So here’s the thing.
A while ago, I caught myself doing a weird and somewhat negative thing.
What?
I do my fair share of internet scrolling each day. Whether it's for work, for fun, or whatever, I am scrolling through the internet A LOT.
I've noticed that, when I see an ad or a marketing-related post, I switch to analytics mode.
Now, there are two times when I do this:
The first time is when I see a successful post, ad, or viral video. Then, I analyze its success and check if I can "borrow" it. 😉
The second time is when a post, an ad, or a video has just been posted.
Now that is where it gets tricky.
Instead of turning on a casual analytics mode and observing what could work or not, sometimes I turn on negative analytics mode.
Stay with me now.
I noticed that, when I spot a new campaign, I have a strong personal bias about whether it will work or not.
Sometimes out of those sometimes, I get it right,
But most of the time, the thing goes completely amazingly, and I am left there wondering:
“What the fuck just happened?”
So I started questioning myself,
“If I am a marketing expert, and I know what I am doing, shouldn’t I be able to always recognize what is going to work and what is not?"
And yes, the answer is: “Yes, yes, I should."
But here is the catch.
When you are starting out with marketing in general, or trying out a new marketing channel, you are like a new plant.
You are still growing, absorbing, and figuring shit out.
But as you are growing, let’s say into a tree, and as you progress, you start to take on that attitude:
"Oh, this marketing trick is not going to work on me, I know this."
Be honest with me, marketing folks, how many times have you seen an ad and were like:
“Look at this BS, there is no way I am gonna buy anything from this or that this is going to work on me."
AND THAT IS WHERE THE PROBLEM LIES.
As we gain more experience in selling and marketing to customers, we develop a strong personal bias about what in marketing works and what does not.
Now don’t get me wrong, a lot of times you are probably right, some stuff just doesn’t work.
But, we often waste money and leads by not seeing things from a clueless consumer's perspective, who does not know shit about fuck.
So, to drive my point home, let me illustrate it for you.
Coffee shop on a rainy day
Let’s say you are running a coffee shop in the town center, or wherever you darn please. Just pick it to be a location where there is a good amount of people.
And one particular day, it was raining.
It’s not a storm, but rain that requires umbrellas, but it's still walkable, and people are outside looking for a place to hang out.
Now, most of the coffee shops would have probably taken their chairs and stuff inside because it's raining, and they don’t want wet chairs, right?
But here is the thing.
That actually negatively impacts their business on that day.
How?
Well, think of it this way.
You are walking with your friend, and due to the rain, there is lower visibility of locals and shops.
The first thought you get when you see no chairs in front of a shop is that the shop is not open.
So you move along.
Now imagine there is one shop that, even though it's raining, the chairs are still in front, all standing like it's a summer day.
First of all, in a sea of coffee shops where everyone is doing the same thing, they are literally standing out and have a free advertisement. A magnet for customers.
And second of all, the thought that the customers are gonna get when they see chairs in front is: “Oh, these blokes look open, let’s go here."
Boom. Instant customers.
So let us return to the shoes of a coffee shop owner. You have years of experience running the coffee shop and know about marketing and stuff.
It would be common knowledge to put the chairs inside and be done with it.
But you see, this is where that bias is kicking in.
Sometimes, we need to put ourselves in the shoes of a regular consumer and think about what would get them to our store.
Turns out, it's a simple trick that a lot of coffee shop owners/marketers are not doing.
Conclusion
So what is the lesson for today?
Well, it’s fairly simple.
If you are a marketer selling to people, become the customer. Always start new campaigns by forcing yourself to do this.
And no, this does not mean any advanced persona-building or research.
Rather, try to think like an average consumer who has not read a marketing book in his life and is regularly buying products like yours.
Do this for about 6 months, and reply to this email in 6 months with the results.
Until further notice,
The Unfiltrd Writer
P.S. I would love to explore some of your questions or topics that you find interesting. Shoot them down below in a reply so we can create some joint newsletter issues.
P.P.S. Sorry for the late issue today folks. Life got into way, but we are staying consistent, and that is most important. See you tomorrow my beautiful lemon drops.
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