Good Marketing Tip: Don’t insult your clients.
When you are creating your master marketing plan, try to put yourself in your clients’ shoes: will this offend or insult them in any way? I recently had a lawn-care brochure stuck in our front door, and I couldn’t help but think it was a great example of “what not to do”. This company’s flyer displayed a list of common lawn problems, and the person placing the brochure would check off the items that seemed to apply to our lawn. (see below) When I read this, I was a litle miffed! Sure, my lawn has all these issues, but does this company really think they have inspired me to do business with them? No. In fact, I felt criticized and defensive. As a test, I left it casually on the counter for my husband to come across, and sure enough, he picked it up later that evening and commented on the lack of tact in this marketing plan.
If you provide a service, you are an expert in the service and your potential customers are not experts in that area. They know that already, otherwise why would they be reading your marketing materials? There is no need to point out their flaws, and you may risk alienating them if you do so. Rather, focus on helping them solve problems and point out the benefits of your services. For example, this company could have noted how their services would save me valuable time and give me a lawn I could enjoy on the weekends, rather than have to waste weekend hours weeding, fertilizing, thatching, etc. Another approach would be to change the wording above the checklist “We can cure these common lawn problems:”. This leaves the impression that everyone has these problems, but this company can provide the solution.
