How do you influence in marketing?
What do I mean?
Think, for a minute, about what your influence is and who you are trying to influence.
Is it external people to buy into your product or service?
Is it the press?
Is it people within your organisation?
Is it partners, suppliers, associates?
What do you want to influence them about?
Do you have that authority and expertise to be able to influence people effectively?
Do you listen?
Do you learn?
I'm not talking about Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is a form of social media marketing involving endorsements and product placement from influencers, people and organisations who have a purported expert level of knowledge or social influence in their field. This is not what I am covening in this blog (although We Need To Talk can help you with this – just get in touch).
Who are you?
Before asking us to work with you on your external visual marketing it is important to really think about, as a business, who you are. What is the experience, product or service that you are creating? When people think about your business, how do you want them to feel? You don’t just want them to eat the beans, you want them to love the beans, you want them to tell all their friends about the beans, you want them to never want another brand of beans again.
Who do you allow to influence you?
People are opinionated, and many opinions are subjective. But, it is really important to take advice from experts around you and from the clients who are purchasing your product or service. Building strong authoritative relationships with past, current and future clients is so important to let you breath new life into your brand. We Need To Talk listens hard to you, your visions, your staff, your clients and builds a campaign to focus on your strengths, whilst providing strategic advice on your weaknesses.
Do you believe in yourself? Do others believe in you?
Think about the values that you stand for and things that you are against. That should come out in the personality of your brand and business. Think about what really matters to your brand and your company as a whole. If you are not confident in what you are doing, how do you expect others to be confident in you? What is the experience that you are creating for everyone involved in your brand? We Need To Talk help you to see your brilliance and turn that self belief into ££.
Understanding the why behind what you do.
It’s important for you and all your staff, subcontractors and associates to have clear direction and truly understanding the corporate vision. It is important for everyone to know how their work will contribute to company goals and to feel fully motivated to work towards the grand goal.
This reminds me of one of the best stories about influence that I have been told by an inspirational employer and mentor, and I will share it to you here:
President John F Kennedy was visiting NASA headquarters for the first time in 1961. While touring the facility, he introduced himself to a janitor who was mopping the floor and asked him what he did at NASA. The janitor replied, “I’m helping put a man on the moon!” The janitor understood the vision, his part in the greater mission.
Every member of your team should feel like this.
We Need to Talk can help you with all your strategic marketing and implementation.