A Modest Proposal
Modesty is a virtue. Its also one of the first hurdles facing startup entrepreneurs first getting into advertising. Its no surprise, really. After a lifetime of parents and teachers scolding us for bragging and all of the little truisms like, Satisfaction has no friends, its no wonder were initially hesitant to praise ourselves publicly. The thing is, if you arent praising your business and your products, who is?
Ideally, the answer to this should be, My customers are. The trick then, is identifying repeat customers that will be able to provide you with testimonials. Youll want to feel out potentials who are going to give you unreserved praise in brief and compelling phrases that avoid a focus on minutia. A testimonial that belabors the intricate workings of one of your products isnt as effective as a simple Its the absolute best purchase Ive made this year or I dont know how I lived without it.
If you havent been open long enough to establish a solid customer base, obviously, customer testimonials may not be possible or prudent. In this case, you have no choice but to do a little bragging. It may sound like semantics, but theres a difference between promoting and bragging. Youre just informing the buying public of how your companys products and services can benefit them, and believe me, customers are out there looking for what your selling. They just dont know it yet.
There is one aspect of bragging I would generally try to keep to a minimum. That being, overly long company histories that detail every minor accomplishment since their founding. If you want to tell your customers that youve been in business for a while and are reliable and trustworthy, thats fine, but try to leave it at that. Ultimately, your marketing campaigns focus is making sales, so dont lose your focus on matters of personal pride. You have limited ad space and it should be used to promote your products. If you really want to let your customers in on your companys history or are looking to establish a sense of openness and familiarity with your customers, consider a venue like newsletter printing, which is more appropriate.
Whether youre spending your advertising dollars on brochure printing or a targeted flyer campaign, you have to believe in yourself and what youre offering to the consumer. If you dont the customer wont. Get out there and toot your own horn or youll never get noticed. So, sure, modesty may be a virtue, but nothing was ever sold with modesty.
About the Author: For more information, you can visit this page on brochure printing and newsletter printing
Related Articles