Are all Marketers Psychopaths?

There are psychopathic marketers in our midst…and more than you might think!

What makes a psychopath? Well, we could sit here all day and discuss the finer points of that particular pathology (if you were so inclined and didn’t have a to-do list rolling out your office door…), Generally speaking though, psychopaths display characteristics such as a lack of conscience, an inability to empathise with others or consider how their actions affect the feeling of those around them

As a result, their actions and goals are very closely attached to their own personal desires, overlooking consequences and context.

Yeah, great, but what does this have to do with marketers or marketing?

Well, over the last five years, I’ve asked the same question to hundreds of marketers, “Have you ever pressed ‘publish’ on a blog post you knew to be sub-standard purely because you had a deadline to hit?”

An unbelievable amount responded by nodding and smiling, showing very few signs of embarrassment or regret. This is symptomatic of something. Something I like to call psychopathic marketing. We’re marketing like psychopaths and it needs to stop!

Are you marketing like a psychopath? Do you do any of the following three things?

1. Produce marketing material based on the wants and needs of your company – not your audience.
2. Not worry about the true value you bring to your audience with every piece of content you publish.
3. Focus purely on the results your marketing campaigns bring you?

 Sound familiar? So many of us market like psychopaths, showing no empathy or concern for what our audiences want, need or care about. Instead, it’s all about us.

 So how do we avoid committing such cardinal marketing sins? Over the years I’ve created a set of rules that steer me well when I feel things are getting a little bit single-minded.

RULE ONE:
Your guiding principle and the very first place to start should always be asking yourself, ‘Is the marketing material I am producing in the best interests of my audience?’

RULE TWO:
Win the hearts and minds of your audience through empathy mapping. Step into their shoes and find what they love and loathe, what they seek and what they seek to avoid. Right down to the newspaper that lands on their Welcome mat every Saturday morning, you need to know exactly who they are. This is crucial and utterly non-negotiable.

RULE THREE:
Don’t fall into the trap of treating your entire audience in the exact same way. Don’t just cater to one primary customer category because that’s where you see the dollar signs – that’s just a fast-track to alienating the rest of your audience and strays heavily into the psychopathic marketer’s playbook. Make the effort and take the time to understand each of your audience personas and create unique content just for them. They’ll thank you for it.

 Me and the team at Ph.Creative have created this free guide to persona and empathy mapping as part of the release of our new book, Getting Goosebumps. Download it now to get started on understanding your audience: 
https://bit.ly/1CjBMl9 

RULE FOUR:
Context is king. Provide value at the right time in the right place for the right people. You must understand the context of your customers to deliver value and effective content, otherwise you’re just hitting ‘publish’ on something that is likely to get lost in the internet black hole forever, regardless of however good it may be.

 This kind of attention to context will determine publishing times, social channels you’ll use and the call to action, not to mention the type of content you publish. You need to understand where your audience live online to make sure you’re connecting them with that valuable content you’re creating.

 Bring some context to your content by using this FREE content matrix guide. https://bit.ly/1I5qeZ9 

 RULE FIVE:
Constantly strive to create better content by asking for feedback from your community. The day you know enough about your audience is the day you become a lazy marketer.

 Content is your chance to learn more about your audience and about yourself as a brand. Use any key insights gained from this exercise to infuse your future content with value, value, value. Get humble and ask for honesty, it will transform your brand perception and you’ll thank us for it in the future.

RULE SIX:
Satisfy both the rational and emotional side of the brain. It’s important to recognise that your variety of personas will respond differently to different types of content. Some will prefer to make quick decisions and others will like to take their time. Some people respond to lists and facts while others enjoy a good, old-fashioned yarn. It’s our job as marketers to cover all bases and package our products, services and expert advice in a way that’s most convenient for the audience.

People feel first and think second. Understanding how to connect emotionally with your audience is essential to designing a winning strategy and it’s well documented that great storytelling with a relevant and powerful message is at the heart of all great marketing. 

But wait, there’s more…

These 6 rules are a great starting point, yet there’s plenty more you can do.

Do you have a question I can help you with? I’m practicing what I preach so I want to hear from you. Why not Tweet me using #AskPh and I’ll feature you on my weekly inbound marketing video series.

Could you benefit from a start to finish strategic marketing process? If you are looking to engage at the highest level with your audience, my first book called ‘Getting Goosebumps’ could help you out. I’d love for you to check it out and let me know what you think.

Click here to see it on Amazon. https://bitly.com/1I1DBFg 

Here's a great video that illustrates one of the main points of this post. Check it out;

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 
Author of Inbound Marketing book, ‘Getting Goosebumps’, speaker and CEO & founder of the award winning digital marketing agency, Ph.Creative. Bryan is a self-confessed social media addict and blogger with a passion for storytelling and digital strategy.

Bryan is an industry expert and commentator with over 10 years’ experience working with an impressive portfolio of clients, including: MasterCard, Dominos, Bupa, Virgin Media, Vodafone, Tesco, Dulux and Nationwide Building Society.

Bryan has delivered keynote talks across Asia, Americas and Europe and his writing has featured in various top ranking blogger lists including his own agency blog featured in the current top 100 Uk marketing list. Bryan is one of the top influencers in the social and digital sphere.