Are your marketing expectations realistic?
Whether you’re running an established company or dipping your toes into the business world for the first time, it’s essential you don’t let your marketing imagination get away from you.
It’s easy to sit in your boardroom and come up with a content marketing strategy that gets you excited. The problem is that’s not what marketing is all about it. It’s not you that should be getting excited – it’s your target audience. And you do that by creating quality content that engages and excites and boosts your conversion rate.
Where you’re going wrong
Hopefully, you’re reading this before you start spending your marketing budget.
You need to stop what you’re doing and read this crucial fact:
Your audience couldn’t give a toss about your business. They want to know what you’re going to do for them.
Painful but true.
The last thing your audience wants to read about is when you set up your business, how many people work for you, that you’re all passionate about what you do, and that you’re ‘customer-centric’ (God, I hate that phrase).
I don’t care if that’s what all your competitors write about, if you want to get ahead and get noticed, you have to think about what your customers want to know, not what you want to tell them. That’s the only way you can create engagement and build an audience.
Boost your marketing effort by giving them what they want
People are looking at your website copywriting and marketing materials because they have a problem.
That could be anything from leaky pipes to a desire to look and feel more sophisticated. Whatever it is, you’re in the running to be the supplier. So, how do you make the most of the opportunity?
Telling them what you do is not enough.
You must show them why you do what you do (no, that’s not the same thing) – this concept defines marketing.
When you concentrate on the ‘why’ you’ll see your product or service from the viewpoint of your customers. All they want to know is that you will take away their problem, make their life easier, and do a great job. You see, creating great marketing content is all about satisfying customer needs.
That’s all there is to it.
What does that look like?
Well, your marketing copywriting (one and offline) has to be all about them, which means writing to your audience. You can do that by using the second person (i.e. you and your). The effect this has is to create a sense of a one-to-one conversation, showing the reader you want to help them.
It also has to be written naturally – a bit like this blog post. It’s informal, chatty, and accessibly because the language I’m using is simple.
On top of that, your content must focus on the benefits – they show how you’re going to make their life easier. Especially any that are unique to you.
Only when you do all of that will your marketing stand out from everyone else.
Yes, it needs you to be brave. However, remember; just because everyone else in your industry is writing boring corporate content doesn’t mean it’s right. It merely means they have no imagination, aren’t brave enough to show themselves as different, and haven’t read this blog.
In summary
If you are serious about becoming the Apple of your industry, it’s time to think differently. Be brave. Stand out. Do things your way.