Once in a while I have a conversation about marketing with someone who gets it.
When reading marketing blogs and listening to the new marketing gurus, you often can’t help but think they reinvented how we do marketing. There is a lot of talk about the new way of communicating to your audience on social media and in the digital world.
Obsessed With Analytics
Most of all, it seems as marketers we should all be obsessed – OBSESSED – with numbers. Analytics. Growth rates. Bounce rates. Momentum. Clicks. Downloads. Newsletter subscriptions. There is this notion that more is better. More subscribers, more clicks, more eyes on your product or website.
Don’t get me wrong, of course you want to make a sale. It’s a business. It’s YOUR business. There’s no business without sales. Without seeing revenue. Without a profit.
It seems to me though we have become so focused on growth that we risk losing sight of our customers.
Marketing doesn’t need to be reinvented. It has worked in the old days – the days before Google, Facebook, and Snapchat. And it works now. Do you want to know how?
Putting Your Customers First
By putting your customers first. By seeing marketing, first and foremost, as a way of connecting to people. Marketing = Connecting. Your audience is the most precious piece of your business because without a loyal audience you’d have no business.
It’s time that we rediscover marketing and see it for what it is. It’s a way to build a community around our brand. If we change our perspective from “here is my business and there are my potential customers” to “here is my community”, we can create a brand experience that’s inclusive.
[bctt tweet=”We need to recognize that there is no us and them in business. You are your customer.” username=”ninagrenningloh”]
You Are Your Customer
Businesses that recognize this, will be able to connect with their audience on a human level. Everything from your website copy to your social media presence to your customer service will feel more real if you can think and feel like your customer. It’s a simple case of “putting myself in their shoes” that’s often overlooked in today’s marketing.
If I was the recipient of this Facebook ad, how would I react? How would I feel? If I was visiting this website, would it help me get the information that I’m looking for? If I was stepping into this store or business, what would be my first impression? Would it make me feel welcome?
Quality Before Quantity
We don’t have to overthink marketing. But we have to rediscover how to talk to another human – like a human. The kind of connecting we did before search engine optimized copy took over our language. The kind of connecting we did before Google ads squeezed into 15 words what we should click on. The kind of connecting we did before we hit people over the head with pop-up ads.
And you know what the best part is? Once you can tap into the human power of connecting, your website visits, clicks, and subscription numbers will go up. The only difference is that you will be attracting people who are truly resonating with what you’re offering. And because they are so connected, they are more likely to buy from you. It’s about quality, not quantity after all.