Most People Don't Understand Marketing

There’s a big gap in most people’s minds between what marketing looks like, and what it's actually supposed to be. 

Even from the inside, as an entrepreneur, business owner, or marketer, It’s easy to get distracted by the tools and tech, each newer and shinier than the last, and forget that at its core, effective marketing is about one thing and one thing only.

Effective marketing is about building a relationship with your audience.

This relationship can wind through many phases, from the initial introduction to establishing your brand’s identity and values as compatible with those your audience’s to becoming a trusted source and even taste-maker, to winning the sale, and even creating repeats customers and fans for life. 

A Sale Is Not Just One Decision

It’s easy to think as there being just one important decision a member of your audience has to make, that being the obvious choice of whether or not they will take the next step and take you up on whatever your offer is or not, often, this means buying your stuff.

The reality, however, is that there is a series of continual “next steps” in the process, and the goal with your marketing is to meet our audience where they’re currently at and help convince them that you either are or are not the right person to help them take the next step on their journey. 

That’s right, part of your marketing strategy should be clearly conveying the message that some people should not continue engaging with you, they should not buy from you, they maybe even should turn and run to another product or service provider in your niche.

Ultimately, you want to build an audience that is bought in, enrolled in your process and aligned deeply with your values and the change you are trying to create in the world.

When you think about marketing in this way, as a series of smaller, non-monetary “sales”, moving your audience on a journey from vague awareness, to interest, to a deep sense of trust and enrollment, your marketing strategy actually becomes a lot more straightforward.  

Tech + Tools Can Only Get You So Far

It becomes less about the copy on your sales page, A/B testing Facebook ads to multiple different audiences, your funnel sequencing, agonizing over your price point and the million other things we often think of as what marketing is.

All of these things have their place and can prove useful, but they’re all short-term strategies that will get you short-term results. 

These tools will inevitably all be replaced by something else soon enough, but what won’t so easily be replaced is the connection, the trust, the relationship you’ve built with your audience.

By viewing marketing simply as another way of saying “relationship building,” you’re able to keep your compass needle pointed in the right direction and ensure that everything you’re doing to promote your work and your brand is being done with the goal of connecting with the people you believe you can help. 

Start The Conversation

The sooner you start approaching marketing as an ongoing conversation with your audience, with the goal of finding common ground, listening to their challenges, and then offering your relevant solutions, the sooner you’ll start building a deep relationship built on empathy, respect, and trust. 

There’s no tech or shiny tool that can do this for you, that’s what makes it hard. That’s why most marketers don’t put in the time, effort, and emotional labour required to build these relationships

But that’s also why this approach is your secret weapon. 

If you can show up generously, again and again, see your audience, listen to them, and continually help them level up, one step at a time, you’ll build raving fans who will be with you for life. 

I’d like to see an automated email sequence do that.

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Jeremy Enns is the Founder of Counterweight Creative, a podcast production and content amplification agency specializing in helping health and wellness entrepreneurs create kick-ass podcasts and become the go-to authorities in their niche.

Jeremy travels full-time, loves long-distance cycle touring, and will always look back on the day he finally saved up enough money to buy the Millennium Falcon Lego set as one of his proudest achievements. He believes that the way to grow sustainable businesses is by leading with heart, vulnerability, and helping your people be and become their best selves.