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Do you remember writing your resume and cover letters? Maybe you’ve had to do this recently. Hopefully, if you own your own business, it’s been awhile. Either way, there’s a terrific marketing lesson to be learned. Just take your mind back to your resume-writing days and answer the following question... What is one of the most important rules of writing resumes and cover letters? It’s not a design rule. Or a rule about how you organize your content, though it does have to do with your content. It’s that you should always do a little research on the prospective employer. Then tailor your resume and cover letter to that particular job and company. And why should you do this? Because what they really want to know is what you can do for them. After all, no two jobs are alike. And no two employers have exactly the same set of needs when it comes to hiring. So you want to make sure your resume speaks to them in a way that shows you are the best candidate to fill their needs or solve their problems. Seems logical enough, right? Well, the same thing holds true when it comes to your marketing. Whether you’re looking for a job or trying to find customers, you are engaging in a sales and marketing presentation. The only difference is, when you’re job hunting, the potential employer is the customer. Yet even though we all know you have to tailor your resume to each position, most small business owners don’t even consider tweaking their marketing to suit different audiences. Instead, they try to save money by creating one-size-fits-all marketing. But if you try to speak to everyone, your message is too generic so you end up connecting with no one, and wasting more money in the end. This doesn’t mean you can’t sell to more than one target market. Or use many of the same basic messages. It just means that, like a resume, you need to tailor your marketing to each audience. How do you do this? The same way you would if you were reworking your resume for a new job: 1) Create a framework. Get the basics of your products or services down on paper. 2) List all the benefits. Don’t just write down the features of what you’re offering (size, shape, color, time, price, amps, volts, extras, etc.). People need to know why they should want or need those features. 3) Do your research. You have to know the person you’re selling to, and their wants, needs or problems, if you’re going to convince them you have what they’re looking for. 4) Profile your markets. For each market you want to sell to, write out a detailed profile of who the ideal customer would be including age, sex, religion, job, salary, education, political leanings, family, shopping and reading preferences etc. 5) Make a list of what’s most important to them. This might be time with the family, keeping up with Joneses, making a lot of money, investing wisely, paying the bills, saving money, having fun, whatever. You have to know what they’re thinking if you want to connect and communicate with them effectively. 6) Understand what worries them most. Everyone has a different set of worries and concerns in life—and when making a purchase. Often the two are intertwined. By knowing what they’re most concerned about you can ease their fears. 7) Speak their language. We all like to feel like someone else gets us…And that’s especially true when it comes to buying products or services. Prospects want to sense that you understand what’s bugging them and know where they’re coming from. So come across in print like a helpful friend offering them the best advice or solutions for their particular wants, needs or problems—not an impersonal business selling stuff. 8) Push the pain button. If you know who you’re selling to, you know the problem you can solve for them. So talk about that pain or problem, then position your products or services as the pain-relief. Remember, the most effective marketing and sales pieces have very little about you, your business, your products or your services. Instead, they’re focused on your prospects and how you can solve their problems, fill their needs, or fulfill their wants and dreams. Just like a prospective employer, prospects want to know more about what you can do for them (proven results, guarantees, benefits, etc.), and less about you, what you can do or how you do it. Make that connection and you’ll be well on your way to making more sales. Practical Marketing Expert Stacy Karacostas specializes in taking the stress, struggle and confusion out of growing your small business. She’s the author of the 2-page marketing plan workbook “Putting Your Business on the Road to Success”, and “The Small Business Website Bible”. For more down-to-earth, business-building wisdom that’s sure to save you cash and bring you clients, grab a copy of her free report “The 7 Deadliest Small Business Marketing Sins…Are You Guilty?” at http://www.success-stream.com/7sins.htm.
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