“You can’t fool all the people, not even most of the time. People, once unfooled, talk about the experience.” -Seth Godin
I cannot even begin to count the number of times a client has come to me with a new marketing idea. It’s usually an ad, sale, referral system…something that requires a flyer at least 90% of the time. It is so incredibly well-intentioned. And with entrepreneurship? We are doing all this s*** ourselves. You are learning as you grow. (Don’t look at my accounting. I’m still learning, and it’s embarrassing).
But friends. Listen. Please listen. If it requires a flyer, 99% of the time—it is not marketing. That, my friends, is advertising. Which is important, and essential; crucial even. But that is not your marketing strategy. You may not even have one.
Marketing is not an add-on.
If this idea just popped in your head as a way to boost sales, it’s not marketing. If it’s a promotion, an event, a rewards or referral system, it is not marketing. That is, unless that promotion, event or system is in service of your marketing strategy. You see, marketing is not the proverbial chapstick at the business strategy checkout aisle you reach for in an impulse. Marketing is the reason you came to the store.
Marketing starts from the ground, up.
It is who you are as a business. If you’re an accountant, (hit me up, ‘cause I need you) are you the accountant who is extremely thorough? Bring that to every aspect of your business. Are you the accountant who makes a connection with your clients—the one who really cares? Bring that to every aspect of your business. Are you the accountant who provides remarkable service?
Bring. That. To. Every. Aspect. Of. Your. Business.
This is your Marketing Strategy. This is how you grow your business.
How does that work?
Think of your Vision and Mission Statements as a company. Now think of those things as an experience. What does that look like?
An example (sticking with our hypothetical accountant):
If your Mission Statement was “To make a lasting impact on people’s lives by connecting with every client to ensure enduring financial success and organization.”
I would suggest a Marketing Statement like, “Foster Relationships”
And then that should seep into everything. Customer recovery strategy? Foster relationships. Promoting a sale on services? Do it by and while fostering relationships. Filing a tax return? Foster a relationship through that tax return.
Your goal is now to be the accountant people call “my accountant”. This is now your identity as a business. And you are a thirsty teenager looking to express yourself in every minuscule area of your life—the way you dress, think, talk, the music you listen to. Your identity as an accountant who fosters relationships is now tattooed onto everything your company does.
This is what it means to brand yourself.
You are not a one-off service type of guy. You know each of your clients by their first name, and a little bit about their family. You will eventually have four tax returns on file for that person. You’re not just their accountant. They have a relationship with you. They might even call you their friend.
And that’s why they’ll come back.
That’s why they will recommend you.
That is marketing.
mic drop
Just kidding. But really.
-Krissy J
