Amid the constant influx of information that is streaming directly to us via Web sites, blog posts, social media, and even the more traditional media brochures and qualification documents, it’s getting more and more difficult to express why you are the best at what you do for the particular audience you target. As a B2B marketer with a focus on the professional services industries, I can’t stress enough the importance of “selling” people over services in this battle for differentiation.
I’ve worked for and dealt with professional service firms who were equally qualified – maybe one had a particular industry niche, but deep down each had equal capacity to handle the same work. The one thing that cannot be duplicated is your staff. In fact, the staff makes up every point of differentiation, expertise, background, specific niches, relationships. Why not concentrate on showcasing this in a creative way that commands attention?
In marketing and selling services, the key is to think like your ideal prospect. When I choose a vendor specifically for a service the most important element is trust. I choose a person or company based on my level of comfort that they will produce a high quality work product with the least amount of headache, and I expect most others look for the same. This level of comfort is often built over time, so how do you get a chance to prove you or your firm’s capability and level of service? Remember to highlight your staff, not just your services.
Here are some standard ideas:
- Feature a staff member each month in your firm’s newsletter. Interview a staff member – include their background, expertise and some personal facts. The combination provides the trifecta of opportunities to connect with your audience.
- Include written bios of key staff on your Web site. Sure, many professionals can be found on social media sites as well, but consider the visitors to your site who are not yet connected to your firm. Those are the ones who need the introduction.
Or if you really want to step it up:
- Create interactive “presumes.” Instead of a flat text document which provides no virtually no personality, a presume (or presentation resume) is great tool to make your proposals and qualifications documents really stand out. Using SlideRocket or a similar presentation tool and templates, you can create a presentation version of your resume with animation, images, even music and voiceover. Use your creativity to draw attention to the most important and interesting points to develop a deeper connection with the audience. You can even embed video, which brings us to…
- Video bios! Video bios are a great way to show personality and develop a connection between prospects and the staff they will actually be working directly with. If you set up the video in an “interview style” with some preparation, but without reading from a script, you get a really personal, sincere view of each of your experts.
What would sort of information would a video bio include? It can be quite simple. Consider the sharing the following:
- What do you look forward to when you come to work each day?
- Why you love what you do?
- What drove you to your career path?
- Where you went to college?
- What are some of your interests outside of work?
- What are the things that you depend on or that just make life easier?
Possible discussion points may be endless, just be sure to get a good mix of professional/ personal information that emphasizes both your professional strengths and connects you on a personal level to keep the video interesting. Last, but not least, remember to relax, have fun and you can have a videographer edit it down to the best parts.
We will be adding video bios to our Web site in the coming weeks, so be sure to check back soon! In the meantime let us know what is your favorite creative way to showcase your staff?