If you’ve been in your business for any amount of time, you’ve likely determined that marketing is a challenge. In fact, most entrepreneurs and small business owners would agree, creating a marketing message that resonates with their ideal audience can be time consuming and without significant results.
It doesn’t have to be this way. The reason that you and most other entrepreneurs struggle with your ideal client profile is because you are trying to market so that it makes sense to you.
Yes, you heard me correctly. In fact, I will take it a step farther and say, your marketing is not for you at all.
Now, hear me out before you roll your eyes and click away from this article. Let me explain…
What I mean is that you do not need to resonate with your marketing. It’s not for you. Your marketing doesn’t have to make sense or resonate with you because you aren’t the one with the problem.
Check out this video I recorded a few years ago to understand more of what I mean:
As I share in the video, your challenge lies in trying to make sure that it feels good to you. And trust me, I know how you feel because when I first started in my business I felt the exact same way. I was creating marketing that resonated with me and the result: No new clients, but I was really happy. 🙂
The bottom line if you want to get their attention: Warm and fuzzy marketing does not convert nearly as well as pain-based marketing.
Something else to remember: People in pain are ACTIVELY seeking a painkiller. And because marketing’s sole purpose is that you use it to get found, you’ll have to speak their language, not yours.
I was literally just engaged in this discussion with a client and I told her like I’m telling you, you’ll need to think about them if you want them to take inspired action in the direction of your products and services.
This is precisely why I recommend pain-based marketing. Pain-based marketing attracts clients much more quickly than solution-based marketing ever will. You “attract” them with their problem, then after you get them in your funnel, you can introduce them to all of the warm and fuzzy solutions you have for them – in that order.
Believe it or not, people trust you if you can identify their problems. And remember marketing 101: people buy when they know, like and trust you.
So, you need to get over yourself. And more importantly, you need to get out of the way of your marketing. As I said earlier, my marketing doesn’t have to resonate with me. I don’t have to like it and get excited about it. And neither do you. The only person that needs to love your marketing, and feel warm and fuzzy because of it, and want to take deliberate action after consuming it…the only person that your marketing needs to resonate with is YOUR POTENTIAL CLIENT! Always remember, your marketing is not for you!
When you write your marketing copy, you need tunnel vision; focus on whom you desire to help with your products and services.
To help your marketing efforts going forward now that we are aware of your problem, I recommend the following:
1. Before you start a marketing piece or marketing copy, ask yourself…who is this for? What are they struggling with right now? How can I help them to understand that I get their pain?
2. Take a few deep breaths and close your eyes. With your eyes closed, visualize the perfect person that your new offering is for. Channel them. What are the words they would use to describe their current situation?
3. Write your marketing as if you are writing them (the person you visualized) a personal letter. Be sure to highlight their challenges more than your solutions. Remember, it’s not about you, not even a tiny little bit. And be conversational. Marketing is just a conversation that you are having to let a potential ideal client know that you can help them solve their problem.
Upon completing the marketing piece, you are ready to share marketing that was designed with your ideal audience in mind, and that means that if you have a strong call to action people will begin to respond! Remember that marketing is organic, just like a conversation. When you speak their language, they will respond immediately.
Happy marketing!
If you would like some help redirecting your marketing messages so that you can stop marketing to yourself and start marketing to those who can hire you, consider one of our consulting options.
©2016 by Darnyelle A. Jervey. All Rights Reserved. Darnyelle A. Jervey, MBA, The Incredible Factor Business Optimization Coach and Mentor, is the founder of Incredible One Enterprises®, Incredible Factor University® and the Leverage Your Incredible Factor System®, a proven step-by-step program so you experience financial and spiritual abundance in your life because of your business. For more information and a FREE audio CD “7 Critical Mistakes Even Smart Entrepreneurs Must Avoid for Clients, Connection and Cash Flow!” just fill out the form below.
