Have you been procrastinating to avoid your marketing to-do list? Try these 3 tips to re-frame things and get your juices flowing…
Ditch the ‘M’ word
Don’t think of it as ‘marketing’ if that word just makes you want to reach for the gin. It’s a useful word because people tend to know what it entails, but does carry with it a whiff of sleaze born from decades of companies using the incessant invasion of our subconscious to sell stuff we neither want or need.
Try re-framing it to: ‘How can I reach more awesome people who need my help?’
Think about where they might go – either online or in person — and find ways to be present to help them with the problem they are looking to solve.
Use your trainers!
If you’re sitting there in front of your laptop trying to force out that newsletter or blog and it’s just not happening, take a mental laxative and shake it up instead! I rarely get a creative idea at my desk.
Exercising is a really great way for brilliant thoughts to pop up – even if it’s just a quick walk in the park.
Maybe ask a friend or colleague to join you? Topics for articles and posts often come to me when I’m chatting with people and I can sense what they need help with.
If you can help one person then loads of other people will also benefit from your answer!
I keep a list of the things I think people will find useful, and when it’s time to write a post or a newsletter, I sit (somewhere more inspiring than at a desk) with a good ol’ fashioned pen and paper to write my structure and the points I want to cover.
And only when that’s all done do I go about in weaving all together in digital.
Be romantic
Say what?! No, I don’t suggest you hit on all your clients. That would be, well, just creepy. What I mean is don’t just think of customers as buyers. Think of them as a friend.
Most people half expect cards and gifts at Christmas, say, but why not send them something thoughtful at a random time of year to show how much you appreciate them. Perhaps a card with an inspiring quote, or book that you know might help them. Or that interesting tea they commented on during a meeting.
You’ll make them feel pretty special, and people like that.
As Maya Angelou once said “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Do you have any tips for reaching out to people who need your expertise, and make them feel special? Please share them below. I would love to hear from you. And do share this article with someone else who might find it useful. Thanks so much. You’re awesome!