The 7 Deadly Sins of Digital Marketing pt. 6

Welcome to the 6th installment of the ‘7 Deadly Sins of Digital Marketing’ series. If you haven’t read the first article, click here to check it out.

Each day, we’ll be covering one of the ‘7 Deadly Sins’ or marketing ‘traps’ that we all fall into when we’re first starting out (and what to do instead.) I’ll be revealing some of my biggest mistakes and blunders (not to make this series ALL ABOUT ME — but because I don’t want to be picking on anyone) and showcasing some really great examples of what to do instead.

Just a reminder — There will be a fun word and celebrity doppelganger to make these easy to remember.

Here we go…

DEADLY SIN #6 — Your marketing messages change from one week to the next. You’re not consistent. (or, if I have to pick a word that begins with the letter ‘C,’ you’re ‘constantly changing’ or ‘capricious.’)

[And if this is you… I feel your pain. It is hard to pick a lane and stay there.]

Your Celebrity Doppelganger would be Christian Bale, who is famous for his INSANE physical transformations from Batman to “The Machinest,” “American Hustle,” and coming soon, DICK CHENEY!?

No, I don’t have a thing for Christian Bale. I’m just willing to do what it takes to prove a point. ;)

To be fair, that is Christian Bale’s brand — to literally be a human chameleon and embody any role that he is given.] However, while the ability to completely transform yourself and never look the same on any given day is an incredible asset for an actor, this is a BIG ‘NO NO’ when it comes to your marketing.

Confession time, Let’s see how this applies to marketing.

The many brands of Melissa Slawsky…

It is not uncommon to ‘try on a few hats’ when it comes to starting a new business, but there comes a point where being too creative can be a liability. Here are a few of my marketing ‘experiments.’

• Five-Minute Fingers— Yep, I wanted to ‘revolutionize’ piano practice, 5 minutes at a time. [I wanted to be a business coach, but was told to ‘teach what you know like the back of your hand.’]
• Your Work Life Revolution — I wanted to ‘revolutionize’ career change when someone felt stuck in their career [I wanted to be a business coach, but was told I should be a career coach first… because I was switching careers.]
• The Solopreneur Strategist — I had been a solopreneur for 20 years and was going to help other solopreneurs with their business and marketing as well… [Hint: If you can’t spell your email address correctly, don’t be surprised if your clients can’t spell it either.]
• Brainiac Bundles — I wanted to partner with other cool ‘infopreneurs’ to create joint-venture ‘bundle sales.’ [To be fair, I shut that business down due to a no-compete clause when I started working for other business coaches.]
• Melissa Slawsky, Business & Marketing Strategist — I think I know what sin #7 is going to be… how many clichés can I fit in a single header image? [I’m pretty sure I’m currently committing ALL of the sins here.]

Note: Notice how the branding is similar for these businesses when it comes to colors, logos, and fonts — but it doesn’t matter because the messaging and positioning are ALL over the place.

Why can I do this so easily for others, but have complete face-blindness when it comes to my own business? [That’s for another article…]

Now, the reasons why these inconsistent (and too-clever) marketing messages do not work:

1. Know, Like, & Trust Factor — Clients want to do business with people they know, like, and trust. IF you are changing your ‘tune’ every two weeks, you are not giving yourself the ‘strategy of TIME’ to see if your marketing works or get known for that thing you do.
2. Clients and prospects don’t know the problem you solve — In my case, was I still teaching piano? Was I a career-change coach? Bundling information products? Or was I a business and marketing strategist? Unfortunately, I wasted a lot of time because I wasn’t willing to ‘pick a lane’ and choose the problem I really wanted to solve [help coaches and creatives get more clients, make more money, and grow their business.]
3. Nobody knows what you stand for — Although I knew what I wanted to do, I was still looking for permission, validation, and approval to be a business strategist. I started these other ‘back-up plan’ businesses as ‘stepping stones’ to what I really wanted to do, but my heart wasn’t 100% into them. I was too afraid to show people what I stood for and WHY I do what I do. [That is still a work in progress.]

It’s okay to try on a few ‘hats,’ but when you figure out your messaging, stick to it!

So, now it’s your turn.

Have you ‘picked a lane’ when it comes to your business?

Do your clients and prospects know the problem you solve?

Are you giving yourself the ‘strategy of time’ to allow your clients and prospects to know/like/and trust you? [and get known for what you do?]

Do your people know what you stand for?

Or- is your marketing ‘constantly changing?’

Yep, that’s Christian Bale.. playing DICK CHENEY!

I know I’ve got some work to do this week. How about you?

[Stay tuned for the last installment of this series — Deadly Sin #7]

And, if you’d like some help getting the copy and messaging consistently nailed for your business, join my FREE KILLER COPY Challenge, which starts tomorrow. I’ll be teaching all of my copy hacks so you’ll never have to stare at a blank screen ever again…

Challenge starts, October 8th. Visit http://bit.ly/KillerCOPYchallenge to join.