How do you gain the attention of your preferred audience in an era of stiff competition? The truth is, both new and existing business struggle to create a sustained buzz around their business. But it's not always difficult as it sounds, it starts with thinking like the consumer, creating an experience for them and ensuring your products align with their values.
We asked entrepreneurs and business owners how they break through the noise with their noise and here are insightful responses;
#1- E-blasts from fellow agencies
Our industry, Commercial Real Estate, is oversaturated with signage at properties and E-Blasts. Even with unsubscribing from each new set in the mornings, I receive on average between 100 and 200 E-blasts from fellow agencies each day. It seems it is the only way we communicate with our peers and clients in the industry. The industry knows that it is not fruitful yet does it anyway because its cheap and feels like they are doing something. As a result, we have successfully implemented a system in our office that reinforces the priority we place on the type of communication with clients and prospects. A personal visit and phone call top the list and a general E-blast to a huge set of clients falls on the very bottom of the list. Tracking our data, we are able to show our team how the likelihood of a deal drops significantly as the method of communication falls to the lower level. This has helped reduce the number of blast e-mails our firm sends out and increase the number of deals we do. It has also strengthened relationships with clients and created new opportunities with prospects.
Thanks to Bethany Babcock, Foresite Real Estate, Inc.!
#2- A couple of ways
We're able to break through the noise in a couple ways. 1, we're very direct in our marketing and sales language (which is also advice we give to our clients). We don't use buzzwords ever, and communicate in the way we know our audience communicates. Rather than saying We craft a cutting edge pitch and a story that energizes your customers, we say We help you not suck because we know our audience is saying to themselves Ugh–our pitch sucks. 2, our brand is built around making things more entertaining, so we break through the noise by being entertaining ourselves via business raps and other creative marketing. For example, our website homepage features a video of me rapping The Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song, with the lyrics rewritten to be about Startup Hypeman.
Thanks to Rajiv Nathan, The Startup Hypeman!
#3- Reusing old content
Being a B2B company selling industrial adhesives, the wider business landscape can be a bit sleepy. In order to break through and make Glue Machinery Corporation memorable we’ve been repurposing old, jargon-filled articles on our website for infographics and other content that can be shared on social media and forums. The thinking behind this? My team and I sought to make information more “snackable” for website visitors, as well as provide something tangible that could be hung up in an office. Bottom line: when in doubt about reusing old content, ask yourself, “Would this answer one of my customer’s questions about X?” If yes, then give some thought to how you want to convey this information that’s most useful to your target audience and is easily shareable.
Thanks to Pierce Covert, Glue Machinery Corporation!
#4- Three tips
With a background in teaching, I was asked to tutor a student with their ACT-prep. The joy of helping that student succeed, inspired me to launch my now successful business of Goal Digger ACT-Prep. My personal education and time of teaching in the classroom helped give me the inspiration, training and tools I needed to launch my business. Some tips that helped my business break through the noise was: 1) I focused on all my necessary steps to create the business and the good of my clients more than I allowed myself to be distracted by other businesses. 2) I've built relationships with my clients focused on serving them. 3.) Word-of-mouth and testimonials have been my largest form of marketing. Nothing sends a message that a business is worth your investment then hearing from those who have benefited from your work.
Thanks to Jen Henson, Goal Digger ACT-Prep!
#5- Storytelling
As writers, the noise is the incredible amount of content being created every day, every hour…actually, every minute. And so much of it is repetitive, duplicate content in all but name. We break through by creating fresh angles, ways of framing old ideas in new ways. Storytelling is the best means of doing this, as no two stories are the same. The best stories come from personal experience, so if you can wrap a topic in your own personal experience, you have an angle that distinguishes your company – and that's what we do when we blog and when we pitch to leads that come in.
Thanks to David Leonhardt, THGM Ghostwriters!
#6- Through our personality
I'm a business owner in a commoditized industry (online legal document filings). We may not be the largest competitor in our industry, but our personality allows us to stand out as leaders. We are focused on providing amazing customer service and being responsive. We listen to our customers and pay attention to their needs. This allows us to identify problems and solutions and work towards providing the ‘wow' factor with their customer experience and serving as a great resource for them.
Thanks to Deborah Sweeney, MyCorporation.com!
#7- Having real, intentional conversations
It happens in language. And not just in any words, but clear, precise words that capture who you are, and what you're committed to in your business. I tell my clients all the time that having real, intentional conversations that leave the person on the other end curious and imagining how you can help them is how you connect and eventually close. The marketing automation and customer experience tools we offer only help when you can clearly indicate to the marketplace that your products and services are valuable. Don't just bank on technology, remember people do business with people.
Thanks to Lori Ramas, Relezant.com!
#8- Focusing on a few things
The best ways to break through and stand out are to focus on just a few things and do them really well. It is about owning very specific real estate in your customers' minds and constantly reinforcing a few key messages in everything you do. Creating a strong brand, memorable tag line, great logo and identifiable color helps too. Be consistent and it will sink in over time.
Thanks to Paige Arnof-Fenn, Mavens & Moguls!