Every business owner needs to get their marketing message clear, intriguing and differentiated.  Like it or not, it’s a fact!  It’s also a challenge when the service you provide is a highly personal one to the client.  When it comes to creating  a message for personal services you have to connect with the client on a deep level and give them something they are willing to pay for.  It’s a balancing act many businesses struggle with.  That’s why I feel it’s important to share messages about how to differentiate yourself in the market.

There are several myths that I see tripping up coaches and other personal transformation professionals.  Each of these myths can quickly get you off track and have potential clients going elsewhere…fast!  So, I want to point you in a helpful direction.  See if you have bought into any of the following myths.  Feel free to comment with your opinions at the end of the post.

Myth #1:  Using the correct marketing language will easily drive traffic your direction. “Marketing language” is not magic nor is it always useful.  When I started in the world of marketing, I copied all sorts of “money making” phrases that I thought would fill my business with eager clients.  I mixed and matched, I changed it up a bit and I added my own voice.  Did it get attention?  A little.  However, what really got attention was when I started talking about my own personal story and experience.  I started using MY language, straight from my own brain and heart.  Psst - if you are on a mission, this is most effective in connecting with those you are meant to help.

Why? Because you are unique in you’re own right.  Speaking from your heart will get more traction than using a formula. Therefore your combination and selection of words is unique.  So, why rely on someone else to tell you what to say.  Use your own unique way of speaking.  Remember, the goal is to get potential clients to trust you so they are willing to jump right in.  They will trust you more if they feel like they “know” you.  How can they know you or trust you when you aren’t being authentic in your communications?

Myth #2:  Keep it professional. I know I just said speak from your heart.   Now, I’m saying to keep it professional? Many people feel these two things cannot co-exist and I beg to differ.  You can be personal and use your heart to guide your words.  As long as you stay on a topic that is professional, then you’re fine.

Now, that’s not to say that you’re forbidden from sharing your personal life.  People respond to personal information. By personal information, I’m not saying share the fight you had with your significant other last night.  I’m saying, share some hobbies or things you like to do outside your business.  Relate it back to your business and make connections wherever you can.  Know that in sharing a piece of who you are outside your business, you are allowing people to connect with you in a different way.  They may just start asking for your business help, because they can relate to your personal interests. This is why you’ll find me sharing my love for acting, my addiction to “American Idol” and stories of game days or BBQ’s at my house.  It starts a conversation.

Myth #3:  It’s best to have a Professional Copywriter write for me. While a professional copywriter can write your copy from scratch, however, it won’t have as much power or draw as it would coming from you.

If you really want to get the biggest bang for your buck…write the original copy from your own heart and then send it to a copywriter to spiff it up and enhance the effectiveness.  A great copywriter will appreciate your unique spin and use most of your language with a few pertinent changes they know will get you better results.

Over time, they might start to get a feel for the way you speak and start to write some for you, however, I always recommend at least writing a few paragraphs from your own language in order for the copywriter to do their best work.  Your language and your thoughts about your business change over time.  What might be your language today is not going to be the same in 3 months. That’s why I always suggest that you start with your own original copy.

So, where you are going to start with getting your own unique thoughts into the world?

Do your clients get bored with what you offer? Our kitty has taught me this very important marketing principle.  Calvin is our rambunctious, playful, fun, energetic and big lovable (13 pound) kitty.  His nickname is Mr. Mischief for a reason.  He gets bored easily so we have to keep him entertained by playing with him.  If he gets too bored, he starts to look at Hobbes as a new toy to play with and she’s not usually up for play more than once a day, whereas he is up for it several times a day.  In order to keep the peace, we spend time playing with Calvin every day.

His favorite toys are these squishy foam golf balls that bounce.  We call them bouncy balls.  He absolutely loves these toys.  He creates his own games with them and we never know what the game is until half way through play time.  Sometimes, he’s playing catch, sometimes he chases them and then other times he’d rather hunt.  We give him the choice and just go with it.

However, there are times when the bouncy ball just isn’t the toy of the day.  It’s pretty easy to tell when Calvin doesn’t want to play with something.  He just sits there and does nothing.  So, we have to change it up and try new toys.  He loves his bouncy balls, but sometimes he just needs something new.

Say the same message over and over and clients get to know what you do.  However, if you become too repetitive, they are going to just skip on by and look for something new. So, make sure you change up your marketing.  Say something new, create something new, or offer something new.

Take a look at your marketing.

Are you using the same exact copy when you re-launch a product or program?

Are you repeatedly using the same questions to get people engaged in your marketing?

Are you using the same 30 second speech every week at your networking group?

Get creative!  Find multiple things you speak about and keep changing it up.  As long as you always make a connection back to your main marketing message, you can keep it interesting.

Don’t let potential clients get complacent.  Keep changing it up to get their attention in the midst of all the consistency. Consistency builds trust and a little something different every now and then keeps the attention.

I know I’ve learned a lot from my lovable kitties.  I hope they have taught you something as well.  What are you going to change?  Leave a comment and share it.

Meet Hobbes!  Our little female kitty that Hubby and I find hugely adorable.  We rescued her from the scary outside world when she was 4 months old.  And yes, we know the comic strip characters are a boy and a male tiger, but in this case our Hobbes is a girl.  She’s now 5 years old, hugely skittish around strangers but loves attention and is very vocal.  She has the cutest kitten meow you’ve ever heard…it makes me melt.

Hubby has yet to get our little Hobbes to allow him to hold her.  It took a year to get her to start to trust me.  I would sit her on my lap or hold her for short periods of time (a few seconds).  She would really enjoy it at first but then realize it was a human doing it and run away.  I could tell that she really was an affectionate cat and wanted lots of love, but just wouldn’t allow the humans to provide it.  So, I kept increasing the time.  I’d make her sit a few seconds more every time I petted her.  After about 2 years, she finally admitted that she enjoys sitting in my lap.  She’ll jump up in my lap any time I’m sitting on the couch now.  She also occasionally likes me to hold her, but it has to be in the only position SHE likes.  Typical cat thing.

Just like Hobbes, clients need you to force them to see something they didn’t know they wanted.

Your clients know some things when they come to you.  They know they need to change something.  They know that something isn’t working.  They know they want to do something about it and they know there is someone out there who can help them.  They are just trying to figure out if you are that person.

I’m sure you’ve noticed your clients typically end up finding deeper problems than the ones they came to you for.  I’m guessing there are a whole host of contributing factors to the reason they need your help.  I’m also pretty sure there are some things they need to wake up to in order to successfully solve those problems.  This is where the juice is.  You can help them start waking up before they even start working with you.  You can’t just “tell” them what they need to know, but you can start eluding to how things are showing up for them and what might be contributing.

For example, let’s say you work with women who struggle to attract the man of their dreams.  If your clientele isn’t very enlightened, then you can’t just tell them that they have to work on themselves first in order to get what they want.  Instead, write articles about the problems that are showing up for them.  Then at the end you can show what specific inner mindset could be getting in their way.  Then they can come to you for help busting through that mindset.

The client has to FIRST see that you get where they are and know the problems they are experiencing.  Then they need the solution.  You already know that you need to offer the solution, but are you really helping them dig in and wake up?  Are you challenging them to own their role in the process?

Be strong, be tough and stand for what you know they want.  Start as early as you can in your marketing.  Give the cold hard truth in your articles, blogs, newsletter etc… Help them admit to themselves what they’ve been thinking all along. If you challenge your potential clients they will start to see what they need to do and start to own their power to change it.  Wouldn’t that make for an awesome client?  Not only that, they are going to want to hire you faster, because they know you “get it”.

How are you going to challenge your potential clients? Share your thoughts in a comment.

Did your head just spin reading that?  Are you thinking I’m going to tell to you start doing door-to-door sales?  Don’t worry.  Door-to-door sales is not the latest, greatest way to go about your marketing…although it can prove useful.  The story I share below is intended to be a way to choose marketing strategies that will work for you.

In August, I’ll be co-hosting an event locally with a business coach.  We’re combining our talents for a small workshop/seminar.  First off, we decided to do this event because we both wanted to grow our local lists.

Key #1 to a successful marketing strategy is to know exactly what outcome you want.

From there we decided what marketing strategies we would use to promote the event.  Knowing that personal relationships create the best conversion, we knew we’d have to go out and meet people.  So, of course networking events were part of our plan.  Our target market is wellness businesses and we know that most owners of wellness businesses are busy either running the business or taking care of clients…sometimes both!  So, they don’t attend many networking meetings.  We knew we’d have to reach them where they worked.  So, it made sense to knock on office doors and personally invite them to the event with a flyer (and if we could get it, a convo about what they would get from attending).

Key #2 to a successful marketing strategy is knowing who your target market is
AND how to best reach them.

So, a couple weeks ago I hopped in my car (on one of the few relatively cool days we’ve had this summer) and knocked on doors of wellness businesses.  I was nervous.  As a Singer/Actress I’m used to those kind of nerves.  I get them just before I step on stage and this was like opening night jitters which are always worse.  I couldn’t find the first couple of offices which made me even more nervous.  Then I stepped into one where they actually introduced me to the business manager.  He was hugely busy and said he couldn’t talk, so I quickly gave him the flyer, got his card and asked when would be a good time to call next week.  I was then ushered out the door.

Now for some people that would’ve been discouraging or it might’ve been a downer.   For me that just fired me up!  I got excited that I would get to call and talk to him the next week.   For some reason while I was visiting with this business owner I fell into a groove.  It was a familiar groove.  It was one where I felt comfortable.

So, I had some additional confidence moving on to other offices.  Again, more I couldn’t find.  Some with just a business card out front and no receptionist to greet me.  Others I got to talk to partnering business owners.

I had a personal conversation with a dance studio owners daughter about getting into some adult dance classes and finding a voice coach that was local.  She had some connections and we shared some stories of the professional world.  It was a great convo on a personal level.  At the end, the Mother mentioned the partnering business owner (for the fitness business next door) struggled with marketing and business operations.  She said she’d definitely recommend our workshop/seminar.  How fun!  A personal convo ended up turning into a recommendation.

By this point I was totally high.  Again, it was a familiar and comfortable high that I had been missing.  At the time I didn’t realize what was happening but now that I look back on it I get it.  It was just like performing for me.  Instead of being a character though, all I had to do was be me.  My infectious, bubbly personality along with my curiosity about businesses was getting me in the door.  I was just having fun meeting new people (which is a favorite pass time of mine)!  I needed to know what I wanted to get across (a script), be in the moment and let the convo (scene) take its course.  That recipe was a great one for acting and it works for marketing!

Okay, so you might be wondering what my point is here.  Here’s the deal.  Your personality, experience and things you enjoy are all HUGE assets in marketing.  Use them!  Stop listening to what strategies you’re “supposed” to do and start experimenting with things that sound interesting and will get you what you want.  Try something new and different.  You never know when it will pay off.  I’m still following up with some of the people I met via phone, but just getting out there and meeting people juiced me up so I had the confidence and energy to get on the phone and follow-up (which I dreaded before I did this little experiment).

Key #3 to a successful marketing strategy is choose a strategy that fits who you are.

Your turn!  What strategies are you going to try that fit who YOU are?

When you are representing your business, do you have a way of standing out?  In this day and age there are a lot of people entering the coaching world.  If you want to be successful in this larger world of coaching, then you must differentiate. You need to find something that people will remember so they quickly and easily refer to you later on.

I have recently created a strategy for local networking meetings to get me noticed.  So I stand out and am memorable to those I meet.  What’s the strategy?  Tie-dye!  It took a bit of courage at first, but I always tell my clients to capitalize on who they are.  I have to follow my own advice, so I’m going against the rules and using tie-dye to get more noticed.

Now, I’m not saying you need to go out and purchase tie-dye clothes or even change what you wear to networking meetings.  It’s not just about the tie-dye.  It’s about using who you are to create a powerful, memorable marketing strategy that gets people wanting more conversation. You want that, don’t you?

Here’s the story of how all this came to pass and how it fits with my marketing strategy.

Yup, that’s me bowling on my birthday!  My Husband started a tradition of wearing tie-dye in college.  After we got married and I got used to the idea, I started wearing tie-dye too.  Come to find out, I actually LOVE wearing tie-dye.  Hubby and I are kinda known for our tie-dye which is fun.  We’ve got family members wearing it and when we lived in the country the whole town knew us as “The Tie-Dye Couple”.  We wear tie-dye so much we get questioned when we don’t wear tie-dye.

Now that we live in a metro area, I’ve been networking a lot more.  At first I’d go through my closet and look for something to wear.  I looked at all my professional clothes and go…eh.  None of it thrilled me.  I really didn’t want to wear it.  For some reason it just didn’t seem right.  So after a few meetings of being tired of my business casual clothes, I decided to shake things up a little and I wore a tie-dye shirt.  I dressed it up a bit with a khaki blazer, business casual pants and shoes.  To my surprise, not one person looked at me funny.

Have you ever done this with your marketing materials?  Thought you had to stay within the framework you were given with packages, sales pages or e-mail messages, only to get poor results because YOU weren’t in it?

Of course my brain started ticking.  Hmmm….what if I made this my uniform for business meetings?!  How fun would that be?!  Then I started to really think about it in terms of branding.  Okay, it’s fun, but does it work with my branding?  Low and behold, it does!!  Let me count the ways:

1) I have a bright and bubbly personality. I mean, I call myself a life enthusiast and I live up to that name.  I DO enjoy life!  To the point that people give me that “no one can be THAT happy,” brush off at times.   I don’t mind.  If they can’t hack my happy, sunny personality then too bad.  That’s the way I look at it.  Anyway, if you think about it…um, tie-dye can be pretty bright.  It’s fun too. So, it matches who I am as a person.  Awesome!  Where are you including your personality in your marketing?  People trust those they can relate to most. Share who you are!  Share your hobbies, interests and personality with your prospects and they’ll be more willing to PAY you.

2) Tie-dye stands out. How many people do you know show up to a business networking meeting in tie-dye?  I want to stand out in a crowd.  I want to be noticed so people will remember me.  Not because I’m a Singer/Actress and like to be the center of attention (okay, maybe a little).  Mostly because I want people to say “Remember the one in the tie-dye shirt?  Go talk to her.”   If they remember me, they will refer me.

3) I help others stand out. My goal in local networking is to promote the differentiation work I do with clients.  Let’s add that in to the fact that I stand out and now it goes something like this… “Remember the one in the tie-dye shirt?  She stands out in a crowd and helps others do the same.  Go talk to her.”   That’s exactly what I want people saying!

So it totally paid off to marry a tie-dye wearing man.  He’s awesome in other ways too, but this isn’t about my very sweet and cool Hubby.  This is about branding.  I found something that matches who I am and helps people GET what I do.  When you start there marketing is fun, easy and gets attention.

People trust those they can relate to most.  Share who you are!  Share your hobbies, interests and personality with your prospects and they’ll be more willing to PAY you.

It’s your turn now!  I challenge you to infuse more of yourself into your marketing. This is your chance to model to your clients how being “who they are” pays off.  I guarantee you the more you put  yourself out there as “you,” the more appropriate potential clients will line up to buy what you have to offer.

Share your story by leaving a comment.  How are you going to infuse more of yourself into your marketing?

Kristen Beireis
Trust Marketing Expert
http://www.coachesmarketingsource.com