As a Central Indiana communications and marketing firm, we find ourselves listening to numerous entrepreneurs and organizations who want to solve their lead generation, sales and even awareness challenges. Admittedly, there are times when we are mesmerized by a clients’ cool offerings or amazing organizations. It’s easy to fall into the trap of spewing all the cool features, bells, whistles and innovative widgits that (wait for it) seamlessly provide a bullet-proof solution for the customer or client.
Don’t Fall Into the Marketing Jargon Trap
Seriously. Just say no to this ridiculous jargon … If you are trying to attract customers, you need to think like a customer. Better yet, ask your customers, “What do you need?” “Why do you choose us?” and for digital marketing, “If you were looking for us on line, what words would you search?”
A good sales person knows the secret: Find the pain point and tailor your sales pitch to solve that pain. Your marketing communications should follow suit. If a majority of your materials begin with, “Our company provides blah, blah, blah …” stop. As one of our wise branding gurus has said often, “This is not the Three Little Pigs. It is no time to tell the story of, ‘we, we, we’ all the way home.”
Effective Marketing Communications Isn’t All About You
Believe me when I say this: No one wants to hear you extol the virtues of your product. Customers and clients want to know how your product can help them solve a problem based on their needs. By and large, people think their needs are unique and therefore the solution needs to be unique. A communications message tailored to a unique need is much more effective than a blanket description of your company and product or service offerings. And, more importantly, this needs-based messaging begins building a relationship.
And Relationship is Key
Whether you are a manufacturer making widgets or a not-for-profit soothing the down-trodden, establishing a relationship through messaging is the first step in the sales cycle, in the donation process … in getting people to buy into whatever you are selling.
That said, you’ve got to deliver. You can have the most creative and insightful marketing team in the world hone your message in epic, artistic ways. You can spend millions of dollars on advertising and public relations. But in the end, if you don’t deliver, it’s all for naught.
Unless you’re The Music Man. He found the pain point for River City’s residents: They were worried about their kids. HE had a great solution: A band! The citizens believed and bought instruments and uniforms to be delivered on the Wells Fargo Wagon. He even convinced the doubting librarian. And, even after he couldn’t deliver the ordered items, his PROMISE of a brighter day kept him from being tarred and feathered. And everyone lived in Technicolor, happily ever after.
That doesn’t happen in 2017. In 140 characters, Professor Harold Hill would be a gonner. Or a politician. But probably not a successful entrepreneur or executive director trying to market goods and services. Shipoopi!
Need a team of professionals to help you identify your unique solutions and reach your target audiences? We’d love to chat with you about it!