(Listen to this post, here.)

I moved to a new office a couple of years ago. My old building was great – I had been there 17 years. But the building owners decided they didn’t want tenants anymore, so I had to look elsewhere.

Fortunately, I lucked into a perfect spot just a couple of blocks away. It’s a converted old house (1843) with three small offices in addition to mine: a real estate office, a psychologist, and a medical aesthetics specialist.

I know, I wasn’t sure at first what “medical aesthetics” was either.

As I learned, and according to the always accurate AI, medical aesthetics is, “a branch of healthcare that focuses on enhancing the appearance of patients through non-surgical treatments.” Examples include, “botox injections, dermal fillers, laser treatments, chemical peels, and hair removal.”

In other words, the friendly woman across the hall from me works to make our town a little bit more beautiful.

Unfortunately, by showing up in my office every day, I am doing the exact opposite, effectively lowering our town’s average beauty score. Between the two of us, the net change in community beautification coming out of this building is approximately zero.

Indeed, from a pure “effort to beauty realized” standpoint, it would be more efficient if the two of us just stayed home.

Interestingly, when it comes to solo and small professional services marketing, many firms are likewise working at cross purposes – with themselves! Lots of effort leading to net zero results.

Stop Doing These Things

I’ve written many times before about things I recommend doing in the name of marketing your business: publish a newsletter, narrow your focus, simplify your messaging, share useful content, to name just a few. All good, all still recommended.

But for those things to work at their best, you need to stop uglifying (amazingly, a real word) your marketing. Two recommendations in that regard.

#1. Stop Making Yourself the Hero at Every Turn

Your email newsletter, your social media announcements, your LinkedIn posts. For many people, these are almost entirely about who they are, what they’ve accomplished, and why, when it comes to gosh-darned-wonderfulness, they have apparently cornered the market.

Even when they thank or congratulate others, it’s often done in a way that shines the light back on themselves: “Thanks to the one-and-only Fred Doofus for inviting me onto his podcast in which he interviews fabulously successful people.”

Listen, I know it’s important for colleagues and prospective clients to understand the value we provide. And it’s fine, once in a while, when there is something really big (I said really big), to pat ourselves on the back.

But you are going to get a lot more mileage – and many fewer eyerolls – if you focus on other people rather than on yourself.

Congratulate them when they mention an accomplishment. Comment on newsletters, podcasts, and posts you find valuable. Share useful, original content – content that helps readers/listeners do their jobs or live their lives better.

The seeds you throw will go further and grow faster when you are outwardly, rather than inwardly, focused.

#2. Stop Ignoring Your Existing Relationships

One-time exposure to a lot of people is not nearly as useful as frequent, ongoing exposure to a small group of people.

But I know, it’s tempting to spend the majority of your marketing time and effort on the big hit, homerun events: publishing a book, speaking at a big conference, writing an article for a well-known publication.

Those activities are all about trying to get the attention of strangers.

Meanwhile, you are ignoring the leaky bucket called, “People I already know who would happily send others my way if not hire me themselves if they could only remember I am still alive.”

Granted, that’s a lot to write on the side of a bucket, but you get the idea.

Keeping your relationships alive is not hard. But you have to do it regularly and at least somewhat systematically (so you know who you’ve been in touch with ).

Send emails to say hello, call people on the phone, set up coffee or Zoom dates.

I know, it seems too easy. But in the word-of-mouth world people like us occupy, it is the absolute best, most reliable, least expensive way to ensure you are being talked about, recommended, and hired.

Here’s the bottom line. 

Effective marketing isn’t just about doing the right things – it’s also about not doing the wrong things.Take the focus off yourself, spend less time looking for the “marketing home run,” and work hard not to lose touch with the people you know. And I guess a little botox wouldn’t hurt.

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Discussion Questions:

1. Is your name Fred Doofus? If so, I apologize. I thought I was just making that up.
2. Have you ever uglified your marketing? Explain.
3. Have you cut any popular marketing tactics out of your approach?

Share your answers below…

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