Many of the phrases professionals use in describing themselves are quite common. For example, you’ll find lots of individuals and firms that emphasize their years of experience, delve into their clients’ problems, help them be proactive and develop customized solutions to fit their needs and goals. Is any of this sounding familiar?

What should you do to differentiate yourself and avoid sounding just like your competitors?

Step 1: Pick 5 competitors to research. Look at their website and social media pages and google them. Try to select some competitors that you think market themselves better than you do and some that you have no idea about what they do to promote their practice. You can also google search terms someone would use to find a professional like you online and research the firms or professionals that show up.

Step 2: Compare yourself to them. Are you using similar language to describe yourself, your practice and your clients? If not, how do you differ? Do you think they are better, worse or as effective as you at talking about their work and how they help clients? Do they come across as possibly more qualified, personable or trustworthy than you? What are they doing to stand out from competitors? How are they staying top of mind with contacts or reaching new people?

Step 3: Determine your specific differentiators. Identify exactly why someone should hire or refer you over your competitors, what unique value you bring to the relationship and how you help. Is there something you are known for? Are you an “expert” in a particular area or have special skills, background or connections? You must be authentic in picking something that truly describes who you are but pay attention to whether it is really unique or just restating what competitors are saying.

Step 4: Focus on 1 simple message. You probably do many things well and may have a diverse background. But trying to talk about all of it will dilute and muddle your message. The human brain cannot remember too much information at once, so keep it simple. There is a time and place to discuss all that you do but not as part of your core message.

Step 5: Prove it. Anyone can say anything about themselves. That’s why you need proof. Your marketing should include positive reviews, success stories, case studies, activities like writing and speaking, media mentions, awards, relevant group memberships and other evidence that you are who and what you say you are.

Step 6. Consider what you can co-opt from competitors. You don’t want to copy exactly what they are doing but there is nothing wrong with getting ideas from them about what you should or should not be doing. Also, identify how you can tailor it to your specific practice and audience, including ways to improve on what they have done.

Step 7. Revise your marketing materials. Once you decide on the image and message you want to present, you must update your marketing to reflect that, including your website, social media, ads, brochures, videos, networking elevator pitch, etc. You need to be consistent and repetitive. Messages don’t sink in until we hear them repeatedly at regular intervals, preferably in interesting and engaging ways. That’s where marketing expertise really comes into play. You need the right message but also must deliver it at the right time, place and manner to attract attention.

It’s not easy to distinguish yourself from competitors but these tips can help you get started. If you need assistance with your marketing, contact us for a free consultation.

Problem #1. Relying on a generic marketing message. Many firms use the same overused language to describe what they do, who they help and how they’re “different.” The problem isn’t lack of creativity; it’s being afraid of standing out. Many professionals feel more comfortable saying the same things as their peers; they just want to claim to do it better. However, they offer no proof that they are actually better so it’s just the same old marketing copy.

If you want to improve your results, you have to focus on marketing your differentiators. Identify exactly why someone should hire or refer you over your competitors, what unique value you bring to the relationship and how you help. Be specific and make sure you have proof, such as positive reviews, success stories, case studies, activities like writing and speaking, media quotes, awards, relevant group memberships and other evidence that you are who and what you say you are.

Problem #2. Too much selling and not enough helping. Yes, promote your differentiators, but rather than telling people how great you are, prove it with helpful content. I believe in the 80-20 rule – 20% of the time you can be self-promotional but 80% of the time provide useful information that helps people with their problems. This will demonstrate your expertise and build trust and credibility with your audience. It will help you both attract new attention and stay top of mind with the people you already know. However, in developing content, focus on what your audience cares about – their interests and concerns. Also, remember to repurpose your content so you get the maximum return on your investment. For more on repurposing, see No Time For Content Marketing? 7 Tips For Successfully Repurposing Your Content Part 1 and Part 2.

Problem #3. Neglecting your total online presence. There is more to your online presence than your website or your social media pages. Prospects and referral sources will google you even if they got referred to you and they will compare you to others. First, google yourself and your firm to find out what people will see. Then google some of your competitors. Once you determine where you are lacking, focus on making improvements like adding useful content to your website, becoming more active on social media, stepping up your writing and speaking for third parties, getting more online reviews, increasing backlinks to your website, claiming your Google business listing and employing tactics to improve your search engine ranking.

Problem #4. Having a narrow view of social media. You want to take full advantage of social media especially since it is more cost-effective than many other forms of marketing. It’s a great way to stay top of mind with contacts and get found by new people. So, post a few times a week. Also, interact with others by responding to comments to your posts; liking, commenting on and sharing other people’s posts; sending personal messages to your contacts; and leaving a good review for your contacts on their social media pages. Also, use social media for market intelligence. Look at what your competitors, clients, industry are doing and saying. This can help you better target your message and where you promote it.

Problem #5. Overlooking your follow-up process. The best marketing in the world means nothing if you don’t follow up properly. Document your process for follow-up and track your activities and results to determine if you could be doing better. Explore technology that may help. For example, a CRM (customer relationship management) system may be useful especially if you have multiple employees involved in business development and account management. It provides a more robust database for tracking and managing your contacts and can interface with other programs. Email marketing automation can also help you nurture leads more effectively and with less manual work.

Finally, pay attention to everyone a prospect or referral source may come into contact with on the phone or in person. Poor interactions can easily lose you business, while good ones can help seal the deal. Customer service or sales training may be a good investment for you or your employees to give everyone the people skills they need.

Problem #6. Failing to have a written marketing plan. Before you leap into any significant marketing, create a written marketing plan. This is your roadmap for achieving your goals and putting it all in writing keeps you focused and accountable over the long term so you aren’t distracted and you prioritize your efforts where they count. The worst thing you can do is engage in random acts of marketing where you do a little of this and that without a strategy or thinking about whether it is the best use of your time and money. For more information, read How to Create an Effective Marketing Plan.

Want help with your own marketing, contact us for consultation.

Mistake # 1: Having a generic marketing message. We all have competitors. Why should someone hire you or refer you over a competitor? Are you highlighting what makes you different and how you add value to clients in your marketing? If you can’t explain these things very clearly and concisely, you will struggle to get good clients. It can be hard to figure out your differentiators. Too often firms rely on generic and vague assertions like they care about their clients, they provide exceptional client service or they deliver results. While that’s wonderful, doesn’t every firm say that? Your differentiators must be more specific and measurable with examples of how you go beyond your competitors.

Mistake # 2: Too much selling and not enough helping. You are probably sharing lots of information with the world whether on your website, social media, networking, or through third parties. Is that information mostly a sales pitch – or in other words, is it all about you? Professional service firms need to educate, not pitch – at least most of the time. Ideally, follow the 80-20 rule in providing information: 20% self-promotional; 80% useful content that helps people with their problems. This will demonstrate your expertise and build trust and credibility with your audience. It will also help you to stay top of mind with existing contacts as well as attract new prospects.

Mistake # 3: Neglecting your total online presence. If you have a small business, it’s about the total package – you personally and your business – and both need visibility and credibility. The first step is to google yourself and your business. What information shows up about you and your firm? How do you compare to your competitors? Whether you get business through referrals or otherwise, those prospects will research you and they need to see lots of positive things about you. So how can you strengthen your online presence? I recommend getting more online reviews and recommendations, writing articles, doing educational presentations to relevant groups, becoming active in industry/professional organizations, and volunteering with charitable organizations. Also, consider hiring a company to help with your SEO particularly if you have a consumer-oriented business and get a significant amount of web business.

Mistake # 4: Limiting your social media marketing to posting. Yes, it is important to post at least a few times a week. Consistency is key. However, social media can also be used to help build and strengthen relationships. Like networking, you have to interact with others on social media, so remember to monitor and respond to comments on your posts. Also go online a few times a week to like, share or comment on posts by your contacts. They will be appreciative and will probably reciprocate in the future. You should pay attention to notifications about your contacts as well – birthday, anniversary, job changes– and use this as an excuse to reach out and reconnect on a personal level. Offer to make recommendations or introductions for your contacts. Social media sites make this easy to do. Finally, you can also use social media for market intelligence. Look at what your competitors, clients, and industry are doing and saying. This can help you better target your message and where you promote it.

Mistake # 5: Overlooking your follow-up process. The best marketing in the world means nothing if you don’t follow up properly. Consider a CRM system (ex. Salesforce) to help you manage your contacts with prospects and referral sources. Marketing automation tools can also help handle some follow up for you. For example, Constant Contact allows you to set up a series of emails that are automatically sent out to prospects to help nurture your leads. You or your staff may also benefit from customer service and sales training. You have to pay attention to everyone a client may come into contact with. Poor interactions can easily lose you the business, while good ones can help seal the deal.

Mistake # 6: No marketing plan. This is your roadmap for achieving your goals. It should be in writing to keep you focused and accountable over the long-term. Your plan should detail your marketing message, target audience, priorities and goals, and what steps you will take to achieve them.

It’s a competitive world and you must market to stay visible and memorable all the time. While no two firms are exactly alike in what works best for marketing, avoiding these 6 big mistakes can help every business.

If you need assistance with your marketing, contact us for a consultation.

Your brand is your reputation – what you are known for and what people expect from you personally and professionally. A strong personal brand is particularly important if you work in the professional services sector because you often get clients based on your personal reputation as opposed to your firm’s reputation. If you want your personal brand to work for you, here are a few musts:

1. Be authentic. First, stop trying to be all things to all people. Many professionals talk about themselves in broad generic terms. They can help any client with virtually any problem, and they are different because “they really care about their clients and provide personal service.” While that may be true, you sound like hundreds of others in your field. Focus on what makes you different but be true to yourself or you will come across as phony. It helps to develop a personal story – think about how your background motivates you to do the work you do or what you enjoy most about your work and your clients.

2. Showcase your expertise. Write blog posts, articles, newsletters, and eBooks. Speak at live and virtual events. Create videos. Provide good information on social media whether through your own posts or commenting on what others post. Not only will it demonstrate that you know what you are talking about, but it is also an opportunity to show some of your personality.

3. Help people. Being helpful can reap substantial rewards personally and financially. It enables you to build stronger relationships with others which can make your work and personal life more fulfilling as well as eventually lead to business. There are many ways to do this from sharing your knowledge and expertise, to making introductions and referrals, and volunteering on causes that are meaningful to you.

4. Leverage all digital marketing channels. Use owned, earned and paid media to promote your brand. Email helps you stay top of mind with existing contacts. Your website showcases your differentiators to those checking you out online. Social media does all of that plus gives you the opportunity to engage with other people to create a positive and memorable identity.

5. Get recommendations/reviews. Like it or not, people will check you out online and give weight to what others say about you there. While you can put client testimonials on your website, the best place to have them is on social media and as a Google business review. There are also some professional directories where it helps to have reviews (ex. Avvo for attorneys).

6. Take small steps. Start with a small targeted plan to promote your personal brand. Commit to at least one or two marketing tactics or a set amount of time per week and then expand from there. Marketing is cumulative and the longer you keep at it, the more successful you will be.

If you are looking for help with your brand, contact us for a free consultation.

1. A strong personal brand is essential. Learning how to shape and promote your brand can help you be more successful in your career and business whether you work for yourself or someone else. It helps you stand out in a world where your competitors are everywhere, and it can be hard to explain how you are different.

2. Highlight the important differences. Your personal brand should encompass your Unique Selling Proposition (why someone should work with you over your competitors) and your Unique Value Proposition (what benefits your audience can expect from working with you). Think about the things that make you and your practice distinct. Do you have a specific niche or specialty; a different perspective because of your background or experience; or a personal story/motivation for the work that you are doing? Then consider how these add value to your relationships.

3. Be authentic and true to yourself. Don’t pick a brand for business reasons. Embrace who you are and be prepared that you won’t be a good fit for everyone and vice versa. Trying to please everyone will not get you noticed.

4. Help people. It’s better to give than to receive. Share your knowledge and expertise. Establish yourself as a connection maker. Follow up and follow through on your promises.

5. Stay visible in some way all the time. Unfortunately, people have short attention spans. You want to be the one your contacts remember if they have a problem or someone asks them for a referral. It is impossible to network or call and meet with people all the time. You need many ways to keep in touch with them constantly. That means taking advantage of social media and email marketing, your website, blogging, writing and speaking opportunities and networking.

6. Small steps matter. You don’t have to do it all at once. Commit to one or two marketing tactics or a set amount of time per week and then expand from there.

Thanks to Christie Jacobson and Jennifer Koo for inviting me to speak and Mindy Wolfle for sharing her great tips on “Effective Networking is All About Relationship Building.”

For more branding tips, read Personal Branding Tips To Grow Your Business.

If you need help identifying or marketing your personal brand, contact us for a consultation.

One of the hardest things to do is to determine your unique selling proposition (USP) and unique value proposition (UVP). Your USP is a statement about your competitive advantages – why someone should hire you over your competitors. Your UVP focuses on the benefits your audience can expect from working with you – what value you add to the relationship and how you help. You need to be able to articulate these statements in a way that people will understand, remember and repeat to others to spread your brand.

Here’s some tips to help you get started defining your USP and UVP:

1. Stop trying to be all things to all people. Professionals and business owners often talk about what they do and who they help as broadly as possible. A lot of that is because they fear losing business. If you say you focus on X type of work, then you won’t get Y type of work, which you are also capable of doing. Now there is nothing wrong with taking whatever work you can get, but if you are trying to market yourself to reach all people, you are minimizing your differentiators and competing against more firms.

2. Know your audience. Who specifically do you want to target with your marketing? Remember prospects and referral sources are not created equally. It’s up to you to figure out the best market to pursue. Then determine what they care about. Your USP and UVP should speak to their needs, interests and pain points.

3. Be specific about your differentiators. Don’t rely on generic statements about how you care about your clients and you’re responsive to their needs. Your competitors are saying the same thing. Look at your background, education, experience, training, interests, activities, clients, contacts, perspective, services, etc. to find ways to differentiate yourself. Then identify why these would matter to your target audience and how they specifically help you add value to your clients and referral sources.

4. Focus on a niche. If you have a problem, when do you go to a specialist and when do you go to a generalist? For most people, the more serious the problem, the more likely they are to seek out specialized solutions. A niche helps turn you into a specialist, so you have less competition and get better quality and more lucrative leads. It enables you to differentiate your business, build expertise in a specific area and focus your marketing resources so you can spend less money and get a better ROI.

5. Be authentic. Don’t just pick up some buzz words that you think sound good. Be true to yourself or you will come across as phony. It helps to develop a personal story – think about how your background motivates you to do the work you do or what you enjoy most about your work and your clients.

6. Consistency is key. All of your marketing should reiterate the same message and reinforce the same USP and UVP. That includes your networking, website, writing, speaking and other activities.

Remember your goal is to develop a distinctive and positive message that is easily remembered and helps you stand out from the competition.

Need help with your marketing? Contact us for a consultation.

Do you have a personal brand? Many people don’t know what a personal brand is and can’t identify their own brand. As a result, they can’t maximize their brand to improve their career and business prospects. Your brand describes what you’re known for and what people expect from you.

It is not your logo or tagline, although those can help you promote your brand. Instead your personal brand encompasses your reputation, including many personal and professional attributes. In a recent program at the Suffolk County Bar Association, we shared our tips to help attorneys develop a strong brand and market it effectively to build their practice. However, no matter what type of professional you are, you can take advantage of these key points:

1. Focus on your differentiators. Your personal brand should give you a distinctive and positive identity that attracts people and helps you stand out from the competition. In developing a brand, think about why someone should hire you over your competitors and what unique value or benefits your audience can expect from working with you. Many professionals have a hard time identifying what makes them different. Instead, they rely on the standard answers, like they are different because they really care about their clients or have a proven track record. But those are the same things that everyone says and by itself does nothing to differentiate them. You need to dig deeper and examine your background, experience, interests, etc. to identify how you stand apart and bring real value to your clients. For example, one of the best ways to differentiate and add value to your audience is to have a niche practice. A niche gives you the opportunity to develop expertise and become a go-to resource and that attracts people to you.

2. Write regularly on topics of interest to your audience. Writing is a great tool for demonstrating your expertise and building your credibility. It also helps promote you as a trusted resource when you frequently share helpful information. Your writing doesn’t just include articles for third party publications. For example, blogging is a very useful and flexible format for sharing content. A blog post can consist of anything from a simple checklist or chart, to an in-depth piece that’s akin to something a publication would publish. Other forms of writing include newsletters, white papers, eBooks or printed books. If you’re doing public speaking, your handouts, notes, outlines, PowerPoints and other materials are also written content that can be shared with your audience. Whatever form your writing takes, just make sure that it provides useful information to your audience and highlights your personal brand.

3. Leverage public speaking. When you speak before a group of prospective clients or referral sources, they have an opportunity to see you and recognize your expertise and how you can help them. Having a strategic plan in place is critical to your speaking success. First, you must know and understand your target market. Determine their existing knowledge about your topic and what new information you can offer them based on their needs and interests. Then research the types of organizations where you can speak and prepare to pitch yourself and your topic. Organizations may include: business and legal organizations, chambers of commerce, civic groups, conferences, etc. Once you get an engagement, focus on sharpening your speaking skills and creating and delivering a great presentation. If you want to maximize the engagement even further, consider getting the word out through publicity (media coverage) before and after the event.

4. Take advantage of digital marketing. Social media and email are great tools for sharing and marketing your brand. All of your professional activities (especially writing and speaking) should be promoted using social media and email. It will help you stay top of mind with your existing contacts. It also gives you an inexpensive way to reach new audiences. Remember too that your activities will typically show up online in some way. Consumers or other professionals searching for help with a problem are more likely to find you if you are writing and speaking about substantive issues relevant to the people you want to attract. Just as importantly, if someone gets your name from a referral, they are likely to check you out online. When someone Googles your name, having lots of positive information about you online will help reinforce your credibility with them.

Thanks to my co-presenter, Marla Seiden, Seiden Communications. For more tips, see also Power Up Your Personal Branding With Public Speaking authored by Marla Seiden.

If you need help with your personal branding, contact us.