This week I’m giving you a sneak preview at the online exclusive bonus chapter to my book, The Rules of Attraction. To read the full chapter, head on over to www.markdeo.com/rulesofattraction

This rule is becoming more and more important to marketers today. It is the social responsibility rule. While the 70s and the 80s were the “me” decades, the new millennium is the “us” decade. More than ever we are feeling the pressure to tighten our belts and adopt a more conservative approach, build larger reserves for our families and preserve what we already have. The spend, spend, spend and boom/bust mentality is passing away in favor of a more “grounded” mindset. This extends itself to the marketing arena as well.

Conservation-based Marketing
Everywhere we look, we see the “green story” being touted. This doesn’t just apply to energy companies, manufacturers and Fortune 500 companies looking to join the “green” bandwagon. Organizations in every industry and field of endeavor are opting for adding this element to their communication strategies. According to the American Marketing Association, green marketing is the marketing of products that are presumed to be environmentally safe. Thus, green marketing incorporates a broad range of activities, including product modification, changes to the production process, packaging changes, as well as modifying advertising. Yet defining green marketing is not a simple task where several meanings intersect and contradict each other; an example of this will be the existence of varying social, environmental and retail definitions attached to this term. Other similar terms used are Environmental Marketing and Ecological Marketing.

Preservation-based Initiatives
One way that we can leverage the current focus on the “green mentality” is to promote sustainability. It’s getting difficult to find an industry or profession that doesn’t have some type of sustainability initiatives. This can encompass alternative energy initiatives, ride sharing, new recycling alternatives, lower consumption levels and the like. I know a display manufacturer that completely retooled their manufacturing process to eliminate ALL harmful VOCs (volatile organic compounds) thereby reducing their consumption footprint by 70%. While this did require a significant upfront investment in new equipment, it has resulted in a 136% return on investment to date. Their return came in the form of lower material prices, energy rebates and a special low rate financing as a result of the reduced environmental impact.

There are many more ways that we can leverage this 15th Rule. In short let me say that the more we sincerely focus on preserving, conserving and reserving, the more powerful our marketing will be to those who are socially responsible. What can you do to use this rule in your business?

I coach and consult with many professionals that are doctors, dentists, lawyers, bankers and CPAs. Often times when professionals focus on sales or marketing, they can appear desperate. In a sense, “marketing their practice” can reduce their credibility rather than increase it. For this reason, using “attraction-based marketing” can be particularly effective.

There are a number of very credible ways in which professionals can create attraction. Over the next few weeks, I will be focusing on four PROVEN methods by which professionals can create positive client attraction. The first is:

Leveraging Knowledge through Exclusivity

Since professionals have a highly specialized vertical skill, they possess deep knowledge in a very specific area of expertise. If this knowledge is properly used in a carefully orchestrated campaign, it can produce fabulous results in attracting potential clients and referrers. Unfortunately, few professionals perform the planning necessary to properly educate and inspire their prospect base. It often comes off as “self promotion” which has the opposite of the intended impact. Instead, I recommend first crafting the educational message in a way that is interesting and relevant to the target audience. It should be, however, most critically in a way that demonstrates the “exclusivity” offered by the professional. That is, “what do you offer which no one else does?” How do you do it? Why is your exclusive method more valuable that the traditional approach?

The next step is to create a series of messages that clearly articulates the significance of the exclusivity in a way that does NOT promote the professionals services. Shameless self-promotion by professionals is the “kiss of death!” This can accomplished through e-blasts, seminars, webinars, teleconferences and most importantly in a casual way through personal conversations and networking. Finally, the all-important follow-up step. Without consistent, valuable follow-up we are unable to maintain the top-of-the-mind awareness so that when a client need arises, we are the first call they make. More critically, our series of carefully orchestrated messages succeeds in motivating someone to take action based on a latent need. This is the most influential from of selling for professionals.

For more examples of how professionals can use “attraction-based marketing” to build their practice, particularly during economic downturns go to www.markdeo.com and check out my new book, The Rules of Attraction.