Most People Don’t Understand Marketing
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There’s a big gap in most people’s minds between what marketing looks like, and what it’s actually supposed to be.
Even from the inside, as an entrepreneur, business owner, or marketer, It’s easy to get distracted by the tools and tech, each newer and shinier than the last, and forget that at its core, effective marketing is about one thing and one thing only.
Effective marketing is about building a relationship with your audience.
This relationship can wind through many phases, from the initial introduction to establishing your brand’s identity and values as compatible with those your audience’s to becoming a trusted source and even taste-maker, to winning the sale, and even creating repeats customers and fans for life.
A Sale Is Not Just One Decision
It’s easy to think as there being just one important decision a member of your audience has to make, that being the obvious choice of whether or not they will take the next step and take you up on whatever your offer is or not, often, this means buying your stuff.
The reality, however, is that there is a series of continual “next steps” in the process, and the goal with your marketing is to meet our audience where they’re currently at and help convince them that you either are or are not the right person to help them take the next step on their journey.
That’s right, part of your marketing strategy should be clearly conveying the message that some people should not continue engaging with you, they should not buy from you, they maybe even should turn and run to another product or service provider in your niche.
Ultimately, you want to build an audience that is bought in, enrolled in your process and aligned deeply with your values and the change you are trying to create in the world.
When you think about marketing in this way, as a series of smaller, non-monetary “sales”, moving your audience on a journey from vague awareness, to interest, to a deep sense of trust and enrollment, your marketing strategy actually becomes a lot more straightforward.
