Kelford Labs Daily: Marketing you want
Don’t sell, demonstrate.
“The primary obstacle in your way is how you feel about what you need to do.”
— Benjamin Hardy, Willpower Doesn’t Work
When we help entrepreneurs take control of their marketing, the first thing we do is help them feel better about marketing at all.
Because, let’s face it, most entrepreneurs hate it.
They didn’t go into business to write ads, post on LinkedIn, or convince people of things.
They went into business to do something cool, something helpful, something important.
And now there’s all this marketing crap they have to deal with instead.
But the unfortunate truth is that, if you’re only building and never marketing, you’re only doing part of your job.
For people to buy from you, they have to want to buy from you. And for that to happen, they have to have confidence that you offer the very best solution for them.
They have to believe—they have to have certainty—that you’re able to help, before they ever experience your product or service. Before they ever pay.
“But how do I get people to believe I can help, before I actually help them?”
Marketing.
The art and science of demonstrating value at a distance.
You don’t have to persuade. You don’t have to convince. You don’t have to cajole, embellish, or annoy.
You just have to demonstrate.
So that’s step one: Feel better about your marketing by understanding what it really is. Not some annoyance, frustration, or chore you have to get through (or simply ignore).
No, it’s simply demonstrating what makes your business special and uniquely helpful to your ideal customer.
Maybe that’s via ads, maybe it’s via social media. Maybe it’s via PR, events, sponsorships, or tradeshows.
But the idea is the same: You’re not selling or hustling. You’re merely demonstrating.
To the right person, at the right time, about the right challenge, with the right solution.
Over and over again, at greater and greater distances.
You don’t have to hate your marketing. You can actually enjoy it.
It starts by realizing that you’re not bothering people. You’re demonstrating your value to the people who want it.
