The With Strategy – How to get celebrities endorsements to gain attention, credibility and trust!

 In Advertising, Business, Business Advice, Competition, Email Marketing, Entertainment, Featured Content, Marketing, Money/Wealth, Motivational, People, Politics, Public Relations, Publicity, Uncategorized

Do you know about the “with” strategy?

That’s the name I know it by, that’s what I believe Bill Glazer and Dan Kennedy called it.  They’re they guys I swiped it from.  I know enough about Glazer and Kennedy that it’s a real good bet they swiped it from someone else.  Bottom-line, Bill Glazer and Dan Kennedy may have given it that name, but they learned it and they teach it because it really works! So you should you use it too to elevate your business, increase your credibility, gain trust faster, and grow your business easier!

So…  What’s the “ with” strategy?

The good news is, this marketing strategy is based in science, i.e. human behavior,  a little quirky psychology strategy that we ALL do. The strategy I’m talking about comes down to this “who you’re with is who you must be or at least partly be.” What does this mean?  Well, when we see a stranger with another person we know, like, and trust, we assign the characteristics of the person we trust to the stranger. So, John has trust and credibility in our eyes.  Cindy is with John.  Therefore Cindy must also be trustworthy and credible. I’ll tell you how I’ve used this to build my business in a moment, but first…

The “ with” strategy is BIG in business.

Bert Martinez “with” Arnold Schwarzenegger

I know for a fact that if I were to write about this strategy without mentioning Bill Glazer, Dan Kennedy, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, my email open rate and search engine traffic for this article would be have been much lower.  By using their names, it makes you more interested in reading the article.  It’s very subtle, but it definitely works to gain more attention, credibility, and trust for me and my business. And yet, that’s just the beginning.  One of my favorite uses of the “with” strategy is to interview people.  As you may know I have a show entitled Money For Lunch, where I interviewed best-selling authors, business and Hollywood elites, as well as other top names in politics, health & fitness, marketing, and sales.

I’ve been able to use the power of Money For Lunch to open doors, and that was a big step toward me eventually working with people like Dr. Joe Vitale, Tom Hopkins, Grant Cardone, Arnold, and many more.

In addition, very early on I was using the “with” strategy to build my consulting business.  One of my first high-profile clients was Dr. Joe Vitale known for the movie The Secret, 50 plus best-selling books and marketing.  By working with him on regular basis, I got a few “with” benefits.  For one, I was seen at events and on video with Joe.  I also used that connection to connect with other similar people in the industry.  In fact, Joe introduced me to another high-profile client Lou Ferrigno.  Also, simply by making my client list relatively public, I’ve used the “with” strategy to make more of my high-end clients feel comfortable hiring me.  After all, if I’ve worked with people like Joe, Arnold, Grant, and Lou who are all well-known and well-respected in their industry, it only makes sense that I’ll be a good fit for working with them, too.  (Testimonials are another great way of using the “with” strategy — it allows you to put their picture next to yours, which is a nice little credibility/trust-booster!) Speaking and being featured on the same stage as top names in your industry is a very quick way to add to your credibility as well.  Or, if you’re not getting invited to these opportunities — whether physical or digital ( seminars, webinars, podcasts, etc.) — create the stage yourself and invite others, like did with Money For Lunch.

The “With” strategy also works in politics. . .

Take the time Donald Trump endorsed Mitt Romney.  Now, I don’t care what you think of either man for the purpose of this illustration.  The “with” strategy applies. Trump has a large and loyal following.  A lot of it came from massive media appearances, books, business deals, and The Celebrity Apprentice.  Now Romney applied the “with” strategy to bring some of Trump’s following to his side.  I think they probably appeal to a very similar crowd (that tends to happen with political/business endorsements) but any endorsement like this — putting two influencers “with” each other — creates a powerful effect. Likewise, politicians use the “with” strategy when they get the endorsements from media, cultural and religious leaders, artists, celebrities, and others throughout their campaign.  A single campaign appearance by the right celebrity can give serious juice to a politician’s campaign.

If you’re reading this as braggadocio, you’re missing my point . . .

Bert Martinez taking a selfie with Randy Couture

Bert Martinez with Randy Couture

This is, by far, one of my biggest “name-dropping” articles.  But that’s not what it’s really meant to be.  Rather, my goal here is to show this in action. This starts by introducing yourself to someone of importance in your eyes.  Make it friendly, and without expectation.  Deliver value, or at least don’t come across as a mooch. If you can find a way to feature them, by writing about them, or by interviewing them for a podcast, or something like that, it can be very helpful. The idea is that you want to make a connection. And from there, you have someone you’re “with” that can help in making another connection, and another, and another. The more your network grows, the more power the “with” strategy will have.  It compounds as you start to have so many people that you’re known to be associated with, that you have to start dropping names off the list.

One more quick shortcut to using the “with” strategy…

This one has a long history in marketing and advertising, and shouldn’t be forgotten. Celebrity endorsements. It’s probably the fastest, easiest way to put the “with” strategy into action. Find a celebrity.  It doesn’t even have to be a national celebrity, like a movie star.  It can be an industry celebrity, such as Tom Hopkins with sales people and marketers.  Or it can be a local celebrity, such as a former college football player, a prominent entrepreneur in your community, or someone else that your target market will notice. Then, buy their endorsement.  It sounds crass, but it’s an accurate description of what happens.  Find out what level of endorsement you can afford, or what you have to do to get it.  Then, do it. This can be one of the fastest, easiest ways to get attention when you wouldn’t get it otherwise.  And it can be a highly-effective way to up the interest in and ultimate sales of your offer. So, here’s my question… What are you going to do in the next 30 days to apply the “with” strategy?

Want to hang out with me and my celebrity friends?

So twice a year I hold two celebrity events one with Arnold and another with James Caan. I’m currently publishing a book with Tom Hopkins that you can co-author, so if you have questions about this article or would like to join me and my celebrity friends just send me an email, (bert at bertmartinez dot com) or reach out to me on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin or Instagram.

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