We’re in the lead up to the election campaign and regardless of which party you support – it’s horrific, messy and disturbing to watch
There is nobody from any party coming out of this looking good
So how as a business do you avoid marketing and being disingenuous like those in politics?
Read on
TURN UP MORE THAN ONCE A YEAR
Those in politics are supposed to represent the electorate all year around
But in reality in means we see them a couple of months before election time and they then disappear and ignore the population en masse
Whether it’s marketing or networking you need to be present more the once a year
Being present is half of what’s need to establish your business in the market
Truly listening, engaging and understanding others is a way to truly establish your name
Takeaway: Don’t expect to do anything once and get huge results from it
DON’T LIE
One of the shocking tactics I’ve seen this month is a party who locally came 3rd in the last election with 15,000 less votes than the party in 2nd place stating “Only we can win here”
Now I don’t care who said that – what I care about is the truth and being truthful in your marketing
Businesses advertising is regulated via the ASA whereas political parties can seemingly state what they like
Great marketing amplifies the truth to the fore
As a social media marketing company you’ll know that we have 400+ LinkedIn Testimonials and we were voted the Best Social Media Company in Manchester. It’s a message we regularly push and one that fits in with our mission of amplifying the truth. On the other hand there are companies that claim to be the “Best In XXXX” despite having nothing to back it up
Takeaway: If it’s truthful, market it so everybody knows. If it’s a lie you’ll get called out on it
BE ELECTABLE ON YOUR OWN DOORSTEP 1ST
If customers don’t vote with their wallets on your own doorstep – then don’t expect to be parachuted into a town where nobody knows your name and expect to win
It might seem quaint and old fashioned to expect those up for election to actually live in the town their hoping to be elected in, but we’ve seen a number of candidates parachuting in and out of town with weeks notice of an election and expecting to win
Life doesn’t happen like that and people want to meet, like, know and trust those that they’re doing business with
Despite the fact we’re called Altrincham HQ we work all over the UK – but it was our hard work in Altrincham over a number of years which opened all those opportunities
Takeaway: Be a big fish in your local pond until you outgrow that pond
DON’T SPEND YOUR ENERGY PUTTING DOWN THE COMPETITION
You really don’t want to end up like a Black Cab Driver bashing Uber as many times as 20 tweets a day do you?
Honestly – focus on yourself, what you do and stop focusing on the competition so much
Political Debates end up like a school playground and businesses really need to elevate themselves above that
At times you might need to call out bad practice, but choose your battles sparingly and make sure your own house in in order first
Takeaway: Accentuate your positives and focus on your success more than focusing on the competitions perceived weaknesses
STEP OUTSIDE THE ECHO CHAMBER
Some of the worst examples of humanity I’ve seen on social media have been people with limited interests which fuelled by alcohol leads to an aggressive tunnel vision mentality
Surround yourself with people from a wide variety of industries, view points and make sure that the 5 people you spend most time with have a positive mindset
These people will be able to offer encouragement but also sense check what you’re doing and won’t just provide an echo chamber that feeds your echo
It’s easy to feel your opinion is right when everyone is toe-ing the party line
Takeaway: Search out books and articles that challenge your opinion
NEED HELP WITH YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA?
Chat to us about Social Media Marketing for YOUR organisation , so we can better understand YOU and what will grow your organisation
We can only find out what is unique to your business by chatting with you
Look at our Social Media Training and Social Media Management services
We offer Social Media Training on
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Please call Alex on 07806774279 or email alex@altrinchamhq.co.uk
