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I have been blogging for years, but my blogs have always been either straight writing or personal blogs. I tended to stay away from business as I thought I spent more than enough time at work why spend more time writing about it. I also felt, to be honest, that there were very few good business blogs out there. For a long time, I really believed there were a handful of good ones and the rest were just stenographers reporting news that can be found on 400 other places. Now either I was totally wrong or over the last year it has seemed that more and more blogs have come onto the scene offering truly valuable and insightful commentary and opinions.
Marketing Hipster is barely two months old, still just a pup and one of the issues I have been grappling with is finding my voice. I am use to writing free style in any shape or form without really putting much effort into it other than my honest thoughts. Though here, I have been trying to find that comfortable place so that my true voice can he heard, but also making it is more professional than a personal blog.
I was thinking that my struggles are probably similar to what many companies struggle with when defining their voice, their brand, their image. In today’s world of 24/7 media and a plethora of competition around every corner, it seems more important than ever for a company to truly be able to define who they are and what they are about and then have the ability to communicate it into the hearts and minds of their customers. There are times when the first thing we think of as marketers is what marketing tactics will deliver the best results for our clients when maybe we need to start with understanding who they are and what they want to become.
What do you think? Where do you start? First time meeting with a client, what’s the first question you ask them and what kind of answer are you hoping to get?
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Technorati Tags: blogging, true voice, defining their voice
I find this post very interesting because the question is harder to answer than I thought. What DO you ask a client when you first meet them? I could think of many things, but what should be the first? I suppose, in some way, that first question is a reflection of your personal brand. If, for instance, my first question was something like “How would you like to triple your sales?” you could tell my personal brand was more akin to fast talking internet salesman with a contrived pitch. If my first question was “Where do you want your company to be in 5 years?” you could assume that I am the forward thinking consultant. What about if I asked “How do you like your coffee?”, am I now the accomodating, relationship building account rep? Also, let’s not forget that if your client or prospect has read your blog and your company manifesto that perhaps they are exepcting a certain question, or series of questions, and NOT asking those questions may skew the client’s perception of you. All in all it’s a good question to ponder.
Thanks for stopping and commenting at one reader, Cord - and for being forthright in this post. I DO think something is happening in business blogs - definitely marketing. Part of it is the increase in tools, part of it is the need for community. Part of it is just plain good feeling you get networking and sharing.
My feeling as to “what’s the first question you ask?” tags onto Bruce’s comment. I default to “how do you like your coffee?” - it tells people that building relationship is important. I learn something about them - how they like their coffee - and they learn something about me - he likes to know preferences. At least to start with
- btw, love your about - likewise a friend to DeadHeads! Tell ME it ain’t a long strange trip! Keep up your solid work!
Bruce - Great points.. It’s a question I think differs depending on who and what kind of client you are talking to.
Bob - Thanks for the comment. It sure has been a long strange trip my friend. Have a great weekend
First question: Why do you do what you do, and what’s the passion that drives that?
If there’s no jazz within, the outbound message will be dead. Customers won’t respond. And if they do, can the client service what was sold in the message?
Great point about the first question we ask being representative of our brand. Hadn’t thought about that.