I was talking to a fellow brand consultant yesterday. One who saw eye to eye with what I also continue to say… sustainability overrides trends. I come from the entrepreneurial, build it from the bootstrap world. He came from corporate America where a huge department made decisions about how to move forward.
We both said the same thing. Marketers are making huge mistakes. The one reason… they believe that what they need is more exposure and to throw things out there to see what works. As a brand consultant, we both understand that this isn’t actually the key. His experience in corporate America… millions of lost dollars, spinning wheels and some failed results. My experience in entrepreneurial world… millions of hours in lost time, spinning wheels and failed results.
What is it that we actually need if we don’t need exposure? Here’s 2 individuals that have specialised as a brand consultant saying the same thing… you don’t need marketing.
You Need something more.
Would If You Stopped Telling Everyone
Attraction marketing is on the rise. That’s because, as consumers, we are so bombarded with stories and business pitches that we turn off anyone who comes our way and decides to set that in our path. That doesn’t mean that consumers don’t want new things. It just means we want to have consumer power.
While we are walking down the customer journey, we often forget that bombarding someone with messages and getting more exposure is not necessarily what they are looking for.
A customer wants to find you. They also want to know what your value is. And they want to know it right away.
This is something very different than exposure. It’s something very different than marketing. It’s the power of your brand and your presentation – something that is so strong that it automatically attracts people to you.
Did you know… there have been. many times where I don’t bother writing blogs, getting onto social media and being part of the noise.
Sound dangerous?
It’s not. I still find clients, build my business and figure out ways to make money. That’s because I find the direct places where I can go to add value. I’m not interested in exposure. I’ll give someone information and help their business. That’s how I’ve always been and I don’t lose that intent.
Because I have that as a core value, I don’t need exposure. I just need to share information.
See the difference?
Yes, someone could argue that I”m getting exposure by offering information. But I’m not going to gimmick someone into working with me. That will lead to the wrong type of client that may or may not understand my value. Instead, I give the information and let them decide.
Some call it a soft sale. I just call it good relationships.
Believe Your Brand Is Enough
A lot of individuals who are marketing to the masses and wanting to get in front of more individuals are on a success hamster wheel. They can easily be plowed over.
Most often, the businesses that are looking to rise to the top have heavy competition. And because of that, it may seem like their brand isn’t enough. So to stay competitive, they aggressively move towards getting in front of others and trying to get more exposure.
Yes, we are in a global marketplace. Yes, it is incredibly saturated. And yes, we are competing against millions of other individuals who may offer similar services that we do.
But that is a grand illusion that just simply isn’t true. As your brand consultant, I will let you know that you literally have 0 competition.
You are a snowflake. One and unique in yourself.
And if you haven’t figured out how you are a snowflake, then now is the time to start.
A brand consultant will tell you this and only this. You are unique unto yourself. You have a core identity that no one else has. Even if there are hundreds of thousands of other similar businesses, even if you are selling affiliate products, even if you are practicing 5,000 year old remedies… no one does it quite like you. Yes, “you” also applies to corporations.
If you haven’t found that… now is the time.
If you have found that… then you know that it’s not exposure that you need. It’s just attracting others that are looking for your uniqueness.
But, in order to let those individuals find you, you have to target. It’s not exposure, it’s knowing where those individuals are and telling them you have what they want.
The Changing Job Description of a Brand Consultant
Let me tell you how a brand consultant used to work. They would look at the unique value proposition of a business, positioning against competitors and what made someone different. Then, they would build the business.
But would if the face of business started to change? Would if the Internet came in and we all became flooded with information and social platforms?
Would if there were so many entrepreneurs and small businesses and even mid-sized businesses or network based businesses that the concept of positioning started to become saturated?
This is the changing face of businesses that a brand consultant must realise.
Even if a business wants to grow, there are hundreds of new mechanisms to help. There are different platforms, faster informational dynamics and new approaches that were not available before.
A brand consultant can no longer look at the positioning of a business from the traditional perspective. It has to take the digital positioning into account. It has to look at others who have a voice online as a business (no matter how large or small). Any brand consultant now needs to look at how all these elements work together.
What before made a business unique no longer works. What will make a business unique now is with a brand consultant that has the capacity to identify every single global dynamic and how you fit in with a unique proposition.
And when that happens… you don’t need exposure. You simply need the right positioning.
So... Should You Stop Marketing?
Maybe you read a past blog where I talk about spinning wheels. If not, read it here.
Spinning wheels are when you decide to do everything aggressively to get ahead of everyone. And as a consequence you do exactly what I referred to at the beginning of the article. You lose time, money and often fail at the attempt to get what you need done.
If that is the outcome, then stop marketing. It’s not effective and it doesn’t work. Yes, that’s right marketers. That goes out to all the hard work you are doing.
A brand consultant is going to come in from a different angle.
Market with a target.
Target with a purpose.
Identify first, then take the next steps of marketing.
When you identify who you are as a business, you have a new leaf that turns over and allows you to build your prestige. You are able to change what you do, how much you do and why you are doing it.
Trust me, it’s effective.
It’s so effective that I’ve seen some who have used me as a brand consultant and in turn have used the same materials for 10 years. Not just the same concept. The same wording. The same graphics. The same digital approach. The same concept. For 10 years.
And they are filled up with clients. Not only that, but they can do it with their eyes closed, so they get to concentrate on the things that are important to them… their business.
Of course, that job as a brand consultant didn’t last. They became successful then didn’t need me anymore.
But, it was well worth it and I keep doing it again.
I want to see that type of return for everyone I work with. That shows me what success looks like and what someone can achieve when they are really working with their unique brand.
No, the button on the left hand column that you see to consult with me on Clarity.fm is not a call to action. 🙂 If what I say doesn’t resonate with you, then there is someone else out there that is better for you. I just want to give you the information.
But, if you want clarity and to work with a brand consultant that focuses on sustainability with your brand, I’m here and readily available to get you to those next steps.