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My Mistake, Your Lesson

Today, I want to share a lesson with you about an error I’ve been making on this site that I want to use to teach you an important lesson.

But first, let me say this…

 

I share a lot on this site and on other sites about the power of content marketing.

What I usally mean by “content marketing” is content that is created by you to help prospects and increase the awareness of your business.

That is very important. Why?

Because it is through content marketing that you can present your knowledge while building an audience of potential customers.

It is by creating content that people begin to know, like and trust you.

And with all the options that there are these days, people always prefer to work with people they know, like and trust.

But creating your own content is only one way to use content marketing.

Content Created by Others

Lisa Edmundson expressed what we all feel about people who brag when she said, “He who is humble is confident and wise. He who brags is insecure and lacking.” 

None of us likes a person who is constantly bragging about themselves or their achievements.

They are just an annoyance that we all gladly ignore.

It’s the same when you are the only one talking about how great your products or services are.

But what DOES get our attention is when someone brags about someone else or something else.

In fact, with the amount of information and advertising we’re bombarded with these days, we rely on “social proof” like this more than ever.

What I am trying to get you to understand is that the other important type of content marketing that many people neglect is content that is written about you, but created by others.

Who would create that type of content?

 

• Customers who have purchased from you (aka testimonials)
• Clients who have worked with you (aka endorsements)
• Reporters or bloggers who want to feature your business in an article or blog post (aka “features”)

But you might be wondering.

How do you get these people to create content about you?

I am not going to get into how to get reporters or bloggers to write about you in this post, but I will explain how to get customer testimonials or client endorsements.

The simple and easiest way is to just ask.

Ask your customers or clients.

If they’re happy with your product or service, then most of them would be glad to do that.

And many will offer you a testimonial or endorsement without you even asking them.

Once they give you the testimonials or endorsements it’s up to you to use them!

 

These are the two errors most businesses make:

1. They don’t ask for testimonials or endorsements.

2. They don’t use them.

I realize I’ve been making this second error myself.

 

Practicing What I “Preach”

How have I been making this error?

I use testimonials and endorsements on my other site, but I realized I don’t use any testimonials or endorsements on this site!

If you’ve ever read my bio below, then you might have seen that I offer a “a FREE, 1-hour, no pressure and no obligation, phone consultation.” 

But I’ve never (or hardly ever) mentioned this and I’ve never shared any testimonials from people who have experienced these calls.

That’s not very smart of me!

That’s why I decided to share with you an endorsement I received today from someone who I just did a call with earlier today.

 

Here’s what he had to say…

 

“Our one hour call with Scott was invaluable to me and my team. Scott has clearly invested a significant amount of time in mastering the craft of marketing, applying insights based on his professional experience and exhaustive reading of the literature. In particular, his marketing diagnostic worksheet yielded severals practical insights that my company can begin applying today to increase our brand credibility and online visibility. I plan to work with Scott in the future and would unhesitatingly recommend him to any company looking to bring onboard a marketing expert as part of their growth strategy.”