I have had the pleasure of welcoming some new clients recently with a diverse range of products and services. But they all have one thing in common – they are so good that they sell themselves.

My job is to focus on what is on offer to make sure the right people are seeing it.

People don’t have the time for spin, long-winded promotions or why customers shouldn’t buy from the competition.

I don’t need to spend hours coming up with a complicated marketing plan that will only be a success if it’s Tuesday, it’s raining, it’s a full moon and the person is wearing red socks.

All I need to do is tell people what it does and how it will benefit them. Simples, as a wise old owl once said.

Over the years, I have been on the receiving end of some incredible, far-fetched and desperate pitches from PR people hoping to get coverage for a client. And the lesson I have learned from this is not to go down the same route.

One product involved an international PR and marketing firm with a global reach and budget to match. They wanted to launch a UK-wide campaign to recruit real case studies through local media. It sounded great for us, and the free editorial coverage would boost interest in the product, as well as look good to the client. I had worked with this person before and they had always come up with great ideas.

Unfortunately, I asked one – what I thought was simple – question and was met with silence at the other end. And more silence. I was about to ask if they were still there when they mumbled something like “this isn’t going to work, is it? I’ll have to get back to the client . . .” 

I never heard any more about it, nor did I ever see the idea take off anywhere else.

As we all know, things go viral for a reason – because there is an explosion of interest in something or someone, not just because has come up with a PR plan. Of course, brands with unlimited marketing budgets can force the issue and try to make something take off, but usually the opposite is usually true – things that go viral are the things that people involved in them don’t want anyone else to see. Just look at all the #fail videos and images doing the rounds.

Put simply, for something to be a success, it comes down to supply and demand. You have to offer something people need. How many times a day to you see requests in local Facebook and social media groups asking for recommendations for a builder, gardener, plumber or cleaner? Price, reliability and customer service, etc, obviously come into it, but this is where the demand is and people are telling businesses exactly what they want.

As I have said before, businesses have to operate within their capabilities. It does more damage to a firm’s reputation when demand outstrips supply and customers are left waiting for their goods and then have to go through the rigmarole of complaints, refunds, etc.

As one friend and client often reminds me, ‘scalability is king’ and businesses have to respond to changes in demand – both increased and decreases – without adversely affecting profits.

Think in simple terms what your business offers and how you are selling it.

#keepitsimple #keepitreal #marketing #pr #socialmedia