Are you promoting features or benefits?

One of the biggest marketing mistakes that professionals make, is that they emphasize their training and background, their unique experiences, their publications, their philosophies.

Visit the websites of various psychologists, coaches and consultants. Near the top of their home pages you'll see lots of phrases similar to these:

• "I work with couples and families."
• "I use a cognitive-behavioral perspective."
• "My training has prepared me to work with a wide variety of people."
• "The difference between a therapist and a coach is..."
  

All of the above are important. It's just that it's not the most effective way to get people interested in you. In the marketing world, these are called features. Talk about them later, not first.

Instead, lead with benefits. Address typical issues that your potential clients have. Communicate to them that you care about them and how you will help them.

My listing in the therapist section of the Psychology Today website has more than paid for itself in referrals. Maybe it's because of my cute picture ;-) But I like to think that it's due to the way it's written. It starts by addressing the readers' problems, not my style or my qualifications.

The kind of work we do seems mysterious to some. The general public does not know the difference between, say, psychologists, coaches, counselors, therapists, consultants, Ph.D, PsyD, MD, MSW, etc. But do they care?

Probably not. More likely, they want to know: Can you help me with my problem?

For a better understanding of the difference between features and products, consider how you buy some electronic product, like a computer. Most of the ads list features: 2 GB DDR RAM. Intel Core 2 Duo. Do you really know what that means? Do you know why you need it?

The more effective computer ads tell you that you can have 6 different programs running without your computer slowing down; or that this type of processor will keep your laptop cool while it's sitting on your lap.

See what I mean?

All your promotional materials, speeches and other marketing communications should answer this question (from the point of view of your potential clients and customers): "Why should I care? What's in it for me?"

Want to learn more ways to show people that you can help them with their problems? Registration is now open for my distance-learning course. Click here to take advantage of the early registration discount and lifetime access to future presentations of this course.

2 types of articles that show your expertise

One way to communicate that you are an expert is to write articles. There are 2 basic kinds of articles that you should be writing:

1. Evergreen - Articles on general topics that can be used over and over. For example, my holiday-themed article, "For a joyful family gathering, leave your inner brat behind" has been around for several years, and is reprinted all over the Internet. Similarly my articles on New Year's resolutions and Valentine's Day are used over and over by website owners, ezine and newsletter publishers.

Evergreen articles need not be seasonal. They can also have a general theme, such as anger management, weight loss or other issues that people are concerned about year round. My article, "Are you always late?" is one of the most-read pieces that I've written.

2. Timely - Articles or press releases that address current events. Example: In the aftermath of multiple news reports of athletes behaving badly, I wrote an article, "Are sports heroes more trouble prone?" This got the interest of news media, as well as web publishers.

Timely articles are great at positioning you as an expert. People are already interested in the news event, and when they read your expert commentary - especially if it helps explain or debunk what's been reported - they will see the value of your knowledge and experience.

You can also write your article as a press release and submit it to PRWeb or other online press release publisher.

Pauline

p.s. Check out my upcoming distance-learning course, on more ways to promote yourself as an expert.

Where to find your target audience online

Have your online marketing efforts have produced disappointing results? Maybe it's because you're not reaching the specific groups of people who are most interested in your services and products.

One strategy is to hang out where they do. For example, if you want to connect with baby boomers with aging parents, look for online groups and forums that cater to these people.

Another way is to write articles and post them where your target audience will find them. Article banks such as ezinearticles.com are convenient and provide exposure to thousands and thousands of people.

For several years I've been teaching skills on how to find what you need on the Internet. My new distance-learning course addresses how to get people to find YOU.

I'll take you by the hand, step by step, to help you:

• Get in front of the very audiences who are interested in what you have to offer
  
• Show them that you are the go-to professional when they need help
  

The slide show below gives you an idea of what the course is about. I'm so convinced that you'll find it valuable, I'm offering a money-back guarantee just for trying the first class. Here's a link to a free preview teleseminar on Nov 29

What does your email address say about you?

As a professional, don't underestimate the importance of a professional email address. Think about it from your clients' and prospects' point of view. If you were looking for a someone to help you get you unstuck in your life or business, which of the following would you contact first:

1. 2cute4U@hotmail.com

2. Kendra456@aol.com

3. KendraThompson@reachyourgoals.com

Your email address is part of your professional identity. Make sure it reflects the image you want to project.

AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo mail, and gmail are not professional email addresses. They announce to the world that you don't take your business very seriously.

Instead, get set up with an email address associated with your website or domain name. It will cost you less than $10/year to register your own unique domain name, e.g. nameofyourbusiness.com.

Even if you don't have a website, you can still use the email address associated with your domain name - e.g., John@nameofyourbusiness.com. If you register your domain name at GoDaddy, they offer live phone support in case you need help setting up your email.

Once you have your email address set up, you can have it forwarded, if you wish, to your AOL or other email account. You can also set up your Outlook Express or other desktop mail program to send messages from your professional account.

Thus, while still using your familiar email interface, you can send and receive messages using your professional email address. Your recipients see only your professional email address.

Bonus hint: Make the most of the "From" line in the messages you send out. Check out the "From" field in your inbox. In the list of messages you'll see mainly people's names - sometimes first name only, sometimes first and last name. Do you see how they all kind of blend in with one another?

Here's a tip to make your messages stand out in other people's inboxes:

Go into the account setup of your email program. Find where you list your name in the From field. Insert a space, hyphen and space just before your name. Save the change. Next time you send a message to someone, your name in the From field will be indented and will stand out from the rest.

Here's how mine looks:
- Dr. Pauline Wallin

Also, see below, in an earlier post, more tips on making the most of your emails.