5 Traits Of Marketing That Doesn’t Feel Like Marketing
Instead of chasing customers, start attracting them.
Great marketing is not about selling.
It’s about connecting.
Instead of chasing customers, it attracts them.
For a long time, I felt slimy about marketing. It turns out I was doing it all wrong. Instead of building long-term relationships, I aggressively hit people with ads.
I’ve since learned marketing doesn’t have to be that way. It is simply transferring the excitement you have for a product or service you love to other people the same way you’ll tell your friend.
Perhaps you’re at a place where you don’t know what to prioritize between sales and customer relationships. Maybe you feel like your brand’s marketing is just not moving people. Perhaps you’re just tired of tricking customers with spammy countdown timers and coupons and would like to see another perspective.
Here are the 5 characteristics of marketing that don’t feel like marketing:
1. It’s useful
Useful marketing is marketing that doesn’t feel like marketing.
It’s the kind of marketing that is so useful that people actually want to consume it. It’s the kind of marketing that provides value to people, rather than just trying to sell them something.
But useful is subjective.
For marketing to be useful, it needs to be relevant and targeted to the right audience. We all find different things in life useful.
Things that are never useful to a customer:
- Being pushy
- Being boring
- Being irritating
Before hitting the publish button on a salesy ad, ask yourself if marketers at relationship-focused brands would do the same.
I ask myself:
- What would Apple do?
- What would Airbnb do?
- What would Google do?
- What would Warby Parker do?
If it’s too salesy for them, it’s too salesy for me.
2. It’s simple
Cut the unnecessary so that the necessary can shine.
If you make everything important, nothing is important.
There’s no need to overcomplicate things when it comes to marketing. Keep your message clear and concise, and make sure that your target audience can easily understand what you’re trying to say.
If things aren’t adding up in your marketing — start subtracting.
Simplistic marketing is also more effective, as it is less likely to overwhelm or confuse potential customers.
When in doubt, cut it out.
3. It's a story
Your marketing should feel like something people will want to tell their friends about.
It should be personal enough that people will think, “I want to share this with my friends.”
The best way to do this is to turn your marketing into a story. A story is something people can relate to. It’s something people can get emotionally attached to. And it’s something people will want to share.
Think about the last time you shared a story with your friends.
It probably wasn’t because you were trying to sell them something. It was because the story was interesting, funny, or moving.
Your marketing should be the same. If you can tell a story that resonates with your audience, they’ll be more likely to share it. And when they share it, your marketing will reach a whole new audience.
4. It's upfront
Don’t try to hide your marketing behind a false pretense.
Be upfront about what you’re trying to achieve with your marketing, and your audience will be more likely to trust you. If you’re not honest about your marketing, people will see through it and won’t trust you.
If you want to promote a product, make it obvious. In many ways, social media is similar to a telephone.
In the long run, your customers will see through your attempts to fool them, and it will detract from the power of your brand. Be honest with the people, and they will believe in you and the messages you try to send out. There are few things more powerful than a genuine endorsement from a satisfied customer.
Customers who post their real experience with your product or service on your website can influence prospective buyers in a big way. When you add testimonials to your site, it serves as a testimonial for your product or service and legitimizes your business in the eyes of prospective customers.
5. It's personal
Connect with your audience on a personal level.
- Get to know your audience and what they want.
- Find out where they hang out online and offline.
- Use creatives that show your products in action.
Read customer reviews to pick up on their lingo and start using it to connect with them by sharing your story in a transparent and authentic way.
It's time to turn off the trashy countdown timers and turn on the live chat.
This may mean making decisions that are not immediately profitable, but that will pay off in the long run in the form of repeat business and customer loyalty.
A brand might choose to offer a discount to a customer who is unhappy with a purchase, even if that means taking a loss on the sale.
The more you scream with your marketing, the more people will run away.
The more you whisper, the more people will lean in and listen.