Marketing, just like anything else, is at its best when you are having fun doing it. Too often we get bogged down with a schedule and become burdened with a homework mentality about our outreach tools. We have compiled some helpful tips to keep you plugged in and excited about the work that you are doing and how to properly share that excitement with your customers.
Let Your Personality Shine
If you've ever heard the song, "this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine", I would suggest you take those lyrics to heart. Don't forget to be yourself when promoting your organization. People love authenticity in just about everything. A business is at its most authentic when it reflects the people and personalities that make that organization the place that it is. There is no substitute for allowing you and your employee's unique spirit to shine in all of your communications and marketing efforts.
Don't Force It
It's important to challenge yourself to get out of your comfort zone, but don't set your expectations so high that your efforts become a burden. It is good to maintain a structure with meaningful schedules and important deadlines, but don't let the meticulous nature of planning sap all of your creative energy. Allow yourself to look at marketing as playing. Look at it as a creative exercise that offers you an avenue to express yourself and your organization individuality. Having fun is the best cure for feeling bogged down with the daily grind. When you give yourself permission to play it will reconnect you to what your are passionate about and boost your overall enthusiasm for the work you do.
Be Specific
There is a strong impulse in many organizations to generalize. The thought is to cast a wide net and get as many potential customers as possible, but this is not often a winning strategy. The more specific you can be about your company's services, products, and culture, the better. When you overgeneralize you miss an opportunity to truly connect with your audience and all too often become forgettable or indistinguishable from your competitors. Let your clientele know who you are and they will reward you for for your honesty and vulnerability.
Don't Try To Be Cool
You either are cool or you are not. There is nothing worse or more inauthentic than trying to be something you are not. Trying is not cool, but being yourself is. It is always painfully obvious when someone is trying too hard. Where this becomes an issue is mixed messaging about who you are and who you want to be. If you sell yourself as a 20 something new age social media wiz kid, but are actually a middle aged dad joke telling mom jeans type, your customer's perception of your credibility will be pretty damaged from the get go. Own who you are and be proud of it. There is someone who wants what you offer the way you offer it. You just need a plan to find the right crowd.
Have a Plan
Once you have some time to feel it all out, organize your unique approach into a strategy that keeps your efforts cohesive. There are more tools and options available to even the smallest businesses than there ever have been before. It can be overwhelming researching and deciding which options are right for your particular needs and situation, but once you find the right mix of tools and options for your circumstances, you'll be unstoppable.