This mindset shift makes marketing wayyy easier
Hey there!
Things are a little hectic right now so this article’s a little shorter than usual. But hopefully it’s just as valuable!
The other day a design consultant was telling me how they were struggling to get any attention on Instagram from their target clients.
So I asked them, “Are your target clients hanging out on Instagram?”
And it was like a lightbulb went off in their head. They realised that no, they weren’t, and that LinkedIn is where they would most likely hang out.
The consultant had gravitated to Instagram because that’s where she likes to hang out. That’s her space. But she’d found out the hard way that her preferences are often NOT the same as her buyers.
And it got me thinking about how many of us - myself included in that - often default to making our marketing (and wider business) decisions for us as opposed to the people we’re actually trying to sell our services to.
This contrast between what I call a “seller-centric” approach and “buyer-centric” approach often lies at the heart of any marketing or offer problems that clients come to me with. Decisions are made through the seller’s perspective, not the buyer’s. And that makes things really tough.
Consider these frequently asked questions:
"Which channels should I post on?”
“How much should I charge for this?”
“What kind of offer should I sell?”
“Which problem do I want to solve?”
“What topics should I write about?”
You’ve probably asked at least one of these questions yourself at some point. I know I have.
But the issue with these questions is that you’re asking them from your perspective as the seller. And so they’re actually pretty hard to answer. And even if you do answer them chances are it won’t be the RIGHT answer.
With a simple mindset shift - from seller-centric to buyer-centric - however, you can reframe these questions in a way that makes them far easier to answer…
“Which channels should I post on?” → “Where are my buyers hanging out?”
“How much should I charge for this?” → “How much are buyers willing to pay?”
“What kind of offer should I sell?” → “What kind of offer best helps my buyers?”
“Which problem do I want to solve?” → “Which problem do my buyers need solving?”
“What topics should I write about?” → “What do my buyers want to read?”
See the difference?
These questions are easier to answer because they’re based on actual behaviours or preferences that you can actually find out.
They also result in more effective decisions because you’re optimising for your buyer, not for yourself.
This might sound pretty simple and obvious, but in my experience a lot of us fail to do this and fall into the trap of optimising for what we want, not what our buyers need.
It’s actually a central principle of buyability - seeing things from your buyer’s perspective and designing your offer and marketing it accordingly.
Hopefully it’s a helpful reframe for you. Let me know!
Thanks,
Joe