The Recent Shift in the Marketing and Sales Landscape
Marketing and sales are closely related, but not exactly the same. It’s vital to your business that you know the difference.
Just ask marketing expert Bryan Kramer. He is a two-time bestselling author of the books There Is No B2B Or B2C: It’s Human to Human, #H2H and Shareology These books are changing the way many entrepreneurs and marketers are approaching their marketing endeavors, especially as they pertain to social media efforts.
How has marketing shifted in recent years, and how is it changing the social landscape? I was able to chat with Bryan during my latest podcast. What I learned has changed the way I look at social media marketing.
Marketing Should Be Less About Sales and More About Connection
Connecting with our audience is one of the best ways to attract them to our service, product, or message. But in order to connect with the audience, we need to appeal to them in uniquely human ways. Here are three ways to accomplish that:
1. Favor the Soft Sell Over the Hard Sales Push
So many businesses – particularly those that don’t really understand the difference between business and marketing – tend to go for the hard sell. They feel like the best way to attract attention is to scream from the hilltops who they are, what their product is, and why kind of services they provide.
This a turnoff for potential customers. They feel like all you want to do is sell them something.
If customers are going to part with their hard-earned money, they will do so when they come across a product or service they need or believe in.
That’s why the soft sell is a much better approach.
Briefly mention at the end of your blog, social media content, or video that you offer a product or service. The majority of content should focus on providing something valuable – for free.
When customers feel like you want to help them – not just sell them something – they are much more inclined to take a look at what you are selling.
2. Get to Know Your Audience and How They Learn
People learn in a variety of ways. And yet, we tend to stick to one type of marketing – typically, the written word. While this is an important way to reach people, text copy not the only way.
Mix things up a bit by appealing to their senses. Visual learners will learn and remember better if they watch videos on YouTube or Facebook Live. Auditory learners learn and remember better when they listen to something, so a podcast may serve you well. You might even try using a game to reach your audience. Find out what appeals to your audience and then provide it for them.
3. Ask Questions – Get Them Involved
People love to be involved. It makes them feel important and useful. And if they can help you create a product or service that will serve them even better – they will definitely be on board. But you can’t do this if you don’t get them involved in the first place.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to ask people questions. Send out an email or social media post and ask them the following questions.
- What are you interested in learning?
- What kind of product, service, or general knowledge would make life easier?
- What are your concerns about this subject?
- Out of these five ways, how do you like to receive your content?
Asking questions will show you where your audience is coming from, and it will help you create marketing content, products, and services that will better fit their needs and desires.
Keep in Step with the Latest Marketing Trends
In order to attract customers and eventually make some sales, we have to keep in step with marketing trends. Right now, that means focusing on H2H, or human-to-human marketing. Getting to know people, learning about them, and appealing to them on a human level will help you create products, services, and marketing campaigns that resonate with them.
Don’t get stuck in the past and don’t forget that marketing and sales – though similar – are still very different. Focus on the soft sell and stick with a humanized marketing approach. In doing so, you’ll be in step with the current social landscape and end up attracting more customers.
Would you like to learn more about Bryan’s approach to business and marketing? Check out his bestselling marketing books. They are a must-read for every business owner!