Marketing Yourself Honestly
I just finished reading a great article on GetEntrepreneurial.com written by Terri Zwierynski about marketing yourself honestly. She asserts that putting lipstick on a pig doesn’t necessarily help as much as honesty and self-disclosure, and I must surely agree.
When I started eGrace Creative, I used the word “we” a lot, as in, “we” offer web design services. Now, I offer my services. I’m also honest with people that web design and marketing aren’t the real priorities of my life. My faith, family, and ministry come before any creative design work. I think this is an important marketing principle. You can probably generate more sales by being a little dishonest in an attempt to build credibility. But in the end, you actually hurt your integrity with others. I think this is why some of the world’s greatest salespeople aren’t very well-liked - they are too good at being salespeople and not really that great at just being people.
As you develop the marketing of your business, you also have to consider that every business has a human side. Your personality will drive your business, especially if you are the owner or manager - people will follow you and fit the mold you cast, so it’s important to work on being the best you that you can possibly be. After all, God only made one of you!
Our church is located on a major highway in Bentonville, Arkansas, the home of Wal-Mart. About 250 people attend a couple of services in a building that seats less than 200. Imagine if we had a tiny little 2′ x 3′ church sign on cardboard, or imagine if we had a Vegas-style blinking billboard. Instead, we have a church sign that proportionally matches our congregation. Why? We want to be honest and let people know when they turn in what kind of church they are attending.
When you over-market yourself, you’ll disappoint people. On the other hand, if you lay the false humility on too thick, you won’t inspire confidence in clients. So be yourself, but be positive. Think bigger, but be realistic and let people see the human behind the business.
Rohit said,
Hi Brandon,
Great to discover you through this post and I definitely agree with your point about the importance of honesty. My take is the personality is what can make the difference in how people connect to your company and yourself, whether you are a salesperson at Walmart or a Pastor of a church. Either way, this honesty and willingness to share a real face instead of being faceless is the key to having an experience that people want to be part of, and one that they will share with others. Thanks for a great post!
Lily Chen said,
Hi, Brandon:
Great site, great blog.
As a Christian designer/art director for over 15 years I understand where you’re coming from. My take on this is: I say “we” because most projects I worked on involve collaboration with others in some aspect. It wouldn’t be fair to me to say “I did this” when there’s someone else who wrote the copy, programmed the code, took the photos, drew the illustrations, serviced the client, worked with the printer, shot the video, etc. … It takes a team of talents, not just me, to get quality results. Saying “we” is not dishonest; it’s giving credit where it’s due, and letting clients and prospects know that when they hire me, they get more than just me. I may be the one putting the project together and doing some if not most of the work, but it would not be a misrepresentation to use the collective “we” since I almost always take a team approach.
And don’t worry too much about “over-marketing” yourself; of course, you will choose the kind and scope of work you are most comfortable with, but when bigger jobs and greater opportunities come along, why give it up? Partner with another designer or writer or programmer and get the project, or keep the parts you like and farm out the rest. It’s how agencies are born. It’s also how I learned to do all these things that I now know how to do. :)
By the way I’m new to WordPress and I found your Ministry Free theme totally rocks! I’ve already “borrowed” and mod it for a project. Thanks for sharing this quality and versatile theme.
Add A Comment