Every business tells a story – what’s yours?
November 9, 2011 by Barbara · 4 Comments
They say, “Every picture tells a story.” So does every business. But is it a story you tell on purpose to attract your ideal clients?
Great experience, qualifications, prestigious awards—these open conversations, gain attention, and establish credibility, but alone they rarely win a new client.
The changing economy requires all of us to get smarter about our marketing and sales, and to use all the tools in our marketing toolbox. Read more
10 ways to position yourself as an expert
November 1, 2011 by Barbara · Leave a Comment
Lots of people claim to be experts. In a crowded marketplace they point to the letters after their names, the places they have worked, or their education. But most of us looking for experts want demonstrated credibility (at least I do). How do you create that?
First of all, BE the expert.
Do a great job and get references and referrals. There are no shortcuts or ways around this one. It is the first and most necessary thing to succeeding in business, especially a professional service. How you deliver is part of what you deliver.
If you stumble or fall on your face, you have an opportunity to get closer to your client if you own your mistake(s) and work hard to fix them. When you do that, you show your integrity. If you get defensive and don’t solve the problem, you burn bridges with your client and risk their grumbling about it to others. That kind of word of mouth is difficult to contain and reverse.
Be professional. Stay up to date with your discipline, technical developments, legislation, or whatever is relevant to your profession. Be conversant in the trends and issues going on within your industry and your niche in particular.
Second, the BIG idea: create content and share it. This gives others something to pass along to other people who may be looking for your kind of expertise. Read more
My love-hate relationship with branding
October 20, 2011 by Barbara · Leave a Comment
As a marketer, I’m supposed to love branding, right? From my perspective, misunderstanding the term and its role in a business has caused lots of confusion.
When I began marketing professional services fifteen years ago, I heard lots of professionals using the word ‘branding’ to refer to their firms’ logos, business cards, letterhead and all their graphic identity stuff.
This annoyed me because it is only one part of branding, and by limiting their definition, they also limited their understanding of marketing and its power to help their businesses flourish. It didn’t help that we were part of a traditional industry where many had chosen their careers in order to avoid doing sales and marketing. They were—and in some cases still are—biased.
So I avoided using the word. I talk about ‘marketing messages’, ‘positioning’, and ‘strategic marketing planning’. I do ‘client research’ and ‘competitive research’ all oriented towards discovering and defining what is unique and valuable about a company’s services.
But you know what? It’s all part of branding. Even marketing planning. (It’s how the brand gets into the world.)
More recently I’ve realized that terms I was using—thinking everybody knew them—were professional jargon too. In my vigilance to clear business communications of technical jargon, I had over looked my own. Oops!
Lots has been written about corporate brands (Apple, for example) and product brands (iPod, iPhone). Here, in plain English, I offer my understanding of branding and why it is such a powerful tool for businesses of every size. Read more
Social media for the reluctant
October 13, 2011 by Barbara · Leave a Comment
I was at a networking lunch recently. When asked for a show of hands about half the room was not using social media, or even sure what it was exactly. That inspired me to create this basic overview.
The constantly changing world of social media can quickly become overwhelming. There are expressions, abbreviations, and ways of communicating unique to the milieu, Facebook has Likes and Twitter has hashtags (#), for example.
If you want to dip your toe into social media, I encourage you to explore. I had to experience it before it made sense. Choose just one thing, be clear about what you want to get out of it, and start exploring.
That one thing could be reading a blog. (Hey, you’re doing that right now!) The next level of experience might be leaving a comment on the blog. (Just keep scrolling and you’ll be there. Go ahead, leave a comment. I’ll answer.) You might find links to other blogs on similar topics of interest. (There are two links in this post you could visit.) Over time, you get familiar with blogs, commenting on blogs, you might even feel you know the bloggers you have been reading. This applies to any of the social media platforms. Now rinse, and repeat. You’ve started. Read more
Going to Florida: marketing gobbledygook explained
October 13, 2011 by Barbara · 3 Comments
Every profession has its jargon. We all like to use our special terminology. It saves time. And then it becomes a habit, and we forget that lots of people have no idea what we are talking about.
Sometimes I see a deer-in-the-headlights expression with business owners when we talk about marketing. Marketing is a thing they have to ‘do’ in order to have a business doing what they really want to spend their time on. Often the question is, “What do I do first (or next)?
I’m a believer in plans. When we plan, we explore and think through scenarios. If we take actions to get ready for those scenarios, we are better prepared for what actually happens. Here in earthquake country, we’ve been talking about how to plan for a big trembler. We can’t control what happens, but having thought about some of the things we can do and taken steps to be prepared, we have more choices in how we respond to what does happen.
When it comes to planning marketing, we often use the words Objective, Strategy, and Tactic. When I talk about planning marketing and use these terms, it doesn’t usually seem to help unless my client already knows and uses them.
So I have found another way to explain how to plan your marketing. I call it “Going to Florida.” Bear with me, this will make sense. Read more
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As a 25-year veteran of marketing professional services, Barbara Breckenfeld is a strategist and a storyteller. She helps helps businesses grow as a consultant, marketing coach, and seminar leader.
