Today’s buyers can research, select and purchase their products without getting you involved in the decision. You won’t even know they were buying.
Welcome to the world of digitally empowered buyers
Our choices? Shift, too—or get left in the past.
We all know that perceptions fuel buying decisions. We had a fair amount of control of perceptions of our businesses in the past.
Today’s perceptions are created through the Internet and word of mouth. We no longer have tight control over the way our market sees our business, the information that is available about us or the buzz about our brand.
That’s another huge shift. The bottom line?
Marketing, the way we’ve always done it, doesn’t work anymore.
Yesterday’s marketing was all about pushing: Me, Me, Me chest-thumping claims, emails, flyers, newsletters and more. We sent direct mail and used telemarketing—all focused on telling the world how great we were and spouting product propaganda like there was no tomorrow.
Guess what? That doesn’t work with digitally empowered buyers! They don’t care what you say about yourself. They have better options for information.
In today’s world you have less than five seconds to get your audience’s attention, and the only way to do that is to focus on them. If you don’t get them in five seconds, they are gone. Off to another article, webinar, video, website—off to a competitor who grabbed their interest.
There is good news. With the right positioning stories and interactive communication models, you can and will attract prospects and customers to your door and keep them coming back. You can build strong customer relationships, if you remember one thing.
It’s ALL about Your Buyers
Today’s buyers do not listen to Me, Me, Me marketing when making decisions about purchases. Buyers want credible evidence. The challenge? Buyers no longer view vendors as the best source for credible facts. We blew that opportunity with too much chest thumping over the years. Even if you are sharing your truth, buyers may not believe you, thanks to overdone hype and under-delivered results. Buyers go straight to the market—your buyers, prospects, partners and their friends—to gather information today.
When was the last time you trusted vendors to guide a personal buying decision?
- Do you believe what the manufacturer says about that refrigerator, that car, that hot new sound system you want to buy?
- Or do you go ask your friends about their likes and dislikes, their experiences? Maybe you read what Consumer Reports says.
- If you’re like me, you don’t drink the vendor’s marketing Kool-Aid when deciding on your new refrigerator. You don’t have to anymore, thanks to the Internet. You’re empowered.
Why would you expect your own customers to be any different?
Just because you’re a vendor doesn’t mean your customers behave any differently than you do when it comes to buying, whether you’re in a B2B or a B2C environment.
The perception of your audience has never been more important.
Marketers must focus on creating relationships based on customers’ interests to get and retain positive buyer attention. Forget your own opinions—they don’t matter, unless you’re buying your product. Get to know your audiences. Learn what they need, what they care about, what they think about their business, markets and challenges.
Then, share stories of your qualitative value—the intangibles that matter to them.
- Focus your stories on other customers’ successes, other people’s perceptions.
- Speak to your audiences about how you’ve helped others just like them, show them you understand their needs, you care, you’ve been here before.
- Treat them as individual friends, not the masses.
If you want your digitally empowered buyers to flock to your business – remember one rule.
It’s ALL about Them!
