Few customers actually enjoy being sold to, yet companies still have to be able to sell their products or services in order to survive. The trick comes in finding the balance between pitching your product and fulfilling the needs of your customers.
If you find yourself unsure of how to get started, however, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council have a few essential tips. Here, they share their advice for how to balance both the need to sell and the customer’s desire not to be sold to when creating marketing content and why doing so will be the key to your business’s success.
Members pictured from left to right.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Focus On Solving Customer Pain Points
My advice would be to focus on solving customer pain points rather than “selling” to them. Instead of pushing your product or service, focus more on how you can address their issues and why they should trust you. Use marketing content to provide valuable and relevant information that can help customers articulate their challenges, show them how your solution can eliminate those challenges in a better way and make sure they feel like they’re getting value for their money. By focusing on eliminating customer pain points instead of making direct sales pitches, you’ll create an environment of trust and value that will help build lasting relationships. So how do you do this? Show where you’ve done it before. Explore what human emotion this pain evokes. Offer a picture of life after your solution. – Maren Hogan, Red Branch Media
2. Leverage Social Proof
The most valuable marketing content, aside from long-form content that shows expertise, is social proof. You need to prove your technical expertise (through long-form content and affiliations) and that you are trusted (through social proof). The best clients are almost always referrals. When your clients become your brand advocates, you do not need a hard sell; you need to have people who are client cheerleaders who communicate this in your marketing. It is so important for pieces of marketing, especially web and digital marketing, to have elements of proof. Stars, quotes and other links to reviews are crucial. They say a lot with very little. Everyone reads reviews, and this social proof should appear more readily than hard sells or offers. – Matthew Capala, Alphametic
3. Personalize Your Outreach
Rather than having a one-size-fits-all approach with generic messaging, companies should instead personalize their outreach. You can do this by creating targeted campaigns aimed at different customer segments. By taking the time to understand who your audience is and what they need from the brand, you can develop creative strategies that offer valuable information while still conveying the value proposition of your product or service unobtrusively. Such content provides value first, and this is why customers are more willing to listen when you actually do pitch to them. – Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner
4. Share Your Expertise
Whether I’m engaging with customers or prospects, every conversation is an equal opportunity for education. In so many businesses, the value proposition is subject matter expertise, so why not share it? I am a firm believer that we are always, no matter the context of the discussion, in a position to promote learning, share knowledge and answer questions. This establishes credibility and trust while instilling confidence and excitement in potential customers. – Lindsay Tanne, LogicPrep
5. Create Something Memorable
Companies can communicate their value proposition in their marketing strategy by creating something memorable. Focus on making your value proposition short, simple and captivating. Some marketers try to be overly complicated and smart, but this can only create confusion and hamper your marketing efforts. Just try to highlight the points that differentiate you from others and why your audience should choose you over your competitors. – Josh Kohlbach, Wholesale Suite
6. Share User-Generated Content
Today, video is everywhere, and for good reason—it’s one of the best ways to demonstrate value. This holds true especially for digital marketing. But a major challenge that many companies seem to struggle with is how to demonstrate their products in a way that doesn’t come across like an infomercial or a cringe-worthy sales pitch. So what can companies do to avoid these common pitfalls of video marketing? One of the best ways for brands of nearly any size to convey value without being too salesy is leveraging customer content. When it comes down to it, most people make buying decisions based on what their friends recommend. So, find videos that demonstrate the value of your product or service and share them. Also, try using contests and giveaways to help you find the best videos to share. – Richard Fong, Trustable Tech
7. Take The Focus Off Yourself
The reason why I usually feel put off by some companies’ external communication is because they focus too much on themselves. It’s all about the buyer, not the seller. When we craft brand strategies for our clients, a key element of our work is identifying what pains and needs their solution can alleviate for their target audience. Nobody likes being sold to, but most people appreciate being listened to. Transforming your content marketing strategy to focus on consumer needs and jobs to be done moves the focus away from you. It switches your position from “just another vendor” to a trusted advisor—a sure way to build a long-lasting relationship. – Daria Gonzalez, Wunderdogs
8. Figure Out How You Can Provide Value
It all starts with adding value. Instead of propositioning people for their business, figure out how to add value to their lives first. Remember, people only care about one thing: “What’s in it for me?” If you want customers to believe your value proposition, start by providing them with something of value upfront. Some great examples are knowledge on a specific subject or insights and examples of how you’ve helped other businesses or customers that are similar to them. Ensure your content clearly shows exactly how much value and help you want to provide them with. It sounds simple, but surprisingly most marketing content does not follow this simple rule. – Arian Radmand, IgnitePost
