So, you start your day the usual way, grab your caffeine of choice, then head to the land of social media for your business. Only this time is different. You have the usual questions, answers, spam and leads…then you read it: “Hey, I visited your website and noticed it could use some work. When was the last time you updated? Message me and I can help.” This from a twenty-something social-marketing-wannabe in a sports bra and yoga pants representing Websites-R-Us. Really, Bambi? I see you got your marketing certification through the 2-hour seminar you attended via Facebook. Silly me for wasting all that effort on my two MBA degrees when I could be just like you.
On to Twitter, and Foreign Guy (who didn’t even bother to fire up Google translate to enhance his questionable English skills) is now informing you that he took a good look at your logo and “it is no good,” followed by a bi-lingual monologue about brand importance and how he can create for you a stunning masterpiece for only $5. You mean the college professor specializing in graphic art and twenty years of experience I employed has no talent? GASP…I should have noticed sooner.
So, maybe this isn’t the most politically correct of blogs…but c’mon…I know you’re feeling it too. The market is becoming overly saturated with supposed specialists using shaming techniques to sell their better-than-you marketing services (for which they have no experience or actual skill). This is what I like to call the “You SUCK, and we can help” method, and history shows it has had questionable results. But hey…lets take a look at all the perks and nuances of this technique from the social-media and content-marketing perspective:
"Let’s alert our prospective customers that their content is ugly and outdated, that way they will know for sure that they need someone like us, who noticed it! "
Seriously…if I walked up to you and told you that you looked old and ugly, and only my brand of makeup could fix you, would you buy it? Not unless you had zero self-esteem. Chances are you'd make a rude gesture in my direction and walk on.
"Future clients need to be reminded that they are not smart enough to create their own content. Only intelligent people, like us, can do the job right."
Because I know when someone makes me feel stupid, I want to sign them up for the job right away…Don’t want my stupid-disease affecting profits!
"Let’s make fun of what’s important to them…they should be focusing on what we tell them to."
Never mind my goals and what the company stands for. I’ve been doing it wrong! Wow, I need these guys because they know my business better than I do!
"Let’s cut down the little guys in the industry because, by insulting them, we will be seen as the real experts."
Because everyone respects a bully.
...ok, admittedly, I might be doing that to some degree right now. But I'm not targeting innocents, rather those trying to make a buck at others' expense. Don't spoil my rant Spanky.
Now, I could throw out terms such as “defensive processing” and “counterintuitive activism” to make my point, but you would start yawning. The facts are that optimism and positivity are the biggest sellers…while shaming is for the con-artists, desperate, and unskilled. It doesn’t take a lot of brain power to figure out that making someone feel good about themselves and what they’ve done right gets your foot in the door, regardless of what you’re selling.
For example, GreenKat generally represents small businesses that have no time to build the website of their dreams, or to run their social media the way they want to. They already know what’s wrong. Its our job to point out the wonderful job they are doing at running a company, and what we can do to help them spread the word. Positive input, encouragement, empathy….and allowing them to make the decisions that matter most…makes for happy and empowered clients.
Who sucks now, Bambi?