Stop Marketing and start Not Marketing
How to switch from F#@king Marketing to Not Marketing
Photo by arnie chou on Unsplash
Yes, F#@king Marketing is the kind we see every day. It surrounds us. It’s on the telly, on our phone, at the bus stop, in our letterbox and everywhere else we go.
The defining characteristic of F#@king Marketing is that it is irrelevant.
It’s the flyer in our letterbox about a new dog walking app when we don’t even have a dog. It’s the phone call about switching your internet provider while you’re trying to feed the kids. It’s the ad about family escapes in a luxury SUV when you can barely afford new tyres for your old hatchback.
And the thing is it’s supposed to be irrelevant. Yes, it’s designed that way.
Someone has done the sums. They have figured out that if they show 500 people and just 2% of them convert, they get 10 customers. Boom! (BTW a 2% result on a direct response ad means they’re absolutely killing it — they’re a genius.)
So the company makes a tidy profit on their 10 customers. Then what do they do? They show the same thing to 1000 people and pick up another 20 customers. And so on. Money in the bank.
That’s money in the bank for being irrelevant 98% of the time! Good on you. When is it ever okay to be wrong 98 times out of 100? Would you go to a doctor with that kind of track record? I think not.
Unfortunately, what they don’t ever consider is that every time they do this, they’re polluting the lives of 490 people (or 980 people) who aren’t interested. And most of the time, that’s you. Thanks for that.
Also unfortunately, despite the maths, this approach works. It’s profitable. So all the marketers at the big businesses who have huge budgets and want to impress their bosses do it, and all the marketers at the medium sized businesses who also have a decent budget and want to get jobs at the big businesses do it too.
And then when a small business owner needs to give things a boost, what does she do? She knocks up an ad that looks like all the other ads she sees everyone else doing because that’s how it’s done, right? Right?
Not necessarily.
There is another way, and it’s called Not Marketing
The defining characteristic of Not Marketing is that it is actually relevant.
When the plumber who came to install your hot water system tells you he also fixed the leak in your shower for no charge, that’s an example of Not Marketing.
When the sales assistant on chat at your favourite online store tells you she’s out of stock but here’s a link to her competitor that does have what you want, that’s also Not Marketing.
When the waiter suggests you go with the shiraz instead of the merlot because it will match your lamb better: Not Marketing.
When the garden centre sends a garden enthusiast weekly emails to help her improve her garden and includes the odd discount on seasonal plants, that’s more Not Marketing.
When a physiotherapist regularly shares videos on how to perform core exercises to improve posture and eliminate back pain, that’s also Not Marketing.
When a nutritionist gives away all her best recipes on her blog, that to is Not Marketing.
It’s Not Marketing because its purpose is to earn something more valuable than your money. Its purpose is to earn your trust.
The problem with F#@king Marketing is that they don’t want your trust. They want your money, or the next person’s. It doesn’t matter. They’re happy to be irrelevant 98 times, as long as they get their 2 sales.
There are a million ways to do Not Marketing. Most of them, obviously, won’t seem like marketing. But they all share these four simple steps…
Step 1: Who’s it for?
It always starts with knowing exactly who you’re helping. It’s not for everyone, it’s got to be for someone specific. You might have more than one kind of customer that you serve. That’s fine, but you can’t talk to them all at once. So, for this message you’re sending, first decide, who exactly is it for?
Step 2: What is their pain?
Once you know who it’s for, you can get onto the second part which is to show you understand their pain.
Why are they here? What are they trying to fix or find?
Being an expert, you might be tempted to start talking about what you do. But, whether you’re a plumber or a brain surgeon, you don’t start digging until you know what you’re looking for.
Show that you’re an expert at understanding their problem first, and they’ll trust you when you say you can fix it too.
People may not know much about the solution you provide, but they know all about the problem they have. Talk about their pain, and you instantly become very relevant.
Step 3: What do they want?
So what’s the solution?
No, it’s not your product.
The solution is the opposite of their pain.
What is life like when the pain is gone, or when the thing the seek is in their hand?
That’s the outcome your customer is thinking of. Again, focusing there makes you very relevant.
Step 4: Your message
This is the final step and, sorry to say, this one’s not about you or your product either! (Sorry!)
Why?
Because if our aim is to be relevant to the customer, then it’s still got to be all about them.
When it comes to your marketing message, your product doesn’t really matter.
What matters is what you say (based on steps one, two and three) and where you say it (mostly based on step one).
If you can genuinely tell them I see who you are, I know your pain and I know where you’re trying to get to, you’ve made yourself highly relevant. Your product is the bridge that’ll get them there and now you’re the trusted guide that will help them across.
But, that’s not marketing
To most people, that’s not marketing, but that’s exactly how to become the most trusted and relevant person in your market. It turns out that’s a pretty good way to build a business.
I’m on a mission to free small business owners from F#@king Marketing. That’s why I’ve created this. To help you become the most relevant and trusted provider for your customers. It’ll help you answer the four questions and think differently about the kind of value you’re creating.
Sign up for my email and I’ll do my very best to show you what marketing doesn’t look like.
