Get Your Ego Out Of Your Marketing

In a culture that is all about ME, ME, ME...the consumer wants the message to be what the business can do for THEM, THEM, THEM.  Throughout our society we are inundated with messages about the best this and the #1 that.  As our culture moves toward a me first attitude, the marketing message, for a lot of local businesses, has mirrored this trend.




We see it all the time with marketing in the Delaware Valley.  We see hospitals promote their top doctors by placing a huge pictures of their
faces on the advertising.  We hear commercials on the radio that speak only about the awards that a business has received over the years.  We also see it on websites that put their glowing testimonials all over the place.  Consumers are rarely going to trust the credentials that are being promoted BY THE BUSINESS in their advertising.  It is important that people understand that you are a credible business but there are much better ways to do it than to push it in a marketing message.

It is important that your message be framed around what you can do for them and that is even more important when working in digital marketing.  The changes that Google is making in their algorithm make it necessary to provide good quality content and have a positive reputation online. You can read more about the changes here.

Below are a few ways to have better messaging and not shout how great you are:

• Reviews
•  As I talked about in my last post, online reviews are critical in how to run your reputation in 2013.  Reviews are also going to achieve great word of mouth about your services. With ego in mind, you will want to take some of the following steps to get the message about how great your services can be.
• Search Your Business Name
• It's the simplest thing yet most business owners have never done this. As a business, or marketing professional, you need to know what is being said and Google will tell you the good, bad and ugly. Click above and do it now!
• Other people are doing this before they do business with you so now you will know what your strengths and weaknesses are.  The next step is to go about fixing it.
• Promote Great Reviews
• When someone leaves a great review, use it to promote why other people should use your services. You can promote it through your social media by highlighting the individual.  You can use Facebook Fan of the Week.
• Make sure to respond to great reviews...matter of fact, respond to ALL reviews.
• Traditional Marketing
• In your traditional, or offline marketing, make sure to encourage people to search your reviews out.  You will want to make sure you've done the above mentioned actions before going this route.
• Content Marketing

• One of the most effective ways to self promote is through articles and blogs.  Most good businesses win awards and favorable standing in their community so you will want to make sure to promote that in your own way.
• Social
• As new awards come along, make sure to link to that organizations social pages and to start up a dialog with them by thanking them for the award.
• Promote to your own network of followers that you have just accomplish said award.
• Blog
• Blogging helps self promote by linking to the article, website or social page.  As you develop your next blog entry, make sure to link to the award.
• YouTube
• If you have won an award and there is an award ceremony, make sure to video tape it and place it on YouTube.  What greater way to show your stuff then by actually showing it.
• Messaging
• Make sure that when you are developing your marketing message that you keep the end user in mind.  Don't waste your time with hyperbole about your product or services.  Let your messaging stay on point and have the product or service stand on its own two feet.  If you are doing your job right then the positive mentions will do the work for you and if it doesn't, you know you need to fix something...and quick.

For more information about digital marketing online in the Philadelphia area and beyond, visit www.ericlaylon.com.