Make Marketing Suck Less

I'm one of those people who likes to skip steps. Over Christmas, my hubby and I bought a new TV and a new TV console. Well, lucky for us, the TV came assembled. The console did not. Now the console wasn't like “Ikea bad” for putting it together, but this TV stand had a lot of parts, a lot of widgets, and tools. So I dove straight in and got to work, sorting everything out. I thought it would be so easy to build this thing. Even intuitive!

Five minutes in, I had to admit that I had no idea what I was doing. And I was skipping the step of reading the damn instructions, and that was no longer serving me in this quest. And once I took the three minutes to read the instructions like a normal human being, the console took less than an hour to put together and it was super easy. 

Now you might be wondering, “What the heck does Michelle's furniture building have to do with online business?” Well, it has quite a bit to do with it. What I see in online businesses is that there are many business owners who skip steps, me included. And sometimes skipping steps is fine and it gets you where you want to go even faster. But most of the time we skipped something that is foundational and holds us back from reaching more people, growing our business, and even making more money. Just like me trying to put together a TV console without reading the instructions.

For business owners, when our business is not growing the way we want it to, despite our efforts, it's time to take a pause and figure out what's missing. So, what is that missing foundational piece in nearly every online business? Well, that's exactly what we're going to talk about today on the podcast. So let's do this.

You’re listening to the Rebel Uprising Podcast. This podcast is dedicated to helping passionate business owners become recognized leaders who make more money and impact the world by turning their messy, complicated ideas into thriving thought leadership businesses.

I’m your host Dr. Michelle Mazur and I’ll be your no-BS guide in the art of building a business that gets noticed. Each week, I share strategies, tools, and insights into how to turn your complicated ideas into great messaging and solid business structures.

Are you ready to create an uprising in your industry? Let’s do this.

This is what I see happen in online business all the time. Let me know if it sounds familiar to you -- a person decides to start a business, let's call her Jessie. Jessie is committed to starting her business in the right way. She realizes the first thing she needs to create is an offer to sell. Because Jesse and you know that you don't have a business unless you have something to sell. 

So that's exactly what Jessie does. She creates an offer. She starts telling her network about it and people start hiring her. And then something incredible happens… Jessie gets great results for her clients. Her clients love her. They start referring her. She gets great word of mouth. And at this point, Jessie's business could be sustainable just relying on word of mouth, but she realizes something really important. She realizes that there is a hole in the market for what she does. She knows in her heart she wants to reach more people and help them achieve this result. And maybe she even wants to start a group program or a membership.

So she knows what she needs to do next. Jessie needs to market to grow her audience. Create copy for her sales page and maybe even do a PR push. And this is where Jessie gets frustrated with her business. Because espite being amazing at what she does, she skipped a step. She skipped a foundational piece.

And that piece is -- surprise, surprise -- it's messaging. Because messaging is foundational in your business. And so many programs and courses and bro marketers out there will tell you not to worry about the messaging, that you can go from the offer to the marketing and you can just use a template. But even with templates, even with swipes, how do you talk about what you do in a compelling and curiosity-provoking manner to fill in those blanks? And how do you talk about it in a way that you’re excited  so that you're showing up consistently to make offers and grow your audience?

That is the job of your message. And you use this message all over the place, whether it's in podcast interviews, or social media, the copy on your website, the copy that lives on your home page, your about page, all of your marketing and sales conversations -- that oil boils down to messaging. And when we skip over that messaging step, we find it super hard to talk about what we do. 

And sometimes it doesn't make sense to the people we're trying to reach. Or worse, we're working on a sales page and we just sit there and think, “Ugh, I've got this page to write. I don't even know what I'm going to say. How do I describe what it is I do?”

Then another misstep takes place. We think, “Oh, I know. I need help with the sales page. I am going to hire a copywriter.” And you think, “Oh, that's going to help you find your message,” but that's not what copywriters do. Copywriters take your message and turn that into copy that sells. If you don't have your message, they are taking shots in the dark to create words that convert. And that's sometimes why you get your copy back and you think, “Ugh, this isn't, this isn't me. This isn't what I do.”

I don't really like that. So messaging is that foundational piece that really allows you to show up every day, make offers, grow your audience, and it just makes everything so much easier in your business.

But when we skip this step, it's like slogging through molasses. Everything takes more time and it's less effective because we're always thinking about, like, “What should we say? Is this going to work?” Because we don't know how to say it in a way that resonates. And trust me, I've been there too. I'm a communication professional and I have struggled with how to talk about my message. And that's why I have my own trusted partners for that.

But you might be thinking in your head, “Can messaging really help solve for all of those problems?” And I can't believe I'm going to say this, but the best place to look for this answer is corporate America. 

I did not love my time in corporate America. But I did learn a lot about how businesses run. During my time in market research, I ran a huge message testing study for Microsoft. And I still don't think I can disclose the product that I worked on without giving my first born cat to Bill Gates, but when I PM’d this project, it was a big one. Microsoft is spending millions of dollars testing a message before they launched an update of a super popular product that people already love.

Now people already loved the product, why would they spend that kind of money? Because they knew messaging would make or break their launch. They wanted to get this product in front of new people instead of just their hardcore superfans.

And did you know companies like Nike, Apple, Frigidaire have messaging guides for how to communicate about each of their products? Why do they have messaging guides? Because they want a standard and effective way to market there and sell their products. They want consistency with their message.

Messaging matters. And this is why, just like those big companies, I produce brand message guides for my clients so they know how to communicate, whether they're writing their own copy or hiring someone to do it, or they're creating content for a launch, writing a speech, or coming up with their monthly marketing plan. Messaging is foundational.

So let's do a quick assessment of your messaging before we wrap up. So I have five questions for you to assess your message.

Question number one: On a scale of 1 to 10 (with one being “clear as mud” and 10 being “everyone knows because I'm so clear”), how clearly are you communicating what you do on your website or bio? 

Once again, on a scale of 1 to 10 (with one being “clear as mud” and 10 being “everyone knows because I'm so clear”), how clearly are you communicating what you do on your website or bio?

Question number two: On a scale of 1 to 10, how well do you communicate the big result of your work? On a scale of one being “not at all well” to 10 being “exceptionally well,” how well do you communicate the big result of your work? 

Question number three: On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do your people respond? And by “respond” I mean, comment. None of this “like” bullshit, but comment on your social media posts. So once again, on a scale of 1 to 10, how much do people respond to your social media posts? 

Question number four -- and this one is a doozy-- On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with the number of inbound leads you’re getting each month?

And then finally, once again, scale of one to 10, how well do you communicate how you're different from other business owners who do what you do? One would mean “I sound like everybody else” to 10 is “I'm a category of one.” 

Now, if you answered seven or less to any of these questions, it's time to look at your messaging. Because it's the missing foundational piece of your business -- that once you find it, it will make marketing and sales and writing copy so much easier. And the good news is next week I'll be back to tell you about the three missions of your message. That also happens to be the alternative to bro marking. I call it the “ACC way”. And you don't want to miss it.

If after doing this assessment, you know you could use some help in the messaging department, I'd love to work with you to create a message that demands attention for your business, creates curiosity so clients clamor to work with you faster than ever before.

So let's talk about the Three Word Rebellion Messaging Intensive and whether it's right for your business, because this year I'm on a mission to help more amazing business owners who do transformative work spread the word about their work so they can sell and serve more.

So let's talk to see how I can help you with your message so that it can power your copy, marketing, sales, and social media. Get all the details and request a chat with me at drmichellemazur.com/talk.

Thank you for listening all the way to the end of the show. Your support means the world to me! Did you know the Rebel Uprising Podcast has a quiz that can help you pinpoint the number one way to build an audience of superfans while staying true to your unique personality? We do! It’s called What’s Your Rebel Roadmap to Exponential Impact and Influence? and you can take it at therebelquiz.com.

If you’re loving the podcast, do us a favor, rate and leave us a quick 5-star review wherever you listen to your podcasts. It helps more people like you find the show. Until next week, remember, your ideas matter. Now get back out there and cause an uprising in your industry! You’ve got this.