We’ve been telling stories

Whether it’s a shared anecdote between strangers, a familiar family tale repeated at the dinner table or a good book passed on to a friend, people connect and re-connect through stories.  These stories reverberate throughout our collective past and will continue long into the future.

Certainly, the way we share our stories is changing radically — through text messages, on Facebook, via Twitter and through e-Books, Web sites and on YouTube.  However, our desire to tell them, hear them and share them remains.

Good marketing tells a story, too. It paints a picture of your company and describes the experiences your customers are likely to have.  The strength of your story is evident in the way your customers flock to you.  But, it’s also evident in the stories they tell about you.

Are they saying what you want others to hear? If not, what are you doing about it?  Are you changing your message; crafting a better tale, both internally and externally through customer service training, better Web site content and and more customer-friendly sales and marketing copy?  Are you telling people not just what they want to hear, but the truth about what it means to do business with you?  When your customers get to your store or your Web site or call your toll free number (even more, when the arrive at your Facebook fan page, choose to follow you on Twitter or read your blog) do they experience the story you promised?

It’s now more important than ever to deliver on that promise and successfully fulfill your story — excellent customer service, fast response time or quality products — because it’s now easier than ever for your customers to share their stories about you — good and bad — across every media outlet (social & mainstream) they have access to.

Are your customers talking about your company in a positive way?  Are you?

Take a minute to review your company Web site, marketing materials and media efforts — do they accurately reflect your company’s story and is it one worth repeating?

One of the things

The response is often, “the paying kind.”  They’re right, to some extent, a paying customer is a pretty darn good one; however, it doesn’t make them perfect.

The perfect customer is one who loves you, your business, your products and services; they seek new ways to work with you; tell everyone they know how great you are and have an open line of communication with you about how you can better serve their needs.  And, of course, they pay you well and on time because they value and respect what you do for them.

So, how do you attract your perfect customer?

Be true to yourself and your business; let your passion shine through; showcase your talents; and let your personality out of the box.  There are people who want to work with you.  And not with anyone else.  They’re attracted to your business philosophy, customer service style and level of expertise.  They want the solutions you provide, in the way you provide them.

But, do they know who you are?

When they visit your Web site, read your newsletter, follow your blog or see your ad, your perfect customer should be able to recognize your solution as the one they’re seeking.  Your content and messaging needs to reflect your personality and style and effectively communicate everything they need to know about you and your company.  If your message is muddled or if your content sounds too much like another consultant or business, your perfect customers will pass you by.

What you’re saying and how you’re saying it will attract certain kinds of people.  Are they the right ones?

What are you saying to attract your perfect customers?

• Writing articles for the wedding & event planning industry
• Managing content and design for monthly newsletters and email campaigns
• Researching and writing more than 100 pages of sales content
• Writing brochures, marketing collateral and sales letters
• Developing, researching and writing content for Web sites
• Researching and writing white papers, Wikipedia pages and sales proposals

2009 was also a year for collaborating with fellow writers!  And I know that where I am today has much to do with their support and inspiration.  After the first of the year, I’ll be posting information about some of these projects we’re already working on and will be launching in 2010.  For monthly updates, feel free to subscribe to the “company” newsletter (sign up on the right).  In addition to updates, the newsletter will include tips and suggestions for making the most of your marketing! I’m learning new things every day, so you’ll find information you can use about building communities, networking, marketing, and using the Internet to develop your platform as a writer, freelancer and/or business owner!

As belts tighten and businesses look for new ways to save, consider just a few of the benefits of hiring a talented expert on a freelance or contract basis.

• Gain a high level of specialized experience without the commensurate salary
• Save money because there are no benefits or taxes to pay
• Use resources efficiently; hire them only when you need them
• Use your money more effectively; pay only for the time you use, not for time spent standing around the water cooler

Great freelancers are business owners, too and know how to put their customers first.  You don’t have to be a big company to appreciate the value of a freelance or contract worker.  Even as a sole proprietor and small business owner there comes a time when it’s more cost-effective and time-efficient for you to outsource.

Click here to find out how this freelance writer & copyeditor can help you!

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you develop and write your marketing newsletter:

1) Useful: be sure to include information that your customers will want to use.  For instance, if you sell scrapbooking supplies, consider including monthly tips or how-to’s about how to get the most out of your products.

2) Know your audience:  Consider the challenges and concerns your customers face and the types of expert solutions you can recommend to meet their needs.  If your audience is made up of small business owners you may consider providing articles about how to cut costs to weather the economy; however, if they’re mid-level sales managers your articles may reflect new ways to keep sales high.

3) Keep your information relevant: While the content should be useful, it should also support the value that you and your company provide.  For instance, if you’re selling tax accounting services to small business owners, write content that illustrates the how’s and why’s of doing business with a company like yours.  You can provide tips on picking the right CPA; a checklist about what they need to have come tax time; or an article on how to track expenses throughout the year so that April 15th seems like just another day.

If you would like assistance with developing and writing useful, relevant marketing content with your audience in mind, let me know.  We can come up with a plan together!