The best marketing is like a waterslide. You've got to help your AUDIENCE glide easily from their own platform right down into your prospect pool.

If your marketing is not getting enough people into the pool, you'll find the problem resting in one of three places. You've either got the wrong STORY, the wrong STUFF, or the wrong AUDIENCE.

Your STORY is the waterslide itself. It includes your logo, brochure and website. Every ad, tweet and conversation are part of the STORY too. The STORY'S job is to convince your AUDIENCE they might want your STUFF. The entry point to your STORY must sit right in front of them, easy to see and understand.

You've got to make the opening so enticing your AUDIENCE actually likes the idea of going for a ride. Make it fun, simple and necessarily watertight. You've got to know exactly where your AUDIENCE stands and what it is about your STUFF they'll find interesting.

So, before you build the story, know where it starts and how it ends. As Dr. Stephen Covey suggests, let's "Start with the end in mind."

1st, KNOW YOUR STUFF: Can you clearly articulate the problems your product or service is solving and how you're unique from all competitors?

Your STUFF has 4 primary sources of differentiation:

  1. FEATURES: Your product can do something your competitiors can't.
  2. LOCATION: Your product (service) is available someplace your competitors aren't (**note: you don't need to be best in the world, you just need to be the best your AUDIENCE can see at the moment of purchase)
  3. SERVICE: You offer a buying experience that sets yourself apart from competitors
  4. COST: Your product is cheapest, or perhaps most expensive. Both draw attention for opposite reasons. (If you do most expensive, you'd best also have an unbeatable Feature, Location or Service.)

 

2nd, KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE: Can you clearly describe your AUDIENCE? Are you able to articulate, in detail, who they are and what they care about?

If you are B2C, you should know the following about your AUDIENCE:

  1. Where do they work and what kind of jobs do they have
  2. How do they dress
  3. What kind of music, movies, and TV shows do they like
  4. What are their favorite apps and social media
  5. Where do they go to relax (ie - a bar, the couch, church, a brothel, a resort in Tuxcany, etc...)
  6. Who do they prefer spending time with (ie - family, friends, prospects etc...)

If you are B2B, know these as well:

  1. What does your ideal customer build or provide
  2. Who do their products serve
  3. Why do they do what they do
  4. What are their goals
  5. Who in this business would make the decisions to buy your STUFF?
    • Do you understand this decision maker
    • How do they dress
    • Music and movie preferences
    • Where do they relax
    • Who do they enjoy
  6. Why would they prefer your STUFF
  7. What is their buying process

Once you've got all of the above nailed down, you know you've got great STUFF and a clear understanding of your AUDIENCE. You're ready to build the STORY of their dreams.

And once you've built that perfect waterslide, with the mouth of your STORY opening directly in front of your AUDIENCE and leading directly to the STUFF you sell, you're set... Oh yeah, and don't forget to turn the water on. :)

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