Will you marry me? Said no-one ever, on the first date….
So you’re sitting in a coffee shop, minding your own business.
A guy, or girl comes right up to your face, and says:
“Hi
My name is Taylor.
I just saw you sitting there in the coffee shop.
Will you marry me?”
Do you?
Hell no. In fact, you may even call the police, depending on how persuasive he is trying to be…
No-one, and we mean NO-ONE, is going to marry you on the first date. Unless you’re watching Married At First Sight … #trainwreck…
We use this analogy all the time for new clients who are super keen to sell their services, which we completely understand, but they haven’t been on any dates with their prospects.
They haven’t built a brand with authority and trust in the market place yet.
We wish it was that easy.
But then I guess you wouldn’t need marketing agencies (and that would be very bad LOL)…
Let’s break it down.
You meet someone. You say hi, ask their name, find out a bit about them. You tell them a little bit about you, if you think that they are interested.
Then, you build up the courage to ask them on a date, then a second date , then it becomes relaxed, friendly and regular – you are seeing them a couple of times a week. You’re used to each other.
It’s all happening the way it should. Then you move in together, get a puppy (naw so cute!!) and then, maybe, you pop the question.
Building relationships is a process, and it takes time.
Funnily enough, this is exactly how marketing works.
So when you want to put your product out there, into the digital space, regardless of whether it is brand new, or whether you have been around for a while, you need to treat it like the dating process we described.
Because, NO-ONE is going to buy your stuff if they haven’t heard of you before. No-one. Ever.
You can scream ‘Buy My Sh*t’ from the rooftops with the flashiest Facebook and Instagram ads money can buy.
They. Won’t. Do. It.
Let’s think about the traditional marketing funnel.
We start with the first date.
FINDING OUT ABOUT EACH OTHER
They don’t know about your business, or if they do, they have only heard of you. Haven’t had a conversation, or any real contact. It’s a first date.
In all honesty, you only mean as much as someone told them – which could be anything
AWARENESS
Tell people about your business in a way that they can relate to. Think educational pieces, blogs, case studies, real stories about your business, what your business means to you, how you really want to help people. It’s all about a lot of pieces of content.
Create content, and push it out to the universe. Let people know you exist. It’s the very first step.
GETTING EXCLUSIVE
They have now heard of you, and even read/watched/consumed some of your content. You know, because you can see the stats. And you can see exactly what demographics of people are consuming your content, in real time. It’s like having a wingman, who’s talking to the best friend, finding out all the things that they REALLY like, so you know what to talk about next …
CONSIDERATION
So they have heard of your business, and want to find out more, to see if you are a business they would consider working with, engaging, purchasing…
Show them content that builds trust and authority then. Do surveys. Video testimonials. More case studies. Information that positions your business with absolute credibility.
MOVING IN TOGETHER
It’s serious now – you are moving in together. You know each other well, and are willing to commit to living together. So there is a strong foundation of trust and authority in place – you know what you are getting into.
ACQUISITION
The moment of truth. Asking them for business. At this point, you should start talking about special deals, and can use the data from all the previous content you have been running to retarget with offers that are specifically relevant to them.
POPPING THE QUESTION
You want to keep this relationship going, so NOW you can pop the question. This is something you want to have in your life for ever.
RETENTION
This is all about keeping those customers, and making sure that they are repeat business. Offer loyalty programs, benefits for continuing to do business etc.
It’s a process, people.
