Get to Know Your Marketing Angels and Demons

October 2, 2011 by

When you are creating marketing content for your small business there is a demon on one shoulder and an angel on the other.

The challenge is determining how that devil is working against you – and the angel for you.

In other words – what do they represent when it comes to your creative process

Your Marketing Demons

Do you sweat the details in your work?  If so, you are a perfectionist like me. Our demons keep telling us our work is not good enough.

They slow us down and refuse to allow us to get our work out there where it can benefit our communities.

What are your demons telling you?

Your Marketing Angels

There are hundreds of thousands of book titles published every year, with most of them never selling more than a few hundred copies.  Why?  To be perfectly honest, they fall short in many areas – often starting with a title that fails to inspire.

Nonetheless, there are also many books that sell well despite being hastily written to get to market quickly.  This often includes the work of celebrities, or shall I say the books that ghostwriters pen for celebrities.

Ah, but regular folks like you and me need to create quality content.  And even when we do, it doesn’t guarantee success.  Though, it at least it gives us a chance.

If your challenge is creating written works, podcasts, videos, and other marketing content that is up to generally accepted standards, then your angel is the one that nudges you to make it better before publishing.

Are you noticing the distinction?

Demons and angels are defined by our natural tendencies. 

It’s up to us to then use them to get better at engaging our full capabilities to best help our community.

Know Your Tendencies

Your demons and the angels are a reflection of who you are.

If your tendencies lean towards perfectionism, your angels are guiding you when you are in the zone and your writing is flowing effortlessly. When that is not the case, your demons are in control.

If your usual mindset towards your work is that done is good enough, then your angels are guiding you when you take the extra time to make it better and worth consuming.

Perfectionists are like alcoholics.  We are never cured.  We just learn to adapt and overcome our natural tendency to have everything just right.

Visionaries like Steve Jobs understand this, which is why he surrounds himself with those that can transform that vision into a physical reality.

If this describes you, your challenge is to trust who you are and deliver – just as Apple does.

What’s the opposite of perfectionism? I’m not sure. Though, I know it is also not without its challenges.

Whether it involves your content marketing efforts or anything else in life, your demons are angels in disguise, and vice versa. 

Honor them both and they will lead you right where you want go.

Leave a comment below or share this with your community on with any of the share buttons below – or on the little red bar at the bottom of this page.  

Until tomorrow,  Jeff

Photo Credit:  DigitalArt

Is Your Online Marketing Intuitive?

August 25, 2011 by

Anything worth doing is worth doing right.

That’s an expression that I have always lived by.  It’s also one that can create a great deal of pain for perfectionists like me – and turbulence for those around us.

Perfectionism is a personal quality that I normally keep to myself.

Nobody wants to be around a perfectionist, but we sure do appreciate the results they achieve, um … when they finally achieve them.

Steve Jobs is known to be one of us.  He keeps us waiting, but he rarely fails to deliver. I admire that; and clearly his legion of aficionados do too.

Only recently did I make the switch from a PC to a MacBook Pro.  Why not sooner?  I was terrified.  Perfectionists think as much about what can go wrong as we do about what can work out well.  It’s how we are wired.

When I finally made the plunge to join the cool kids that evangelize about Apple and its products and services, I discovered my fears were unfounded.  The Apple technology is intuitive.

What was the expression Steve Jobs used at his most recent press conference?  It Just Works.

I couldn’t agree more.

Not only did everything work, the process of learning their technology was a joy. It was as if it was designed just for me – a normal human being with moderate technology skills.

Design Your Marketing for Your Customers

If you understand your customers well, you are able to think as they do.

This means you should be able to design and build your marketing to effectively lead them to your door.  With all due respect to The Beatles, the path that leads to your door should not be a long and winding road.

When it comes to any kind of marketing – especially social media and other types of online marketing, there can be a temptation to think that more is better.

Better is what works – more easily, faster, and in real-time.

If the online path to your door is long and winding, then you need to rethink your strategy, the keywords you are optimizing for, and the methods you are using to spread your message.

Understand the DNA of Your Customers

One of the mistakes I made when I was operating my landscape contracting business was not fully understanding what worked for my customers.

There is a price associated with delivering amazing quality like Apple.  The question is – are your customers prepared to pay that price?

My best customers were just like me.  They wanted the best and were prepared to pay for it. Unfortunately, they comprised maybe 35% of my customer base.

For this reason, it was challenging to provide services that while being 100% acceptable to the majority, were not necessarily up to my standards.  It simply was not in their DNA to appreciate many of the extras that I believed were necessary.

The key to successful marketing is both understanding your ideal customer and firmly taking a stand on what you believe and are prepared to deliver.  If the two match, you are destined to succeed.

If not, you need to make adjustments by redefining your ideal customer and what you offer – while also being true to your beliefs.

Is Your Marketing Working?

If your marketing is working to attract your ideal customers, then your only challenge is determining why and how in order to attract more just like them.

When my online marketing in my current business attracts a new client it is invariably one that is right for me – a mainstream small business or an organization that represents them, that is looking for someone who can cut through the noise and capably help them to effectively use social media and Internet marketing.

This is where the real work begins.  You have to be relentless about determining what worked and what didn’t – and making adjustments to do it better.

When I prepare a presentation for small business organizations I go back over the last few and critically analyze what worked and what didn’t – even if I was the only one that noticed.  This includes handouts, personal notes, comments, and most importantly, videos.

What worked is easy.  You intuitively know it.

What didn’t work is eliminating anything that may not only have produced a negative result – but also one that is not positive.

It’s a game of inches – but it works.

Do you have a process for methodically creating continuous improvement?

Perfectionists know with certainty that there is always a better way.

Do the work to find it and watch your business grow.

Until then, leave a comment below or share this with your social community by liking it on Facebook, or sharing with any of the share buttons below – or on the little red bar at the bottom of this page.  

Have a great weekend,  Jeff