Why We Must Promote II
How do we know, unless we hear?
Nature has its way of promoting.
Why We Must Promote
I used to think promotion was that guy selling used cars on television late at night, proclaiming “We will beat any price!” Or those thirty minute infomercials for miracle products that cost thousands, but for today only, you can have it for an exclusive insider price of $29.99. But wait, that’s not all! If you act now…
Even if you study marketing, like I do, the picture doesn’t seem much better. I’ll just leave it at that.
But as I followed my curiosity and listened to different perspectives, I began to see another path.
Promotion does not have to be loud, charismatic, or crafted with manipulation. Promotion can be used in an empowering way that feels honest, respectful, and responsible.
Promotion is Motion
The word promote comes from the Latin word "promotus," meaning "move forward, advance." That's exactly what we want to do.
Here's how I choose to view promotion.
It's about empathy and understanding.
It's about caring for others.
It's about accurately and effectively communicating.
Promotion is about educating those we encounter about the value we have to offer that helps them achieve their desired goal.
Promotion Is a Skill
The other friction point we might have with promotion is that it’s a skill. It’s a skill that must be learned and practiced. If we feel we are bad at promoting, we are probably right. Who starts anything at level awesome?
How do we learn to promote? The first job of a promoter is to educate. People don't know our product or service. It’s our job to attract, and educate. For example, our future customers are people who are looking for a good dessert. We happen to specialize in making brownies. Yay! So let’s tell them we put our heart and soul into every batch of brownies we bake in order to delight the discerning dessert lover. Then we ask them what kind of brownies they like? Boom! We shared our passion, and we have interaction. That’s 90 percent right there. The rest we can learn by using the Do/Learn/Refine process. Bake, promote, feedback. Easy.
Promotion done right, feels right, for everyone.
When to Promote
If we follow our dreams, we will need to promote. In reality, promotion is optional, but we will limp along for years. We might even give up. because people don’t care about our product! We built it, but they didn’t show up. And our passion and dream turns into drudgery and dread. Why continue. Woah, that’s not good! Let’s change that.
Put your passion in your promotion and in your brownies. The best time to start promoting is at the first batch of brownies. Promote from day-one, because promotion is a parallel learning process. And even if we started promoting at the first batch of brownies we should not quit when we are doing well. Things change. Seasons come and go. And new people need to know (about our brownies).
Finally
Promotion is not my strength. But I have learned that all you need to do is find your angle. In other words, don’t promote like others. Be true and promote like you. Keep at it until you find the way that feels right. Promote in an empowering way that feels honest, respectful, and responsible.
If we promote clearly, our message gets out without distortion.
Promotion is not about charisma. It’s about helping others to get what they desire.
When we promote, we all move forward.
To your success!
James Wilder
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