Designing A Successful Marketing Strategy

Could you possibly have made a big, fundamental mistake when putting together your marketing strategy? If so, you wouldn’t be alone. Most professional service providers make it!

The mistake? They rely on printed or electronic media to carry the message of who they are and what they can do for clients when what the prospective client wants more than anything else is a more immediate personal connection.

Why is that?

BECAUSE PEOPLE BUY FROM PEOPLE THEY KNOW, TRUST, AND HAVE CONFIDENCE IN. AND GETTING THAT UP-CLOSE-AND-PERSONAL EXPERIENCE IS HOW WE, AS HUMANS, DETERMINE WHETHER WE LIKE SOMEONE, TRUST THEM, AND HAVE CONFIDENCE THEY CAN PRODUCE RESULTS FOR US.

And what is it about actually being with someone that conveys those messages? It’s how you look to and look at someone. It’s the firmness of your handshake. It’s the level of authority and assurance you project in your voice. It’s the overall “vibe” you give off.

The printed word can’t give that to people, even if your writing is exceptional. Electronic media can get you closer to the goal, especially if they get to see and hear you, but it’s still not the same, just as talking with someone on the phone is super convenient, but it isn’t the same as being with them in person.

What sells you is you. An arm’s length contact usually doesn’t cut it. Why? Because you’re looking to build a relationship, which usually requires something more than a remote connection.

IF YOU WANT YOUR MARKETING TO PRODUCE RESULTS, IT HAS TO INCLUDE MEETING PROSPECTIVE CLIENTS FACE-TO-FACE, WHETHER THAT’S ONE-ON-ONE OR IN GROUPS YOU SPEAK TO.

We call the three marketing strategies that involve this kind of personal interaction “high touch.”

The number one high touch marketing strategy … far and away … is speaking to groups of people in your target market. The other two are networking and forming strategic alliances or joint ventures. Networking and creating strategic alliances and JV partnerships require more time and patience to produce results. That said, strategic alliances can produce new clients in bunches. Networking is more of a one-client-at-a-time proposition.

Details aside, the key message here is simple.

SPEND 80% OF YOUR TIME AND ENERGY ON ONE OR TWO OF THESE HIGH TOUCH STRATEGIES.

Speaking is powerful enough to do the job on it’s own. Networking is the weakest of the three strategies, and must be combined with another high touch strategy to get the job done.

If you’re spending more than 20% of your time on low and medium touch strategies, you’re making a mistake. You’re almost certainly wasting time, energy, and money … and underperforming in terms of attracting new clients.

TYPICALLY, THE PEOPLE WE SEE WHO ARE FAILING AT GROWING THEIR PRACTICES ARE SPENDING MORE THAN 80% OF THEIR TIME ON THE LOW AND MEDIUM TOUCH STRATEGIES.

So, what are low and medium touch marketing strategies? Low touch strategies include traditional advertising, all printed materials, emails, and even your website. Medium touch strategies would be things like podcasts, videos, blogs, newsletters, and all social media. A lot of people rely on these … and they come away disappointed!

Our communication tools may have evolved to include media unimaginable even 20 years ago. They may be very cool, but our need to personally size up someone we’re going to entrust our money and important matters to, face-to-face, is as strong as ever. The more money involved and the more important the areas of our lives we’re dealing with, the more important the personal connection is.

But wait. You have to have a website and you want to send out emails and social media posts, don’t you? Absolutely.

JUST DON’T DEVOTE MORE THAN 20% OF THE TIME YOU SPEND EXECUTING YOUR MARKETING PLAN TO LOW AND MEDIUM TOUCH STRATEGIES … AND DON’T EXPECT THEM TO GENERATE CLIENTS ON THEIR OWN. TO USE SCIENTIFIC TERMS, THEY’RE NECESSARY, BUT NOT SUFFICIENT.

THEY CAN HELP YOU MAINTAIN, STRENGTHEN AND CEMENT A RELATIONSHIP, BUT THEY AREN’T THE TOOLS YOU WANT TO RELY ON IN ESTABLISHING ONE.

The bottom line: High touch communication strategies get results … often in bunches. So why would so many service professionals base their marketing plan on low and medium touch approaches that, at best, produce an irregular dribble of new clients?

Two reasons. One is that people are misinformed, due to all the hype around social media. Again, it’s a useful tool, but it’s insufficient to the task of bringing in a steady stream of new clients in most cases. The other reason is these more passive strategies are less personally demanding and less scary. Why put yourself out there in front of an audience or go to a networking meeting when you can stay in your office and write a blog post … and still feel like you’re busy marketing?

The truth is that while speaking gets results and is incredibly rewarding on a personal level, it doesn’t allow you to safely “hide out.” You’re in the spotlight and it requires a certain amount of courage and resolve to go there, as do networking and creating strategic partnerships, just in a different way.

But that’s where the treasure is … in the land of the high touch marketing strategies.

We can help you find that treasure.

 

“Denise has a strong gift and intuition for marketing … helping you to reach your target audience. If you struggle with getting clients, her coaching program is a must! Her wealth of experience, easy to follow techniques, generosity to share, and ability to push me outside my comfort zone, were all keys to helping up-level my business.  

She made me feel so welcomed, provided a safe environment to grow, and helped me claim my talent of speaking in a powerful way. Who thought marketing your business by public speaking could be so much fun?!” 

Cindy Gunraj

LIFE COACH, PORTLAND, OR