My biggest marketing secrets from the last 2 decades

Most small businesses have (almost) no cash for marketing.

At least, that was the case each time for me.

When I started out, I used to think marketing was something big businesses do that small ones don't.

And like most 20-something-year-old entrepreneurs, I believed that having a good product was enough.

That people would naturally find it and tell others about it.

And in the beginning, that's exactly what happened to me.

But then something happened...

My business stopped growing.

I started to learn that just because the product was good, it didn't continue to sell itself.

I needed to tell new people about it and stay front of mind with old clients.

To save you a few years and cut to the point, I found the answer to sustaining business growth in marketing.

Now, at this stage I was still hesitant to spend cash on it because I didn't know how to measure it.

I bootstrapped my way forward for about a decade learning marketing (mistakes) the hard way.

Every cent had to count.

But because I hadn't learned the lesson yet, I wasted a bucket of cash on things that didn't work.

Now... A few days ago I shared this Twitter thread with 10 secrets to building magnetic marketing.

It covers a bunch of topics and you can click to read it if you're interested.

But today I wanted to focus on the 20% of things that got 80% of the results.

Before I jump in, let me explain what I believe marketing is.

It's continuously framing something so clearly that people can place a product/person/service in their mind and connect to outcomes and benefits.

I've learned that it's the most valuable function in any established business looking to grow.

And your best people must understand their role in it.

Here's what it isn't...

It's not a silver bullet that you do once to solve a problem. Although I did try it...

Successful marketing that establishes strong brands is built on capturing long-term data and observing customer behaviour.

So commit to the long game.

Okay...

Let's dive into the two things that got us the biggest results.

1. Give Stuff Away For Free (No Ask)

Consumers have been trained to believe that there's always a catch with free things.

I don't blame them...

GET THIS AMAZING THING FOR FREE!!! '

Just follow us... or drop your email here...'

It's transactional.

And it loses all of the warm and fuzzy aspects of gifting something.

But in business, giving without getting is unconventional.

On the surface it doesn't make any financial sense.

But the impact of receiving something for absolutely nothing makes people feel like they've won!

It creates pure joy!

And they're 10x more likely to shout about it for months to their network in their own words.

That type of genuine referral is impossible to buy.

Here's one way we harnessed it:

On international croissant day earlier this year, we popped up in busy parts of the city and handed out fresh croissants to passers by.

People were awkwardly hesitant at first. They thought we were selling.

But when they realised it was free, they were like seagulls on a cup of hot chips at the beach.

Wild!

Here's what this might look like in other ways:

Physical/Product Business:

Every business has core products that offer better margins than others.

This is what I'd give away to an audience who's dying for it the moment you gift it.

For example: There's a brewery that hands out cold beers to volunteer mountain biking trail builders at the end of a hot day on the shovel.

Imagine their delight.

Also imagine what beer they choose to buy later. 

Digital/Service Business:

You're a graphic designer who fixes business landing pages.

Screenshot websites of businesses who are dying for help. Mock up suggestions of how you'd improve it and email it to them with a note saying you love their business and hope it helps.

 This is also brilliant content and social proof to push to twitter and linkedin.

 2. Double Down On High Touch Moments

During Covid lockdowns we had to switch from creating wonderful face-to-face experiences in our stores, to creating them digitally and through deliveries.

One way we did this was by creating amazing unboxing experiences.

I remember one story of our team noting who had kids by their orders and responses.

Then they hand draw elaborate characters on the outside of the boxes for those clients.

This tiny gesture blew them away!

Here's what this might look like in other ways: 

B2B Wholesale Business:

You regularly send digital correspondence to your client base but this time you write a handwritten personal note.

It could be on the inside flap of the box, a piece of paper or even send a posted hand-addressed letter.

People rarely get them so it stands out immediately. 

Digital Services Business:

I recently got a voice memo sent to me from a guy on twitter.

It was just him speaking instead of writing back to me.

It completely stopped me.

And I replayed it a few times thinking it was so freaken clever, personal and memorable.

Send voice notes and short videos to humanise the digital space you operate in.

That's it for this week!

I really hope it helps you kick some arse with marketing.