Working With the Right People in Your Marketing

The importance of who you’re working with in your branding and video projects and really in anything you do cannot be over-emphasized. As always, the significance of integrity, trust, and track record in your team and associations will not only let you sleep at night but will usually make for better branding in general.

Trust and Track Record

A business owner our team at Waves has worked with for almost a decade was discussing with us the other day what he thinks makes people come back to the same production crew over and over again. It’s not just the skill but the people they get to know, love, and TRUST.

It’s hard to just expect trust off the bat of course. Trust comes with time for sure. However, in this day and age, we almost default to suspicion. Right or wrong, there is a level of skepticism we have when we think of marketers and salespeople. If someone is selling us a service (heh, let’s just say video production for instance!) we assume they aren’t telling us everything. Maybe there are hidden fees, ‘this is what you say to all your prospects’, or whatever.

And some of these things will only be figured out over time. But can we (as branders and salespeople) work on our brand’s communication to at least aid that process of trust along? I think so. We need to develop a candor that is up front, friendly, and open. Maybe even to a fault. Some brands have really latched on to this. Take for instance the Southwest tag #transfarency. Deal with the proverbial pink elephant in the room right up front. Put them at ease.

Integrity

The amount of scandals coming out in politics, Hollywood, and elsewhere these days reminds us all of the ageless truth ‘your sins will find you out’. It is truly sad to watch people so beloved by the public, having worked so hard at their craft or career, only fall to ridicule and shame when their past catches up with them. And everyone associated with them wants to distance themselves. There is much more to be said about this as it is all a shame, but suffice it to say integrity in our lives and in our associations is invaluable.

And so it is in our business as with everything else. Not overcharging, delivering on your word, not ‘cutting corners’, paying licenses for music or online photos you are posting: all those things will pay dividends in the long run. Integrity counts.

Care and Consistency

I love working with people I know will deliver every time. It’s so great to hand it off and know it will get done … and done right. There are excellent questions to be asked when vetting a new team member or business association. Here are a few you can ask even of your current staff and affiliations:

1. Is their care the same as mine for our brand?
2. Will they deliver the same quality each project they are assigned?
3. Do they require more ‘over the shoulder’ coaching than should be necessary OR do they self-initiate and figure things out?
4. Have they contributed good suggestions to our brand and ideas that have helped us develop our message (showing ownership)?

Of course you want people who have skill and expertise in their craft. You need to know ability for sure! But with that let’s never forget: WHO we work with MATTERS!