This Is How We Do It [Marketing], Part 1

It’s a beginning of a brand-spanking new year. Hot diggety!

I rang in 2019 by meeting with one of my clients about her functional medicine practice. She admitted to feeling overwhelmed and lost when it comes to marketing. What should she be focusing her limited time on?

First off, my client identified her goals for the new year, which highlighted an increase in business. But how can there be an increase in business without formulating a marketing plan? If you haven’t done this step, it’s imperative that you start here in order to achieve your new year’s goals for increasing your business. My client and I quickly rolled up our sleeves and eagerly got down to business in crafting her medical practice’s marketing plan.

I gave her just TWO things to focus on in her marketing for 2019 that will make the biggest impact on her sales. I’m going to tell you about the same two things that can have fireworks blazing in your business sales growth this year! The first one is listed below, so grab your popcorn and enjoy the vibrant kaleidoscope display of fireworks once you start implementing this marketing plan! Pop, pop, pop!

1. Focus on the Experience

For so many of us, focusing on the customer experience is—hands down—what’s lacking in our marketing. We know intimately what we do and how we do it. It’s a no brainer for us, but for those seeking our help, what does it look like? Show me what it’s like to work with you. Help me experience working with you before I actually work with you.

There are a number of ways to help people experience you before they meet you. I’m going to highlight the top three methods that should be part of every marketing effort.

Testimonials

Referrals, recommendations and reviews from current and past clients are what we refer to as “Social Proof.” Use them everywhere you show up online: Social, Google My Business and your website to name a few. Testimonials serve a very specific purpose. They legitimize what you do for others. They answer the question on everyone’s mind, “Is this for real?” and “Will it work for me?”

Think of Amazon. Would you buy a product without first noting how many stars it received and glancing through the top and lowest rated reviews? Or do you go directly to Amazon’s Recommended product choice? Clients feel informed when they’ve done their research based on social proof before making their purchase decisions.

Photography

So many small businesses lack professional photos that illustrate what it’s like to work with them. Yet, visuals are a huge driver of human behavior and the mileage you can get out of a single photo shoot is incredible.

Photos are the number one way to see if something is real, and to envision the experience personally. If you’re a chamber or Meetup group, show me photos of your networking events so I can decide if a person like me would fit in a group like yours. Answer the question, “Can I relate to them? Can I see myself there?” If the lighting is giving everyone a jaundiced appearance or you’re blasting them with a flash, it’s likely doing you more harm that good, so it is wise to hire a professional to portray what you want to show your customer. Imago Visual has a wealth of experience in both photography and marketing.

Stories

Anything you write or say about your company should be a story of how you make change happen. Take us on a journey. People don’t want to buy what you do, so explaining what you do is not enough. I know that may sound harsh but it’s true. People buy change. Potential customers are looking to maintain or improve their status in the world. All they want to know from you, is how you can help them get there.

Enabling your potential clients to experience your company through testimonials, photography, and storytelling should be part of your marketing best practices for a fantastic 2019. If you have questions about any of these methods or want to schedule a time to talk more, hit the reply button! I offer a free 30 minute consultation for business owners just like you. I can help you to apply these methods, focus on the customer experience and help ignite your company’s new sales so that they crackle and BOOM in 2019!

Next week, I’ll dive into Part 2 of How We Do It [Marketing].