Be More than a Number

My name is Justin Jacobs, and I’m a marketing coach at Hudson,Ink.

You can call me at (800) 489-9099, but… let’s be honest. Why would you want to?

There are thousands of options out there for marketing companies, right? Thousands of companies who can build your website or handle your SEO. So, why would you want to call me? If all I did was list off a bunch of things Hudson,Ink does that are the exact same things you can find anywhere else, there’s not much incentive to choose me, right?

So, let’s start over.

Hi, my name is Justin Jacobs, and I am a marketing coach at Hudson,Ink, but I’m also married with two young kids – a high-energy four-year-old little girl with bouncy, blonde curls and a 6-month-old boy/drool machine. When I’m not helping contractors improve their sales through better marketing, I’m a bi-vocational youth pastor who you might see on the news some day for strangling a teenager. I’m kidding… kind of. I’m loud and have been told I have a “radio voice” that’s bigger than my 5’6” body. I love to be outdoors, and I have a personal goal of catching a 10-pound bass by the end of this year.

What I listed off had nothing to do with anything, really. I didn’t list off any of the mile-long credentials that separate Hudson,Ink from other marketing options, but scientifically what I did is more powerful in getting you to work with me. Why? Connection. Human beings desire connection, and the way we buy has been proven to be based significantly more on emotion than on facts and reason.

With just one simple paragraph and a photo of myself at the bottom, I probably now have you reading this editorial in a loud voice in your mind, imagining what my actual voice might sound like, or even picturing my little girl’s beautiful curls. If you weren’t already, you are now. Why is connecting with your audience on a personal level such an important tool in marketing? Because logos, phone numbers and Google search results are easy to forget, but personalities are not.

Relationships Lost in the Numbers

I watched a documentary recently about Facebook’s partnership with Cambridge Analytica. I’m sure you remember the scandal that happened a few years back that forced Mark Zuckerberg to be called onto the carpet before the U.S. Congress. Political and ethical feelings aside, what shocked me most about this whole thing was the HUGE amount of data available out in cyberspace on every single American citizen. Consultants from Cambridge Analytica boasted that they averaged 500 points of data on each one of us, forming a numeric profile available to the highest bidder for targeting purposes. And as the corporate machine gets more advanced and pointed in its approach toward consumers, the public gets more skeptical and jaded towards any form of retail. If I’m just a number, do you care about anything other than my money?

As formulaic and highly targeted as marketing might ever become, it will never be able to get over this hump. Human beings are unpredictable, and many times their reasons for choosing one option over another just don’t fit into our box. But there is one thing that we can rely on almost 100% of the time to influence a decision – familiarity.

Why is an established contractor still more successful in an area than an upstart, even though the newcomer might offer lower prices and the same level of service? When you feel like you know someone, you feel safe. Why are people much more likely to respond to a mailer the third time they receive it rather than on the first, even though the first offer was a better deal? However small, the company has established a little bit of relationship that wasn’t there when the first piece hit the mailbox. Humans are creatures of habit and are adverse to risk. We desire a routine that keeps us safe and comfortable. It’s as simple as this. People want to buy from people not cold predictive systems, and they want to buy from people they at least FEEL LIKE they know and trust.

Put a Face on Your Marketing

Although I have contractor clients all over the country and it's just not always an option, it's shocking how much easier it is to get business done face to face, especially when trying to start a relationship for the first time. They can't touch as many people, but road salesmen with handshake deals typically have higher closing ratios. See, it';s much harder to say no while looking at my sad, blue eyes than it is over the phone. So, how can you make this human characteristic work to your advantage?

If all your marketing does is inform prospects you offer 24/7 emergency services, there are others who do that as well. All your techs are drug tested? Most are these days. Licensed and insured? Sure. Our industry has grown to the point where there are a lot of good options in most markets for people to choose from. So again, how do you get them to choose you and stay with you after the first transaction? Take the extra step to show a little personality, and it will pay off.

As your contracting business grows, don't forget what got you there. For many of you, gone are the days when you could personally shake all your customer's hands and you worked solely off referrals. But that doesn't mean your database shouldn't still FEEL like they know you and they're all getting the close-friend treatment. Write letters that look like they came from your desk. Be a part of the community by sponsoring the little league teams, talk about your family and hop in the local parade. Send out a newsletter with company news, home tips and an editorial section where your customers can hear your voice.

Remember, your customers don’t want to be seen as just a marketing profile that leads to dollar signs, and it’s important they see you as more than just another phone number listed in the Google results.

Now that we know each other better, I’d love to prove why Hudson,Ink is a better marketing option than the other thousand out there. If you’d like more tips on how to differentiate yourself, give us a call at (800) 489-9099 or email me at [email protected] to arrange a time to speak.