November 8 will bring the midterms to a close; Finally. But the really good news is the television, radio and social media ads and the robo calls and mailers that will end! Thank goodness! I think we’ve had our share. I promise I will relish the quiet and won’t miss the lies. And my recycle bin will have much more room for my empty Diet Coke cans.
Back in my media days, any election was met with pure joy. And by joy, I mean money. Cha-ching. All revenue shortfalls can be cured with a good, contentious election, so the money was nice. I never complained about that. But what got me was all the negative messaging. As a marketing tool, negative ads are never a good idea. So what is it exactly? According to trustenablement.com/, “Negative selling is a sales approach that creates fear and uncertainty on the buyer’s part (or in this case, the voter’s part), often by providing inaccurate or misleading information about competitors.”
Politicians aren’t the only serial offenders in the negative message arena. Business owners can also be guilty of the same. And if you’re guilty of that offense, you need to stop! And now! As a business owner you either are better than your competition, or you probably think you are. So your natural instinct may be to attack your competition. It’s a natural impulse, but a smear campaign just makes you look bad and can end up with legal consequences – like a libel lawsuit or a cease and desist order. And if you’re leaving negative reviews on line? You’re just going to get caught. None of that is a good look for you.
I speak from experience. I auditioned to be the weekend tri-state lottery “girl” in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. I got the job. The weekday lottery “girl” was not pleased I beat her out. So she launched a letter writing campaign to get me booted, using negative messaging. She made a lot of mistakes. Every single letter said exactly the same thing – I was slow and unattractive. When we checked all the return addresses, every person who wrote in was living on her block. All she needed to do was tell the lottery commission that since she was the weekday host, it would make more sense and be more consistent if she also became the weekend lottery
“girl.” Plus, I didn’t live in any of the three states. She had lots of ammunition. She didn’t use it. Rather than building herself up, she just wanted to tear me down. Her negative campaign flopped. I just kept pulling those lottery numbers every Saturday night.
So keep that in mind. Tell your current and future customers why you are good, not how your competition is bad. You know your worth – tell your truth. You’ll have a better chance of gaining their trust and their business. There are many chambers of commerce throughout our area. I have never once said anything bad about any of them. But give me the chance, and I’ll tell you why the South Hillsborough Chamber can help your business. It’s kinda like your mom always told you, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” Or at least don’t lie. It’s beneath you.
Lynne Conlan is executive director of the South Hillsborough Chamber of Commerce. Call her at 813-634-5111, or email lynne@southhillschamber.com.
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