 |
|
“Me Too” Mediation Marketing Stinks…
8 December 2006Warning: no bland post today, I aim to light a little fire under your belly…
My claim: “Me too” mediation marketing (or “me too” marketing of any kind for that matter) “stinks.”
It does and you know it. You may just not have given it much thought (I’m optimistic).
You should know what “me too” marketing is because it’s everywhere!
Did you do what many mediators do when writing their copy for their website?
Did you go and look at all the other mediator websites out there and decide to “copy” (in your own words, of course) the basic elements of their sites?
You know, the basic items about mediation, what it is, a bio of yourself, a contact page etc. Now, there’s nothing wrong in and of themselves of these items, but they all stink of “me too” marketing.
You know, the popular (and unsuccessful), “I mediate anything for everyone in these 10 categories” and I recite the exact same mediation benefits as the 99 other mediators in my town. (Hey, when I started out I did some of this too) (and my new site hasn’t been launched yet…).
If your not convinced by the validity of this, go and check out 10 different mediation websites and see what I mean.
A couple of the deadly mistakes:
1) The site is all about them — and says very little about how you are going to serve and help solve the pressing conflict problems of your potential clients
2) The site has no photo of the mediators or no personalization whatsoever. Why would anyone hire you? What makes you different from the crowd?
3) The site stinks of “me too” and looks and sounds like every other mediator’s website.
Did you stop to ask yourself, why would someone hire you over the other 99? This assumes, of course, that your potential clients would even find your website to begin with — a dubious assumption.
I was speaking with Jeff Kichaven the other day and we were talking about the fact that one of the first things he did when he went into practice for himself is hire a business coach. He has been working with the same coach for 10 years! In case you don’t know, Jeff is one of the premier commercial mediators in LA.
Anyway, he was saying one thing he knows to be true is that (in a crowded market like LA) what worked last year may not work next year. As a marketer, you do something new and innovative [and because you are successful] people copy you. So, it’s no longer new and innovative and you have to do something else.
I was really struck by this insight. You see, Jeff really gets that “me too” marketing stinks. He understands that if you want to be a leader in the field, you also have to lead with your marketing efforts. He understands that marketing is one of the most important skills to master as a mediation rainmaker.
Mastery, requires change and creativity.
Mastery requires that you lead and not follow. In sum, if you want to succeed, forget about “me too” marketing.
So, to solve this little problem, I’ve been thinking about and beginning to design some creative marketing ideas for mediators. Who knows how long the shelf life will be — but it doesn’t really matter because you know that if you decide to be a leader you must change and adapt.
That’s why blogging in addition to static web pages (right now) is such a great business strategy. You are interacting with your potential clients and educating them. Providing value. It’s the name of the game.
Differentiate or die…
If you’re not growing you’re dying…
Sometimes, we may wish it weren’t so… but deep down you know it is.
So, a challenging post today.
Ask yourself, are you a “me too” marketer?
What are some ways that you could begin to differentiate yourself from the crowd?
We’ll have to tackle the topic of web site rankings (and SEO or search engine optimization) on another day in another post.
And I should add, this topic doesn’t just relate to your internet presence (your web site, blog etc.), it relates to your speaking, writing and positioning.
Fear not… take your shoes off and stand up… and let the creativity start to flow. You can be a leader…
NEVER GIVE UP
Your partner in peace,
Kristina Haymes
Mediation Marketing Queen(TM)
April 17th, 2007 at 10:39 am
[…] Maybe you’ve read my prior post about how “me too” mediation marketing stinks. If not, take a look at it here. […]