Meet John.

He has entry-level experience and expertise as a graphic designer. He has a well-branded website and wears a T-shirt with his signature on it.

He has powerful communication skills and a persuasive aura about him. He shares valuable tips about graphic design on his website. He appears to be an expert.

But…

His skills are basic enough to ‘get by’, so he preys on people who know little to nothing about principles of colour or typography.

He negotiates by comparing his ‘work’ to that of others, emphasizing why the client should choose him. His website is the anchor for the conversation.

By doing this, he creates the illusion of choice.

He wins solely on branding alone.

Now meet Farai.

He has raw talent and years of experience to back it up. His artwork is clean. His design work brings well-thought-out concepts to life. He has no website. He shares nothing on social media.

But…

People talk about him. People look for him. His clients market his work.

Which of the two would you hire?

The former is reverse psychology. The latter is reverse marketing. You see, John thinks he is taking a reverse approach in his marketing. The only thing he’s missed is that it never works when you can’t deliver what you promised.

By definition, reverse marketing is when consumers pursue the brand rather than the brand pursuing the consumer. It’s when there’s so much value given to the consumer that they tell others about it. The consumer becomes a marketing agent.

Reverse psychology is when you attempt to give value you haven’t built. It’s manipulation. It’s the ability to play mind games with people, who later realise that they made a mistake by paying you. Having a website that gives value is okay. Pumping out content is necessary.

But, ultimately, it’s the quality of your work that will spread. There are no shortcuts when it comes to quality. That’s the only way reverse marketing will work.