Don’t Stand In Your Own Way
As a digital marketing agency, the number one challenge we run into when dealing with prospects and clients is that they think they have all of their messaging and target information hammered down, and that we’ll come in and amplify it. That is rarely the case. If you have been trying to market yourself to little or no avail, chances are you need to take a fresh objective look at who you are and how you’re conveying that to the world.
Comparison can be a killer!
A big red flag to a marketer is when a prospect or client, who has not yet successfully built up their brand, says that they are like ______ (insert internationally known mega brand), and they need to follow that marketing strategy to attract the same clientele. RED FLAG!!!! This says to a marketer, “I have no idea who we are or where to even begin marketing our company.”
Large companies like Nike, Ferrari, and Coca-Cola, might be able to take a very simplistic approach to their social media marketing because the entire world knows who they are. They don’t need to spend time and money educating the public on who they are, because those are household names. Now, you might have a similar target demographic as those brands, but your approach is going to need to be VERY different if you don’t already have a worldwide presence.
Start funneling people in!
We look at different pieces of digital marketing as pieces of a funnel. We try to get as many people in as possible, lead them through a buyer’s journey, and hopefully have some percentage of them reach the bottom by converting to customers. In order to get people to the top of the funnel to begin their journey, you need to have your messaging and unique selling point (USP) hammered down.
Your social media is commonplace to try and get people entered into your funnel. They start by coming across a post that grabs their attention and piques their interest. Ideally, they click on your profile and check out a few more posts. Then, they feel like you provide decent value and decide to follow you. Now they may sit as a follower for a few weeks, months, or even years depending on how high-ticket your product or service is. In that time you continue providing value, sharing your story, and building a connection with your audience.
Finally, they decide they’ve seen enough and feel ready and comfortable making a purchase. They head to the link on your profile, and here your landing page should be as simple as possible. Clear and easy-to-find calls to action lead them right to the spot they need to be to make a purchase. In 7 clicks or less, they have exited your funnel as a buying customer. See how that works?
This whole journey only happened because you provided value and interesting enough content to capture their attention. If you took the Ferrari approach, you may have just posted a picture that got a bunch of like, but did it turn someone into a follower? Did it provide any sort of value that built trust with the viewer? Did it point to any sort of call to action? The answer is no. So now you have a post that looks cool and has a bunch of likes, but you’re no closer to making a sale. Your target market might be the same as that of Ferrari, but you didn’t take into account that you haven’t built that relationship with the audience yet.
How do I avoid the mistake?!
Take a step back and look at your business objectively and from an outsider’s perspective. If you hire a marketing agency, that should be the first thing they walk you through.
How deeply have you established your target market? Do you have a USP clearly and concisely written out? Does your funnel smoothly and quickly guide someone through the buying process? Are you clearly demonstrating that your product or service solves a problem the customer has?
These are all questions you should be asking yourself or going through with your marketing team. It’s okay if you didn’t have the answers to those questions already. In fact, the answers may change again over time as your business evolves. Don’t let yourself get complacent. Allow yourself to be vulnerable enough to say, “Maybe I don’t have it all figured out.”
If you want a fresh set of eyes to take a look at your current marketing setup, take advantage of our FREE website and marketing review TODAY!
