Effective & ethical marketing services are essential for small businesses - who to trust & avoid

A big newsletter this week so grab a coffee, tea or something stronger. There are great opportunities for new and existing small businesses and self employed people to prosper in 2023.??

In building and expanding, many decisions will be made on the marketing services that will help reach goals, revenue and market share. But what services can you trust?

First up, there is really good news from the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer Report ?that small and family owned businesses are trusted far more than larger businesses.?

You can read more about the Edelman surveys from the report in my article in Kochies Business Builders this month.?

Of relevance to this newsletters topic is that social media services are ranked the lowest in trust globally.?

And frankly, there is good reason why as there are so many damn dodgy and quick win businesses in and around social media and marketing generally.

A PLETHORA OF CHOICES

Marketing is the backbone of business success and market capitalisation.?

Every sector and profession has good, bad, ugly and brilliant operators. That's just life and reality. But in marketing, the stakes are extra high as hopes are pinned on success and ROI.

Making the wrong choice will impact finances, productivity, reputation and business growth. ??Investing money wisely is not easy. ???

There is ?a plethora of great and ethical operators.?But how can small businesses and the self employed navigate them to make good ethical choices. ?

And now with AI and CHATgpt?the stakes are higher and more players trying to take advantage of the game.

BEWARE OF TRUSTING THE WRONG PEOPLE?

Before I dive into marketing services, it’s important to understand why so many have unwittingly fallen prey to dodgy or ineffective services.

Firstly, it’s about a demand and an itch needing scratching.?High market demand engenders a deluge of services all trying to grab a slice of that itch relief revenue.?

Secondly, the populist rhetoric that we deal with people we?‘know, like and trust’?is fundamentally flawed.?

Psychology shows we like to trust people that mirror us and if we like someone (their personality) we want to trust them (their character).?

Cathy Caprino, international author and executive coach shares in?Forbes?that people who put their faith in fakers, cheaters or unstable individuals have made big life and career mistakes and engage in the wrong jobs, partnerships, relationships, deals and more.

5 reasons why we place trust in the wrong people:?

1. We desperately want to believe them even though we know what they’re offering is too good to be true.
2. They validate what we need to believe about ourselves
3. They appear as if they’re “winners” – they’re charismatic, persuasive and impressive (narcissists and manipulators)
4. They make us feel as if somebody finally recognises our talents?
5. We hand over our power and skip the due diligence we need to do, to ensure this is a good move

Being mindful of the above is key to risk minimisation.?Being desperate for results is never a satisfactory reason to ignore point 5.

VISIBILITY, IMPACT, INFLUENCE

The objective of marketing is to raise visibility, make an impact and influence the target market.?Outcomes mostly are measured by client acquisition and profitable business growth.?

Pretty simple, but not so in reality as there are many moving parts to effective marketing with time and financial resources often a challenge.

LinkedIn, personal branding, websites, public relations, SEO, content and copywriting are essential pillars for every business in varying degrees.???

Let’s look at these pillars with tips to guide informed decisions.??I will kick off from my specialisms of LinkedIn and personal branding followed by three other expert contributors.

LINKEDIN SERVICES

There are now over 900 Million global and 13 Million Australian members.

Every business will gain value from the platform when used strategically.

A good LinkedIn service provider will:

• Have at least three years platform and training experience
• Focus on a quality vs quantity strategy
• Employ a tailored creative marketing approach to every client
• Embrace research and best practice
• Write original and educational content
• Have strong technical knowledge

Avoid those who:

• Disregard the LinkedIn User Agreement.
• Use prohibited automation and connection tools
• Sells and uses paid and unpaid?engagement pods?and sells engagement
• Outsources overseas and integrates plagiarised content systems
• Purely focuses on lead generation with promises of definite conversion and metric outcomes

SERIOUS CAUTION - as a result of the explosion of AI and CHATgpt, there are services that have been launched recently of unethical practices on LinkedIn by AI commenting programs and tools. Run for the hills as these are against the LinkedIn T&Cs and breach Community rules.?

Smart Company published a concerning story here of an unethical AI commenting service

PERSONAL BRANDING - PROFILE MARKETING

The mere mention of this has many running for the hills.

I get it, as it appears that every Tom, Dick and Mary has jumped on the bandwagon.?I now refer the work to personal profile marketing

Across social media saturation it’s not the what, but the how as ‘your vibe attracts your tribe’.

Look for services that:

• Walk their talk with an inspiring unique profile, solid portfolio and digital footprint
• Have a communications, media or marketing background
• Share examples of client transformations and communications
• Understand the connection of personal and business brand positioning
• Have integrated marketing offerings to leverage visibility

Be wary if they:

• Encourage exaggeration and bluster
• Have limited experience with diverse professions and industries
• Have MLM type processes and lock in systems
• Haven’t had a career relative to the work of branding and marketing

PUBLIC RELATIONS

PR and media is a highly valuable tool to raise visibility and awareness.

As I mentioned in my Kochies Business Builders article its almost a moral obligation to share what you do that helps others.

Jo Stone?from PR agency?Sticks & Stones PR?believes that public relations is multifaceted and not just about media exposure.??

I couldn’t agree more.

Effective PR campaigns cross national TV, glossy magazines, radio interviews, content and social posts.?Below is a few of Jo’s behind the scene tips:

Finding a good practitioner:

• Ask around and check out the market and word on the street. And if you spot a business or thought leader with a lot of great media coverage find out who is doing their PR.
• Look for journalist and communication led services. Practitioners who are former working journalists bring enormous depth, knowledge and invaluable industry contacts.

Before you engage:

• Be very clear on what success means for you and how you will measure it.
• Evaluate your needs as often only a small part of the PR journey is required. Big agencies are essential to execute integrated mainstream campaigns that need many hands and diverse skills.?But often a specialist solo operator is the solution for part of your PR needs.
• Work out who is the best spokesperson (it may not be the owner or CEO). And then get media training as it is an essential part of the PR process to deliver with confidence.
• Are you really ready? Do you have an excellent website and customer experience processes to cope with exposure??Can you upscale services or manufacturing supply if necessary?
• Be realistic as the current media climate turns on a dime. A story which may have hit front page in mainstream media a year ago may be pushed to page 10. Is your story and business one that really has media potential, no matter how clever the spin?

COPYWRITING & CONTENT

Content is designed to engage, inform, entertain educate and inspire.?

With the explosion of social media, websites and online rankings, content that influences and converts is essential.??

?

Sophia Auld?of Words Mean Business shares tips on how to choose the right copywriter

What to look for and red flags to avoid

• A copywriter that can explain their services simply in a way that you understand. If they cannot do that, what hope do you hold in them being able to communicate your story in your voice?
• Have an idea of what you can afford as writers rates vary widely based on experience and diverse skills. Do you want an average or highly skilled craftsperson as you can’t buy Moet on a Passion Pop budget.
• Niche or general expertise. Do you need a great all-rounder (they can easily adapt to most projects) or a very skilled writer with a specific professional background?
• Ask for examples of work. But those examples don’t need to be an exact match but ask for similarities of skills.
• Personality fit and flexibility is key to ensuring you will enjoy working together. An initial phone or zoom conversation is essential. Be aware many writers are introverts and would sooner gouge their eyes out than talk about themselves.?Some love a good chat and their information gathering style and communication preferences must align with yours.?
• If a writer takes several days to respond or doesn’t communicate agreed time frames it’s a big red flag.
• Check testimonials. Many clients won’t publicly admit they use ghost-writers and copywriters so ask for of some of those along with ones of the writer’s website.

SEO?SERVICES

This is a minefield of confusion and needs a lot of due diligence. Various experts have shared tips including:?

Look for SEO services that:

• Are user-intent focused. Behind every Google search is a user seeking answers to SEO connects to your ideal customer or audience by understanding user intent and matching your content.
• Commit to ethical and evidence-based strategies. SEO is a long-term game not an overnight proposition. Services must focus on a strategy that includes building online presence over time.

Avoid:

• Anyone that promises page 1 or position 1 on Google. No one can make those guarantees as Google ultimately has the final say.?This is also the reason why users will get different results based on their location, personalisation and algorithm variations.
• Providers selling SEO packages based on the number of keywords ranked.
• If an agency or consultant sells packages based on ranking for certain number of keywords on the first page of Google, head for the hills. This is an old school, out of date tactic.

WEBSITE SERVICES

Choose a website service who can demonstrate a excellent understanding of your branding and business needs.?

Don't sign lock in time contracts. You want to manage your site.

The more questions asked and noted the more effective the end result will be. Questions and insights to align to goals are essential. A no holds barred resource of what to look for and avoid is on?My Site Auditor??by?Marvin Russell.?

Run from services which focus predominately on creativity and pretty aesthetics.?

User Experience is the key factor as this diagram from Hubspot shows clearly.

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Tips include:

• The provider has a conversion and SEO strategy
• Run from services without a architecture strategy
• Never use bargain basement services
• Don’t use providers and services in another country. Know who is working on your website.
• Ensure the designer has excellent technical knowledge and can communicate easily.

SUMMING UP

This has been a detailed newsletter as I am equally focussed on risk prevention as I am raising the value and bar for great services.

There are many other important services which support business objectives as the marketing wheel has many spokes (i.e. design, video, research, advertising, digital retargeting, Google ad-words etc).?

Making wise?choices from a platform of due diligence requires courage, self-awareness and an unbiased analytical perspective.??

Holler if you need advice on the services I provide or referrals to others.

Until next time.

About

Sue Parker is the founder and owner of DARE Group Australia.??

She is a communications & personal marketing, career/job search strategist and LinkedIn specialist working with both public and private sector clients.

A respected regular media contributor and media commentator on LinkedIn news and updates.?

Contact Sue sparker@daregroupaustralia ?/ ww.daregroupaustralia.com.au

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