Marketing in a bold new world

We've all heard the warnings. Someone telling us that iOS 14 and 15 are going to change marketing forever, that our online advertising costs are going to go through the roof, our results are going to fall off a cliff and if we don't make BIG changes our competitors are going to leave us in the dust.

Headlines like this can be scary if you're relying on social media marketing to drive leads and sales in your business. They can be even scarier if you're not using social media, but you know you should be, and now you're totally overwhelmed because it could be all over before you even start. If you're feeling like this, take heart, it's not all that bad.

The truth is that online marketing is changing, but it's nowhere near as hard to combat as some would have us believe. Fear and urgency are great motivators and marketers who want your business are using them really effectively to push you into their own sales funnels. Yes, I'm one of those marketers but I'm taking a different tack:)

Before we look at the solution, it helps to better understand the challenges. Recent changes mean it's harder to track what users are doing on your website, or on your app. It's more difficult to build accurate profiles of the type of people who engage with our content so targeting is not as effective and all those fun things we used to build like custom and lookalike audiences are less effective. With the latest updates, its also easier for users to avoid giving us their email addresses.

So what's the answer I hear you ask? Getting back to marketing fundamentals. The things that have been the difference between good marketers, and great ones, for generations.

1. Understand your target market and the number 1 problem they're facing
2. Create useful, value-based content to help solve that problem
3. Use that value-based content to build lists that YOU own
4. Make irresistible offers to those lists
5. Upsell like crazy

And that's it. No kidding, if you can get this right you're miles in front of everyone else panicking about how to create a 5 tile carousel with a flying unicorn that explodes off the screen. This is not new, and its not rocket science. And it works across industries and across media platforms.

So here's the process.

Spend time on your client persona. Ask your clients why they work with you, what it is that sets you apart. Read google reviews of competitors and really understand what people need from you.

Create value based content like ebooks, case studies, checklists, processes and webinars that help solve that problem. Ask people to subscribe with their email addresses to get access. Then promise, (you then actually have to deliver) unique and exclusive content to your SMS list and ask people to sign up for that too. Not everyone will of course, but those who do are now well qualified prospects.

Now all you have to do is make an absolutely irresistible offer. Not your core product, a smaller stand alone product at a crazy price. Something that lets you show off your skills but is a low barrier to entry for your prospect so they're not risking much to try you out. Don't get too hung up on trying to make money on this offer, it's just an opportunity to show your value so you can then offer your core product at full price.

How's this for an example... Our core product is a complete Done For You online marketing campaign but we also offer a 1 hour strategy session as a stand alone service. We help you develop your client avatar, work out your engagement plan, devise 3 different value-based pieces of content to turn that engagement into subscribers and even create a killer offer with you. It's valued at $397 but until the end of November, you can book one with me for $19. That's not a joke. If you'd like some help getting your own plan together, DM me and we'll set it up.

Once you've got your own offer and converted a few subscribers into customers using that offer, you can then go ahead and pitch your core product at full price. This is where your revenue growth really kicks in.

The key here is building the lists. Once you get people off the social platforms and create your own lists, it doesn't matter what changes they make to algorithms, cookies, targeting, messaging windows etc. You'll have a plan that keeps you one step ahead of the game, one step ahead of your competitors and helps you build the business you always wanted.

So come on, let's set up your strategy session and really add some rocket fuel to your online marketing.