Blantons For Sale

Avoiding personal branding is a sure way to leave the customer feeling that in some way that he or she is being talked down to. I know that sounds odd at first but if you think about it, people are more cynical and litigious than we have ever seen. Assuming that they will respond merely to some sterile commercial appeal alone is like assuming that they can't or won't think for themselves. I call it the "If I only had a brain" syndrome. Marketers often buy into that idea. These marketers wrongly assume that all they have to do is to tell the sheeple (sheep + people) what to do and they will do it.

That might have been the case at one time when we were more innocent but it appears that those days are gone. The public is more educated than ever before and sadly, they have been exposed to some harsh world conditions that sometimes make us all a bit more cynical. As such, we must approach the public with genuine respect if we are to gain their confidence. It cannot be phony or they will sense that in a New York minute. The days of naivete are   blantons for sale  over. When it is assumed that the customer is not the sharpest tack on the board, it becomes condescending and they know it. The world of marketing is adjusting to this but the turn of the ship is slow. Get ahead of the game by considering the strategies that I have listed for you.

Below are some tools and methods that will enhance any business and help them to regain that personal touch that the public not only deserves but is demanding.

1. Add a personalized website to your array of marketing strategies. Include greetings or instructional videos to make your appeal. There are occasions when a professional spokesperson is ideal for a presentation but not here. Self-branding is not new, we just forgot it for a while. Any insurance agency knows that if your customers call you by your first name, you are accepted into their circle of trust. Internet marketing is no different.

2. Try to develop a local base. Even though we all want the world to come to our door, we offer certain security to the potential client if there are others in the "team" that actually know us and talk to us face to face. Yes, think globally but start at home.

3. Keep encouraging your neighborhood to join you in your endeavors. Put posters up in restaurants, truck stops, hotels, laundromats, work break rooms, hospitals, colleges, and on and on. It's good to have your poster with web address tear-off sheets at the bottom. That way, people can tear up and go. I like to put my personal website address there so they can quietly go there without obligation. They feel safe that way without fear of being "hawked".

4. Consider local radio advertising if your budget can afford it. Newspapers and trade papers can also be good options.

5. Handing out fliers to passers-by can also be effective. Be sure to check your local ordinances for that.

6. Don't forget to email your friends and let them know what you are doing. If you are insecure about doing that, consider what made you decide to start your business in the first place. If it is all that good, wouldn't you want to at least share it with the people you love? While it's true that most people want to wait to see if you make it, they are nevertheless watching. That's a clue that they are indeed interested but they are afraid to fail.