Worst Marketing Mistake Ever and How To Fix It Fast

The Worst Marketing Mistake Ever?  Am I serious?!?  I am.  Truly.

Let’s start with a very short quiz and put this all in perspective.

Which if the following is the MOST critical part of your marketing?

1. Digital Marketing driving traffic to your website or landing pages
2. Automated Email/CRM System
3. Lead Generation
4. Free Content/Blogs
5. A Unique, focused Marketing Message and presentation structure
6. Cutting-edge Website Design
7. Money

Answer will be revealed in this article

The One Mistake That’s Destroying Your Sales

Just STOP.  Stop right there.  Stop making the same mistake as thousands of small businesses are making right now.

What’s the mistake?  Misunderstanding the one aspect of your business marketing that makes the rest of your marketing work.  I’m talking about choice (e) A Unique, focused Marketing Message and presentation structure.

How many of you got that right?

How Can I Say That?

Allow me to explain. (Those of you who got it right and are satisfied with the results of your marketing can stop now and leave early – although reading to the end couldn’t hurt).

This next statement is critical to your future success: “Operating without a unique and powerful Marketing Message will weaken every other aspect of your marketing strategy.”

• When your digital marketing drives people to your website or landing page, that page WILL NOT CONVERT in any way near what it would with a Unique and Powerful Marketing Message on it.
• Your Automated Email system will be sending emails to people who, for the most part, are not fully convinced of the benefits of your product or service without the Message.
• Your lead generation efforts will under-perform because those coming to your website or landing page won’t get that “Aha! Moment” where they say to themselves, “I’d have to be a raving lunatic not to do business with these people”.
• After reading your blogs, people may want more information. If the message they’re receiving is lackluster and not properly written and laid out, the result will be the same…limited conversions and a much higher cost of customer acquisition.
• No matter how modern, slick, or pretty your website, if it’s not “delivering the goods” (your Message) you will simply have one of millions of ineffective websites generating disappointing results.
• Money? Yes, money.  I’ll wager more than a few of you thought money can be the determinant of success in marketing.  It is not.  A huge study by the prestigious Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania concluded that “Message is more important to the overall success of your marketing than is how much money you spend.”

Now that you know all this, let’s get started on the positive track of increasing the effectiveness of all elements of your marketing, by creating a Unique and Powerful Marketing Message.

Let’s Set the Scene

Try this…let’s say your own a restaurant called Our Place, and a couple new to the neighborhood asks you, “A restaurant?  Wow!  How’s the food?” 

Your response is, “My family has owned and run Our Place for 32 years.  We’re open every day for lunch and dinner.  Comfortable seating, plenty of parking, affordable prices make Our Place and the kind of place you’ll want to bring the family again and again.”

What’s the chances that your “Elevator Pitch” answer will entice them to give you a try?  In my estimation – less than 50-50…perhaps a lot less.

Give Prospects The Information They Want and Need

So, did you answer their question?  You did not.

They asked about the food, you answered with everything but.  So, what does this little example this have to do with your business and your Unique and Powerful Marketing Message?

Everything – because your answer (Message) was neither unique nor powerful.  It was a dud, a bomb, a waste of time.

Your Unique and Powerful Marketing Message

To begin creating your Message you must put yourself in the customers’ shoes.  What is the most important thing when choosing a restaurant?  Right…the food.

Your message needs to communicate what the customer is most interested in.  It’s NOT about you.  It’s all about your customer. 

• Give them the answers to what they want to know about your business – and your chances of attracting and retaining that customer go increase exponentially. It’s not rocket science. 
• But you must understand what the customer values most about your business. How about saying, “If you’re looking for homemade Italian specialties made from my grandma’s original recipes, with fresh, quality ingredients and served with pride and love, you couldn’t do better than Our Place…and when you come in look for me and I’ll give you an appetizer or dessert to welcome you to the neighborhood.”

Okay…now what’s the chances of these folks patronizing your restaurant.  I’d make the odds 80-20 at least.

Your Unique and Powerful Marketing Message Checklist

Your website, landing pages, advertisement, social media, emails, and blogs (marketing pieces) are there to communicate your message to your prospects and customers.

Here’s a quick, 8-point checklist for creating that powerful message:

1. What’s unique, different, and better, about your business compared to your competitors?
2. What are the top three needs, wants, or problems your prospects hope you will fulfill or solve?
3. What are the benefits your customers will get when doing business with you?
4. Do the benefits match up with the needs, wants, or problems?
5. What third-party social proof can you provide to reinforce the idea that you’re the company they want to do business with?
6. Do your marketing pieces contain…
   1. A headline and/or main image that interrupts and attracts?
   2. A motivating offer or offers?
   3. A solid risk reducer?
   4. A well-worded call to action?
7. Is your message written so that it is…
   1. Clear?
   2. Concise?
   3. Conversational?
   4. Customer-centric?
8. Is your message structured so that one thought – or concept – leads smoothly into the next, building the case for your business, and bringing the reader (or listener) to your call to action?

Use this outline to template your Unique and Powerful Marketing Message and you should see an uptick in clicks, conversions, and sales.

Truthfully, everything in your marketing toolbelt is dependent on the words and images you use and how well you use them.

How To Be A Better Marketer and Writer and Make More Money

Get some serious training.  Now.

Write Like A Madman University offers 5 Copywriting, Marketing and Website Science and Strategy courses, 3 deep dive Tutorials, and 7 Toolboxes stuffed with over 180 additional videos, audios, guides, templates, case studies, checklists, InfoGraphics.  Check out the Virtual Video Tour and even sit in on the first session of our signature course, “Write Like A Madman and Make Money Like Crazy”.

And while you’re there, don’t forget to download the free, helpful information, articles, and guides.

More Free Help

Also, see my related article, The Better Elevator Pitch.

#     #     #