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Pope Francis marketing tips; goodness and beauty before truth

Leslie Prevish Blog 8-13At a party this summer, I heard two atheists talking about how they loved the pope and even shared his quotes on Facebook. Many articles show Pope Francis approval rating higher than top Democrats, Republicans. I thought, “Hmmm, this guy knows how to market himself!” What are his secrets?

A friend who’s an expert on Pope Francis recently wrote a blog that made the connection for me. He showed how the beloved pontiff’s words and action convince people of Goodness, before getting them to see Beauty and believe Truth (these are three transcendentals in philosophy and theology, if you’re a scholarly type). Unfortunately, many people in the Church — and business — erroneously start at Truth, which makes people shut down and not consider Goodness or Beauty.

Are your prospective customers seeing — and believing — your goodness and beauty first, or are you pushing brand truths on them before they’re ready? Think about it … a stranger comes up to you and starts telling you “facts,” but you have no background relationship or basis to believe them. So you discount them. Use these tips to discern and share your Goodness, Beauty and Truth to attract and earn new customers.

Goodness as part of DNA

This just needs to be part of your brand’s DNA. People want to do business with people they like. Period. Your brand may exude Goodness, but do people know it? Three key ways to show them:

  • Be proactive with charity work, and share stories of impact on your website and social pages. Call the local media. I’ve seen many brands do great things, but never promote them. People love personal stories. How is your brand supporting charities that change lives?
  • Personalize your employee profiles so prospective customers searching your site know WHO they are, not just WHAT they do. Share these profiles on social channels and feature them in ads and public relations. Then, when customers come in the store, make sure they feel the Goodness from staff, shown through great customer service and real concern. Don’t have staff like that? Find some. And get rid of the ones stinkin’ up the thinkin’ of others.
  • Big decisions matter. Just ask VW. Are your leaders making decisions with integrity and Goodness in their hearts, or money on their brains?

Find more ideas in 3 Ways to promote the positive.

Beauty — who is your beholder?

Some beholders think a fully tattooed body is beautiful, while others disagree. The old adage rings true; beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So who are your prospective beholders — your target audience — and what do they find beautiful? Or, think of it as the law of attraction: What will draw them to your brand in a way that is unique to your competition?

Harley-Davidson promotes that people are attracted to their brand because they want to rebel against {boss, job, society, etc}. Zero customers want a fun, easy, green solution. Ducati = drop-dead gorgeous, at least for their beholders. Apple means cool technology. Watch this video and think about the word(s) you want to represent your brand, This Branding Video Cleverly Celebrates Famous Logos Without Actually Showing a Single One.

If you are clear with your brand statement and the emotion behind it, make sure it is obvious in the words and photos of all of your marketing channels; web, social, email, in-store, ads, public relations and experiences with employees. If people are confused about what you stand for, they will just disconnect.

This is one area you shouldn’t be guessing, btw. It may cost you some big bucks, as I discussed in The $1M cost of non-strategy. Clearly define your target audience (beholder) and research what is most attractive to them. Then effectively and clearly get that message across.

Truth YOU own

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So you showed them your Goodness, got them to see your Beauty, now what are the Truths they need to believe to make a decision to continue the relationship and buy, or refer, your product or service?

If you produce a product and it’s related to technology, be specific and show why you have the best in a specific area and feature the people who helped create it. Are you the lightest, fastest or most functional in the eyes of your beholder?

With retail and services, your Truth needs to circle back to Goodness and your DNA. People have tons of options to buy products at competitors and online. Establish the Truth you have that makes a customer say, “I want to do business” with you, and come back. Pay attention to online reviews and ask on customer surveys why they buy from you instead of other options.

On the flip side, find out why they didn’t buy from you. If it always comes down to price, then you aren’t showing your Goodness well enough to establish the extended value of service, knowledge and a people-connection to your employees and community.

After reading these tips, can you honestly say you have identified and are actively promoting your brand’s Goodness, Beauty and Truth — in that order?

A rider for 26 years, Leslie spent 15 years with Harley-Davidson (3 retail, 12 corporate) and created their marketing to women role in 2007. After 2 years at Trek Bicycles and 5 months volunteering in Tanzania, Leslie now helps companies sell more to new audiences.

Email: leslie@previshmarketing.com

Website: www.previshmarketing.com

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