Endorsements

[Whistlejacket]

Can anyone please tell me how to go about getting endorsements from leading people in their field. I support my sister in her career as a trainer doing the admin marketing etc. To be honest it is not difficult to do as she is truly brilliant at what she does. We have learnt everything as we have gone along. However, we seem to have come to a sort of 'ceiling' and I feel that we need the endorsement of a leading person in this field. Please can anyone tell me if this is the Holy Grail of marketing or is there a way to achieve this?

 

[AlexandraS]

hello

No, I would say not. Nice to get "world leader" endorsement, but all it says to me is "this person trained under X/paid Y" and doesn't ring as true or as useful as endorsements from real, live paying customers!

If your customers are slow in coming forward to give endorsements, don't be shy about writing up your own "endorsement", emailing it over to them and asking for them to fill in the gaps!

Alexandra

 

[Whistlejacket]

Thank you Alexandra. We have a lot of really wonderful endorsements from clients but we seem to have difficulty moving forward from this point. If you have any other thoughts on how we may move forward I would appreciate them.

 

[ethical PR]

Do you mean moving forward in terms if how you use the endorsements to promote your business or more generally in tens of how you promote your business?

 

[Whistlejacket]

Many thanks again everyone for your help.

I guess that the difficulty is in both areas. The training my sister gives is sports related and very niche, you could probably best compare it to acupuncture; been around for hundreds of years, but considered a bit of the wall for a long time and now is considered mainstream.

I believe we are at the stage where her training is becoming mainstream and the 'big names' are using this training but it is still considered by the majority to be a bit alternative. This is why I was wondering whether an endorsement from a 'big name' would help? But just don't know how to go about it. We have begun to work with a leading publication, but this is going to take time and I think that they maybe sensing the new trend themselves. I really feel that we need to be ahead of the trend but really don't know how to achieve this.

 

[PrestonLad]

Well, I'm presuming it's a small company you have, and you won't be paying multi-million pound fees to David Beckham to endorse.

So I'd guess what you need is to treat someone famous, get them to say something genuine and nice about you, then ask them if you'd mind if you quoted them on your website (which can then take on a life of its own).

Very low key... but could have a dramatic effect. And also a realistic approach. If your sister is as good as you say, and she makes a big difference to a sports person, then this is the sort of thing that celebrities will often do without charge.

So... how do you get yourself in that position? Maybe play the long game.

For illustrative purposes (and I'm sure you'll have to adapt this scenario a lot, but you get the idea)... if you want to treat a premier league footballer, then use your current good reputation to approach a League One football team - perhaps via their physio... tell them how good you are, and offer to give three days' free treatment/training, with a view to getting some paid-for work from them if they like what they see.

Once you've got that on your CV, hopefully with a good reference from them... write to every premier league team and offer them the same deal. Maybe you have to take smaller steps (start in League Two... step via the Championship or whatever)

There are plenty of footy teams who engage in 'alternative' stuff - usually out of some desperation to change something when they're in the lower half of the league (which half of all teams are!!). So I'd say you've got a chance.

Like I say, adapt as necessary.... different sport, different approach... but just think through what one of these superstar endorsers would respond to... If they know that you've got a track record with similar people, then maybe one or two might bite.

Good luck

 

[Whistlejacket]

Preston Lad that's fantastic help. I can really see a way forward now. Based on what I have said previously do you think this is the best way to take things forward? Also should have said we have a very very small budget for marketing. Also, how can I do this with out upsetting their trainers?

 

[ethical PR]

If you don't have one, already, you need to develop a marketing strategy for your business, you can then identify what sort of tactics and channels would be the most appropriate to reach your target audience and encourage them to use your services.

No-one on a forum can tell you whether the tactic Preston Lad suggested would be the most appropriate, or would work well for you, as they don't know your brand positioning, target audience, messaging or which channels would work best for you.

That's why plucking a tactic out of thin air without having a strategic context, isn't terribly useful for posters like yourself, who won't necessarily have a good grasp of marketing and PR.

So, for example, if your main target audience is professional rugby, tennis or long distance runners, then having celebrity footballers using your service isn't going to be that helpful.

Have a looking at sites like Marketing Donut who provide lots of useful content to help you develop your brand positioning and marketing strategy. Once you have this in place you can identify the most appropriate tactics and channels to use.

Good luck.

 

[Whistlejacket]

Thank you so much for the advice Ethical PR.

I really appreciate all this help, it is proving brilliant for getting me on the right track. My sister and I only have a very limited budget so we are having to learn as we go along but we are both really enjoying the journey. Any other links to good advice sites for small businesses would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[ethical PR]

Whistlejacket....not sure what research you've already done on sources of support for small businesses, but if you haven't done so already then contact;

• your local business support organisation- ask your local council business development team/local chamber about what's available locally or just Google.
  
• if you or your sister are under 30 you can contact the Prince's Trust.
  
• you can also contact Everywoman

.

 

[PrestonLad]

Preston Lad that's fantastic help. I can really see a way forward now. Based on what I have said previously do you think this is the best way to take things forward? Also should have said we have a very very small budget for marketing. Also, how can I do this with out upsetting their trainers?

Hi whistlejacket.

As I said, you'll need to adapt my scenario and approach... and ethical pr makes some good points about fitting it into an overall strategy.

I really don't know if it's the best way forward. It just sounds like a feasible way forward, if you are prepared to give time and services for nothing - as it presumably isn't a big cash outlay... but potentially gets you where you ultimately want to be.

I don't really know the nature of your service, and anyway, I think you have to pick it up from here. Not least because I'm talking from a 'general business experience' perspective, rather than consultant marketing guru!

If it is football that you want to approach... I do know people who've worked in this area - and there seems to be quite a range of attitudes of their trainers. I think you need to use common sense when approaching them. For example, ensure that you co-address them when writing to the club. I'd guess that, if there are 24 league one clubs, then maybe three-quarters won't even entertain 'crackpot' ideas (it depends just HOW alternative your treatment/training is).... but there will be a few who'll listen. I've no idea how other sports would receive you. Good luck.

 

[Whistlejacket]

Thank you again everyone for all your input, it really has been very helpful and inspiring.

I have already approached someone who my sister admires and that we have a tenuous link to, so fingers crossed. I have also spent sometime reading about marketing strategies and although I have only just touched the surface I now have a better understanding of Ethical PR's comments. Thank you. So lots of work for me