In today’s fast-paced, information- and opinion-overloaded society, it is easy to overlook the individuality of our prospects and clients. We look at our email stats, social media likes, and web analytics to try and uncover what folks think of us. Some companies seem to think their clients are merely numbers or anonymous tales written to boast their perceived accomplishments.

And then other companies, like ours, prefer to start each relationship by learning about the individual personality of the client. Every company is like a person, with its own opinions, thoughts, personality, and ideals. And it is our job to pull those out and make sure the differentiations are apparent.

Some Examples

Company A may be led by a truly fearless leader, a person who took on a niche industry and turned a simple idea into a global organization. The company may have developed programs for hundreds of clients and become successful on hours of blood, sweat, and tears. The message clients should receive from those folks is that they never give up. If you have a problem they have not already solved, they can promise you they will find a way. This message may not be plausible to everyone. But for the prospects they want to attract, it may be all they need to know.

Company B may be a small company with its leaders highly engaged in philanthropy. Folks that volunteer for the EMS squad and always hold a donation for Toys-For-Tots. They meet many of their clients through these activities, and those clients trust they are putting their businesses in good hands. The job isn’t all about money and recognition – it’s about making sure right things are done. These folks need to attract prospects that are like-minded and find the value in giving; therefore that message needs to be apparent.

And finally, Company C can be your worst nightmare. (This wouldn’t be reality if every story had a happy ending.) They may tell you they want to bypass relationship-building, jump over strategic planning, and dive straight into tactical activities. Monetarily, that may be great. But relationships with clients like that rarely end well. How can you write or lay out anything without knowing who these people are and what they represent? They want things done in a modern or memorable way; but as I learned in high school, being cool isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. Uncovering who you truly are and embracing it is the way we grow. Trying to mimic the cool kids rarely leads to satisfaction and progress.

Be Yourself

If you want to be successful in your marketing, it is important to uncover your message and stay faithful to it. There will always be a group of like-minded prospects and clients willing to work with you. If you try to hard to be something you are not, your message – or lack thereof – will be apparent to your prospects. Who will want to work with your company if you can’t even describe yourself?

In a world with so much information constantly at our fingertips, it is always comforting — and rewarding — to uncover some authenticity and genuineness.