The text came in from my daughter Frances, and I immediately did a doubletake:
““hey mum, my screen is shattered so im borrowing my friends old phone for now…”
Yes, that is word-for-word, and no Frances’ grammar is not that poor, despite the language of the “youff”!
It’s a spam message, which I spotted a mile off, and not just because I know that Frances knows her “SPAG”.
The reason for the doubletake was simple: I’d only just got off the phone with her.
She was on her way down from Derby, and there’d been various discussions we needed to have, from dinner plans to dog walks.
So, when we rang off and I received an almost illiterate text, pleading for some money due to the shattered screen, I knew it was a scam.
And while this is an extreme example, it highlights one of the cardinal sins of marketing: scattergun messaging that doesn’t land with the right people, and doesn’t work as a result.
I was speaking with a small business owner just yesterday who said that “marketing” was a “waste of money.”
I explained that it can be a waste of money. Done right, it can be exactly what you need to achieve the personal and professional results you want.
And I’m living proof of it.
Over the 22 years I’ve been in business, I’ve tried all sorts of marketing methods, with varying levels of success.
But when I was introduced to the concept of ‘Market, message, media’, it all changed:
- Define your market (and get really tight here, “SMEs” is far too broad)
- Craft a message that speaks to them, is timely, relevant and congruent (in other words, not a spam text message when you’ve just put the phone down)
- Deliver that message using a media that means you reliably get in front of them, regularly enough to build awareness and trust, so when they need your solution, yours is the name they know and reach out to.
For not much outlay, I can target my perfect client group every week.
Do they buy every week? No, but when they need our services, they call us, before any other HR provider.
My method might not be the same as yours, and that’s precisely the point – ‘market, message, media – in that order’.
But if you want to know, the marketing that works best for me? This weekly blog!!
