. I think that’s one of the reasons many people are skeptical of it…