This February, the love doesn’t have to stop with Valentine’s Day. In fact, any time of year is a great time to show your clients how much they matter to your business. If you’ve been following our blog, you know that we’ve offered up many a tip on how to foster trust between your business and your clients, how to stay honest, and how to make sure your clients know you’re listening when they voice their concerns. A fantastic way to show love to your clients is to make them a part of your story.
How, you ask? Let us explain:
At its core, marketing is a tool used to shed light on a need that should be fulfilled. How often have you watched a commercial, seen a magazine ad, or scrolled past a sponsored Facebook post and thought, “I could use that in my life” or “Sounds like me”? However fantastical and far out today’s ads can get, advertising is really just telling people stories about themselves. Rather thansell sell sell, your business’s M.O. should be to connect with your clients and make them feel seen, so that they see how your services could fill a gap in their lives.
A prime example: Dove’s “Choose Beautiful” campaign of 2015 prompted female customers to examine how they view their own appearance, and how that view affects their everyday lives. The personal care company installed signs reading “Beautiful” and “Average” above side-by-side doors leading into buildings in five cities across the world, and filmed the results. Interviews with the women in the candid footage are sprinkled throughout the finished commercial. Their explanations of why they chose a particular door to walk through are poignant and touching, and shed light on unseen insecurities many modern women possess concerning their appearance. The ad was designed with the “everywoman” in mind, and encourages women to “Choose Beautiful,” even on days when they feel anything but. The global angle of the commercial boosts the appeal to non-US audiences as well, and turns the mirror on the consumer and their own beliefs about beauty. No doubt customers watching at home saw themselves in the ad, and Dove most likely gained new customers who supported their honest and inclusive approach to marketing skincare products.
In your next marketing campaign, tell a story starring your customer, in all their uniqueness, whoever they are. A potential client who puts themselves in the story you’re telling is more likely to take the next step in connecting with your business. Don’t insult your clients’ intelligence by claiming that they have to buy your product, or that they need your services in order to lead full lives. Allow them to come to that conclusion on their own using the scenario you’ve set up—invite them to complete the narrative. This shows respect for the customer and highlights their power to choose what’s best for themselves. And if that’s not showing your clients love, we don’t know what is!
Interested in learning more about our services? Contact us today for a discovery session at (978) 239-9715 | info@med-marketers.com.
About Wendy Hamel
As co-founder of Med-Marketers, and serving as Director of Client Programs, Wendy is directly responsible for guiding creative strategy and overall execution on client services for the company. Wendy has over 20 years of marketing and management experience serving technology, healthcare and retail. Prior to Med-Marketers, Wendy was the Director of Marketing at RAID, Inc. where she was instrumental in developing brand awareness and business development programs that helped the company transition into new markets and exceed vertical revenue goals. For the last 10 years, Wendy’s direct focus has been consulting and strategic marketing for both medical practices and small businesses in the Greater Boston area including retail, real estate, law, non-profits, construction, hospitality, art organizations and more.