The “goodwill” marketing strategy (that most marketers FAIL miserably at)

The other week, I met up with a couple of copywriter buddies in London.

We grabbed a coffee at Starbucks, talked for hours, then headed to a nearby pub for drinks.

It was a hell of a good time.

We talked about copywriting, AI, Elon Musk, Genghis Khan, WW2, and plenty of other wholesome topics.

But then the conversation came to a particular marketing guru who had run a promotion…

“That guy’s got his head up his own arse,” my buddy told me, “So I decided not to buy from him.”

It reminded me of a discussion I had with another copywriter, who said this same marketer was “arrogant,” and it turned him off.

This is a marketer who is known for deliberately using controversy to his advantage.

And it actually IS an effective strategy. It’s great for getting people to pay attention.

But from the conversations I’ve had with various copywriters, it seems there’s a long-term cost to this.

It damages goodwill.

And the more I learn, the more I believe goodwill is the single most valuable thing you can possess in your business.

Because, as Dan Kennedy says, the ultimate goal is to create a customer for life.

A lifelong customer is the single greatest asset you can have.

And as Dan puts it, ACQUIRING a customer is the hardest and most expensive thing you’ll ever do in your business.

Which is why you want to nurture that relationship to the MAX, and keep them for life.

Otherwise, all the effort and expense you went through to acquire them goes to waste.

So that’s why my marketing strategy is NOT focused on leveraging controversy to get attention…

Or using “hard sell” tactics to make money in the short-term.

It’s focused on building goodwill, above all.

And I believe the key to building goodwill with people is to show goodwill toward THEM first.

Which means genuinely having THEIR best interests in mind, rather than just your own.

Which is why my main goal isn’t to make sales in the short term…

But to build “relationship capital” with copywriters over the long term.

By giving as much value as I can in my emails.

By “bleeding on the page” and sharing my life with people.

And by doing whatever I can to help them.

For example, a client of mine recently referred me to her friend, who was eager to hire me…

But since I’ve decided to quit client work this month, and am not interested in taking on any more clients…

I referred this client to a copywriter buddy who has been looking for clients.

And I even jumped on a call with him and gave him advice for how much to charge, how to negotiate with the client, what to expect, etc.

And he recently told me he just received the first payment, and that it's the biggest freelance project he’s gotten so far.

And I don’t expect anything in return for it.

I just knew it would be a good fit for him, and I genuinely wanted to help him.

And I’ll gladly give him ongoing support to make sure he succeeds at this.

Because it’s a part of my larger mission…

To build as much goodwill and “relationship capital” as I can with people in my target audience.

Because when people are sitting in a cafe talking about ME one day…

I’d rather have them say GOOD things as a result of the goodwill I’ve built with them…

Instead of bad things as a result of short-sighted marketing tactics.

So if you’re planning on starting your own list one day, creating your own offer, and building your personal brand…

Then I encourage you to try this “goodwill” marketing strategy for yourself.

Because I believe it’s the single best strategy for long-term success and fulfillment.

That’s what I’m doing, anyway. And I’m staking everything on this strategy.

We’ll see how it turns out as I continue practicing it and documenting my journey.

Until next time,

Beau D. Schultz