Why do savvy marketers draw a blank for their own site?
I know a lot of great marketers, people who get paid big bucks to write copy, create campaigns, and design cool things. Yet, when they get to their own company—total blank. I do it, you probably do it too. If you’re thinking OMG! That is ME! You’re not alone. I don’t think I’ve met a founder yet who is confident about their marketing. It’s like you start a business and then take a stupid pill.
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Four things that get in the way:
We are too close
We don’t step back far enough to see the business the way we would if we were marketing it as a job. The results matter because we all put our hearts, souls, and savings into our businesses. No one starts a business with the hope of failing. The “Producers” being the exception to the rule. I have learned that I need to pretend that I am my own client, ask the questions I would ask a client, and then write down the answers. This gets me two things. A sharable document that explains the company to those just coming on board, either individuals or outside teams. It also holds me accountable. When I share a product description, Brand Book, or strategy document it becomes real. If you just think about things and never write them down, it’s faster, but way less accurate, and totally unsharable.
We go too fast
I don’t know about you but I never develop a marketing strategy for a client without sitting down with their team, getting all the background, learning about the customers, fully understanding the value proposition and the market we will be addressing. For my own business, I feel like I know it, or should know it, or will figure it out as I go. The steps I take with clients, I’m not doing with myself, or my team. I know that if I go through the steps and do the work I will get a better product, but I still skip through them because I want to be done. I want to check all boxes and swoop in with a brilliant idea that we can execute on. Pronto!
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We don’t ask for help
I have a coach and I’m in two mastermind groups. I try to help the other founders in my group, but I rarely ask for help. I’m not sure what I need because I don’t go through the complete process needed for great marketing. I just feel like I should do something and asking something like “So what should I do next?” is impossible for anyone who doesn’t fully understand my business to know. That doesn’t mean I can’t ask for help, but I need to phrase it as “Has anyone ever had this problem and how did you fix it?” It is much faster and more accurate to hire an expert, but it’s also more expensive. Working from a strategy document helps me hold focus.
We go with our gut and not the data
When you first start out, you don’t have data. That isn’t a true statement, but it feels like it’s true. How can we have data if we are just starting out? Feedback is baby data. Getting feedback is the first step in the journey. What do potential customers like? What don’t they like? What would they pay? These are all questions before the first sale. Once you have sales, looking at what data you can get and how to use the data is the next part of the journey. How often do you look at your data? What data would help you do a better job marketing? One of the things that Stylaquin gives stores is actionable insights on what customers looked at and considered, not just what they purchased.
