Marketing Madness

Once upon a time…

I nipped to the corner shop and bought some cornflakes, walking home I popped into the butchers and picked up some sausages then called in to the hairdressers to book a hair appointment for next week. The End

Fast forward a couple of decades…

By the time I am home I have received two text messages, three emails and I am entered for a chance to win… In the week that follows I receive emails asking me to review the cornflakes, the sausages, the service, the ease of booking my appointment, and the service I received. Later, more emails packed full of helpful tips:

7 Ways to prepare cornflakes
New sausages arriving soon
39 Things you need to know about hair cutting
Exciting new offer on cornflakes
13 Facts about sausages
You could WIN this amazing shampoo
Stock up on burgers this week
Nicola, exclusive offers on cereals

You get the idea.

Does all this marketing work?

Would any of these emails make me rush back and buy more sausages? Nope.

Am I going to call the salon to make another appointment? Nope.

Will I race back to the shop to buy more cornflakes? Nope.

As a consumer, I buy what I need, when I need it, from the most convenient/ethical source I can find; that is my choice. The choices I make are not influenced by myriad emails telling me that there is more in stock, or 5% off, or all the ways that product could ‘enhance my life’. As I write, I have over 1600 emails in the ‘Other’ folder of my personal email account, am I going to read any of them? Nope. Am I going to delete them? On it.

Marketing, a Changing Landscape

Millions of Marketeers are creating a huge amount of white noise that nobody has the time or inclination to deal with. Life is full on, we are bombarded by every business we encounter using every trick in the book to shout for our attention. The truth is, there are far more important things out there that people need to focus on, life, work, family, paying the bills. Knowing how many types of sausage there are at the butchers is just not up there in terms of importance.

For my clients I provide a service with integrity and honesty, supporting their customers/end users with information they need to make informed choices and function better. I write for clients who offer a credible product/service that I believe in. In turn, my clients naturally achieve good ratings and recommendations and business grows organically, firm foundations for sustainable growth.

Tips to Grow Your Business

Aim for organic growth:

Provide a good/useful product
Provide it with great service
Be ethical and sustainable
Be there
Be nice

Don’t push people to where you want them to be, meet them where they are
Meghan Keaney Anderson, VP Marketing, HubSpot

Life is tough, give people a break from the white noise and support them to live well in peace.

Thank you for reading.