Why do prospective clients call you, email you or ask you questions?
It’s because they’re curious. They want to know something.
It’s their curiosity that motivates them to get in touch with you. It’s their curiosity that provides you with sales leads or business enquiries.
In short, your job is to make them curious.
Now remind yourself: Why do you try so hard to explain everything in your marketing?
I receive a few dozen important marketing emails every day. Of course, none of these messages are important to me.
They are not even of interest to me.
Most are not even relevant to me.
They are only important to the people sending them!
I’m sure you get these emails too. The special offers that aren’t remotely special. The poorly targeted offers, which are totally irrelevant to you and your needs. The outright spam. And anything with the word “webinar” in it!
Here’s the thing: Before you invest in your next marketing email or mail shot, press pause. Ask yourself who it’s supposed to be important to — you or them. Because if it’s only important to you, you’re not marketing to people. You’re interrupting them.
Do it again and you’re pestering them.
A far better approach is to wait until you have something to say, which is worth listening to. Then share it with people who have given you permission to contact them. A valuable message, sent to people who want to hear from you, is vastly more effective than a selfish request from a stranger.
Tip: Here’s a powerful email marketing lesson from Google.
I was emailed by a service provider recently, about a problem he has encountered with his marketing. It’s something a lot of business owners struggle with. So, I’m sharing it with you along with my reply.
Here’s part of his email, published with his permission.
“I needed to boost traffic to my web site and the number of people who read my newsletter. […] I was advised to start using attention grabbing headlines and dumb down my content so it was more inclusive. It worked in a way because I get more traffic but now I’m attracting enquiries from idiots!”
Before I reply…
Up front, let’s deal with his use of the word idiot. I’m extremely uncomfortable about the use of that word, in this context. If your marketing attracts the wrong type of people, this doesn’t make them idiots.
It means your marketing sucks!
That type of inaccurate labelling of people disavows your responsibility. It passes the blame from you, to them. It’s extremely unhelpful.
Okay. Now we’re free to look at the actual problem.
In order to increase the reach of their work, build their list or get more social media shares, many people swap meaning, for clicks. Before they know it their message is no longer resonating with the right people.
It’s being seen. But by using mass-appeal, clickbait headlines, their marketing is no longer attracting the right people. And when you combine that with a message that’s “more inclusive”, you end up with a toxic mix of the wrong people and the wrong message.
In short: Poor targeting + Poor content = Poor results.
Focus on the right thing.
If you want to get more traffic or build your list, there are thousands of places offering ways to do it. Most use a version of what the guy who emailed me described. And if you’re selling ads on a website based on clicks, this may prove (somewhat) useful.
However.
If you want to attract more clients, you need a strategy designed to attract more clients. First, you determine exactly who your ideal client is. Next, you focus like a laser on being as useful as possible to this niche. Then, make it extremely easy for them to hire you or share your work. It works. Really, really well.
Just don’t confuse the two. Because those 2 different challenges require 2 very different strategies.
Did you know that your marketing can fail, even before people read what you have to say?
Well, it’s true. And it happens all the time. Here’s an example of what I mean.
I was prompted to share this with you, after I received a spam email. It was from a company that wants to sell me laser eye surgery. They even offered me a discount.
Let’s unpack that for a moment:
They assumed I’d be happy to place my eyesight in the hands of spammers. They thought I’d be perfectly okay, about some spammer pointing lasers into my eyes.
And they were wrong.
Here’s the thing:
Of course, none of that matters. Because when we’re spammed by a company, all we know for 100% certain, is that they’re spamming us. And spammers are considered to be annoying, desperate and unprofessional.
That’s a bad look for any business.
The way you market your business is part of your story. It shows your marketplace how professional you are. It shows them what you believe to be acceptable. It shows them what your business standards are. And it shows them where they should position you, among your competitors. All of that takes place before they even see (watch or hear) the content of your marketing message.
The lesson here is simple. Great marketing, delivered poorly, is like a delicious meal served on a dirty plate. It turns people away, regardless of how amazing the content might have been.
Their social media presence is a familiar, dull mix of quotes from famous people and self promotion.
Their branding is really average.
Their pricing is pretty-much the same as their competitors.
Their range of services is boring and formulaic.
Their customer service is nothing special.
Their marketing promises are utterly predictable.
And as a direct result, prospective clients ignore them. There’s nothing worth paying attention to. So people move along… and a competitor gets the client enquiry.
If you want people to care about what you have to say. If you want people to care about what you offer… give them something worth caring about. Then communicate it effectively.
Here’s a question worth asking, “What’s your story and is it attracting the attention of your marketplace”?
This will help you get it right: Why storytelling is the cornerstone of successful marketing.
Hold onto your hat – I think you’re going to love this!
If you want to build a large and extremely valuable content marketing list, today’s post is exactly what you’ve been waiting for.
I was inspired to write this, after a reader emailed me. He explained that he had just read this post. Then he made an excellent point. And it highlights why most small business owners fail to get the content marketing results they want. Here’s what he said, along with my response.
He said that if his newsletter had lots of readers, he’d make time for it. he’d take it a lot more seriously. He’d publish regularly. He’d invest in a professional newsletter distribution service. He’d make it a high priority business activity. But he can’t justify the time now, because his readership is too small.
Every small business owner with a newsletter, podcast, blog or vlog started off with a tiny audience (or list). Just them and their friends. Mine started off with 6 readers. And one of them was me! However, there’s one massively important difference between those who build a huge list and those who don’t.
The only way to successfully grow an audience or list, is to treat your work as if you already had the numbers you wanted. I wrote with as much passion, commitment and energy when I had 6 readers, as when I reached my first 10,000 readers. And I write with that same commitment today.
From day one, you need to invest the time and effort required. Here are some examples of what’s needed, plus a few tips.
I know what you’re thinking. That sounds like a lot of work. And it is. However, the rewards are disproportionately huge if you’re willing to commit to doing the work.
Here are a few more posts I’ve written on this subject.
How blogging can help you attract new clients.
How to earn trust with your content marketing.
Content Marketing: Is this useful?
I hope you find this useful. More importantly, I hope it inspires you to improve your content marketing, so you achieve the outstanding results you’re capable of.