In recent posts, I’ve shared my thoughts on how you can create a powerful Persuasive Persona for your business. I’ve covered this topic from a number of different angles, and I hope you’ve picked up some valuable tips.
But I have one last tip for you on this topic before we move on to the next aspect of positioning.
And this Tip is all about bold marketing–specifically, using the power of “Us vs. Them.”
You see, one of the biggest reasons that educational consultants don’t get hired is that they don’t stand out.
Since I work with educational consultants all the time and also write websites for many consultants, I see their marketing materials.
And I gotta tell ya…
Even the BEST of them are just…meh.
Most are worse. Much worse.
They’re blah, they’re boring, they’re overly abstract, they’re repetitive, they’re full of jargon and absolutely devoid of personality.
You know the phrase, “When you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all?”
Yep. That pretty much sums it up.
The Consulting Mindset that Makes You Sound Like Everyone Else
Now, I understand why this happens. Again, I talk to a LOT of consultants, and here are some of the things I hear all the time…
- “I want to come across as professional”
- “I need to appear as an authority in my field”
- “I want people to know that I know what I’m talking about”
- “I don’t want to be too ‘out there’ or controversial because it will scare away clients”
- Etc., etc., blah, blah, blah
You know what happens when the items above are what you focus on in your marketing? You get websites and other marketing materials that sound like every other Tom, Dick, and Harry out there.
Because when everyone else in your field is ALSO focusing on these same factors, guess what?
Right. Like I said above, everyone ends up sounding the same.
So, what do you DO about that? How do you STAND OUT instead of blending in and fading away into nothing?
The Answer: Bold Marketing!
I’ve shared some ways you can set yourself apart in recent posts. You can…
- Mix in some personal details instead of always “keeping it professional.” Doing so adds some personality to your materials.
- Be honest, vulnerable, and admit to having a character flaw or two. This humanizes you in your audience’s eyes.
- Selectively over-emphasize some aspect of your personality (“3X it”) to have fun and stand out from the crowd.
- Tell stories about why you do what you do and why you do it the way you do it. Stories get attention. Stories sell.
- Adopt a particular stance toward your audience and communicate everything through that stance (“the Leader,” “the Reporter,” “the Reluctant Hero,” etc.).
All of these moves help you stand out from the crowd because almost nobody is doing them (at least in education–these moves are common in many successful businesses in other industries).
Even if you only do two or three of these, your marketing will “pop” in comparison to everyone else in your field.
But back to today’s Tip: Us vs. Them…
Most consultants are scared to “rock the boat.” They’re scared that, if they take a strong stand on an issue in their field, people will be offended.
And they’re right. Some people will be offended. Some.
But others will be attracted to you because they believe as you do and finally…FINALLY someone out there is standing up strongly for their point of view.
Here’s the thing…
Most consultants who’re afraid to rock the boat never take a strong stance on anything. Sure, they don’t make any enemies. But they also don’t attract prospective clients, either.
Their email lists don’t grow. They don’t develop a community of vocal supporters.
They just fade away into the background. Like a girl wearing a floral patterned dress standing against a wall with the exact same pattern of wallpaper. Nobody sees them.
But the consultant who’s willing to be BOLD? The consultant willing to ruffle some feathers? The consultant who’s willing to name names (of those who they disagree with)?
They attract others who believe as they do. People flock to them. Their email lists explode. They build communities of rabid fans.
And they get the lion’s share of business in their niche. The poor wallflowers don’t stand a chance against them.
Listen, if you’re running a business, YOU CAN’T BE SCARED TO STAND OUT!
“Scared” marketing doesn’t attract anybody.
Bold Marketing: An Example
Let me give you one quick example before I wrap this up.
If you know anything about the field of reading instruction, you know that for decades there’s been this long-running war (I mean, people literally call it “the reading wars”) about how to best teach reading.
One side champions a heavy focus on explicit phonics instruction for decoding and deemphasizes many other reading activities. In recent years, this side of the argument has adopted the name Science of Reading.
On the other side, there are proponents of what’s often called Balanced Literacy, which promotes activities such as read alouds, using various cueing systems in addition to (but not instead of) explicit phonics, and focuses more heavily on reading comprehension.
[BTW, you reading folks out there, I know that I just did a gross misjustice to both sides with such a limited summary of their beliefs, so don’t @ me. i’m just using an example to make a point.]
This “reading war” is one of the few examples in education where the Us vs. Them approach has been used successfully to grow many consultants’ careers. People who have taken strong, bold stances on one side or the other have been able to grow massive followings, sell thousands of books, and make hundreds of thousands of dollars from speaking gigs.
But sometimes there’s room for more than just two positions in a debate. My friend Sam Bommarito is a lifelong educator (over 50 years and counting!) who in recent years, as he has stepped away from the classroom, has started a blog that is gaining a massive following because he has staked out a third, middle position in the debate–and done so boldly by calling out extremists on both sides.
Sam calls himself a “Centrist” and believes that the research shows that both sides are correct in some of their positions and both sides are incorrect in some of their positions (and Sam knows the research better than just about anybody, so I challenge you to argue with him).
More importantly, Sam lives by the credo that “nothing works for every child” and the best educators are those who know all the best strategies from each side and use whatever works for the specific child in front of you. In other words, he’s a pragmatist.
And since many educators out there are worn out from the constant bickering between the two extreme positions and have a more practical, pragmatic mindset (“just tell me what will work for MY kids without all the posturing and politics”), these educators have flocked to Sam’s blog.
That’s a great example of staking out a BOLD position and not being afraid to call out those who disagree with you.
Boldness attracts like-minded people (“Us”) to you and actively repels those who disagree with you (“Them”).
And when it comes to marketing, it’s a brilliant move.
So, here’s your action step, should you choose to accept the challenge: Make a list of all the things you strongly believe when it comes to your field. Look especially for those on which you feel comfortable taking a bold stand.
Next, make a list of the opposing views that go against your beliefs and the people who believe in these views.
Finally, commit yourself to taking strong stands on your beliefs and calling out those who you disagree with. The bolder you are in your stances, the more rabid your followers will be in support of you.
Alright, that wraps up our journey through the first aspect of positioning–creating your Persuasive Persona.
Starting with my next post, we’ll dig into the second crucial aspect of positioning–creating your Ideal Client Avatar.
See you then.
To Your Success,
Willy
P.S.–Have you taken a strong stand on an issue in your field? Have you found that, the stronger the stance you take, the more you attract like-minded followers?
If you’ve had this experience, please share it with me. I love to hear stories of bold, principled educational consultants claiming their place in the educational landscape!
Just reply in the Comments or hit me up at willy@edconsultantmarketing.com.
I look forward to hearing from you.
