Good marketing doesn’t need to lie.
If you have to lie to sell your stuff, either your stuff isn’t worth buying or you aren’t worth buying it from.
Harsh words? Not if you want to stay in the business you’re about to start.
These days, buyers are empowered by the information made available to them by other buyers. I don’t have to list all the websites with ratings, reviews and so on. You already know them – they’re the sites where lies are documented (along with the good stuff).
Remember how easy (and perhaps even pleasant) it is to do business with someone you trust?
When it’s clear that you can trust the person on the other side of the table, the other end of the phone conversation, behind the register or on that website, it gives you the freedom to choose the best product or service. Building that trust is part of the job of good marketing.
Think about it. What store drives you crazy? Now consider the one that you love. The differences between them might be minor but they are significant enough that you’d never choose the drives-you-crazy store. Which one is easier to sell?
Remember the source
Consider when a business says something like this: “We’re the leading vendor of (some random product) in the valley.” The leading or A leading? Leading how? Without proof, you’re not so likely to believe an ad that makes that claim unless it includes some plausible evidence.
Now consider when several of their customers tell you that a business is the only place to go for certain items and then *justify that assertion with a glowing description of their experiences*.
The difference between those two claims? Proof that comes from a trusted party – what I usually call “testimonials”.
Standout execution that meets or exceeds what your marketing promised are what seals the relationship and generates the word of mouth proof you want.
Standout
People are conditioned to receive poorly-targeted, poorly-timed marketing delivering the wrong message because they see so much of those things.
While they may not realize that they’re subjected to poor marketing, they’ll react more predictably to efforts that are well-timed and targeted. That alone usually stands out from everyone else in your market.
Good marketing is trackable. It delivers a message that fits the recipient and where possible, their situation. It’s designed to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time. It communicates the reason why people should do business with you rather than everyone else in your market.
Your marketing needs to answer your “reason why” question: “Why should you do business with us instead of everyone else?”
Fedex uses “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.” Clear, concise, has obvious value to the right customer and they back it up with quality. Your core concept, in conjunction with your focus on your ideal customer(s), has to be just as obvious and backed up similarly.
Look at the recent pitch from the JCPenney retail chain, which you could paraphrase as “Good pricing every day without gimmicky sales.” Frequent sales and coupons sent out every week devalue your goods and condition people to buy only when there’s a sale or a coupon. These practices subconsciously teach your clientele that you product isn’t worth full price.
Promotions provide a reason why, but they don’t necessarily discount/devalue what you sell.
Good marketing is planned, not random. It provokes an action: What do you want the customer/prospect to do next? Visit a website? Make a call? Come into your store? Test drive?
On target
Many of the questions from last week’s column are critical considerations for your marketing.
For example, I asked you to consider the question “Are you familiar enough with your prospective ideal customer to enter their market?”
It’s a pretty important question. Who is your ideal customers? There might be several core groups. Go back over those questions from last week and figure out who they are. Describe them in detail. That will help you know how, when and where to speak to them as well as what they need to know in order to make a buying decision.
And remember, good marketing doesn’t need to lie.
Want to learn more about Mark or ask him to write about a business, operations or marketing problem? See Mark’s site, contact him on Twitter, or email him at [email protected].