What no one tells you about marketing as an entrepreneur
There's something no one tells you, or no one talks about, when you first start marketing your business online.
You start out. You find people to follow.
They’re smart. They tell you how successful they and their clients are.
They tell you what to do and what not to do.
Talk about solutions.
Don't give a list of product benefit
Don’t make a list (really) of anything
So many things they tell you to do and not do.
But I realized there's something they're not saying. Something I haven't seen.
Maybe it's because they themselves aren't qualified, or maybe they just haven't needed to do it.
It’s something I noticed when a few people asked me about my background. They’d been following me for a bit, but had no idea I had 18 years experience in marketing before I started my own business.
That’s when I realized I’d missed something critical.
No one tells you to talk about why you're qualified.
Why is it that you’re able to get the client results that you do?
Are you certified in something?
Are you not certified in something, but have other proof of training?
Do you have a gazillion years of experience?
What is it that makes you qualified, beyond the “my clients have made XYZ?”
I’ve noticed a growing trend. Women are growing more skeptical of what they’re seeing online. I suspect this comes once you’ve left the “holy sh*t, this is all so new to me” phase, and moved into the “Ok, I see how this goes.”
I suspect somehow in the move for “social proof,” we stopped talking about the things that might make a huge difference to someone wanting to work with us.
Personally, I’m over “social proof.” Someone says you were amazing to work with. Did they actually work with you? Or, did they give you a testimonial for free work you did for them? I’d actually rather see a list of “here are the exact specific things my clients have done” vs a never-ending scroll of testimonials, or even worse, the “make $X in 30 days.” Because someone who’s just starting is going to have a lot harder time doing that, than someone who’s already close.
So what’s the point of this, other than to rant? It’s two-fold:
It’s a call for everyone who has ACTUAL experience to start talking that up! Let’s embrace that we can walk the walk!
It’s kind of a call-out, for everyone who doesn’t. Who are making vague promises that are going to be hard for people to achieve. Here’s the thing, if you believe you’ve got all the experience/training/whatever you need, then you shouldn’t feel like you have to hide it.
What do you think? I’d love to know. Is this a ‘hell yeah!” or a “wow, Jen, kinda harsh?”