fbpx

basics of marketingIt may sound weird to look at the words of Jesus to talk about marketing, but I want to show you how Jesus used words to move people.  If we can see how the Master communicated, then we can follow His example.

Now, don’t send me hate letters, I know Jesus was not marketing in this passage.  He was revealing the truth about the Kingdom of God and Jesus’ return.  It would be hard to tell people you are leaving and have them happy about it, but Jesus does a great job at communicating and we can glean some ideas from His words to help us communicate about our business better.

Jesus the Master Communicator

John 14:1-4 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Jesus knew who He was talking to and understood that they were troubled and they believed in God (right audience).  He understood the solution is that they have a better life in heaven if they believe in Him (right solution).  He paints a picture of what it will be like in heaven with many rooms prepared specifically for them (right message).  He tells them that they can have that solution by following Him because they know the way (right strategy).

Note: The very next verse causes engagement from Thomas based on what Jesus said.  Jesus replies with the “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” (The last part is called ‘conversion’ which we will talk about in another article.)

Right customer

As Christian business owners, we must understand our audience.  We must know our customers so well, that when we communicate our customers feel like we are talking directly to them.  They may even say, “I was just thinking that.”  It is a practice of ‘getting in the head’ of your customer.  You want to understand them so well, you know how they think.

We must do diligent research.  We can talk to our current customers.  We can check statistics from our marketing efforts.  We can even check our target segments online.  We cannot just think we know our customers, we must prove it with data.

I have one client who thought his target audience was female.  When we looked at the statistics from his Google analytics account, we found that a majority of his audience was males.  Another client thought his customers were older and in their fifties until we found that his median age was around thirty-five.  You never truly know who your customer is until you have done your research.

Right solution

Once we understand our customer, we know what pains, problems and potential they have.  We can gear our products and services to match what our customers desire and will pay for.  We can look at how others have helped these customers with some research on our competition.  We can even look at some of the books and videos that our customers turn to for help.

You may be offering the perfect solution for what the customer needs.  However, you must have a solution the customer wants.  The best example of this came from a famous ad company many years ago.  The customer was selling drills.  They wanted to show how pretty the drill was, and how powerful it was, etc.  The ad guy simply looked up at the client and said, “No one wants a drill.  They want a hole.  Sell’me the hole and they will buy the drill.”

Right message

We must have a message that communicates to our ideal customer.  We must speak in the language that they speak in.  We must use words they use in everyday life.  We want to use the words they use when they are with their friends.  I have seen some horrible ad campaigns that used the right language, but they used the wrong words.

If we are selling elegance, we speak elegantly.  If we are selling convenience, we speak the words of convenience.  We sell them on the benefits of the product with words that resonate with our ideal customers.  Remember, “Sell’em the hole.”

Right strategy

We must be where our customers are if we want them to know about and buy our products.  The right strategy will take the customer through the process of getting to know, like and trust us.  No one will buy from someone they don’t trust.  Let’s look at how this works with something like a web page.

Customer is handed a card, sees an ad or is told about your business web page.  They know about your business, but that is not enough.  When they visit your website, they look at the words, colors and the pictures to see if they feel comfortable with you.  They decide if they like you and your company and if they want to do business with you.  An outdated website, wrong information, misspelled words, and all of those little things goes into what the customer thinks about your business.

Then, if they feel like they can trust you, they will usually look at your about page, services or products, then your blog.  They want to know that you are a professional and an authority on helping them with their problem.  They want to trust you, but they must be convinced you know what you are talking about.

Once that customer knows, likes and trusts you, you will have a great customer.  They will call your business and are usually prepped to do business with you already.  The sell has already been made in the mind of your ideal customer before they ever pick up the phone to call you.

The sell has already been made in the mind of your ideal customer before they ever pick up the phone to call you. Click To Tweet

Conclusion

If we want to be successful in business, we must know our customers.  That is the first and main point to communication: know who you are talking to.  Remember, marketing is all about communicating value to your ideal customer.  Once you understand your customers, you can get the right message in front of them where they are.  Marketing is easy once you stick to the basics.

Know your customers.  Know how to talk to them.  Know where they are.  Then, you will be a master communicator and your business will help lots of people solve their problems.  You can build relationships and further spread the message of your business and the hope that you have in Christ.

Growing your business is about increasing influence. Leverage that influence to impact lives for Jesus. Click To Tweet
Malcare WordPress Security