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It’s not about you: why your marketing needs to focus on your customers

Image shows a woman in a navy jumper holding a cup of tea, thinking about how your marketing can focus on your customers.

Have you ever written new marketing content and got all excited about how clever or impressive your new product or service is? Or do you think that everyone knows what you do and anything you might have to say will be predictable and boring? The trouble with both approaches is that you’ve forgotten to focus on your customers and think about what they need.

The brutal truth is that your potential customers don’t care about you. They care about themselves and their needs. Here’s why your marketing needs to focus on your customers and how it benefits your business.

It shows your audience that you’re trustworthy

Have you ever had a conversation with someone who could only talk about themselves? It gets exhausting, doesn’t it? You realise that they probably wouldn’t remember anything you said, even if you could get a word in. It’s the same if your marketing leaves your potential customer sitting there going, “So what? How does that help me?” It makes them believe you just want to sell them something, and you’re not interested in what they need. Talking about how your service helps them shows them you care and means they’re more likely to trust you.

It attracts your ideal clients

Thinking about the people you help means you can focus on them in your marketing and use language that resonates with them.

For example, I work mainly with solo business owners. Most have been creating their own marketing content for a while and don’t want to do it anymore because they don’t have time or don’t enjoy it. It’s very different from a marketing agency that offers strategy, copywriting, graphic design, and website development, and the language each business uses reflects that.

It shows the transformation

A new client will usually work with you because they know you can help them achieve a goal or overcome a challenge (or both). Showing a transformation in your marketing helps them recognise themselves and see what you can help them with.

You can use language that shows them you understand where they are now and where they could be with your help. Case studies are a great way to do this, but you can talk about the changes you help people make more generally as well.

It helps you start a conversation

When you focus on your customers, you encourage them to get to know you. It’s great for building trust, but also helps you learn more about the people you serve.

Imagining your writing as a conversation with your customers can make the writing process easier, especially if you’re discussing something you’ve talked about in person. You can imagine yourself having the conversation face-to-face as you write.

It helps your customers take action

When the language you use in your marketing resonates with your audience and makes them feel understood, they’re more likely to take action. They might have struggled with something for a while, feeling that no one understands them or can help. Then, they read your social media post and feel heard for the first time. Or, your post might pop up when they feel overwhelmed by choice, and they buy from you because you’ve shown them you have what they need.

This only works if you’re also very clear about what they need to do next, like clicking a link to buy or book a call.

Ready for a chat?

If you’d like some help creating marketing that sees things from your customer’s point of view, I can help. When you work with me, I’ll focus on your customers while also getting to know you and your business and write content that sounds like the best version of you and that your audience will love. That could be monthly blog posts or articles, social media posts, emails or pretty much anything else you can think of!

Please email me to arrange a chat or book a Zoom call to find out more.

Alternatively, sign up for my mailing list, and I’ll send you a free copy of my eBook with fifty (yes, 50) topic ideas for your marketing as a thank you. It also includes hints and tips to help you structure your posts if you’re currently writing your content yourself.

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The building blocks of your Christmas marketing plan

Do you have a Christmas marketing plan yet?

Creating your Christmas marketing plan as early as possible is a good idea, but where do you start? Your festive marketing will work best if it’s consistent with your existing brand, but you may also need to make a few changes. Here’s my guide to the building blocks of your Christmas marketing plan.

Who are you talking to?

Whenever you create new marketing, the people you want to talk to must be at the front of your mind. What do they want or need, and how do you help them? This can shift at Christmas, especially if you sell gifts. Think about how you can attract someone looking for a present for your ideal customer and how you’d describe them.

What does your audience need at Christmas?

It’s fair to say that people get a bit stressed at Christmas. (OK, understatement of the century.) What does that look like for your customers? Are they freaking out because they’ve got their extended family descending and have no idea what to cook for a vegan, or are they doing Christmas shopping between the office party and endless school events? Address their Christmas-specific concerns, and you’ll be onto a winner.

What can you offer existing customers?

If you deliver excellent service at Christmas, you’ll have fans for life. Ask yourself what you can offer your existing customers to thank them for their business during the year. For example, you could offer a discount or free delivery if you sell gifts. If you don’t, consider sending your regular clients a Christmas card or present.

How can you attract new customers before things get busy?

If you want to increase your sales during the golden quarter, consider ways to attract new followers to your business before your Christmas marketing starts in earnest. A lead magnet with valuable hints and tips can be simple to create and encourages people to sign up for your marketing emails.

What products are you focusing on?

When you sell conventional Christmas gifts, you’ll probably focus on your best sellers. However, what if you offer alternative gifts or ways to make Christmas more special, such as a Christmas mini photoshoot to get cute pictures of your kids? It’s a good idea to think laterally. For example, a recipe book or meal kits could be ideal if people are feeding a crowd or want something easy to eat in that netherworld between Christmas and New Year.

What if Christmas isn’t about sales?

Christmas might be the golden quarter for many businesses, but it can be quiet for the rest of us. Your Christmas marketing can help to raise awareness of your business so people get in touch in the new year. For example, I once wrote a blog for a bathroom designer offering advice on sharing your facilities with guests over Christmas, including tips on adding an extra shower room in a small space!

Think about content types and platforms

Adding new social media platforms or marketing channels at Christmas creates a risk of spreading yourself too thin without reaching a new audience. Instead, focus on the platforms and content types that work all year round, but do more of them. Thinking of ways to repurpose your content can help with this.

Make sure you have any new branding across platforms

Christmas branding can make your leaflets, emails, and social media feeds more festive and draw your audience’s attention. It’s vital to keep elements of your existing brand and keep it consistent across all your platforms so your followers will still recognise you.

If your Christmas plan involves creating a lot of new marketing content, I can help. I’ll write blogs, emails and product descriptions and repurpose them to make your content go further. If you’d like a chat to find out how it works, you can book a call here.

Alternatively if you want some Christmas content inspiration to help you create your own festive marketing campaign, sign up for my email list here. You’ll receive a copy of my eBook ‘Christmas content ideas to fire your imagination’ as a thank you from me, and you can unsubscribe whenever you like!

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How to match your marketing to your business goals

The image shows a blue sticky note saying 'bright ideas change the world' on a checked background. It's a bright idea to match your marketing to your business goals.
http://Photo by RODNAE Productions: https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-printer-paper-on-yellow-table-7414305/

“A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline.” ~ Harvey Mackay

I like this quote for its optimism; you can dream, but you only get somewhere when you make a plan and hold yourself accountable for each step. If you’ve planned your goals for the next 12 months, your next step will be creating a marketing plan to help you hit them.

The question is, does your marketing content align with your targets? When you match your marketing to your business goals, you’re more likely to achieve them. Here’s my guide to the types of content that will help you at each stage of the customer journey.

Brand awareness

To grow a business, you need to make sure that people have a) heard of you and b) understand what you do. SEO plays a big part here; it lets people find you via keywords that describe your business. Personality-filled, shareable blogs and social media posts will help you to reach more people and stay at the front of their minds.

It’s also worth creating guest posts for other sites and collaborating with other businesses. My favourite local café hosts workshops and shopping events, and it helps everyone involved grow their brand awareness.

Engagement

This is the stage where you want people to move from knowing who you are to having a conversation so they can decide whether they like you. Asking conversation-starting questions works well here. You can do this in your blog, on social media posts or ask for interaction on your Stories. You can also invite viewers to ask their questions on live videos.

People are more likely to buy things that their friends like, so ask people to post pictures of themselves with your products.

Lead generation

Lead generation is just a fancy term for encouraging them to opt into a closer relationship where they hear from you more often and start thinking about buying. Asking people to sign up for your email list is an excellent first step, as you can send them an email series that shares everything they may not have known about your business before. You can offer a helpful freebie, such as a checklist, eBook, video tutorial or a free trial to encourage them to sign up. Sharing case studies on your website and social media can help as they show your results.

Sales

Small business owners often struggle with this, but selling doesn’t have to mean pressuring someone into buying. All the work you’ve done to build a relationship means that your audience knows how you can help them; they just need to take the next step.

Sales content needs to take away any doubts people might have. They might need to understand the process or get more details about the product before they buy. Use your content to talk about the benefits and your process, and include technical information as bullet points in your product descriptions. Sharing reviews and case studies lets them see that you’ve delivered for others.

One final thing. Don’t forget to follow up after the sale to help them get the best out of what they’ve bought. Offering hints, tips, or extra support maintains the relationship and makes you memorable.

Do you want to match your marketing to your business goals? I can help with that. I create content that speaks your customers’ language. Book a call to find out how it works.

You can also sign up to receive monthly emails packed with useful content writing and marketing tips using the form below.