I Feel Your Pain!

Here’s an approach to promoting your business that I like to call a “pain statement”.  A pain statement is something that touches you on an emotional level rather than an intellectual one.

Here’s a good example….my dentist recently asked me “Are you happy with your smile?”  Well, I was until she asked! Then I was thinking orthodontics, teeth whitening, etc.  She got me at an emotional level.

Now consider how you promote to your potential clients….What if you could tap into their emotions, their needs, their questions…find out where their pain is and get their attention at an emotional level. To help you do this, consider the questions your current clients ask you…This should help you formulate a valuable promotional tool for attracting new business.

Once you have figured out the pain statement (or statements) necessary to promote your business, what next?

Well, let’s take my dentist’s scenario…She could post a Tweet saying “Happy with your Smile?” and then provide a link to her blog.  On her blog, she could discuss teeth whitening, the various options and why this should have this done by a dentist rather than using the over-the-counter products.  Then she could include a link to her website so her readers would know where to find her, her credentials, special teeth whitening offers, etc.

And how about email marketing?  Using “Happy with your Smile? as the subject line,  create an eNewsletter with some or all of the blog article, include links to the blog and website and then follow up a week later—enough time for readers to convince themselves that their smile is not as bright as it should be—with an ePostcard offering a special discount on teeth whitening!

So far, we haven’t even touched on direct mail promotion, but the same process that is done online can be done in print…You KNOW there are those that don’t check their email but once every two weeks, but they’ll take a look at that postcard that comes in the mailbox. Take advantage of that segment of the business population. Use that tag line or question on a postcard, a door hanger, on the back of your business card, on your brochure, in a newsletter, in an advertisement…

Figure out the pain statement that you need to promote your business and use it to your full advantage. Grab potential clients by their heart strings and pull them in. Convince them that they NEED YOU!