"The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself." Peter Drucker
What happens when the passion for what you do doesn’t convert to business sales?
Hint: It’s not the passion that keeps people from buying from you; it’s something else entirely.
I see this all the time.
Business owners passionate about their work cannot make a strong case for why people should buy from them.
They’re confused. It’s so clear to them why people should hit the BUY NOW button with their business. They don’t understand why their marketing isn’t producing more revenue.
A look at their website and I know immediately the problem. They are missing one essential element.
Concerned about getting enough business, these folks cast a wide net and end up catching:
· Lookey-loos (never going to buy)
· The wrong buyer (thought you were selling something else)
· The right buyer but no budget (never going to buy)
Ironically, the fear of not having enough business actually costs you business. Why? When you sell to everyone, you sell to no one.
But for small business owners, the answer to this problem is often scary: Be specific.
Specifics weed out the prospects who aren’t a good fit for your business, and act as a magnet to attract the right people to you.
And yet, a specific marketing message remains one of the biggest challenges for businesses large and small—a challenge that directly affects how much your business can grow.
Take a look at this big brand who chose not to be specific in their marketing.
Marketing Message Challenge: Allbirds
Allbirds has grown tremendously in the last few years. So maybe that’s why the company thought it wasn’t necessary to tell us anything about their shoes in the header of the website.
Maybe they thought that once a visitor landed on their site their job of education about their shoes was over.
That’s a hard no.
Once you get someone to your website, you want to keep hammering home why they should do business with you.
That means you give them specifics about your product or service, and why it's beneficial to the buyer.
Here’s what you don’t know about Allbirds’ shoes:
· It’s a sustainable shoe. When they wear out, you can feel good about tossing them. The materials will break down naturally unlike any other shoe in its class.
· Made with materials like merino wool, eucalyptus, tree fiber, and sugar cane. No cheap synthetics.
· The shoe packaging is 90% post consumer recycled cardboard. Can be used as a shoebox, shopping bag, or mailer.
Can you see why these specifics speak to a certain audience?
Buyers of these shoes are:
· Concerned about the environment
· Want to feel their purchase is doing something good for the earth
· Want to feel they are doing their part environmentally, however small.
That's a different buying mindset than say a Target or Wal-Mart buyer. If a bargain hunting prospect landed on this site from an ad, how likely are they to buy? And how costly would that be to the company?
And yet, we seem to forget that our marketing message must connect deeply with our intended audience.
Knowing the specifics about the product or service gives people a reason to do business with us.
Marketing Message Sweetness: NoBull Outwork
Compare that marketing message to this one, NoBull Outwork. Not a pretty site, (and I suspect that’s intentional), NoBull tells you right away who will love their shoes.
The company knows the problem gym enthusiasts have with work out shoes. So what did they do?
They turned the problem into a selling point. Then they backed it up with social proof. And they did it in two sentences.
"The NOBULL OUTWORK is stable, durable, and versatile so you can easily transition from one workout to the next while at the gym. With over 10,000 5-star reviews, the NOBULL OUTWORK continues to be a staple for putting in the work."
By addressing the core values of its audience, NoBull shows it understands what’s important to its audience.
And with annual sales of $65 million, that’s a marketing message that speaks to a narrow niche.
Specifics sell.
Need some help nailing down what makes your business different? Set up a 30-minute complimentary consult with me. I'll help you get clarity so you can create a marketing message that connects and sells to your target audience.