The shortest marketing lesson?
Be different.
It is critical to stand out. And when you are different, you get noticed.
Think about your mail. Full of mailers. Do you look at them? I know we have a tendency to toss them in the garbage at my house. Why? Because they all look the same, aside from this “letter”/mass mailer I received (if you didn’t watch the video this will make no sense to you!). The letter was a great idea, but kind of failed the test on the whole. So, no sales there.
Let’s check out how to be different, and really pass the test:
Be different – for real:
- No really. Be real – When you’re different you immediately get the attention of the customer. Ok good. But are you being authentic? If not, you’re going to fail at this whole awesome marketing strategy, and that would make me sad. And it will result in no sales. You see a pattern starting here, yes?
- Check your marketing style – How have you been marketing up until this point? Ok good. Now stop doing that. That way has already been your established method. If you are doing what your industry is already doing, you’ll be hidden in the mix. (Uhm, the opposite of being different.)
Attract:
- Meet the attractor factor – Once you have mastered being different, the right audience must be compelled to take action. Who is the audience you want to reach? How will you attract or compel them to take the action you want? One thing I have learned in this department is to always be myself when marketing. It is one thing to be different, but it absolutely must be rooted in your authenticity. (See above!)
- Build trust – Trust is paramount. Be truthful with your customers. Customers and clients know when they are being manipulated in your marketing shenanigans. Remember you are not just selling a product, you are serving your customers the best thing for them. Serve well. When your customers trust you and know you have their best interest in mind, it will attract them to your company.
Trigger
- What is your call to action? What is the one simple step you want the customer to take? Maybe it’s emailing you, or clicking a call to action box. Whatever it may be, make sure they are compelled to do it, friction free and in the easiest way possible.
I love being different – stop laughing. Being different allows us all to be ourselves. If we truly do that, our businesses will move forward.
Drop me an email or comment below – how are you different in your industry? If you’re not, tell me what you plan to do about it! (See the call to action here?) I look forward to hearing from you!
You’ve got this!
-Mike
I’m a handyman/ home repair company. You know what I don’t see for miles around me? People in the trades ACTIVE in networking groups like Rotary and local Chambers of Commerce. So I do that. My business is 100% referral. My target clients are business people with their own homes who are too busy to do their own repairs. So I go where they are, I show up, I talk with them about an hour or two a week, and get to know them and they get to know me. The funny thing is that when you show up consistently they start to think you’re reliable. I wish more trades people would join these groups and be consistent in coming to the meetings, there are projects I don’t do, and trying to find a good contractor to refer to is hard.
One other thing I do is on my website. I list out the types of projects I do, and the ones I don’t do. I also guests to my sight what I deliver, and that if they are just looking for the fast cheap option, this is not where to find it.
I love it. What is your website? We should share you info here too!
YASSS this is exactly what I tell my team and anybody I train on outreach:
– Be different
– Be authentic
– Be upfront
While my outreach is focused on link building (and not sales), it’s still about persuasion.
People are tired of companies trying to persuade them in a generic, manipulative and spammy way.
It feels condescending to them, because outreachers underestimate their critical thinking.
Just be human, and approach someone in a personable, genuine way. Cut through the noise by bringing your own flavor, and just be a little silly. It works!
Hi Mike
I was trusted and had a great personal touch which my clients loved, but I moved and now have to find the time to start all over again. As a bookkeeper I always cared about their business and so we worked together which is so good to do.
My different thing is being my real self and not the buttoned down aloof “angry Kathryn” that I was in corporate. I’ve been communicating in a more casual way. I find that being more myself relates better to my target market, construction contractors. I grew up following dad around as he ran his construction business so I know that industry and can relate to the owners. I find that some of these business owners tend to be intimidated by CPA’s and I suspect that they’ve been talked down to by white collar snob types and I don’t roll that way. Since I started this new approach a few weeks ago, I’ve added 3 new monthly clients and a handful of tax clients.
The ask is my challenge. I’ve gotten off the phone with no follow-up plan and then just sort of like a lead slip away. I’ve implemented a tracking system so that won’t happen again and have made sure that I have some sort of follow-up scheduled.
I started a monthly newsletter and got a really good open rate on the first one. I was in charge of financial system communications at my W2 job and used to fill my emails with trivia and short stories. Some of my former coworkers have signed up for my newsletter because they missed my – snapshots into the weird world of KJBCPA.
Kathryn, try giving a listen to this podcast, it might help you with your closing rate and follow up. http://thebrainybusiness.com/podcast/10-on-air-strategy-planning-session-with-mariel-court/
The whole podcast is amazing and I definitely recommend the ones that come before/ after this but because of your comment I think you should check this one out first.
Cheers
Point well conveyed, Mike…..We all have to be different..
nice! This updates to the explanation compared to the first 2 webinars is super, super clear. Much easier to follow along! great job, woot!!!
Thanks Justin! I am going to do another webinar soon as I further refine the system.
I’m totally on board with being different. As a Social Media Manager/Trainer, I needed to stand and I knew I could do that on my Instagram grid, so I made a puzzle grid @365DaySocial on Instagram. It worked and helped me grow my audience by a couple of thousand really quickly – which is very hard to do as a social media manager for your own biz as it’s so competitive. So much so, I ended up selling templates for a puzzle grid, and now they are a lead magnet. I’ve become known for helping people to think differently about their social media and paid ads.
I don’t follow a puzzle grid now as my audience is more established and it took a lot of work and forward planning. Maybe you don’t need to be different all the time if it’s too time-consuming?? Or you need to think about ways to be different quickly!
Hey there… Just so you know, my father was the most manly of men; fought in the infinity during World War II. And had the most beautiful handwriting I’ve ever seen. So you can’t always judge by that. As someone who has been through StoryBrand Guide training, I would say that the first line introducing himself was where he went wrong. Always lead with your customer, not yourself.
I own a massage clinic and we have made ourselves different and stand out is in several ways. First in our name, The Busy Body, opting for a name that didn’t have a theme of relaxation in it and instead is more geared to people who are “busy” and need to relax. We don’t have a long list of different types of massages with different prices instead we charge for the amount of time a customer wants to pay for and then customize the massage to their individual needs. We don’t offer memberships which promise different pricing options but require long term contracts, our prices are already competitive so we don’t need to discount them! And the number one difference is that we focus on the QUALITY of the work we give, not how many customers we can shove through our doors. We want to build relationships with our customers and keep them coming back!
My takeaways:
1. Be authentic first – Mike stated this point 2nd but for me this is paramount to everything else. I won’t want to risk my reputation on not being anything but authentic.
2. Be different – don’t be afraid to try different ways to reach your target audience
3. Clear call to action – the solicitation Mike received did this, but since it failed the authenticity test, Mike dismissed it.
It would be ironic if the guy who’s name was on the letter actually did write it himself and had nice handwriting LOL…I hate writing cursive so when I handwrite I just use block letters.
I wonder if there was anything else included in the solicitation Mike received….i.e. if I had sent it, aside from not writing in cursive, I would have provided a brochure, or a printout of what to look for when shopping for windows/doors – something where the recipient finds some value. Windows/doors are expensive when looking to retrofit an entire house, so for a big ticket item it would seem really hard to just get a customer to make a purchase on a letter alone (at least to me).
Great piece! As a marketing analyst and recent graduate I always find myself trying to stay ahead of the curve however that can lead to me forgetting the basics, especially the point on being real, after all “authenticity is the new authority”.