What You Think Matters Isn’t Important
Business owner? Entrepreneur? What You Think Matters Isn’t Important.
If you’re a business owner, a would-be business owner, or a well-established entrepreneur, read that headline again.
What You Think Matters Isn’t Important.
Brusque? Perhaps. But regular readers know that I don’t suffer fools (or idiots) gladly.
At least, not when it comes to marketing.
There’s a lot of crap written about marketing: we’re told it has to be creative, that it has to be about the company, that it has to be about the product.
And so on. Know what? That’s all …
nonsense.
Imagine a big dial, the kind of gauge you’d see on a steam engine or a boiler of some sort.
Got that as mental image?
Good. Now, on the left it’s pegged at zero. On the right, it’s pegged at 100.
Zero is white. 100 is red. With me so far?
Zero represents the invisibility of your message in the mind of your prospect or customer. Red represents the total significance of your message to your customer.
Now, here’s a question for you: In terms of where you want YOUR message to be onthat gauge for your prospect, where do you want the needle? Before you answer that, consider this: The gauge measures not pressure but significance, relevance, and acceptance—the significance of your message in the eyes of your reader or customer.
Want to see real results? Drive the reader’s gauge into the red zone and keep it there.It’s as simple as that. (That is where you were going to say you wanted your message, isn’t it?)
Too much marketing is prepared by people who, although they may be experts in their field, have no clue how to position their business in the minds of their customer.
None.
So when it comes to the importance of their message they have no clue what they’re doing. They think “Oh, all we have to do is get people to listen and they’ll care!”
Nonsense!
This approach rarely works because it relies on being visual, it relies on targeting the “right” people, and on being creative. This is the traditional “we’ve always done it this way!” approach. The “Madison Avenue” approach.
The big brand approach. This approach is all flash and often, no bang.
When it comes to marketing, if you always do what you’ve always done (or what everyone else in your niche is doing) you’ll always get the results you’ve always had.This means if you’re all comfy-cozy in Mediocreville, fine. Knock yourself out.
But if you want to move to the City of Gold, you’ll be better off embracing the non traditional route, which means talking to your customers about what’s important to them.
Non-traditional marketing suggests that what matters MOST OF ALL, is WHAT YOU SAY to your prospects and customers about what’s important to them. This means you must speak directly to your prospect’s or customer’s deeply felt need, their desire, or their aspirations.
Traditional, bland marketing talks about the product and the company. These kinds of messages usually begin with something along the lines of “We’ve been in business since 1876!” Zzzzzz! Yawn! All this message tells you is that most of this company’s customers are now dead. Not good. I know that sounds crazy, perhaps even cruel, but it’s the truth. Think about it.
If a different message from the same company begins “Protect your loved ones from accident or injury for just $4.95 per month.” suddenly, you see an umbrella of comfort around the people you love.
See the difference?
Bland, dull marketing tells the customer or prospect about the company or the product.
Great marketing tells the customer or prospect how his or her life will BE DIFFERENT as a consequence of having USED the product or service being offered.
Pictures of bolder, braver futures appear in the prospect’s mind and their imagination makes the vision in the message into a reality. Let’s go back to our gauge analogy. Now tell me, where do you want that needle? I thought so.
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