Marketing at Its Most Elegant

Last year a friend of mine was devastated when her 9-year-old daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

Her family has been on my mind a lot ever since as they grapple with their new health challenge.

Then, last week I stumbled across a Facebook link to a Harvard University study that will test the tuberculosis vaccine as a potential cure for Type 1 diabetics.

I immediately thought of my friend and called to tell her about it.

While we were still on the phone, she jumped on her computer to check out the details.

Why did I—and consequently she—pounce on this lead?

In a word: trust.

That Facebook link came from a doctor I’ve come to trust.

I’ve followed his health newsletter and website for over a decade now.

At one point, I became his patient.

Since then, I’ve passed on other tips from him that panned out, like a simple nutritional remedy that relieved my nephew’s chronic ear infections.

I don’t mean to hype up the Harvard study.

I know that the researchers can’t guarantee a cure for my friend’s daughter.

My friend knows that, too.

She’s a nurse, so she has more insight than I do into the biochemistry and other complexities of medical research.

And yet, with tempered hope, she’s grateful to learn about Harvard’s clinical trials, grateful to find a doctor who’s looking out for diabetics like her daughter.

How can you watch out for your clients? Depending on what’s happening in their world, your readers may feel worried, upset or confused.

They’re searching for someone who will give them straight answers when they’re facing a brick wall and don’t know where to turn.

Here’s three ways you can be the person who shows them the way out and earns their trust:

1. Monitor the media with their best interests in mind. What breaking news is shaking up your field? As you take in your usual buffet of information, read everything through the eyes of your favorite client. What topics would he or she care about? Start with these concerns, then speak out with empathy and sage advice.

2. Interpret current events and inject your expert opinion. Since my doctor sometimes pokes holes into what he considers flawed research, I knew Harvard’s diabetes study must be promising if it won his praise. Likewise, your subscribers want to know what the latest trend or opportunity means to them. Help them decipher which news flash to take seriously and which to brush off.

3. Prescribe timely actions. Let your followers know if they should take action right away or sit tight until the situation ripens. My friend is thinking about entering her daughter in Harvard’s human trials. A consult with my doctor will help her family decide if doing so is the right step for them.

Looking out for your clients is what I call “elegant marketing.” It doesn’t feel like self-promotion. It just feels like one human being reaching out to another. When you take good care of your people, it just feels right.

This is a guest post by MaryLu Stefan, owner of Write Chemistry. She teaches self-employed professionals how to strengthen their writing and marketing habits so they can “kindle client chemistry with integrity and good taste.”