#189 - The Five Things Non-Marketers Should Know About Marketing
IF you want your business to thrive
This is Adventures in Storytelling your weekly note with resources, insights, and actionable tools for better communication through storytelling. Enjoy.
“I hate selling myself, it’s so fake.” Or, “I don’t want to be sleazy.” These are the kinds of things I hear from people who are uncomfortable with having to market their business. Or my favourite, “I don’t want to be a sellout.” But if you want to be in business for long, you need to get comfortable fast. The idea of if you build it, they will come only works in the movies.You’ve got to build it and then tell the people who need it.
What’s great is that marketing is not about you. It’s about your audience, the people you’re trying to help with the product or service you developed to serve them. You’re not selling yourself, if you’ve built it right, you’re selling a solution to a problem they have. If you want your business to survive and thrive, you need to market it. And if you don’t want to be sleazy then don’t be sleazy, it’s as simple as that.
So here are the five things you should know about marketing if you’re a non-marketing trying to share a story with the world.
Selling isn’t sleazy. If you’re doing it right, you’re being helpful. You have created a unique, wonderful product based on a real need your customer has. You are doing them a disservice by not doing everything you can to make sure they know about so they can solve that problem. THAT is what marketing is. Getting your product or service in front of the people who need it most and whose lives will be better for knowing about it. This is an important reframe that any new marketer needs to make if they want to be successful in their business.
Show don’t tell. This age old advice for writers also works for marketers. Or, as one of my favourite business coaches, Marie Forleo, says, “facts tell, stories sell.” Meaning don’t list all the great attributes of your products, tell a story that brings them to life. AAs a reader of this newsletter you know communications is all about storytelling and storytelling is all about creating a connection. It also happens to be the most motivating way to market to people.
Strategy THEN Tactics. Start with what you’re trying to achieve. What is the goal of your marketing? THEN decide what actions you need to take to achieve those goals. You may need to shift your strategy as you move into execution, but if you don’t start with a plan you may end up with really pretty marketing that does nothing for your business. Plan first (but be flexible about it) THEN execute.
Understand your audience and go where they are. I would even say be obsessed with your audience. Like to the point where it’s a little uncomfortable–stalker vibes is the sweet spot. Because knowing who they are means knowing what will motivate them and what they need when it comes to your product and how to tell them about it. Also, knowing where they go can help you plan effectively. If your audience are older moms who hate social media, you know where you aren’t going to spend a lot of time sharing? Social media. Let you audience guide your marketing.
Don’t lie. Just don’t. There’s no reason to. Have a great product and tell stories about it. There’s no need to overpromise or exaggerate–that’s when things get sleazy. If you have to resort to dishonourable tactics, it may mean you need to re-evaluate your product.
Also, bonus, have fun. This work is fun so try to enjoy it. It’s a chance to get creative and connect with people, to help them improve or enhance their lives in some way. That is an honour and can be a delight if you let it.
A Story Well Told
If you follow me on instagram or have Sunday night wine with me, you already know that I have a new literary obsession. Every once in awhile a book comes along that explodes your brains in the best way possible and gives you entirely new perspective on the world. Oliver Radclyffe’s Frighten The Horses is one of those stories for me. It is an absolutely heart rending story of transition and what it means to be a man, woman, or person in the world. Highly highly highly recommend you head to the nearest library or bookstore and get to reading. Let me know what you think when you do. I personally couldn’t put it down.
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