There is a process to marketing. Most people fail because they don't follow this process. Maybe they never learned it or they didn't have anyone show it to them. No matter, Big Dave is here for you now.
I'm going to show you what I consider to be the main principles behind the process of marketing.
They're simple, fundamental, common sense, and – maybe for these reasons – also easily negligible. I'll show you why neglecting them is a big mistake no matter what business you’re doing.
Why learn these principles even though you're not in marketing?
Because as long as you will one day work for money in your life – whether you're a freelancer, work in a corporate 9-5, run your own business or do the actual marketing – you will need to market yourself and what you sell.
All of which is just long for, if you’re a trust-fund baby, this blog means nothing to you. But please, read on for learning's sake.
When I was younger, there was this sentiment being shared that the best brands (the ones actually making good products and good money) never did any marketing. They would then back it up by saying, “you’ve seen Mercedes and you’ve seen Toyota, but have you ever seen a Rolls Royce ad on TV?”
My answer was always of course no.
Then they would puff their chests and nod their heads with an annoying smile on their face, “of course you haven’t. Yet, they’re one of the most expensive cars in the world and everybody knows them.”
Well, if you also shared that sentiment then I’m sorry to break to you, because Rolls Royce actually does marketing:
You’ve just been too poor to fit into their target market… sorryyy
The principles I'll share today will help you understand the process of marketing better. And you don't have to be flashy when you use them.
Because as you’ve seen, the guys you think “don't do any marketing” use it all the time. They just do it better, efficiently, targeted well at your subconscious that you don’t even know it’s happening.
That's why these principles are so fundamental, and why I'll be sharing them with you today.
The Goal of Marketing
In normal people terms, the goal of marketing is to effectively promote a product, service, or brand to potential customers in order to generate awareness, interest, and ultimately drive sales or desired actions.
I prefer to take that definition a step further.
The goal of marketing is to get word out about what you're selling (product, service, yourself etc.) so that potential customers start buying, old customers keep buying and both sets of customers then tell their friends to start buying too.
Read that again.
This is my humble and simplified version. You'll understand what I mean by the end of this article.
For now, we proceed.
The Marketing Process
Step 1: Research
The first step is for you to research and define your target audience depending on the product/service you're building.
This is important because you can't sell to everyone.
There's something Ajulu likes to say: even if there was a way to sell the actual ticket to heaven for very cheap, not everyone would buy it.
We are different people. We want different things. Look for the people who want what you have, then proceed to the next step.
Step 2: Learn Their Language
Or research part 2.
This step happens during the research stage. Here you learn how your prospects talk about their pain points and problems. You learn how they communicate their frustrations.
This is important because that is the only way for you to both communicate that:
First, you understand them.
And that you can actually solve their problem.
Go to Reddit forums, Facebook groups, Twitter threads, articles, essays… talk to people. Talk to ACTUAL people. Listen to how they talk about their problems, the words they use.
It doesn't matter what you're selling. For example:
Employers want employees that are critical thinkers, communicate effectively and work well in teams. That's why if you’ve ever written a good cover letter, you most likely used these phrases in your work.
People with anxiety disorders want to be able to perform in public without losing their shit; going numb, forgetting their words even though they practiced hard for it or feeling intimidated and overwhelmed by all the people looking at them etc.
So pharmacies sell drugs to people with anxiety, they promise to solve all of these problems.
Final example:
I remember a friend of mine who loves to go all out in her dressing. When shopping she only gets interesting and unique pieces. Her reason? ⬇️
I like it when people see me and wish they could be me even though they never can.
You may have noticed that when these people speak about their desires, there's emotion lying underneath: fear, pride, prestige, jealousy etc.
For the employer it’s pride in their company and the fear that employees who don’t meet the bar will ruin the company.
For people with anxiety it’s fear.
For my sexy friend it’s pride and prestige.
Basically, as you learn to speak the language of your prospects, don't forget to put emotion into it. That's how you show that you understand them. Being able to do this is the first step in closing the sale.
When potential customers believe you understand them, they're more likely to buy from you.
Step 3: Communicate
This is where sales letters, emails, ads, content etc. come in.
Now that you speak their language, you can communicate why your product or service is better than everyone else's.
You can communicate why people should choose you over everyone else, and more importantly, why they should choose you now.
This can be done in a variety of ways, through a variety of strategies, some long term, others short. Some obvious, others subtle.
Here is a good example:
Essentially, your ability to communicate, to an extent, affects how well you sell.
And the best way to communicate is in the language of the people you're selling to. Don't forget.
So let’s say you’ve made the first sale. Is this where it ends? No.
In short, it's only the first step. And some may argue, the easiest.
Step 4: Actually Have A Good Product
Now this may be my idea, but I believe that having a good product (service, business) is an essential part of your marketing.
But that's not enough.
What you sell must be something that people love to use. It should be something that solves their problems in a way they enjoy.
My choice of words here aren't a mistake.
And I want you to pay attention to this part:
No matter how well your product solves your customers' problems, if they do not enjoy the process by which it solves it... if they do not feel at ease with it… they're most likely never coming to you again to buy unless they have no choice.
Step 5: Excellent Customer Service
The success of a business lies not in the first sale, but in recurring revenue.
Your ability to make a customer pay for your service over and over again is the biggest marker of a successful business.
Viewing marketing through this lens of recurring revenue means measuring success on the full customer journey – going beyond, plus ultra!!!
To do this effectively, you must give your customers a wonderful experience.
Or as we like to say: Excellent Customer Service.
This isn't about having a good product or service. Yes those are important, but as I've seen, not as important as giving your customers a wonderful experience.
Here's what I mean:
A friend of mine operates a food business, and recently she received a complaint from a customer who expressed dissatisfaction with their meal and felt that their money had been wasted. So, what did my friend do?
First, she apologized and inquired about the nature of the problem.
The customer explained that there was an excessive amount of bone in the soup, which made it difficult to enjoy.
My friend promptly apologized again, acknowledging that the bones were likely from the fish. She assured the customer that such an issue would not occur again in the future.
Then, she went a step further and made an offer, even though it wasn't necessary.
She said, "I'm sorry about the inconvenience caused. While I understand you may want a refund, how about this? On your next order, I'll provide you with an additional portion of meat or any protein you order that day as compensation for this inconvenience. Is that acceptable to you?"
Customer said yes.
They may have been unhappy with the product they received, but ultimately they were satisfied with the way my friend handled the situation and provided excellent customer service.
And most importantly, they're going to buy from her again.
Remember my words:
Recurring revenue is where the profit is at.
Customer service is so poor in most industries (especially in Nigerian Bank and Fintech in my experience), that the companies with mid products but better customer service thrive.
Case in point:
Before Barter by Flutterwave started undergoing their development, I used them actively.
Whenever I had a transaction issue – maybe someone didn't receive the money I sent – I would send Flutterwave a quick email, and in under 12 hours someone would reply. In 24-48 hrs, my issue would be fixed.
Asides maybe PiggyVest, the rest of your Nigerian FinTechs could never!
I speak from having tried most of them. Terrible response times, worse responses, and an overall lax attitude in the way they deal with paying customers will eventually lead to their downfall.
Because the moment someone with an initially average product but excellent customer service pops up, they'll collect half of the market share. Then if they're hungry enough to innovate and create an ecosystem that makes it easy for people to use their product, they'll own the market.
Anyway, I'm rambling.
My point is, give your customers a good experience. Communicate with them. Make them feel you care about them. Show that you care about how your product or service helps their lives.
Even if what you offer is mid, they'll give you more chances to be better because you're nice to them.
And if what you offer is fucking good... you have them in your bag till the end of their LTV.
Conclusion
Selling is not about money. Selling is about getting someone to take action.
If you can successfully get someone to take action, then you've sold. So if you invite me to come to an event and I actually do, then you sold me on the event.
The principles I've shared today will make your marketing process successful. They will help you sell better. Irrespective of what's being sold.
Of course there are more specific tactics depending on your industry and what you're trying to sell.
But I guarantee that if you keep these principles in mind, you'll succeed better and faster than most others in your industry.
Hope you found this useful. Until next time…
Stay easy,
Big Dave.
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