I spent some time with some entrepreneurs who were starting different businesses from software to soft serve gelato. They were all in the early phases of launching, and they asked me to speak to them about what marketing is and isn’t.
The following are some of my notes from that conversation.
What Marketing Is
Marketing is about feelings. Marketing is the collection of activities that make your customer tell her friend about your product. Marketing is the way you package your brand so that it fits the worldview of the customer’s you are serving. Said another way, how will your client’s feel when they use your product and will it motivate them to tell a story to someone who has a similar worldview? Marketing should help change their emotional state if you want it to affect a change in behavior and attitude.
Marketing is answering questions before a customer asks. Great marketing is baked into the simplicity of navigation in a website that allows a new visitor to understand what you can do for them – in eight seconds. Brilliant marketing instantly allows someone to learn how you can help them solve a problem and fill a need. It anticipates concerns and is proactive in providing solutions. A sign of great marketing is when your customer thinks, “they read my mind.”
Marketing doesn’t feel like selling; it feels like educating. Effective marketing leaves you smarter and with a better understanding of an issue. It doesn’t feel transactional – but helpful. It answers all the questions on your mind before you asked them. When you write a brochure or any copy from a customer’s viewpoint, not from yours, the marketing efforts will have greater results. Through educating a client, you earn their trust, respect, and confidence. Revenue always follows trust, not the other way around.
What Marketing Isn’t
Marketing isn’t about shouting. It is about listening. Running loud, obnoxious and intrusive ads isn’t marketing. It is just plain annoying. I am so thankful for the mute button on my remote and the fast forward button on my iPhone.
Marketing isn’t about your need; it is about the customer’s problem. You don’t get paid because you can make a product or deliver a service, you get paid when you are like a pain pill, solving a customer’s problem. It isn’t about you, sorry. Stop marketing like you matter. Only your customer’s needs matter if you are going to be rehired to do work for them.
Marketing isn’t about making a sale today; it is about building a community of customer’s who trust you and your products and services. People buy from those they trust. So, build a community of individuals who see you as honest, and able to help them with their needs. Sales will follow if you are delivering value.
What is marketing?
Just think about the last product or service you loved so much, that you hadn’t share it with a friend.
How did you learn about the product, what made you share it with others, what story did you tell? And, most importantly, how did it make you feel afterward?
Marketing helps bring that feeling to life.
Trying to market a product or service can require coaching and guidance. Let’s talk to see how we can work together. 919 720 0995 or jeffreylynnslater@gmail.com
Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/en/marketing-letters-font-lettering-938935/
