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Are You A Reluctant Marketer?

If you feel uncomfortable with the spammy, predatory and ploy-ridden marketing that you see on social media and in email campaigns, then you’re a reluctant marketer.

If you’re insulted that marketers think that you’re intellectually dense by giving you “too-good-tobe-true” offers, then you’re a reluctant marketer.

You and I know that nobody gives a free seminar, webinar or ebook without wanting something in return (like an email address so that they can spam you later or to up-sell you to their course or expensive solution).

If you blush at the blatant and ubiquitous self-promotion of some marketers on social media, then you’re a reluctant marketer.

Here’s the truth. I’ve been guilty of all the above. And, maybe you have too? It’s not our fault because this is how we’ve been taught by the marketing gurus that we subscribe to, and we don’t know better.

You probably suspect that there’s a better way to do good work, market ethically and get paid for it. There is, and there’re tons of information about it. Go and look at anything by Seth Godin, Simon Sinek, Eckhard Tolle and the like. There is a better way.

If you you’re uncomfortable with the way you market your products and services and need a new way to look at things, then this quote by Seth Godin has to resonate with you: “Great marketers don’t use consumers to solve their company’s problem; they use marketing to solve other people’s problems. Their tactics rely on empathy, connection, and emotional labour instead of attention, stealing ads and spammy email funnels.”

Marketing With Meaning

If you want to market in a way that supports you and your values, then seriously consider reading further. Do work that makes you proud and attract the customers to you who need what you have to give.

Get belief in yourself and your product/service. Strangely many reluctant marketers are reluctant because they lack belief in themselves and their products/services. It wouldn’t be a stretch that many folks, especially creators (artists, musicians, professional speakers, writers), suffer from the imposter syndrome. “Maybe someone will find out one day that I’m not as good as I say I am.” Reframe any negative connotations you may have around yourself and your product/service. Know that you do good work, that you create value for your customers and that it is an honour and benefit for them to be exposed to your work.

Craft a compelling story. Design your brand story which will be the golden vein that’ll run through all of your marketing and communication. The story will position your product/service so that you’ll attract only those who will value your offering and will be prepared to pay for it. It will weed out those who will never buy from you.

Deliver your story. I know that some of us are reluctant marketers because we think our product/service should be good enough to attract people without marketing. We’re like Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella in the movie Field of Dreams who constructed a baseball diamond in the middle of his cornfield. He said, “If you build it, he will come.” The reality is that nobody is coming. If we want people to come to our ‘Field of Dreams’ and make our dreams come true, then we have to use the marketing tools available to us, there’s no getting around that.

If we believe that we are here to serve humankind, then there’s no shame in using these tools … only blessing (for you and your customer). Use the tools available to you and there are many. Reach as many people as you can so that they can use what you have to offer. Become an authentic marketer … your tribe needs you.

About the Author

Jacques de Villiers is a speaker, author and human excellence catalyst.

He helps business owners navigate this human experience with elegance, eloquence and courtesy.

He has been invited to speak more than 1500 times over the last 20 years on marketing, sales, philosophy and human excellence.

He has written and edited books for more than 30 authors, and has written a book for his own account: What If Hollywood Doesn’t Call? A Fractured Monk’s Guide To Enlightenment.

When he’s not speaking, writing or facilitating, you’ll find him catching bass, playing chess and studying military cultures.

Jacques de Villiers
https://jacquesdevilliers.co.za
+27 82 906 3693

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