Okay, I lied. It?s not a secret. But you?d think it was, the way copywriters and content producers carry on. Most marketing makes a fundamental (and flawed) assumption: that people out there care about your ?thing.? It doesn?t matter what that ?thing? is. It doesn?t matter if you?re an author marketing a novel, a business marketing a service, or a brand marketing a product: the principle is the same.
No one cares.
Marketing isn?t the same thing as PR. PR is about announcing something. Marketing is about selling something. You need both; but you need, also, to be perfectly clear about which is which.
?What have you done for me lately?? isn?t just a line from a song, it?s what every marketer needs to keep in mind when writing copy or delivering content. Always look at it from the customer/client/reader?s point of view, and ask the question: what?s in it for me? What problem of mine are you solving?
When you can answer that is when you?ll know how to market whatever it is you?re selling.
Let?s take the author as an example. That book you?re trying to sell?what problem does it solve? It could be as simple as, ?I?m bored and need a novel that holds my attention.? It could be, ?I need a new mystery series to latch onto and distract me from my life.? It could be, ?I need to feel mentally challenged.? It could be a myriad other things, but you get the drift here.
I can hear you already: How do I know what problem my book solves?
That?s where the most fundamental aspect of marketing comes in, what is really one of marketings ten commandments: know thine audience. If you don?t know who you?re speaking to, how can you possibly imagine that you can solve their problems?
Who will be using your widget, reading your book, signing up for your class? Be specific. Write it down. ?This _____ is for _____.? If there?s more than one audience, then write them all down. What problems does this audience have that you can address via your product or service?
In other words, what have you done for me lately?
It?s all about the customer, the client, the reader. Regardless of whether what you?re selling is a cure for cancer or a pleasant way to while away a few hours, you are answering a need, providing a solution. Find your audience. Pinpoint the problem. And market yourself, your book, your product, or your service as the solution that audience has been waiting for.
Not such a big secret. But it could lead to big success. Try it, and then you?ll be ? beyond the elements of style!
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Tags: content marketing, copywriting, marketing your book, successful marketing
Source: http://beyond.customline.com/2013/02/20/marketings-big-secret/
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