Marketing Strategies Need a Revolution
Consumers are bombarded with messages on a daily basis. Millions of marketers are vying for eyeballs and dollars. Marketing strategies haven’t changed much given this harsh reality consumers are facing.
Too many MISSED messages
The kicker – 99% of those messages get passed over. Why? Because the majority of marketers rely on the same types of messages over and over again, and frankly, consumers are sick of it.
Consumers want brands they can align with, brands that truly fulfill on their wants and needs. Furthermore, so many marketers fail to understand that customers make decisions emotionally not logically. Existing marketing strategies pack communication with logic-based messages, but it only gets you so far – maybe some impulse shoppers, but not the long-term customer loyalty your business needs to succeed for the long haul.
So if you want to ensure your marketing strategies don’t fall into what we’ve dubbed “the sea of sameness,” and get lost in the Bermuda Triangle in 2021, here are three marketing strategies to avoid in 2021:
1. Features-based messaging
Features-based messaging tells your customer about all the bells and whistles associated with your product or service, but it does nothing to connect with your customers emotionally and isn’t anything your brand can own.
Any competitor could come along and duplicate your features, or worse, make them better. Examples include things like: 10x faster processing speeds! Better taste! Now offered in red!
2. Benefits-based messaging
Benefits-based messaging tells your customer how your product or service is better, but doesn’t do anything to suggest why they should care.
Let’s say you’ve created a brand new device that will help busy parents get dinner on the table in half the time. While this is an amazing benefit, the brand also needs to tell me why I should care. So instead of leading with a message like: Guaranteed to cut cooking time in half! Consider something like: Your family is your number one priority. Here’s how you spend more time with them and less time in the kitchen. This tells me that you understand my pain point and how you’re helping me solve it
3. Price-based messaging
Price-based messages tell your customer that they can get your product or service at a discount, or for less than the competition.
While price is certainly a logical consideration when making a purchase, think about the psychology of discounting: when customers see products and services discounted over and over again, the value of that product or service diminishes. Consider Bed Bath and Beyond – no one is willing to pay full price, because they know they can get it for less. This leads to price wars and low customer loyalty. Pricing-based messaging diminishes your value with customers.
Avoid These Marketing Strategies
If you want to succeed with growing a strong customer following in 2021, one that values your brand and will be loyal, avoid these three marketing pitfalls and focus on what’s really important: Connecting with your customers in a meaningful and distinguishable way so you can stand out instead of blending in.
We’re here to point you in the right direction, but the first step is admitting you have a problem (marketing strategy).
