Something you come to realise after stepping outside of a marketing department and into the world of the client interface is that sometimes it’s even more of a journey of persuasion – not when it comes to targeting audiences, customers, gatekeepers and CEOs, but in communicating with your client.

Communicating the dream

As marketers, public relations and communications people, we can often get lost in our own worlds, forgetting that being presented with brand new ideas and marketing tools can be overwhelming for the average business owner.  New jargon, new technology, new approaches and new expenses can grow into a bit of a tsunami of information and decision-making, causing many people to resist or even shut down to the whole idea.  This is why it’s essential to communicate ‘the dream’, carefully explaining where your strategy will take the brand and why each proposed action is important so that everyone is on the same page.

Even if you have communicated your strategy well, it’s important to be okay with a piecemeal approach.  Clients that aren’t 100% convinced are nervous of taking risks or have budget constraints will most likely avoid saying yes to your full offering.  As the marketer, strategist or communications expert, it’s important to remember that a slower approach can still be valuable.

A long-term approach

Extremely driven, impatient A-type personalities might initially struggle with a piecemeal approach to implementing their strategies, but it’s helpful to ask questions to work out what to start with and what to postpone.  What can the client afford right now?  What are they comfortable with right now?  Do they only want a new website, or are they warming up to the idea of CPC adverts on Google, or even content marketing and a brand blog?  Learning to patiently explain proposals, strategies and methodologies goes a long way to building confidence and trust in your brand and the services you offer.

A good exercise to go through if your client is overwhelmed or can’t afford to implement all the aspects of your strategy at the same time is to break down your proposed brand strategy into 3 categories:  right now, just now and much later.  This will assist them with cashflow and help them to get used to a new way of operating their marketing and attracting new business.

Another way to add value to your client is to point out ways to get free advertising and exposure for their business.  Is their brand represented on social media?  Are they listed on Google My Business? Have they published content on LinkedIn?  Here are some helpful suggestions that could help your clients get added exposure without spending money.

The ability to bring clients on the marketing strategy journey with you is essential for any long-term client relationship.  Your patience will be rewarded with higher levels of trust so you can help the brand to fly, together.

See some of the services Anago provides that might be suitable for your brand.