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How to rise and shine amid the marketing cacophony

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From the time you wake up to the moment you lay your head on your pillow at night you are hit by over 3,000 marketing messages. Such is the ‘noise’.

Email ads land on your phone while you are sleeping. Commercials hit you during the morning news, in the newspapers you read with your morning coffee. Radio ads drive along with you in the car. And, those are just the obvious ones.

There are ads that pop up while you’re using your iPhone or iPad apps. There are billboards on way to work, not to mention the zippy small cars that have a bank’s branding all over them.

In the circumstances, what makes you think your marketing message will cut through this clutter?  It just won’t, unless you have a strategy. Here is a seven-pronged approach that will fetch you the results you will want.

1. Focus on outcomes

Think of all the things you bought recently. Did you know exactly what you were buying? Or were you simply guessing? Of course, you knew what you were buying! Still several offers out there are obscure – meaning they try to sell the plane, not the destination. Make sure your offer is clear with an easily identifiable outcome.

2. Sell a dream, fulfil a desire

All good offers are emotionally driven. People don’t buy things purely for logical reasons. We buy on emotions, and only reinforce with logic. So, the key here is to fulfil a desire.

3. Furnish social proof

As social beings, we rely on others to make decisions. Using social proof, based on the results and testimonials of others, eases decision-making for most consumers. Remember, most people don’t have the time or energy to do research.

4. Value perception

Value perception is simple but important. A customer needs to feel that the value he or she receives far outweighs the actual cost. Remember, it’s the value as perceived by the buyer, not you! So test it and make sure the buyer sees true value.

5. Target the active seeker

With any offer, you can either target the person a) actively seeking your solution, or b) the person that needs it but doesn’t know it yet. When you target group ‘b’ you set yourself up for resistance and frustration. Think first about the customer that is ready to buy now.

6. Throw in a gobsmacking guarantee

It’s no longer smart to offer “30-day moneyback guarantee.” It’s boring and far from convincing. Instead, consider: “If you ever decide you’re not satisfied during your lifetime or your children’s lifetime we will replace it or give you a 150% refund.” Create an “unbelievably convincing guarantee,” and deliver on it?

7. Offer a sense of belonging

Does the iPhone really outdo all other smartphones? No. Still people yearn for it because they want to be perceived in a certain way. One of the strongest human urges is that of belonging and feeling like they’re a part of something. So, like Apple, give the consumer a distinct identity and a sense of belonging. 

Aaron Sonsini is the founder and CEO of Coach Me, a leading specialist SME business coaching firm, as well as a sought-after global Sales Trainer, Business Mentor and Author.