If someone had told you that you could win hundreds or thousands of potential customers by putting an emphasis on what you lack in service or offerings, what would you have thought of them?
Most of you are already very familiar with some of the basics of marketing. I personally like to think that we have an educated group of readers. Writing something for you lot is mostly easy, since I am confident that most of you will get what I am trying to put out there and I do not have to explain something several times.
However, sometimes it is extremely difficult to deal with broadly-informed people. Because, not that very often, I will write about something that has not been adopted as a standard by anyone, something that books or blogs haven’t yet been written about and possibly something that contradicts what we already know. This is one of those times.
What very few have tried, and where they have mostly succeeded to various degrees of extent, is something I like to call honest marketing. It is an approach best applied by small or middle-sizes businesses, or businesses offering boutique experiences, but with right modifications, it could be used elsewhere.
The honest marketing concept is based on the premise that marketing is not an exact science, although it can be treated as such by some. There are many vastly different approaches that can bear fruit. Each approach will have its benefits and drawbacks when compared to others.
That is why you should choose the one best suited to your own needs and wishes, the one compliant with your business philosophy.
Those among you who cherish honesty will find these 6 ways of being honest in marketing refreshing and liberating. They can be pioneers in their respective fields by incorporating a 100% honest approach. That sort of innovation always pays off. On the other hand, those who do not particularly care about honesty, but are savvy business people will find our 6 instructions very interesting.
#1 – Emphasize who your target group is NOT.
This way you are not alienating your existing consumers, not at all. You are just not spending any energy on those who are most-unlikely to buy your product. Everyone should be aware that their product is not universal. Use that to your advantage.
e.g.: “We are a sea food restaurant. We do not serve vegetarian meals. We can accommodate anyone, but you might perhaps be more comfortable elsewhere if you are vegetarian.”
By saying that your product is not intended for someone’s use, you are establishing a stronger connection with your target audience, but also reaffirming yourself as brand and strengthening your credibility. Not only that, such strong statement oozes with confidence.
Additionally, people may come to a conclusion that your business is doing really well if you can afford to repel a group of potential customers. However, you already know that those repelled customers are none other than those who would not be satisfied with what you are offering.
#2 Admit your product is not perfect.
No product or service is perfect. Embrace that. Embrace your weaknesses, admit you have them and say that you are working on solving those problems, and then direct the spotlight towards some of the more desirable features your product is offering. Make the good outbalance the bad.
e.g.: “Our lawn mowers are definitely not the best looking or very compact, but instead on focusing on design we made them with a very high quality build for a very reasonable price.”
Turn the flow of the story to your advance. Actually, by saying something bad about the product first, the positive statement seems more likely to be true. That is something that marketing experts refer to as verisimilitude.
Again, this way, your business would gain additional credibility.
#3 Own up to your mistakes.
Instead of being ashamed of possible previous failures, embrace them. Comment on those events from your recent history that caused so much trouble, even if you are unprovoked. Don’t ignore the elephant in the room. State your resolve to do things better. However, admitting you were not perfect doesn’t mean you will leave it at that. Add how you have improved and in what ways.
e.g.: “You may have heard that a year ago we had a delivery problem with our customers. It was caused by a glitch in the software and it took us 5 month to build the entire system anew. But we are back, stronger than ever.”
People will recognize this step as a sign of responsibility and recuperation. Everyone loves a good comeback.
#4 Compliment you competition.
Out of all 6 ways to be successfully honorable in marketing, this one can have a bit of a bitter-sweet aftertaste. Essentially, you are supposed to say something genuinely nice about a person or a company that is your direct rival. That can be tricky at times. Nonetheless, it is sometimes necessary for someone to take the higher ground.
Expressing something complimentary when it is not mandatory is considered a sign of a person who is confident and who does the right thing, not to mention someone gracious. The same applies to business. Consumers are more likely to choose a company which treats their competition with respect, because the same company will treat them with respect as well.
#5 Make jokes at your own expense.
Humor can do more for you than any advertising agency, as long as it is sincere. Anything that can be referenced as a downside can be turned into an upside by some clever use of humor. Whether it is about your business or some specific products or an embarrassing situation your company was a part of, making fun of yourself will win the hearts of many, but never all.
You can make a flaw of yours an attractive quality by changing the perception of it, proudly wearing it like Lady Gaga wears her clothes.
#6 Don’t spin it, spill it!
Do not use excuses if trouble arises. Own it! Replace spin experts with actual facts. If someone from your team has made a mistake, and your service or product quality suffered because of it, don’t avoid the responsibility. Apologize and promise you will do everything in your power to improve on the situation.
e.g.: “Due to human error on our construction team, the sum of 6000 vehicles sold in March 2015 is being recalled. We will correct the vehicles’ faults and prepare them for future safe transport.”
Forget about crisis management, it will cost you both money and customers. However, honesty might appease them and is the only way to build trust again.
Whether you are just being clever and foreseeing or you are craving for a more conscientious direction in your marketing, you will be richer in ideas after getting familiar with my 6 ways of being honest and making it in marketing. Your accomplishments might be even greater if you walked on the honest side at times. Try it, the truth might not always hurt.
“6 Simple Ways To Be Honest And Make It Big In Marketing” a high-quality kind of post for me.
You gave honesty or honest marketing an importance. I salute you with that! Uprightness is now rare to find. Not all have the nerve to be honest on and off line.
For me honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving. Thus, honest people deserved TRUST that is why I agree that it is an approach best applied by small or middle-sizes businesses or any business.
The tips are simple to follow, honestly. This will encourage marketers to take one step forward by doing the stated tips. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Metz for a nice comment and I am glad you agree, most people would think that you are incognito online and you can do anything you want as it doesn’t matter, however if you’re seriously building your business online that’s not the way to go.
I thought the world had gone insane,great to know,a few exist who express the nature of who we truly are “good honest folk” ignore the madness of trump followers,I embrace your words.
Hey Johnny,
I really like how to put this about being honest. It establishes credibility on all different ways and angles.
As a business you’re showing more of a human side of it. You show that you make mistakes and at the same time, you’re showing that you are rectifying them.
With this approach it goes a long with with your clients and potential clients within your niche. Especially when you show that you have a sense of humor through it all!
Thanks for sharing Johnny! Have a good one!
Glad you like it Sherman, honesty is one important asset in any business and it needs to always be present in everything one does.
I,ve been in business for 30 plus years, honesty doesn’t have to be seen as an angle,it’s just honesty.Understand it,as a truth,then only good will follow.Customer centric honesty,try it and see the results.
Hi Johnny,
An interesting perspective on “honest marketing”. It has been explained in detail. The idea of turning “negative” situation into positive ones is admirable. Every marketer that learn this skill is sure to take control of how successful their marketing becomes.
The six simple ways shared are quite practical. However, one should be careful in applying any of them because the reserve effects could manifest if words are not persuasive enough.
Complimenting the competition is not the only way that can leave a bitter-sweet taste. All other ways can still have detrimental effect if there is no persuasive words that can easily bring about trust!
You are definitely right Sunday, a good point that I unfortunately skipped in the article is that this is a great tactic if you know how to do it right and it’s successful. But it can also turn against you and become a big blunder if not done correctly.
I really like this article and has made me look at marketing in a new light. This was very well-written. When I see a post and leave it knowing that I truly acquired some valuable information, I commend the person who wrote the article. I really like the first and second ones. At first, when I read the heading for the first one, I was skeptical, but as I read more of it I was like ok I get their point of view and why you should emphasize who your target market is not. You are absolutely correct that people will see your business as successful if you can afford to send off people that your product does not concern. I also like the not having a perfect product part as well and how it shows sincerity and authenticity. Great job.
Thank you Lawrence, I really appreciate you dropping in and leaving a comment.
You are right, if someone was to just read the headings the first reaction would be to reject the statements, however if you think about it a little it starts to make sense 🙂
Hi Johnny,
The words Honesty and Marketing both used in the same sentence, man was I hooked I just had to read this post, Johnny.
This is a terrific post. Everything mentioned makes ton of sense. If all of the mistakes made are handled as described, the world would be a better place to live in.
All the individual examples in the post require courage, honesty, and the acceptance that no one is perfect. Mistakes can and will happen. Finally the realization that it is how one deals with mistakes after they occur, that separates the honest from the not so honest.
I really enjoyed the read Johnny.
I came to your Blog site via a link left on Kingged.
Hi, Ivan! Glad you enjoyed the article. Indeed, miskates always happen – we’re only human. But it’s more important how you react when that happens. Being honest helps you win your audience and create long-lasting relationships with your readers and customers.
I cannot thank you enough for the forum. Really Great. Salvatori