Often as business owners, we create a lot of activity without stopping to think about the strategy and what we’re really trying to achieve with our marketing. You may be doing “stuff” on social media, sponsorships, radio or TV advertising, etc. But why? And what are you getting out of it?
The point is, if your goal is to attract more qualified customers—and not just to generate traffic or clicks or some of the other vanity metrics, the key is to make sure you’re being clear with your intended audience. Before you create another ad, website or billboard, you have to answer these three questions:
1. Who is your audience?
2. What do they want/need?
3. How, when and where will you meet that want/need?
You know what happens if you can’t answer these questions? You’ll end up spinning your wheels, creating a lot of activity, but not really gaining any traction. It typically takes about FIVE seconds for a first impression to be established. According to a Harvard University study, not only do we have FIVE seconds (or less) to make a first impression, but, if that first impression is bad, it takes EIGHT subsequent positive encounters to change that negative opinion of you. Our brains are designed to move away from confusion and toward clarity. If your brand isn’t clear, you’re just creating clutter in people’s minds and they will toss you in the junk drawer.
Consider the following taglines:
* Heal. Inspire. Revive.
* Hillary for America
* Reigniting the Promise for America
* People Over Politics
* A New American Century
* A Political Revolution is Coming
* Make America Great Again
Thinking about these through the filter of the three questions from above…and is it any wonder that the one that resonated the most with the most people emerged victorious?
But you’re probably asking yourself how does this apply to me?
Take a look at your website. Or better yet, have your grandmother—or a teenager—look at your website. How long does it take them to realize and understand clearly what you offer and who it’s for? Remember, you’ve got about five seconds on average. It’s the difference between this…
and this…
Can you tell me what either of these two companies do within that five second window? Honestly, it took me more than five minutes to figure out the first one, and I’m still not sure I know exactly. The second one quickly tells me who they are, what they do, where they do it, and how they do it…so the potential customer can decide quickly whether or not this is a potential solution to the problem or felt need that they have, and they can get on with it.
How do you stack up? There’s simply too much competing for our attention today and people just won’t tolerate the friction and investment of time and energy to figure out what you do. There’s no better investment you can make than to clarify your message and update your website and marketing campaigns with a value proposition that’s on point and directly related to the felt needs of your customers. I’ve worked with companies who have implemented simple changes that have produced 80%, 180% and 1080% improvements. If you find yourself lacking clarity in your marketing, I’d love to know how I can help.