Your Marketing Image: Aspirational Doesn't Mean DishonestPosted by Powers Ovesen on May 13th, 2021 Entrepreneurs are amazingly brave people. No matter how they could publicly shy from comments like that, they're well aware of just how much courage it takes to walk away from someone's payroll and create or grow a business. But despite their courage, many entrepreneurs become downright timid when it comes to marketing. Specifically, these bold folks become reticent when describing their companies. It always surprises me. Every entrepreneur I've known moved for the reason that direction because he or she was convinced that his / her company would be much better than others in the marketplace. They could have had a better idea, top quality, a streamlined delivery method, or more responsive service, but whatever it could have already been, their decision was driven by that need to create a new standard. Yet, when it's time and energy to tell the world about their companies, many of them seem to be embarrassed. Maybe they're afraid their small workspaces don't match the grandeur of the Class A towers anywhere. Or possibly they think their big-firm counterparts are chuckling at their efforts. I'm sure there is a different explanation every time, but the result is the same: they downplay what they're doing at the very time that they need to project confidence. Marketing professionals utilize the term "aspirational marketing" to describe a strategy in which all consumers desire certain products or quality levels, but only a few can actually afford to obtain them. It is suggested there's another marketing application for "aspirational," and that's how up-and-coming companies should promote themselves in the marketplace. When we aspire to something, we're setting a target for what or where we hope to be. You want to look thinner, so we tell ourselves we'll eat less and exercise more. We want to sound smarter at work, so we take classes or read publications about business. As we move toward our aspirations, we gradually end up being the people hopefully to be. The same holds true for a small business. As you develop your marketing materials, you don't have to present yourself exactly as you are today. Without being dishonest (more on that later), you should present yourself as you want your customers to see you. That's where the timidity or embarrassment typically appears. Entrepreneurs become afraid of presenting their businesses aspirationally, because they worry that it is not authentic. If they create a reference to how hard their employees works, they're afraid a prospect will quickly realize that the staff is really their 12-year-old daughter, who really helps to assemble presentations in substitution for iTunes money. If they discuss "our offices," they worry that someone will conduct a surprise inspection and recognize that your executive suite is really a converted walk-in closet. Yet the big companies you need to work with (or 1 day compete with) please take an aspirational approach. Additional hints don't really hesitate to position themselves as industry leaders or the company offering the highest-quality products. Can you eat at a restaurant that admitted, "Yeah, our food is okay, but it isn't really as good as that place down the street?" Maybe that sounds ridiculous, but it's how far way too many startups and small companies promote themselves. A simple example of this kind of thinking is when one-person startups agonize over whether to refer to themselves as "I" or "we" when authoring the business in websites along with other marketing materials. The presumption is that using "we" is somehow dishonest if your organization currently has but one employee. I've observed heated discussions about them over online forums and listened to impassioned arguments at networking gatherings. Using the energy devoted to this topic, you'd think it had been the toughest dilemma an entrepreneur might face. But it really isn't as big a deal because so many of those arguing appear to think. Just choose whatever sounds comfortable and go with it, if you are not violating your field's ethical standards. When I write about my company, I use "we" - and not as the dogs and cat often share my office. That use of the royal "we" separates me, the writer, from the bigger umbrella that's my business. If your goal is to have more than one employee, using "we" will put you in the right mindset. Of course, you need to be reasonable. You may dream your startup may 1 day dominate the Fortune 500, nevertheless, you probably don't want your present website to claim that you're already there. So as you select your aspirational messages, think when it comes to steps. Today, your message may be that you're an area leader in repairing veeblefetzers. A year from now, you may be comfortable calling yourself a regional leader. And five years from now, your aspiration can be a national reputation.Like it? Share it! More by this author |