Marketing Doesn't Have To Be Complicated
Despite what some people would lead you to believe, marketing isn't anywhere near as complicated as you might think.
There are really only two marketing tactics - approach and attract. You might hear these called outbound and inbound or direct and indirect. I call them approach and attract because it makes the difference between them very clear.
You either approach potential clients directly or you attract them to you. And, of course, you could do a combination of both.
But the first thing you need to figure out is who is likely to buy whatever it is you are selling. If you know who your ideal customers are, it's easier to figure out which tactics to use.
Approach
Approaching people directly can be a quick way to get business. And it doesn't have to be uncomfortable. You don't have to cold call if you hate that kind of thing. You can approach people with a personalised, well-written email, message or letter. You can approach people face-to-face at events. You can approach people through leaflets, flyers, brochures, catalogues, or ads. There are loads of ways you can get in front of your ideal clients.
For example, if you are a window cleaner, then you know which geographical area you want to work in. And you can figure out which estates or streets are home to people who can afford your services. So you can approach your ideal customers directly by putting flyers through their doors or even knocking on doors asking if they are interested in your service.
Or let's say your ideal clients are construction firm owners. A quick Google search will give you a list to get started with. You can then find the person you need to contact within that company and approach them directly through cold-calling, emailing, sending a letter, or attending events you know they will also be attending.
This can generate results much faster than waiting for people to stumble across your services.
Attract
The direct approach is great, but a lot of people shy away from it because they are scared of rejection. And I get it. If you are approaching people and they decide not to buy, it can knock your confidence. Better to avoid rejection by waiting for people to come to you, right?
Unfortunately, attracting clients to you isn't as easy as it sounds.
Content marketing is a great way of building trust with potential customers, but it can take a long time.
As an example, here is a message I received on LinkedIn not so long ago:
Hi Lisa I’ve been following you for a while and love what you write. I’m in the thinking process of maybe taking on someone to help me with marketing so was wondering how much you charge by the hour or day? Thx in advance.
This person had never interacted with my posts up until this point. Turned out she'd been following my stuff on and off for over two years and I had no idea she was even interested in what I had to say. But at some point, she went from enjoying my writing to wanting to work with me.
Within an hour of her sending this message, she had booked a consultation. I didn't have to work hard to convince her because I'd already built trust and confidence through my content.
But it took two years of me sharing content before she got to the point of buying.
That's the downside of content marketing - it doesn't always provide instant results. And because it doesn't provide instant results, people give up on it too quickly.
That's not to say it always takes years. I've had people buy from me within minutes of seeing my content for the first time. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time with the right message.
And most of the time that's what good marketing boils down to - timing. But that's true whether you employ approach or attract tactics.
What works for your business?
There is no right or wrong way to "do marketing" - everything works for someone and nothing works for everyone.
You need to decide what works for you.
And the answer will depend on many factors.
I've already mentioned the biggest piece of the puzzle - figuring out who your ideal customers are.
If you know who is likely to buy from you, you can figure out how to contact them, which platforms they use, what type of content they like, which messages resonate and so on.
But another key factor is you. What do you feel comfortable doing? What are your strengths?
If you're a people person, networking could work well for you. If you're good at copywriting, direct mail could be your best option. If you love writing, maybe blogs and email newsletters are the way to go. Maybe you love doing videos or podcasts. Perhaps you're a fantastic speaker and can host webinars or events.
And if you hate all marketing or have no idea what you're good at, then you either need to pay someone else to do it for you or invest in some training.
My advice would be to learn how to write copy (but as someone who sells copywriting courses, I am a little biased).
But whatever you decide to do, don't put all your eggs in one basket. Choose two or three different channels and do all of them well.
And if you need help figuring out the best strategy for your business, book 90 minutes with me and we'll figure it out together.
