You’ve done the research. Talked to customers. Tested and weighed your messaging. Your marketing campaign includes an integrated mix of advertising, email, social media, and a splattering of other demand generation tactics. Lead channels are identified, landing pages created, scoring and nurture models established. You feel pretty good about the MQL forecast that benchmarks suggest are within reach.
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Experience is on your side – so why are you so worried?
You worry, because you also know that when it comes right down to it, no matter how much went into preparations, marketing is a leap of faith. Will the ads, emails, tweets and postings connect with your target audience? Will your value proposition entice the desired response? Is your brand image strong enough to support your company or product claims? The gap between success and failure can sometimes be narrow enough to step over, or too far for even the best product or service to bridge.
The role of market is to bridge the chasm
The more work you put into identifying your customer’s unmet needs, the more likely marketing (and sales) will make meaningful connections that lead to wins, i.e. bridge the chasm! To ensure this success, you must first understand what makes customer’s act.
The top-of-mind criteria are well-known: functionality, price, convenience, experience, performance, compatibility, etcetera. But they’re also superficial. They don’t explain why customers will still chose a competing, and sometimes inferior, product over another. If you’re in a competitive marketplace with differentiated products, price isn’t usually the deciding factor. To help ensure success, your marketing must create deeper connections.
Do you display TRUST?
Does your marketing promote a brand promise that is clear, concise and conveys a call-to-action that you can absolutely deliver upon? If you’re brand is blemished, you must work diligently to deliver on products and services that continuously exceed expectations. And if your brand is pristine, don’t do anything that might tarnish it.
Do you convey EMPATHY for the mission?
If you want qualified leads, you must first demonstrate that your mission aligns precisely with your customer’s. Do you display empathy in all facets of the marketing campaign? Doing so will help ensure confidence in the evaluation or purchase decision – and loyalty afterwards.
Are you TRANSPARENT in your communications?
It seems simple enough to understand, yet time and again companies put up roadblocks that keep their customers at arm’s length. Great relationships start with transparency. When the customer opens up to you – reciprocate. Ask yourself, “Is my marketing just as open, honest and direct?” Your customers will appreciate it.
Are you COMMITTED to success?
When your mission is the same as your customers, you foster a relationship whose roots grow deep. That’s the kind of stickiness that keeps customers around and makes them want to refer you to others. Does your marketing align precisely to create those connections?
Marketing is a blend of art and science. As you prepare your campaign, leverage all available market research and data. Place the proper time and energy to perfect the message, design and audience touch-points. Work closely with sales, business development, product marketing, and customer service to ensure all appropriate voices are heard.
Don’t forget the most important criteria: trust, empathy, transparency and commitment.
In the end, marketing is a leap of faith. Remember, once you launch a campaign a gap opens up between you and success. The better you understand what truly motivates your customer, the more likely you’ll make that gap a small one (and not a chasm). And the smaller the gap, the greater the chances of creating deep and lasting connections that grow your business.