Hello world…or not

Hello World! It’s what we’re all saying the moment we decide to stick our head up and be seen online. Often, it becomes the punch line for the hilarious way (often unintended) people end up portraying themselves or their products and services. More often, it barely creates a ripple in the vast sea of content seeking eyeballs.

Sometimes someone puts thought and creativity into what they mean and why they’re saying “Hello World!” and that’s when beautiful things happen.

But here’s the dilemma – it’s hard to say thoughtfully creative nice things about yourself or your product. On the one hand, you don’t want to come off as blowing your own horn too loudly, but at the same time you don’t want to leave anything out.

Tip #1 – Get a professional to sing your praises.

You may operate the best roofing business in the city but just up and saying “I’m the best roofing contractor in the city!” is cringe worthy for many business owners. But I don’t have a problem saying it for you, especially if I’ve done my research and there’s a good chance it’s true. And if I do say it for you, I’ll package it with glowing reviews from real customers and any citations and awards you may have earned along the way. Then I’ll follow it up with real life examples of what makes your roofing company the best. When I’m done, you may not recognize yourself, but your satisfied customers will because they know it’s all true. This approach works best if you really are all that. If you’re a fly-by-nighter who makes a mess then moves on to the next town, please don’t call me.

Tip #2 – Determine who your customers are.

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve asked a potential client, “So, who are your customers? Who do you want to appeal to?” only to have them answer, “Everybody.” This is a common fantasy that many business owners have, but until you can get over it, you will be wasting precious advertising and marketing resources on a lost cause.

People from different countries speak different languages but they may have many personal traits in common. People from different income brackets also speak different languages and they may have less in common than you think. What appeals to a 28 year old man is not likely the same as what appeals to a 65 year old man. Women of any age think differently than their male counterparts and parents are a very different breed from singles.

AND YET…some products and services cross the boundaries of common dividers like age, sex and ethnicity. Often, it depends on the approach you use to appeal to them. So while it’s possible to run a date night promotion at a restaurant that caters to families, you need to address the fears that couples will have of being stuck in a section full of kids, and you have to welcome all couples out on a date, married with children couples included.

I don’t have time for this. I have a business to run!

Precisely. That’s why you hire someone like me. The examples above are just two factors that a good creative person will help you consider when designing and producing any promotional material, from intro video to web page. How can you shout your praises if you’re not sure what they are? How can you appeal to the people looking for your products or services if you don’t know who they are? This is not what you do best and it’s a waste of valuable time.

If you don’t have the time or desire to work all this out on your own, give me a call. This is my business.