Feel Like You Are Repeating Yourself? Good!
Consistency in Your Marketing
Message
"To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the
day,
thou canst not then be false to any man."
—William Shakespeare
Last month, we talked about using massage marketing strategies to demonstrate
the unique focus of your practice. This month we’ll examine the
importance of consistency in your marketing message.
Consistency is important because a focused, repeated message about
your business is what’s going to get you recognized in your community.
(See “Brand
Recognition” in March’s article.) Consistency
means that any marketing you do — handing out business
cards,
postcard mailings, advertising
in local papers, giving public
presentations, posting flyers or whatever — should
always reflect your main message and the image that projects that message.
It makes good business sense, and at the same time, you’re creating
a practice that allows you to do what you do best and get appreciated
for it.
Do your materials reflect your business personality?
This month, first look over your marketing
materials to make sure the
words and images you choose to represent your business express your
particular focus, skills and business personality.
Then think about
applying this approach to every bit of marketing you do.
For an example, let’s say you specialize in pain relief for
people with chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia and arthritis.
Your business cards should say so. The brochures you carry should
focus on these topics. They should display your contact information
in an attractive and readable manner. Your postcard mailings should
remind clients that your work can reduce their pain. And so on.
Consistency doesn't mean always doing the
same thing
Being consistent doesn’t mean using the same postcard every time
you announce a special, or depending on the same ad month-after-month
to bring in all your new clients. On the contrary, it’s most
effective to use a variety of strategies that will come at people
from different directions. In a simple example, say a co-worker gives
a woman a copy of your client
newsletter which includes information
on massage and chronic pain. Then, while waiting in her chiropractor’s
office, she picks up one of the brochures you have left there. She
mentions it to the chiropractor, who speaks highly of you, and then
she contacts you and makes an appointment.
Both new contacts and regular clients need to hear your message again
and again. In fact, one oft-repeated marketing adage is that people
need to hear a marketing message at least three times before they
respond. On top of that, what may catch one person’s eye may not work with
someone else. But if you use a variety of strategies with the same focus,
the word will get around to a number of people, and you will become
recognized as a professional who can help reduce people’s pain.
Say you have created a business
card that has your business name, an attractive image that expresses
your business personality and text stating that you specialize in
relieving chronic pain or particular conditions. You also have brochures
on massage for chronic pain, and a supply of promotional
postcards and massage gift certificates.
Now you institute your plan.
- Leave business cards and brochures (ask first) at your local pain clinic,
yoga studio and senior center.
- Send a postcard mailing to your regulars,
offering 10% off gift certificate purchases for the next big holiday — reminding
them that your work can reduce their loved ones’ pain.
- Purchase
an ad in the newsletter of a local arthritis support group, presenting
yourself and your experience working with the condition.
- When you sell a gift certificate, include your business card and
a brochure on a topic of interest to the recipient.
Being yourself
Keep in mind that if you leave your marketing materials at places you
are naturally drawn to, and send them to people you have a natural affinity
for, the results may be multifold. Not only will you consistently expand
your presence in the community, you will create a practice where you
truly get to be yourself, and where your expertise shines.
Pick and Choose
This plan presents only a few of the many tools you can choose from.
Pick several you like and commit to using them for long enough to hear
people say, “Oh, you’re the one who helps people with arthritis
(or whatever it is you do).” That will be a signal to keep using
the same strategies, or to add new ones — always, always sending
a message that says specifically who you can help and how you can help
them.
Read a sample from Sharon’s Marketing Monthly. We liked this
one — it has a clear, direct message about being clear and direct
in your promotions!
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