What is local advertising?

Local advertising is promoting your businesses to an audience within a specific geographic location. Local advertising can be done through

• newspaper advertising,
• magazines
• placemats
• signs
• billboards
• television
• radio,
• as well as online platforms.

Local advertising is an important tool for brick and mortar stores and businesses.  Even though you’ve narrowed your focus to a specific geographic area, you still need to narrow your focus to a specific target audience to maximize your advertising ROI.  When you create customized messages that speak directly to the goals, desires and problems of a specific audience, your marketing gets results.

When done correctly and targeting a specific target audience, local advertising can be an effective way to build brand awareness and drive sales. However, you must be sure to carefully select your target audience and craft messages that resonate with them.

The benefits of local advertising

When it comes to advertising, going local can provide a number of benefits for businesses. Remember, advertising costs are determined by the size of the audience reached.  Since local advertising targets a specific geographic location, your advertising message is reaching a smaller audience.  A campaign to reach a smaller audience is going to be much more affordable than a national campaign.

You still need to identify a specific audience when creating your marketing message.  Geographic location rarely defines a target audience.

Finding your niche market means you can maximize your advertising budget by reaching the right people with the right message.

The Benefits of Targeting a Geographic Niche

If your business has the potential of reaching nationwide audience, you can save big money by testing your marketing message in a local market before you roll out a nationwide campaign.

Heck, ANY businesses can save big money by testing marketing messages in a highly limited geographic area.

Identify Your Target Audience

Before you start advertising, you need to find your niche market. Who are you trying to reach? What are their interests and needs? Knowing your target audience will help you create ads that are more relevant and effective.

Research Local Advertising Options

Once you know who you’re targeting, you can start researching local advertising options. Consider traditional methods such as print, radio, and television, as well as digital options such as online ads, social media, and email marketing. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages, so be sure to research each one carefully.

Also remember that effective advertising campaigns often use more than one media to deliver your marketing message.

Create Relevant Ads

Now that you’ve chosen your platform, it’s time to create your ads. Be sure to keep your target audience in mind when crafting your message. Your ads should be relevant to their needs and interests, and they should clearly explain the benefits of your product or service.

Of course, one of the biggest advantages of local advertising is that it allows businesses to build up a rapport with their community. This can be beneficial in terms of both attracting new customers and retaining existing ones. By advertising locally, businesses show that they are invested in the area and are looking to build long-term relationships with those who live there.

The post Local Advertising to Reach Your Niche Market appeared first on Beyond Niche Marketing.

If you think newspaper advertising is dead, think again.  Brick and mortar businesses should seriously consider advertising in the newspaper because of the ability to target a geographic area.

Newspaper Advertising by the Numbers

Newspaper advertising reaches 69% of the U.S. population in a given month.  Surprisingly, it’s not just Boomers who are reading newspapers.  Millennials (ages 21-34) make up 25% of the U.S. population and represent 24% of the total monthly newspaper readership.¹

According to Mansimedia ²,

• More than 124 million U.S. adults, or more than 6 out of 10, read newspaper media each
  week.
• Fifty-eight percent of adults aged 18-34, and more than 6 in 10 adults aged 35+, read a newspaper.
• Seventy percent of households with income above $100K are newspaper readers.

Types of Newspaper Ads

There are two sections of the newspaper.  There are the pages where the news is printed and then there are the classified ads.

If you want your ad to appear in the “news” section of the paper, then you’ll want to order a display ad. Display ads do not have size restrictions and can occupy the full page. When running a display ad, you’ll be able to specify which section of the newspaper your ad will appear.  You can also include eye catching images (clip art or photos) in your ad.

Newspaper Advertising Cost:

There are two things that determine the cost of newspaper advertising: the size of the ad and the total circulation.

Newspaper Circulation

Before you purchase newspaper advertising, it is important to understand the lingo. Circulation is important because it’s one of the criteria used to determine the cost of advertising.

A newspaper’s circulation is the number of copies it distributes on an average day. There are two different types of circulation:

1. the number of copies sold which is call paid circulation,
2. the number of copies distributed since some newspapers are distributed without cost to the reader.

Paid circulation newspapers command a higher price than freely distributed newspapers.

Readership

There’s another term you need to know before buying newspaper advertising. Readership figures are usually higher than circulation figures because of the assumption that each copy of the newspaper is read by more than one person.

So the first half of the cost of newspaper advertising equation is circulation.  The larger the circulation, the more the newspaper will charge for ad space.  Paid subscribers are the most valuable in this model.

Newspaper Ad Sizes

Newspapers sell ad space based upon the size of the ad. Newspapers charge by the column inch. A newspaper column is about 1.83 inches (46 mm) wide.  Newspapers use different layouts depending upon paper size and design preference. Common page grid sizes include 4, 5, 6 and 8 column grids. ³

Newspapers bill for advertising based upon column inches.  In the United States, one newspaper column is 1.54″ (46 mm) wide. The newspapers charge per the column inch.  A 1 X 1 ad is one column wide by 1 inch tall.  If the rate is $150 per inch, then you’ll pay $150 for each time the 1 X 1 ad runs.  A 2 X 3 newspaper ad is 2 columns wide by 3 inches tall.  You’ll be charged for 6 column inches for a 2 X 3 ad each time the ad runs.  If the rate is $150 per column inch, then you’ll be charged $900 each time the ad runs. (6 X $150 = $900)

Want to learn more? Pick up your digital copy of Beyond the Niche for only $9.99 by clicking the button below.
 

Bigger isn’t better

When it comes to newspaper advertising, bigger isn’t necessarily better. When I was working as an AE with a local newspaper, industry studies showed 3/4 page ads are were more effective than full page ads. I took this a step further and sold my clients on running several smaller ads rather than one big one.  This was surprisingly successful.  One client in particular had great success running a 1X3 ad every day on the same page.

Eye tracking studies have shown that the viewer’s goals influence their eye movements with respect to print ads.³ What this means is that if you’re in the market for a product, when you scan the pages of the newspaper or magazine, your eye will be drawn to the ads about that particular product.

Remember, people are reading the newspaper to get information, not to see ads.  This is why 3/4 page ads are more effective than full page ads.

Newspaper Ad Design

Most newspapers have designers who can create your ad. This is part of the cost of running that ad, so you’ll want to take advantage of this service.  If you’ve had a designer create other elements of your visual marketing, be sure to include those files when you order your newspaper ad.

The designers at the newspaper where I worked were incredibly talented graphic artists.  In one case, one of the designers customized a clip art image to create a logo for a local business.

How to Create Effective Newspaper Ads

The key to creating effective newspaper ads is knowing and targeting your audience.  It’s important to use the right language, graphics and design to capture your target audience’s attention.

Even when you use the newspaper’s creative department, you’ll still need to provide the details for your ad.

Start with the headline.  A good headline is critical to the success of your ad. You want it to be short and catchy, but it also needs to make sense for the product or service you’re advertising.

Remember, eye tracking studies show that readers eyes dart all over the page from left to right (in the US).  The reader’s eyes stop when they see something that sparks their interest.  Keep this in mind as you’re creating your headline.  A headline like “Sale!” going to be more effective if you add what’s on sale.  Don’t make readers work to find your content.  If you’re having a sale on shoes, then have your headline say “Big Shoe Sale” instead of just “Sale.”

The ad copy should provide more details about what you’re offering. Don’t forget to include contact information like your phone number, address and/or web URL.

I recommend allowing the newspaper’s creative department to have a lot of freedom when creating your ad.  Don’t try to dictate how the ad should look when you order it.  The staff may come up with something better than you ever could have imagined.  Remember, you’ll always have a chance to proof your ad before it goes to press.

Coupons

Coupons can be a great way to measure the effectiveness of your newspaper advertising.  In order to measure the effectiveness of your coupon, you need to make sure your coupon offer is compelling.

As a general rule, free is always better than anything less than a 50% discount. Remember, math is not our species strong suit.  A fast food burger chain had to discontinue their 1/3 pound hamburger because the public thought it was less ground meat than a 1/4 pound hamburger.  With this in mind, a “buy two get one free” offer is often much more compelling than a mere 33% discount.

As with everything else, the best coupon offers depend upon knowing your target audience.  It’s possible your target audience may be adept at math. The only way you’ll know for sure to is test both options and compare the results.

Marketing Giveaways

Marketing Giveaways are a powerful marketing tactic that can help grow your business.  They are also another great way to measure the effectiveness of your newspaper advertising.

Everybody loves a getting something for nothing.  As a matter of fact, “FR*E” is still one of the most potent words you can include in any advertising message… so overused, you have to “mask” it to avoid being labeled as spammy when you’re advertising online or via email.  However, when you’re publishing your ad in a newspaper, you can use that fabulous four letter word in bold print and all caps.

Marketing giveaways are truly “marketing magic. ” Using newspaper to promote a well structured sweepstakes or contest can generate a lot of word-of-mouth marketing for your business.

Conclusion

A newspaper ad can be a great way to get your company in front of a wide audience. It often costs less than other other advertising options. You have a lot more freedom when creating your newspaper ad.  You can use the forbidden four letter F-word FR*E to grab attention and encourage readers to take action.

Most newspapers have expanded their options and offer content both on the printed page as well as digital editions. You can still use the forbidden four letter F-word on the newspaper’s site because you don’t have to worry about the search engines there.

The post Newspaper Advertising Basics appeared first on Beyond Niche Marketing.

Most small businesses struggle with three constraints on their promotional marketing:

• limited budget
• not enough time
• and/or a lack of direction.

If you’re dealing with all three constraints, then it is even more important to get laser focused on your marketing plan.

How to Create a Marketing Plan

You don’t want to waste time or money creating marketing plan that’s not appropriate for your type of business.

Want to learn what type of marketing works best for your type of business?
Pick up your digital copy of Beyond the Niche for only $9.99 by clicking the button below.
 

In order to create a marketing plan, you’ll need to

• Know your target audience.
• Define your USP (Unique Selling Point)

A marketing plan includes setting goals, understanding your audience, and developing a strategy.

A marketing plan can be as simple as a one-page document that outlines your goals and strategies or it can be an extensive document with detailed information about each step of your strategy.

The most important thing about a marketing plan is that it needs to be tailored to your company’s specific needs and goals.

There’s a saying, “the riches are in the niches.”  Choosing a tightly targeted niche market is the best way to maximize your marketing’s impact. A niche marketing strategy allows you to save money on advertising while increasing your marketing ROI. In order to appeal to buyers within a niche market, you must understand their problems, goals and desires.

Marketing Tips for Small Business #1:  Create a strong online presence.

Your online presence begins with your website.  Don’t confuse this with your social media business profiles.

You should be paying for web hosting and a domain name for your website.  Don’t cheap out on this.  Having a professional-looking website is one of your most important marketing assets. Your website is where you show who you are, what you offer, where you are, and how consumers can get in touch with you.

Domain name registrations are less than $20 per year for the standard .com/.net/.org. Then, pay to host your website.  There are a ton of hosting options that are less than $10 per month. Many of these provide templates so you can create your own website too.

If you’re paying for your domain name and hosting, then you will always have control over your website, unlike social media platforms which may change policies or go in and out of style.

Of course, you should still create social media profiles for your business. This can easily become overwhelming if you haven’t identified your niche market.  Start with the social media site your target audience uses.  If you don’t know, then start with the social media site you use most often.

Marketing Tips for Small Business #2:  Create content about the products/services you offer.

Creating content (on your website) is a great way to generate organic (free) traffic.  If you focus on creating content about the problems (pain points) of your target audience, you’ll reach people who haven’t made a purchasing decision yet. Creating content will also help to establish your credibility and position you as a thought leader. This will help to establish your brand as an expert in your field.

Even if you only publish an article (blog post) once a week, it will improve your website’s visibility online and help educate people on why they should buy from you.

Marketing Tips for Small Business  #3: Invest in advertising

Creating content is a long term play.  It can takes months – or even years – to begin enjoying the benefits of organic (free) traffic. If you’re like most small businesses, you can’t afford to wait months or years.   Instead, you will want to invest in pay-to-play tactics.

This is where it’s critically important to know who your target audience is as well as your USP (Unique Selling Point).

If your target audience is searching the web for solutions, then consider investing in PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising. PPC advertising is not a set it and forget it proposition.  You’ll need to monitor your campaigns, keywords and results. If you don’t, PPC can quickly become a black hole.

Another pay to play tactic is using social media ads.  Using highly targeted ads, you can gain the interest of your target audience.

Again, don’t make the rookie mistake of paying for advertising that sends people to your social media profile.  Create a specific page on your website for each keyword or product you’re targeting.

Finally, if you want to get maximum bang for your marketing dollars, consider creating a marketing giveaway. Contests are an incredibly cost effective promotional tool.  You get a lot of bang for your buck by putting together a marketing giveaway.  Not only is it a great way to create word-of-mouth marketing, but it can also generate free PR as well.

You’ve tried everything and nothing works. You’re still not getting the results you want.
You don’t know what to do and you can’t afford to waste money on marketing that doesn’t work.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
Creating compelling marketing messages can be easy and fun when you know what to do.
In Beyond the Niche, I’ll show you how to create a collection of powerful marketing messages that will help you reach your target audience and get the results you want. Get your copy of Beyond the Niche now!
 

The Importance of Marketing in Today’s World

Marketing is an important part of any business. It is the driving force behind any successful campaign. Marketing can be done in many different ways, from traditional methods to digital marketing.

Marketing has changed significantly over the years, but it is still an essential part of any business.

The post 3 Marketing Tips for Small Business appeared first on Beyond Niche Marketing.

What is a Niche Market Product?

A niche market product is a product that targets a very specific group of people.

Niche products are often made to address a specific problem or to serve the needs of a particular group of people. Niches can be created in any industry and for any type of product. For example, there are many different types of baby products on the market today that target different types of parents and babies.

Want to learn more about Niche Marketing? Pick up your digital copy of Beyond the Niche for only $9.99 by clicking the button below.
 

Products become popular because they fill an unmet need in the marketplace.

For example, content marketing is on the rise. The desire for instant gratification is inescapable.  It has driven people to crave instant access to information. Content marketers are no exception to this phenomenon. Marketers are now turning to AI writing software for marketing to help with create fresh engaging content.

How to Find the Right Niche Market Product

Niche markets are a great way to make money online. They are also a great way to get started with your own business. They can be very profitable, but they require a lot of research and dedication.

The internet is an ever-changing landscape of niche markets and product ideas. Many niche markets popular in 2018 were decimated by the pandemic.  To keep up to date with the latest trends, you’ll need to do your research.

Target your market

The first step is to identify the niche market that you want to target. This can be done by looking at your skills, interests, and passions. Look for trends that are not yet in the mainstream. Narrow down your focus to something specific. Research your competitors

The next step is to find a product that will fit into this niche market. You can do this by looking for products that are already in the niche market or by creating your own product.

Potential Evergreen Niche Product Markets

The following is a list of potential “evergreen” niche markets and product ideas.

1. Eco-friendly/sustainable products

   Consumers today care about how the products are sourced and produced. According to a survey in 2020 by IBM ¹, nearly six in 10 consumers were willing to change their shopping habits to reduce environmental impact.

2. Pet products

   There are a lot of opportunities to develop a niche within this market across different types of pets, lifestyles, and more. Many people added pets to the family during the pandemic. This market was thriving even prior to the pandemic. In 2020 sales topped a historic high $103 6 billion, according to the American Pet Products Association (APPA) State of the Industry Report. That marked an increase of 6.7% over 2019 retail sales of $97.1 billion.  In 2020, 30% of pet owners reported they spent more on their pet/pet supplies.²

3. Travel related

   As pandemic lockdowns are lifted, people are ready to travel.  Some are traveling for work, while others are traveling for recreation.  One niche market that is ripe is eco-friendly vacations.  Research reveals almost three quarters (72%) of travelers believe that people need to act now and make sustainable travel choices to save the planet for future generations. ³  Many travelers are also looking for authentic local experiences, convenience, and long-term trips.  Potential products include luggage, electronics as well as pet travel options.

4. LGBTQ+ community

   According to LGBT Capital, the LGBTQ+ community’s estimated purchasing power is upward of $3.7 trillion globally. ⁴ There are many opportunities to connect with this rapidly growing niche market.

5. Home office

   The home office used to be exclusively for freelancers and entrepreneurs.  Thanks to the pandemic lockdowns, many people who began working remotely from their homes continue to do so. Keeping these remote workers’ motivations and lifestyles in mind can help you identify product ideas.   Focus on solving problems that will help remote workers and the companies that employ them achieve their goals.

6. Health & Wellness products

   Heath & Wellness is already huge.  The health & wellness food market alone is expected to reach 162.09 billion by 2026. ⁵ It’s so big, it’s hard to consider it a niche market.  With that said, there seems to be a constant flow of new trends and unique products. There are many untouched micro-niche territories, which means .

7. Beauty and health products

   Beauty and health products industry is regularly cited as one of the fastest-growing industries online. Niche market product options here are virtually endless.   In case you haven’t noticed, there are a lot more beauty products created for men and there’s no end in sight. There’s a growing number of traditional men’s beauty products like shaving creams, shampoo, fragrances and beard oil.  However, there are a lot of new products emerging like concealers and makeup made just for men.

Finally, you need to create a marketing strategy for how you will sell your product. There’s a huge difference between  marketing tactics vs marketing strategy.  Marketing tactics are things you do, like sending out postcards.  There are marketing tactics which work great for some businesses but not for others.

How you advertise your business depends upon the type of sale you are making. Advertising major sale products is dramatically different than for minor sale products.

The final stage of your marketing strategy is deciding what marketing channels you will use.

Want to learn more about the type of sale your business is making? Pick up your digital copy of Beyond the Niche for only $9.99 by clicking the button below.
 

How to Choose the Best Niche Market for Your Product

A niche market is a group of people with a shared interest, lifestyle, or problem. Underserved markets or those who have untapped needs are ideal.

There are many ways to go about finding your niche market, but the easiest way to do it is by using Google Trends and Keyword Planner. You should also consider the following points:

• How much money is being spent?
• How many people are interested?
• What problems do the members of this niche have?
• Can I provide a product or service to solve these problems?

How to Sell Your Product in the Right Niche Market

How to sell your product or service depends upon whether you’re making a major or minor sale.  If you’re making a major sale you need to use different marketing tactics than you would if you’re making a minor sale.

The Internet has made it easier for people to find information. As a result, content marketing is a key element in any niche marketing strategy.  In order to sell your product in the right niche market, you need to know what your target audience is and what they want. You also need to know how much competition there is in that niche market.  Who are your competitors?  Why are they successful?  Where are they weak?

Ideally you’ve found a product that doesn’t have many competitors but people are actively searching for it online. If you find a lot of competition and not many people searching for your product, then it’s time to go back to the draying board.

Pros and Cons of Selling Niche Market Products

Pros:

1. Once you get to know the Goals, Desires and Problems faced by your niche market, you’ll be able to zero in on the best products to offer.
2.  A tightly targeted range of products, means your entire brand will be easier to manage.
3. You’ll get better ROI on content. Creating valuable content is easier when you cater it to a tightly targeted audience.
4. Niche marketing means it’s easier to track marketing ROI.
5. By targeting a niche market you’ll run fewer ads and not need to invest in as much research.
6. You’ll have an easier time choosing SEO keywords and web design features to target your niche market’s group behavior

Cons:

• YOU MUST UNDERSTAND YOUR TARGET GROUP’s GDP (Goals, Desires and Problems)
  Niche marketing demands an intimate understanding of your target customers. It’s much easier to target a niche audience you personally understand.
• It’s hard to put your eggs into one basket with a niche marketing strategy for small businesses. Remember,  just because you’ve targeted one audience doesn’t mean you can’t target another.  It just means you create a separate campaign and/or website for the new target market.
• If you miss, you may miss big.  It’s hard to hedge your bets when you’re a small business doing niche marketing. That’s why it’s critically important to measure your advertising’s effectiveness.

The Benefits of Selling Niche Market Products

The benefits of selling products and services in niche markets are numerous. For starters, competitors often overlook niche markets. Focusing upon a niche market allows you to provide better service to your customers.  Best of all, niche marketing allows you to increase your marketing ROI which means every advertising dollar works harder.

Want to learn more? Pick up your digital copy of Beyond the Niche for only $9.99 by clicking the button below.
 

The post Niche Market Products Can Grow Your Business appeared first on Beyond Niche Marketing.

Introduction: What is a Niche Market?

A niche market is a small market that has a particular customer base. A niche market is typically defined by the product, geography, or customer demographic. For example, people who are interested in health and wellness products will likely have an interest in buying from a store that specializes in those products.

Why you need a niche marketing strategy for your business

A niche marketing strategy is choosing the target audience for your marketing materials.  Using a niche marketing strategy allows you to save money on advertising while increasing your marketing ROI.

Your niche marketing strategy lays the foundation for your social media marketing campaign. Since customers expect your business to be on social media, you might as well do it right. Doing it right means choosing a target audience before you begin creating content.

How to Find a Niche Market Idea

There are many ways to find a niche market idea. The most popular is by using Google Trends. It is a tool that helps you see what people are searching for on the internet. You will also be able to see what topics people are interested in and how popular they are.

It is important to research the niche market idea before diving in. There are many things that need to be considered, such as the product or service you want to offer, the target audience, and your competitors.

In order to research a niche market idea, you should start by looking at your own skillset and what you enjoy doing. You can then look at the skillsets of other people in your team.

If there are no niches that interest you personally or as a company then it’s time to brainstorm and do some research on what kind of niches might exist out there.

Often Overlooked

Many great niche market ideas are overlooked by aspiring business owners.  For some, when other businesses are targeting the same market, they may not think they can compete. If that’s the case, make sure you’re able to offer something the competition can’t or won’t.

However, it’s very common for someone researching niche market ideas to find there’s no one currently targeting that particular niche.  Don’t let a lack of completion fool you.  Your niche market idea may just be ahead of its time.  Being first to market has big risks but also offers great rewards.

Evaluating niche markets

The first step in evaluating a niche market idea is to do some research on the competition. Look at

• their products and prices,
• what marketing techniques they use,
• how much of the market they have captured.

This will help you determine if it’s worth entering this niche or not.

The Best Way To Find A Successful Niche Market Ideas

Pick up a copy of Beyond the Niche. It will take you step by step through the process of

• identifying the type of sale your business is making
• discovering your niche market’s unique needs
• developing marketing messages that appeal directly to your target customer.

This books ASSUMES you don’t have money to waste on ineffective marketing and advertising.

Learn how to deliver your marketing message for maximum impact.

Want to learn more? Pick up your digital copy of Beyond the Niche for only $9.99 by clicking the button below.
 

The post Niche Market Ideas and How to Find Them appeared first on Beyond Niche Marketing.

What is social media marketing?

Social media marketing is quite simply using social media to create awareness for your business. It’s the process of maintaining an active presence on social media. You need to regularly publish content. You can’t set and forget social media marketing.   Answering questions and engaging with followers is also a must.

Customers expect your business to be present on social media channels. Social Media Marketing is about getting conversations started with your audience and engaging them regularly.  These conversations can drive sales and find out what people want.  You should be as interactive as possible with your customers and respond quickly to all queries or complaints.

Customer retention is a metric that is often overlooked.  I can’t overstate the importance of customer satisfaction’s role in marketing. Social media marketing can be a double edged sword. If you’ve got poor customer service, it could ignite word-of-mouth marketing in reverse. A dissatisfied customer with the gift of storytelling or song can tell literally millions of people about your terrible product/service if their effort is entertaining enough to go viral.

How to plan a social media strategy

Social media marketing should be an integral part of your small business marketing strategy.

Define your target audience

The first step is to narrowly define your target audience. Don’t try to target everyone. Targeting everyone gets the same result as targeting no one.

An example of a poorly defined target market is working women with children.  This audience is too broadly defined to allow any meaningful conversation via social media. This audience includes teen mothers working part time to middle aged CEO’s. How do you create content that will appeal to everyone in that audience?  The short answer is, you can’t.  Your post on how to juggle home work and a baby will be overlooked by everyone else in that target market.

You must tightly target your audience to succeed in social media marketing.

Create your social media strategy

The next step is to create a plan. Decide on the social networks that make sense.  Choose 1 social network to focus upon.  Start by posting three or more general posts each week.  Do this for two months.  Check your audience engagement.  If you need to make a change, make one at a time. Be sure to MEASURE the results. If you change too much, you’ll back to square one. If you’re not measuring, then you’re not marketing.

Once you’ve tightly targeted your audience and then tested your marketing message, the next step is to set your objective.

Set your social media marketing objectives

What do you hope to achieve with social media marketing? Having a solid plan in place will help ensure that your campaigns are effective.

Here are some common social media marketing objectives:

1. Increase brand awareness
2. Drive traffic to your website
3. Generate new leads
4. Increase sales
5. Increase newsletter sign ups
6. Boost customer engagement
7. Build a community around your business
8. Provide effective social customer service
9. Increase earned media mentions in the press (a.k.a. PR)

Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses Overview

1. Define what success looks like.  What do you want to achieve with your social media marketing? Do you want to attract new customers? Do you want to connect with current customers?  Keep these objectives in mind as you set specific goals for your social media activity.

2. Know your audience: Who are you trying to reach with your social media marketing? What are their needs and wants? What kind of content will they engage with? Keep your target audience in mind as you set social media goals.

3. Set realistic goals: Start small and build up from there. Trying to do too much is a recipe for burnout.

4. Be specific: Vague goals are difficult to measure. That makes them difficult to achieve. Set social media marketing goals that are specific and measurable..

5. Set a timeframe: All goals should have a deadline attached to them. This will help you stay on track and motivated to achieve your goal.

Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses

6. Make it measurable: How will you know if you’ve achieved your goal?  Your goals must measurable to track your progress.

7. Keep it flexible: Life happens! Be prepared to adjust your goals as necessary.

8. Get input from others: Don’t go at it alone! Get input from your team and other stakeholders to help you come up with achievable social media goals.

9. Celebrate your successes: Make sure to take time to reflect on your successes.  What have you learned along the way?

10. Keep learning: The world of social media is constantly changing. Knowledge is power.

Social media marketing can be a great way to promote your business. It allows you to communicate with current and potential customers. Social media can be used to learn more about their needs.  It can create a community of followers interested in what you have to offer. With the right strategy and execution, social media can help your business reach new heights.

Have you had success with social media marketing? Share your story in the comments below!

The post Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses appeared first on Beyond Niche Marketing.

While it may seem to be “too good to be true,”  you really can have an AI program write compelling and selling ads, copy, and blog posts.

If you’re thinking, “how could a computer possibly write an engaging blog post?”  I thought that too at first.  Then I tried it and discovered that AI writing software does just that.

Whether you are looking for content ideas or need help with editing your work, AI writing software provides all of the necessary functions without any of the hassle.

Why business owners should use AI writing software

You may not think of yourself as a writer, but if you’re an entrepreneur who is in charge of running your own company, it’s time to rethink that. According to Forbes ¹, writing is the most valuable skill for any business owner today.

Your most valuable resource is your time. As a small business owner, you’ve got a lot on your plate.  It’s super easy to spend your time on “urgent” things instead of “important” things.  While you know it’s important to create blog content and social media posts, you also know you don’t have the 4 hours it takes to write a single blog post.

The truth is that your blog or website can be an asset worth millions–but only if it’s engaging and well-written. The good news is that with AI writing software, creating content doesn’t have to take hours.  Even though there are so many other demands on your time,  writing might just be the ultimate success tool.

Writing high-quality content on a regular basis not only helps get you more sales, it can also establish you as an expert in your field. You should write about yourself, your employees, you customers and your business.  Focus upon what sets you apart from your competition. Write about the problems your business solves.

Regularly writing high quality content can increase conversions and help you to become recognized as an expert in your field.

What are AI writing tools?

There are a lot different types of AI-based writing tools.  Some AI-based writing tools can help you with grammar, spelling and sentence structure.  Others can help improve your SEO and SERPs.

AI writing tools differ from AI writing software in the fact that these tools only correct what you have written.  They won’t write the content for you.

Meanwhile, AI writing software uses artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to create content.

How does AI writing software work?

AI writing software is able to understand phrases and associations between words.  AI writing software engines take information from you and combines it with information from millions of sources across the internet. This is how AI writing software creates unique articles, blog posts, ads and other kinds of content.

Why should small business owners care about content marketing.

Small business owners should care because content marketing is incredibly effective.  After reading recommendations on a blog, 61% of U.S. online consumers made a purchase. ² By consistently creating high quality content, you will improve your company website’s visibility in search. You can also increase the effectiveness of your advertising.

It’s little wonder there are 7.5 million blog posts published daily. The vast majority of bloggers post at least once per week. ³ Creating content is time consuming.  It takes on average over 4 hours to create a single blog post. ⁴

AI writing software can help create compelling, selling content as quickly and efficiently as possible .If you have been putting off blogging because it seems like too much work, try using AI writing software.

AI writing software can create compelling marketing messages.

Maybe you’ve had better luck hiring copywriters than I have.  When I’ve hired copywriters, I’ve always ended up paying a LOT of money for garbage I couldn’t use. So I was skeptical about what kind of content an AI could produce.  I’ve been pleasantly surprised.  Below are some examples of actual content created by AI writing software.

Can AI writing software replace humans completely?

Just as cars that have Auto Drive need a licensed driver awake behind the wheel, AI writing software needs quality input from humans.  There’s a saying, “garbage in – garbage out” and no where is that more true than for AI writing software.

For example, you’ll often be prompted to identify who your target audience is.  You can’t expect the AI to figure this out for you.

So in order to use AI writing software most effectively, you’ll still need to be well verse in the basics of marketing.  You’ll need to know who your target audience is.  You’ll need to know what problems your product or service solves.  On the plus side, the best AI writing software seems to know the difference between features vs benefits.

AI writing software writing marketing content in action

AIDA Framework

There are four steps you need to take your audience through if you want them to buy your product  These for steps are Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action (AIDA). Every AI writing software I’ve used includes a “recipe” or “template” for this frequently used marketing framework.

You begin by entering your business name, product description and then the AI does the rest.

Here’s an example of what Jarvis  came up for the AIDA Formula for my book Beyond the Niche.

Attention: Are you tired of wasting time and money on marketing messages that don’t work?

Interest: Beyond the Niche will help you discover what kind of sale your business is making and then how to deliver your message for maximum impact even if you have a minimal budget. You’ll learn how to create the right marketing message for the right audience. It doesn’t matter whether it’s an e-commerce store, service business, or brick-and-mortar shop – this book will show you exactly what works in today’s market.

Desire: If you want to increase sales without spending more money on advertising, this book is perfect for you! Learn from someone who has been there before with real life examples so that when it comes time to put together your next campaign, nothing gets left out. And remember – every dollar counts! This book can be read in just one day but its effects last forever. Get started now!

Action: Buy Beyond The Niche today

(Note:  I tweaked the Call to Action slightly. The original content said, “buy on Amazon” but the book is no longer supposed to be for sale there. UGH! That’s an ugly problem I need to tackle.)

PAS Copywriting Formula

Another formula often used in copywriting is the PAS copywriting formula.  PAS stands for Problem, Agitate, and Solution. I used WordHero to create a PAS Copywriting Formula for my book. (FYI: This is NOT an affiliate link.)

Pain: You’re struggling to find your marketing message and attract clients

Agitate: You’re spending too much time and money on marketing and not getting results.

Solution: Use Beyond the Niche to create a laser-focused message for your ideal client that will help you attract more clients.

Writing a blog post with AI

Got writer’s block?  Don’t know what to write about?  AI writing software can generate blog post ideas.

“Why writing can be an entrepreneur’s ultimate asset”

Once you’ve got a blog topic, you can use AI writing software to generate a blog post outline:

Here’s the blog post outline for the topic “Why writing can be an entrepreneur’s ultimate asset.”

1. What is the most important thing an entrepreneur needs to be successful in their business venture, and why
2. The benefits of writing for your business
3. How you can use writing to improve your business
4. Why it is so important that entrepreneurs write about themselves and their businesses

The AI software can then create your introductory paragraph:

“I’m sure you have a lot of things on your plate. But if you don’t spend some time each day writing, you’re going to be leaving a lot of money behind.” “The truth is that your blog or website can be an asset worth millions–but only if it’s engaging and well-written. And the good news is that this doesn’t take much time at all.” “So even though there are so many other demands on your time, just remember: Writing might just be the ultimate entrepreneur’s tool.”

It can write your closing paragraph as well:

Conclusion paragraph: The most important thing for an entrepreneur to be successful is writing. Writing high quality content on a consistent basis can increase conversions and help them establish themselves as experts in their respective fields. They should write about themselves, the business they are trying to grow, and what sets them apart from everyone else out there competing with them. If you’ve struggled with any of these things or would like additional advice, don’t hesitate to give us a call today!

One of the really exceptional tools is the ability to take elevated concepts and simplify them for your readers.  Here is the paragraph above “reworked” to a 6th grade reading level:

The most important thing for an entrepreneur to be successful is writing. Writing high quality content on a consistent basis can help them get more customers, and make people like them more because they are experts in their field. They should write about themselves, the business they are trying to grow, and what sets them apart from everyone else out there competing with them. If you’ve had trouble with this before, you need to try again!

It’s important to note that all AI writing software is not created equal.  While they all claim to be able to rewrite content, some do a really bad job at it.

Here’s an example of the output from an awful AI writing software.  This AI writing software is one of the 54 tools offered by a company offering comprehensive SEO.  Here’s the original text:

Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine have provided drug free pain relief for thousands of years.
Advanced Wellness Solutions welcomes Dr. H, Licensed Acupuncture Physician to our practice. Dr. H was nationally certified in 2000 in Chinese Herbology and Acupuncture. As a part of the Advanced Wellness Solutions team, Dr. H uses acupuncture as part of TCM (Traditional Chinese medicine) to assist patients in the healing process. Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese medicine have been providing drug free pain relief for thousands of years. It is believed acupuncture needles are stimulating the body’s central nervous system and activating its natural healing abilities.

Rewritten text:

Acupuncture and conventional Chinese remedy have furnished drug free ache remedy for thousands of years. Advanced wellbeing answers welcomes Dr. H, certified Acupuncture health practitioner to our practice. Dr. H changed into nationally licensed in 2000 in Chinese Herbology and Acupuncture. As part of the superior well being solutions team, Dr. H uses acupuncture as part of TCM (traditional Chinese medicinal drug) to help sufferers within the healing procedure. Acupuncture and conventional Chinese medication were offering drug unfastened ache alleviation for heaps of years. It’s far believed the needles are stimulating the body’s valuable fearful system and activating its natural healing talents.

Takeaway:

Content marketing is a huge part of any digital strategy because it is so incredibly effective. However, it’s  expensive and time-consuming to produce high quality copy on a regular basis. That’s where AI writing software comes in.  AI writing software engines takes information from you and combines it with information from millions of sources across the internet to generate high-quality copy.

AI writing software can generate compelling and persuasive ad copy, blog posts, social media posts, email newsletters and more.  It doesn’t get more efficient than that!  This technology is rapidly evolving.  You’ll find you get DRAMATICALLY different output from different services.

My Recommendation

I’ve tried several AI writing software for marketing programs while writing this blog post.  (It’s taken a LOT more than the traditional 4 hours to create this puppy.)  Thus far, I’ve tried 5 different AI writing software for marketing.  I personally recommend Rytr.  This is an affiliate link and I’ll earn a small commission if you choose to upgrade to a paid plan.

Rytr is by far my favorite AI writing software.  For starters, they offer a FREE plan. You can literally “try before you buy.”  Not only can you try, but you can generate a lot of content. The free plan offers 5,000 characters per month.  You can upgrade to premium plan for unlimited usage starting at just $29/month.

Some services, only allow you to create “short” content for $29 per month.  They’ll give you a 5,000 character limit, but you’re not able to use those characters to write entire blog posts.  The under $30 plans only allow you to write blog introductions, outlines, etc.  You can’t create an entire blog post.  In order to do that, you have to pay more – A LOT MORE. I was ready to upgrade to the $120 per month plan when I discovered Rytr.

Rytr offers a truly robust cost-effective solution. You can choose from 30+ templates  to cover all your writing needs in 30+ languages.  You’ll get the option to choose 20+ tones of voice so the AI will write with the correct emotion.   Of course, you can also use scientific copywriting formulas — such as AIDA & PAS — to write compelling and selling content for your marketing messages.

The post AI Writing Software for Marketing appeared first on Beyond Niche Marketing.

The first step to finding your niche market is to define your niche. A niche is a specific segment of a larger market. For example, if you’re selling pet supplies, your niche might be pet owners who own cats. This is a much more specific market than “pet owners” or “pet supplies”.

By identifying your target niche market, you can focus upon your customers’ goals, desires and problems.  When you know your target audience’s goals, desires and problems, can you create powerful, compelling and selling marketing messages.  As an added bonus, you can also use niche market products to increase sales and profits.

When you don’t target a niche market, your customers start to like a mob instead of individuals.  It’s a slippery slope to losing track of the goals, desires and problems you need to create powerful, compelling and selling messages.

Finding Your Niche Market

To begin the process of finding your niche market, start with the products or services you offer.  Who needs this product or service?  Be realistic.  This simple starting point is where a marketing campaign can really go off the rails.  Instead of rooting this ideal target in reality, sometimes a mythical creature is created.  This mythical creature doesn’t have any goals or needs.  This creature is fueled with only a burning desire to buy your company’s products and services.

If you’ve already started your business, talk to your current customers.  If you haven’t started your business, take the time to talk to your POTENTIAL customers.  Data without insights is worthless – and conversations can actually provide incredible insight.

Once you have a better understanding of who your target market is, you can start to narrow down your niche.

Marketing for Knowledge Professionals

Most of the marketing strategy and tactics you’ll find online are primarily targeted towards businesses making Minor Sales.

Knowledge professionals – i.e. accountants, attorneys, doctors, chiropractors, consultants, coaches and therapist – are educated and intelligent but they have a big problem.  Much of the marketing advice found online isn’t targeted towards these professionals.  As a result, they are often frustrated trying to promote their business.  They are relieved to discover that marketing can be intuitive and easy, once they know what kind of sale they are making. Neil Rackham in his book Spin Selling categorizes knowledge professionals into the category known as making Major Sales.

Unfortunately,  most marketing advice given online is geared towards businesses making what Rackham defines a Minor Sales. Many effective Minor Sale Marketing Tactics are worthless when used to promote a business making Major Sales.

Research Your Target Audience

Once you’ve defined your niche, it’s time to do some research. This is where you’ll learn more about your target audience. You’ll want to research their age, gender, location, occupation, income level, lifestyle, values, beliefs, and any other relevant information. You should also research their interests, hobbies, and the types of content they consume.

This research should help you discover their needs and pain points.

You can use online surveys, social media, and other online research tools such as Google Analytics and keyword research to gain further insight into your target audience. This will help you better understand who you’re targeting and how you can best reach them with the right message and content.

Don’t view your target audience as a mob – but rather try to see them as individuals.  This will help you better understand who you’re targeting and how you can best reach them.

Analyze Your Competitors

Once you’ve done your research on your audience, it’s time to analyze your competitors in depth.

Look at your competitors’ website, social media accounts, and any other online presence they may have.

Try to identify the strategies they are using to promote their products or services.  Frequent publishing of content means is a sign that they’re doing content marketing.  If their website appears on the first page of a search result, then they have definitely invested in SEO and/or paid search marketing.

See if you are able to identify who their target audience is.  If this lines up with the audience you’ve chose, see how they are reaching them. Analyze their pricing structure, offerings, and customer service policies.

This will help you gain a better understanding of the market and the competition, and will provide you with valuable insights for your own business.

Identify Your Unique Selling Point

Once you’ve chosen your target audience, done your research and analyzed your competitors, it’s time to identify your unique selling point. What makes your business different from your competitors?  What can you offer that they can’t? Consider the features, services, and benefits you can offer that will give you an edge over the competition. Think about the quality of your product or service, your customer service, the convenience of your business, and any other aspect that will give you an advantage. This is what will set you apart from the competition and help you stand out from the crowd.

It’s important to remember that your unique selling point should be UNIQUE.

Finding Your Niche Market to Develop Your Brand

Now that you’ve identified your target audience, done your research and come up with a unique selling point, it’s time to develop your brand.

Your brand is more than just your logo.  A logo and other visual elements are how people will identify your business.  Your brand is how people EXPERIENCE your business.

Be sure to keep your niche market in mind as you develop your logo, website and other marketing materials.

You’ll also want to create content that speaks to your target audience. This can include blog posts, videos, and social media posts. All of this will help you create a recognizable brand that resonates with your target audience.

Test and Measure Your Results

Once you’ve implemented your niche marketing strategy, it’s important to test and measure the results.

Testing and measuring will allow you to see what’s working and what’s not.  If it’s working, great.  If your promotional marketing messages aren’t working, then you may need to head back to the drawing board.

There are many analytics tools which will allow you to track progress and compare your results to your goals. This will help you make sure you’re reaching the right people and that your efforts are paying off.

Additionally, you can use A/B testing to compare different versions of your content and determine which one performs better.

By testing and measuring your results, you can make sure your strategy is on the right track and that you’re reaching your target audience.

Finding your niche market is an important step in launching your business. By taking the time to define your niche, research your target audience, analyze your competitors, identify your unique selling point, develop your brand, and test and measure your results, you’ll be well on your way to finding your niche market and growing your business.

The post Finding Your Niche Market appeared first on Beyond Niche Marketing.

The foundation of your marketing is often boiled down to the 4 P’s:

• product
• price
• place
• and promotion.

Product is the first pillar of your marketing foundation.  What products and/or services you offer. A company that offers MRI equipment as a product has an entirely different marketing strategy than a company that sell paper clips and copy paper.

The second pillar of your marketing foundation is price.  How much you charge for your products and services is a key element of your marketing.  Do you charge more than your competitors? If so, why?  Sometimes, charging more can be seen as a benefit.  For more information, check out How to Advertise Your Business.

The third pillar of advertising is place or where your business is located.  How important is place in your marketing mix?  It depends.  Location is critical for businesses such as coffee shops, gas stations, grocery stores, gyms, doctors offices, dentists offices, etc.  For some goods, ecommerce has shifted the “place”  where many businesses do business.

The fourth and final pillar is promotion.  Promotion is what many business owners think of when they think of marketing.  It might surprise you that promotion is dependent upon the first three P’s.  Promotion includes business cards, brochures, websites, and of course buying advertising.  Remember, that advertising is simply the act of buying an audience with your potential customers to communicate the other three P’s of your business.

Small business marketing is more than advertising.

The goal of promoting your business is ultimately to earn a treasured spot in your target audience’s mind.

Often, the best way to earn a spot in your audience’s mind is by doing the right thing.  Smart business owners know that doing the right thing can earn the loyalty of an entire community.  As an added bonus, social media can help create viral marketing success.

Want to read more? Pick up your digital copy of Beyond the Niche for only $9.99 by clicking the button below.
 

Small business marketing is more than deliberate advertising.

Sometimes marketing is taking a stand for what you personally believe is right.  Debary Diner in central Florida diner is owned by Angie Ugarte.  In August of 2021, she posted a sign on the front door in response to the death of 13 U.S. service members in a suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan.  The sign slammed President Joe Biden’s chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal and simply stated that Biden supporters weren’t welcome in the diner.  The story was picked up nationwide. Within hours of the story going viral, the diner forced to temporarily close.  They simply didn’t have enough food to meet the surge in demand.  People drove for hours to visit the now famous diner.  Ugarte told reporters she has received some “death threats and bomb threats,” but the reactions have mostly been favorable — and patrons are matching their words with food orders and cash.

Ugarte’s simple sign of black print of a white piece of paper has thrust her business into the national spotlight.  She didn’t do it in the name of “marketing and promotion.”  However, that’s how it’s worked out for her.

The weather may be unpredictable – but your marketing doesn’t have to be.

In Houston, Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale opened up two of his furniture store showrooms in August of 2017 to shelter tens of thousands of people who were driven from their homes due to Hurricane Harvey.  Allowing homeless people and their pets to take up residence in your furniture showrooms may not seem like marketing in the traditional sense, but it was.  Social media came alive with people heralding this act of kindness.  News stations from across the country carried the story while local residents vowed via social media that their next furniture purchase would be from “Mattress Mack.”

It’s easy to draw a straight line between Jim McIngvale’s actions and future profit.  After all, many of those refugees were going to be needing furniture when the flood waters receded.  It was the right thing to do – with a clear path to the bottom line.

Small business marketing is more than paid advertising.

Sometimes an act of kindness can be more powerful than any amount of paid advertising.  This is the case in the actions of the cruise line industry in reaction to Hurricane Irma and Maria.

After Hurricane Maria destroyed what Hurricane Irma left intact in Puerto Rico, news reports told of cruise ships providing supplies to the islands devastated by these two killer storms.   They did this despite the fact that residents of these islands are probably not potential cruise customers.  However, it truly qualified as an act of marketing or promoting because their actions have certainly changed the minds of prospective customers.

Marketing that makes a difference

Let me share a story to illustrate how POWERFUL the acts of kindness exhibited by cruise companies were.  Earlier that year, I had gone on a Caribbean cruise.  As our ship made its way to Cozumel, it lost power.  I happened at night which made it more terrifying.  While power was restored within an hour, conditions on the ship had already begun to deteriorate. The halls had begun to smell like sewage because a sewage pipe inside a wall had burst on the floor above us.  The smell triggered my memory of the well publicized “poop cruise” stories. I hadn’t given those stories a second thought when I had booked this or any other cruises.  After this cruise ended, as I watched passengers board the same ship that had limped into port, I vowed that was my final cruise.

When I learned of the hurricane relief efforts of that cruise line along with others, my thinking changed. I was suddenly happy that I had been a customer.  As a matter of fact, I began thinking that I should book another cruise.  That is a truly powerful act of marketing and promotion.

Small Business Marketing is More than Advertising

People are not creatures of logic but rather are creatures of emotion.  An act of caring and compassion can soften even the hardest hearts.  On the other hand, people tend to recoil when a business treats people badly.  Sometimes, advertising can’t overcome the acts of bullies and jerks. These stories tend to go viral as well as was the case of a car dealer in Florida.

A local auto repair business owner had serviced the cars of an elderly couple for the better part of three decades.  A year after her husband passed, the widow brought the car in.  The woman told the mechanic she couldn’t bear to drive it.  The emotional pain was too great.  The business owner recommended she visit a local car dealer with a brand known for its reliability.   She left his shop and went to the dealership on a Thursday.  The following Monday morning, she returned to the shop in tears.  The salesman at the dealership had locked her in a room.  After hours of emotional abuse,  he ended up selling her the most expensive car on the lot.  He then added every expense possible to the car.  He even added light up tire caps to the eighty year old woman’s car.

Word-of-mouth marketing gone awry

The mechanic called the dealership. He asked them to rescind the deal even though the time for that had passed.  The dealer and salesman said the woman was an adult and made an adult decision.  They probably thought that was the end of that, but it wasn’t.  It was just the beginning.  The auto repair shop owner made it his mission to make this story known.  He contacted every local group and media outlet who would listen.  Upon learning of this injustice, other agencies and companies publicized this story.

I moved to the area about a decade after this happened and noticed the sign in his shop and asked about it.  Even though I was new to the area, I was well aware of this car dealer.  He absolutely saturates the market with his advertising.  Now I know why.  Ten years later, he’s still fighting to keep ahead of the negative publicity generated from him being a jerk.

In the long run, they could have saved a lot of money by doing what’s right.  Instead they have to saturate the market in radio, television, billboards, online advertising to stay in business.  It’s what you have to do when this kind of negative publicity hits the fan.

Want to discover your true potential as an entrepreneur?
Beyond the Niche is jammed full of information, ideas and strategies to help you grow your business.
If you’re on a shoe-string boot-strapping budget, this is a must read.
Pick up your digital copy for only $9.99 by clicking the button below.
 

Takeaways:

There’s more to small business marketing than just advertising.  Advertising is purchasing the ability to communicate with your target audience.  You control the message and delivery in advertising.

Word-of-mouth advertising is the holy grail of business building because it’s free. However, as you can see from the examples above, it’s not free.  You’re just not paying to deliver the message.  You’re also not able to control the message.

The moral to these stories: You can do what’s right and reap the rewards or you can act like a jerk and pay the consequences.  By doing the “right thing” for people who will never be a customer, a cruise line has retained at least one customer who had previously sworn off cruising.  Texans who have pledged their loyalty to “Mattress Mack” fill the internet.   A small diner in central Florida is so busy they ran out of food and are fielding international orders because of a sign they posted.

By the way, these “good deeds” are known in the business as “earned media.”  In many ways it’s better than going viral.  Local and even national media have picked up these stories, extended the good will these acts of kindness have generated for months and even years.

Edited for content September 9, 2021

The post Small Business Marketing is More than Advertising appeared first on Beyond Niche Marketing.

Focusing upon the benefits of a product or service must be the foundation of any small business advertising campaign.  Marketing messages that sell will always focus on the benefits instead of the features.

What’s the difference between features vs benefits

Features Tell – Benefits Sell

Sales trainers teach aspiring sales people, “Features tell – while benefits sell.” The key to closing sales is to focus upon benefits instead of features. The same is true for your marketing content.

Creating content that focuses on the benefits of a product may be the most difficult part about content marketing.

Unfortunately, many small business owners who need help with advertising look to the what the multinational companies are doing for inspiration.  It’s so tough to tell the difference between features and benefits, even pros can get it wrong!  For example, I noticed this error on the copy on a box of facial cleansing wipes.  This is the product of a Fortune 500 company. On the box is printed the word “benefits.”  Unfortunately, those “benefits” are clearly features.

Here’s the copy from the box:

4 Benefits in Every Cloth

1. Cleanse
2. Exfoliate
3. Tone
4. Hydrate

There’s a HUGE problem with this list. These are all features – not benefits. Cleansing, exfoliating, toning and hydrating are all FEATURES.  Despite the label, these are not benefits of using these cleansing wipes.

Do consumers know the benefits of each of those features? The company’s copywriters think so.

In our busy, crowded, hectic, stress filled world,  it’s always better to guide the consumer through the benefit process.

The Why Behind the Buy:

Since the list above is not a list of “benefits” – let’s see what the benefits of these wipes offer.

The benefits of the cleansing wipes might include:

1. Younger looking skin
2. A radiant, youthful glow
3. Smoother, firmer skin
4. A more beautiful you.

FEATURES describe the wipes and what they do. They clean your skin, they exfoliate, they tone and they hydrate.

BENEFITS describe why the list of features above should matter to the consumer.

Women who purchase this product aren’t buying the features listed. They’re “buying” is younger, better looking skin.

What benefits are your customers buying?

The difference between features and benefits is the key to making your product stand out on the market. If you want people buy what you’re selling, let them know about its amazing BENEFITS!  Focus upon the telling how much better their lives will be once they buy your amazing, incredible product.  Paint a picture of what their life COULD look like – if only they would purchase your product or service.

I had a client who blew me away when I gave her this assignment.  She was a therapist and her “product” was a couple’s retreat.  The target market wasn’t couples whose marriages/unions were in trouble, but rather those who wanted to make a good relationship great. I’ve got to tell you, that’s a HARD sell.  It’s a lot “easier” to sell “stop your divorce.”

So how do you motivate couples who have a good relationship but want to make it better?  You paint a compelling word picture.  Here’s something along the lines of what she wrote:

Are you anxious to get home from work each night because you’re eager to spend time with your partner/spouse?

This would definitely be considered a BENEFIT of attending this couple’s retreat.  Notice, this doesn’t tell you anything about the techniques or methods she uses to get this result.  Those would be the FEATURES of the retreat.  Instead, this focused on the BENEFIT you would reap after attending the retreat.

So before you create your next social media post, take a moment and ask the most important business question of all: WHY? 

Why should someone buy from you. How will doing business with you BENEFIT them?  Start focusing on the benefits vs the features of your product or service.

The post Features vs Benefits appeared first on Beyond Niche Marketing.