Invite vs. Incite: What’s Wrong With Most Marketing Today

Guest post by: Erin Ferree
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Icons For Small Business Branding - By Erin Ferree

Sometimes one little letter makes all the difference. This is a story about a typo.

Let me explain... I typedinciting when I meantinviting.... and that small difference is exactly what's wrong with marketing today.

I've been trying to be "A Marketer" for years. Instead of being a design innovator, a creative thinker, a break-the-mold genius like I'd set out to be when I started in on this business extravaganza; I thought I had to market and convince people to do business with me.

And, somewhow, I thought I had to do marketing in the standard way. Because I thought that was the way that things had to be if I was going to be "in business". Especially in "this economy".

 And it's always felt icky.   Because being "A Marketer" asks you to incite your ideal clients: meaning to goad an individual or a group to take some action or to express some feeling.  

”To goad” means, literally, “To prod or urge with or as if with a long pointed stick.”

Ew!   Seriously, that just feels kind of slimy.

Yet, I want to be heard. I want to be seen. I want to be understood. So that my thinking and my message can get out into the world. And in the world of business, that means marketing – in a different way.

I don't want to get what I want by inciting. It doesn't work for me.  I want to invite.  To ask my wonderful, perfect clients and future-clients to come over and play with me.  

Just look at the gorgeous things that "invite" means:

1. To request the presence or participation of in a kindly,courteous, or complimentary way, especially to request to come or go to some place, gathering, entertainment, etc.,or to do something: to invite friends to dinner.

2. To request politely or formally: to invite donations.

3. To attract, allure, entice, or tempt.

I suspect that I'm not alone. Not by a long shot.

If you want to leave the icky energy of inciting behind, and start inviting your ideal clients to work and play with you, then please join me!

Stop goading and poking at your precious, lovely clients-to-be in your marketing. Start inviting and encouraging them to come.

Pretend your business is a party and ask your clients to come be your guest and enjoy themselves. Make sure everyone feels welcome and comfortable, and that you’re being charming and engaging. Talk “with” them instead of “at” them. You’ll see the energy turn around and I’d be willing to bet that you’ll all start having more fun in the process.

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About the Author: Erin Ferree

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Erin Ferree is a branding coach, design genius and strategic thinker. She's been told that her right-brain, left-brain combination of creativity and logic is hard to come by... and that it's what small business owners need to be successful. She loves connecting the dots between passion and profit, mixing strategy and inspiration and shaking things up. She deeply enjoys working with entrepreneurs who want to help more people and look good doing it. Who want all of their branding and marketing to make sense and speak to their ideal clients. And who want an open, honest, inviting brand with integrity - instead of using icky, pushy, sleazy marketing tactics and trickery. She's branded over 450 small businesses in the last 10 years. She's been published in so many books and periodicals that she stopped counting. She's shared stages with some awesome people - like Michele PW, Linda Hollander, Lisa Cherney, Sheri McConnell and Kelly O'neil. In the rare moments when she's not obsessing about branding or design, she can be found hugging her corgi-dog Stanley, going for long walks, cooking improvisationally, or throwing parties so her friends can enjoy them.
Click here to visit Erin's website.

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