Let’s face it; people are changing rapidly. The great work exodus is underway, attention spans continue to shrink, and consumers are becoming the ultimate educated selection machine. Your marketing needs to adapt, and it needs to adapt now. Otherwise, you better get used to being lost in a noisy marketplace.
So, how do you make sure you are heard and that customers actively seek you out? Let’s count down the seven components to the ultimate formula for winning the hearts and minds of the new digital consumer.
7. People no longer trust brands; they trust individuals
It’s time to stop hiding behind your corporate brand and start building your personal brand. By doing so, you’ll drive more people to your business. People buy from people. But here’s the catch – you need to be someone people want to connect with.
To do this, build your area of authority. Share valuable information, insights and ideas around issues that are important to your customers and wider audience. Constantly look for ways to add value. As you build your personal brand, you’ll also find another benefit – your personal brand is a lot harder to copy than your business brand.
6. Show up – and then keep showing up
It sounds simple enough, but the reality is that most companies fail to show up consistently. They make a start with their marketing but quickly fall off the wagon when things get busy. But what you really need to do is create your marketing plan, develop your content and campaigns, and execute them – consistently.
Research shows that, on average, a potential customer will have 11 interactions with you across multiple channels and engage for 7 hours with you and your content before they buy. Keep showing up! If you can’t manage it on your own, bring in the experts to manage it for you.
5. Be authentic
Stop with the clickbait, buzz words and extravagant promises. The world is tired of attention-grabbing headlines; they want substance. Be professional and be authentic. People want genuine connection – and that can only happen if you are genuine.
It can be easy to think that you have to pretend to appeal to different people in business. But it’s exhausting. People can also sense when you aren’t being real, and it can build mistrust, even subconsciously. Not everyone will like or buy from you, and that’s alright. When you’re authentic, though, you give the right people – your tribe – the opportunity to find you and buy from you.
4. Provide real value
It’s not about you. Let me state that again. It’s not about you. While you may have founded your business based on a need or problem that you experienced and been your original source of inspiration, that all stops now. Your customer needs to be your focus.
It’s about what they what and how you can solve their problems. Take their pain away and change their world for the better. Start by giving things away for free to build their trust and respect and then gradually increase the offer.
3. Build lasting relationships
Customers need to be treated and, more importantly, feel like they are more than a dollar sign. Take a genuine interest in them, be generous with your time as you get to know their pain points and desires and demonstrate that you are looking out for their best interest.
People do business with those they know and like. So, one of the most important jobs you and your team has is to ensure your customers like and trust you. It’s how you build loyalty, and it’s how you generate referrals – two things you can never afford to undervalue in business.
2. Create an experience
Whether you provide a service or sell a product (or are lucky enough to do both), your whole marketing – and indeed business – is about providing your customer with a remarkable experience at every touchpoint.
What can you do to go the extra mile? What could you do to make your customers go “Wow, that’s impressive!” and want to tell others about you?
1. Make good on your promises
Marketing at its core is about making a promise to those you serve. It’s then up to the rest of your business to come good on that promise and deliver above the expectation you have set.
That is why every team member needs to understand that they are part of the marketing department. Word of mouth is the most important and the most valuable form of marketing – but only if you’re making good on your promises.
