In this week’s edition, we delve into the core aspects of branding, positioning, and marketing in detail.
If you’ve faced challenges in attracting traffic to your website or brand, grab a notebook and keep reading for my top three insights.
1. Clarity triumphs over cleverness.
In our attempts to be clever, we often sacrifice clarity. We may believe a witty title or phrase will capture interest, but it usually leads to confusion instead. When people are confused, they won’t make purchases.
This marketing blunder is one I frequently observe among entrepreneurs, and I’ve made it myself numerous times. Our natural inclination is to highlight what is clever or distinctive about our brand, but this can muddle our messaging and confuse our audience. Your marketing should communicate precisely what your brand provides and the specific problems it addresses for your audience.
The next time you draft a message for your brand or develop marketing content, ask yourself: Does it require explanation? If so, you need to revisit and simplify your approach.
2. Apply the ‘I want’ test.
Once your messaging conveys clarity, the next assessment for your marketing should be the “I want” test.
The most impactful titles allow the completion of the sentence, “I want ____.” Test your title or catchphrase against that sentence to see if it resonates with your audience. I want to “multiply time.” I want to “Think Like a Monk.” I want to “Dare to Lead.” If you find yourself agreeing with these phrases, it’s because they effectively resonate.
Gerald was contemplating two titles: Workplace Jazz and Productivity Intelligence. When subjected to the “I want test,” the preferable choice becomes evident. “I want workplace jazz,” or “I want productivity intelligence.” Productivity Intelligence is succinct, straightforward, and appealing. Everyone desires increased productivity.
What are your audience’s desires, and how can you fulfill them? Your marketing should make these answers unmistakably clear upon first glance.
3. Paid traffic ensures predictability.
Some individuals treat their absence of paid traffic as a point of pride. However, paid traffic is the only type of traffic you can control; it offers predictability. If you depend solely on organic traffic, you’ll constantly be at the mercy of fluctuating algorithms and unpredictable audience behaviors.
When you rely exclusively on organic traffic, gauging the success (or failure) of your messaging in an objective and measurable manner becomes impossible. If a post goes viral, pinpointing the exact factors behind its success is elusive. Each post or marketing effort is essentially a gamble. While paid traffic also carries risks (as does all entrepreneurial ventures), it’s significantly less daunting. You can anticipate traffic because you’ve financed it, and you can swiftly identify what strategies are effective and which aren’t. For every dollar spent on paid traffic, you should track the resulting clicks.
Don’t shy away from utilizing paid traffic—there’s no reward in being at the mercy of algorithms and audience trends. Embracing paid traffic empowers you to take charge of your brand’s trajectory and foster predictable growth.
