Let’s dive headfirst into the exhilarating world of marketing and lead generation. No, seriously. It can be very jazzy, and let’s not forget, incredibly important for your business.
It’s very easy to fall into the trap of – “Well, I’m busy at the moment”, or, “I’ve just landed that big order which will fill my diary until next month”, or the, let’s face it, rather short-sighted “my capacity is pretty much full and I’m happy with that”.
STOP! Right now.. just like the Spice Girls said.
Because – whilst you might be grand now – ticking along, your hours or books full (depending on whether you’re a service or product-based business) – but what if?
What if – your biggest client pulls the plug? There’s nothing stopping them. Yes, you’ve got a contract in place (hopefully?) but still, you don’t want to be hit square between the eyes with the panic, stress and outright feeling of devastation if you find yourself up shit creek without a paddle, now next month’s income is drastically cut.
Or, looking at things with a more positive spin (ha!): how will your audience know how fab you are, how incredible your products are, or how much your service can benefit their business unless you tell them?
Well, here’s the answer. Consistent marketing.
BUT – this does not mean sell, sell, sell in your messaging. Far from it actually. I always recommend an 80/20 split – 80% conversation, education, value-driven content, and 20% selling and advertising your offering.
Imagine for a moment that you are in a room surrounded by the people you follow on your chosen social media platform. Someone new would be talking every 5-10 seconds! It’s going to be noisy, confusing and overwhelming.
So, be the beautiful wallflower – standing tall and proud, shining high above everyone else and gleaming with elegance and style… allow your messaging to shine through, cut through the noise, the fuss, and the down-right crappy, and this will reach your ideal customer.
So how do you stand out to your ideal client?
Solve problems, rather than going for the hard sell.
We all like someone to lead the way and help us out. A problem to them can feel like a mountain that is too hard to climb, but for you, you do that every day, so share with them the tips and tricks to help them out. Focus on their needs and empathise with their struggles. People will love you for that.
Show up, consistently.
Post regularly, add value in the comments, and become the trusted voice within your little corner of the internet. By sharing your expertise, you’re building trust.
Show up in your stories, and allow people to connect with you and see behind the brand. Once you have the know, like, and trust – you’re onto a winner!
Stay on your audience’s radar.
Keeping relevant, highlighting the pain points of your ideal client, and waving the flag of the problem you solve in a discreetly obvious way (sounds easy huh?) will keep you floating around your ideal client’s radar.
Having a marketing strategy incorporating emails, blogs and social media will allow you to be in their eyeline pretty often.
Remember, it’s NOT a numbers game.
People are obsessed with their follower count (side step – what do you reckon to the recent ‘pay for a blue tick’ development? I have an opinion.. but that’s for another blog/socials story…), and it is certainly tempting to reach the next 100 or 1000 mark. But; a quality engaged audience of 150 people is a lot more valuable than 1500 followers who do not support and buy from you.
The A Word. (I know, ick – must still.) Be your authentic self.
What makes you stand out? Memorable people can often be so because of their sense of style, their quirky mannerisms, or maybe because of how much they made you laugh. Whatever your thing is, be memorable.
Connect with your audience by sharing your passions, your hobby, or even your dog! (Am I the admin whizz with a speedy Whippet and a fruit-loop Cockerdor? I am, but you might not know me in that way, because I only showcase the doggos every now and then..)
It might turn some people off, but perhaps they were never going to be your ideal client anyway. More often than not, when you are authentic, you will attract your dream audience, who is happy to pay for your service/product, in part because they connect with you.
Claim your style.
We want people to instinctively know it’s your post or email the moment they see it. Use your logo, your face, your brand colours and your font to make it as easy as possible for people to recognise your brand. Be consistent across your website and social media platforms; why not even buy a branded hoodie or car sticker? Be your brand!
Love local.
If you have a geographical-based business, a healthcare clinic, cafe or garage, share local news and use local landmarks on your social posts. Be an ambassador for your area, and stand out in your community. This Instagram account is a great example of this.
Remember, people have short attention spans. (to be honest, if you’ve read all the way through this blog, I’m impressed!). Get to the point, be resilient, have patience and enjoy building your brand.
All the points I have shared here crop up in a lot of conversations I have with my clients, so if it’s useful to them, I hope it helps you. I can help further if you’re looking for advice and outsourcing; click here to get in contact.
Just a handful of things here that can reduce our attention spans daily… can you relate?