Your own personal Marketing Image: Aspirational Does not Mean DishonestPosted by Powers Ovesen on May 13th, 2021 Entrepreneurs are amazingly brave people. Regardless of how they could publicly shy away from comments like this, they're well aware of 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 in that direction because she or he was convinced that their company would be much better than others in the marketplace. They may have had an improved idea, higher quality, a streamlined delivery method, or more responsive service, but whatever it may have been, their decision was driven by that desire to create a new standard. Yet, when it's time and energy to tell the planet about their companies, most of them appear to be embarrassed. Maybe they're afraid their small workspaces don't match the grandeur of the Class A towers across town. Or maybe 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 time that they have to project confidence. Marketing professionals utilize the term "aspirational marketing" to spell it out 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 t here 's another marketing application for "aspirational," and that's how up-and-coming companies should present 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 much less and exercise more. You want to sound smarter at work, so we take classes or read publications about business. As we move toward our aspirations, we gradually become the people hopefully to be. The same is true for a business. As you develop your marketing materials, you don't have to present yourself exactly as you're today. Without having to be dishonest (more on that later), you need to 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, since they worry that it is not authentic. If they make a reference to how hard their staff works, they're afraid a prospect will quickly realize that the staff is really their 12-year-old daughter, who helps to assemble presentations in return for iTunes money. If they talk about "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'll want to work with (or one day compete with) please take an aspirational approach. They don't really hesitate to put 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's not really as effective as that place outside?" Maybe that sounds ridiculous, but it's how far too many startups and small companies promote themselves. A simple example of this sort 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 on the subject over online forums and paid attention to impassioned arguments at networking gatherings. Using the energy devoted to this topic, you'd think it was the toughest dilemma an entrepreneur might face. But it surely isn't as big a deal because so many of those arguing appear to think. Just choose whatever sounds comfortable and go with it, as long as you're not violating your field's ethical standards. When Additional info reveal my company, I take advantage of "we" - and not as the dogs and cat often share my office. That use of the royal "we" separates me, the writer, from the larger umbrella that's my business. If your goal would be to have more than one employee, using "we" will put you in the right mindset. Of course, you have to be reasonable. You may dream your startup may one day dominate the Fortune 500, but you probably don't want your current website to claim that you're already there. So as you choose your aspirational messages, think when it comes to steps. Today, your message could 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 |