Late-stage capitalism and marketing fatigue
You’re watching a show and your favorite commercial (you know the one) comes on for the seventh time in a row, trying to sell you something you don’t want – “now with 100% more cleaning power!” You wait five seconds that feel like an eternity before clicking “Skip”, with perhaps a bit more aggression than necessary.
People hate marketing. Why? Because ads are intrusive, annoying, gimmicky, and/or irrelevant. But most importantly, it’s because people have an underlying feeling that ads are an attempt to trick them into spending their hard-earned money on things they don’t need.
“This advertiser has my best interests at heart.”
– No one ever.
In modern capitalist societies, and especially in the USA, we get blasted by solicitations from everywhere all the time. Marketing is pervasive and inescapable; there are commercials, social media ads, billboards, sweepstakes, print ads, robocalls, influencers, PPC ads, affiliate links, mailers, and even paid ads disguised as news stories. It’s exhausting, so we’ve adapted by ducking or tuning out anything that smells even remotely like marketing.
Ok, so people hate marketing, but you have a business and you need to get the word out about your product or service to drive sales, so what do you do?
How to market without marketing
If you’re asking yourself “how do I sell more?” you’re creating a space for answers that might lead you down the wrong path. A better way to think about it is: “how do I connect with more people who will love my product or service?” Are your answers to these two questions different? The end goal might be the same, but by framing the question in terms of what’s in the best interest of the customer, you start from a place of addressing why people hate being marketed to in the first place.
So how do you connect with more people who will love your product or service? Here are some prerequisites you need to figure out first:
What is the want or need your product or service satisfies? This is arguably the most important and frequently misunderstood piece of the puzzle. Other ways to ask this are: “what customer desire does my product or service satisfy?” or “what problem does my product or service solve?” Forget about your product or service’s features and benefits for a minute, and put yourself in the mind of your customer. Why are they looking for a product or service like yours in the first place? What are their motivations and frustrations?
Who will benefit most from your product or service? This question is often framed as “who is your ideal customer?” — but again, we’re making this about them, not about you. Think about the answer to the first question. You had an imaginary customer in mind. Are there any other groups of people who might benefit even more from your product or service? Who are they? If you get this right, your customers will be so delighted they will become evangelists for your brand. People are motivated by self-interest (what’s in it for me?), but once they find something they love, they become more likely to share it with their network.
What value do you provide? Now that you know what and who you’re working with, you can focus on the how. This is where features and benefits come into play. How does your product or service satisfy your specific customers’ wants or needs? What does a successful experience with your product or service look and feel like? And finally, how do you do it better than your competitors?
Once you know what want or need your product or service satisfies, who your customer is, and the value you need to communicate to them, you can move on to methodology.
Where are your customers, and how do you reach them? Knowing who your customers are is only half the battle. Next you need to figure out how to establish a line of communication. Where are your customers hanging out? What’s the common thread between their interests or activities and the want or need your product or service satisfies?
How do you talk to your customers? This is critical to avoiding triggering cringey sales vibes, and why you need to know your customer. How you talk to your customers should be informed by a shared cultural context, but make sure it’s authentic. The good news is you already have common ground in the fact that you’re offering a highly relevant solution to them, so lean into that. Focus on how your product or service benefits them. If you did everything right up to this point, you won’t need to resort to anything that feels like you’re trying too hard.
Why brand development matters
A lot of the marketing homework outlined above fits under the umbrella of brand development. It really all comes down to self-awareness, clarity, understanding, and empathy with your customers. These key factors, along with consistent delivery of your brand promise over time, are how successful brands are made and maintained.
So before launching any marketing effort, make sure your house in order when it comes to brand. Know yourself, know your customer, and be of service to them. In short, stop marketing, and start connecting your customers with great experiences and positive outcomes.
Looking for help with your brand? Let’s connect.
