Do you fear that your company is forgettable?
It’s the worst to think that your company may be forgettable. You care so much about all the parts of your company, but are you working on the parts that ensure people will have you at the tip of their tongue, or forgotten with the masses?
Word of mouth and social media shares are so important to creative businesses, but people don’t share the every day, or the expected. They share when you exceed their expectations, or, worse, when you totally fail at them.
So, how do you know if your creative company is forgettable? Check to see if any of these ring true, and you may have a forgettable company.
5 Reasons Your Creative Company is Forgettable
1- You blend in with the pack.
The competition out there is fierce. Trust me on that. You can’t throw a stick without hitting someone else out there who is making a go at being a professional photographer in 2018.
To say it’s a saturated market is an understatement. And many photographers find themselves struggling. They are not booking, they keep having to lower their price to get any kind of booking, and that just makes them work super hard for pennies.
But why does this happen to some, and other photographers are thriving with a business growing year after year?
The struggling creative is struggling because they’ve given the clients nothing to differentiate upon outside of the price. This happens for creatives of all variety, not just photographers.
With the ability to get a good looking website up and running easily, and taking all your inspiration from Instagram or the other companies in your area, it’s easy and safe to do the same thing they are doing. Because, if they are doing it, it must be working right?? —- um. no, it probably isn’t.
When you look like everyone else, there is no reason for a client to care about you over the other creative they are looking at, they will forget you. You end up “just another website” to them.
2- You don’t share your personality online
This ties in with the blending in with the pack.
YOU are what makes your company interesting.
Odds are, there are lots of others that create the same thing you do. There are other photographers, there are other jewelers, planners, graphic designers etc.
To the uneducated eye (read: clients) many options are available and to them, they look similar; well, similar enough for them.
If you infuse your personality in your website, you show your face and let people know why you create what you create, they will connect. It will connect those ideal clients, and make the not ideal ones less interested and walk away.
If you want to be remembered, you have to share your story and give something other than the pretty product or service to stick in their brain.
3- You have no memorable client experience
It’s truly the little things that stand out to people.
Why do you think Tiffany’s pays so much to make sure that their packaging, boxes and color are on point and exact? Because the receiving of and anticipation of the gift in that teal box is just as memorable as the jewelry itself is.
So what do you do for your clients?
How do you wow them?
It doesn’t need to be grand, it just needs to be thoughtful.
Maybe as a wedding photographer, you can find out what their fave guilty pleasure candy treat is, and you can send it to them a couple months before the wedding with a note saying how you are thinking of them and this will help them through this planning stage.
Or maybe you custom gift wrap all the items you sell on your Etsy shop complimentary because you know it will make the gift giving easier for your client.
Think of 1 or 2 small things you can add to your workflow that will be a step above and beyond what your clients expect and do that. Don’t tell them, just surprise them.
People love sharing stories, so give them a story to tell and they will remember you and advocate for you willingly!
4- You’re absent on social media
It’s 2018. You need to have a presence on social media.
It’s expected. I have my own love/hate relationship with the time suck that social media is, but in this day in age, you must have an Instagram and a Facebook profile in addition to your website (yes, a website is still 100% required).
People use social media to have a pulse on what’s going on. Especially for creatives on Instagram. People will check you out to see what you’re sharing. If they like it, they will follow you.
If social media just isn’t your thing, there are ways you can automate and get your posts out there without having to go down the vortex of the constant scroll. But you need to post and post regularly.
5- Your website is dated/old/painful to use.
This is another reminder that it is 2018.
You need a website that is not flash based, and doesn’t look like it’s from 2001. It needs to be mobile friendly (cuz Google will hurt you if it isn’t), and it needs to be easy to navigate.
There is literally zero excuse for a lame website with the amount of options, templates and people out there who can help you be updated and found. People don’t take you seriously and your client will be gone before you can blink if you’ve left this dusty!
So there you go. My 5 top reasons your creative company is forgettable, and some tactical ideas on how to fix it!
So how can you change your company from being forgettable to unforgettable?
Create a super memorable company by:
1- Being unique and not blending in with the pack
2- Share your personality online. People buy from people.
3- Have a kick ass client experience, because no one talks about normal experiences
4- Be on social media. Automate it if you have to, but be there.
5- Update your website. Look like a professional!
Now I’d love for you to share this post on Facebook and start a conversation with how you can make your business a little less forgettable and a ton more profitable as a result!
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