Make Marketing Suck Less

Dr. Michelle Mazur (00:00): What does it take to make your business stand out in 2023? Let's face it, things are weird out there right now. The marketplace is more competitive than ever before. And because of the great resignation, more people decided to start businesses and hang out their virtual shingle. Now, there are more people who do what you do than ever before. Plus, we can all admit that the economy, well, it's rather shaky and wonky, and it's taking a longer time for sales to close or for people to even get on a sales conversation with us. How can you stand out from the noise of the online space? How can you be remembered by the people who want to hire you? That's exactly the questions we're going to answer today on the podcast. So let's dive in.

(01:11): Get ready for the Rebel Uprising podcast. The only podcast dedicated to business owners who feel overlooked for their expertise, skills and experience. Let's claim your expertise and turn your complex ideas into unmistakable messaging that grows your business. I am your host, Dr. Michelle Mazur, the author of the "3 Word Rebellion," and "Your Rebel Truth Telling Guide to Building a Business That Gets Noticed."

(01:41): Now, I always found this 2007 statistic from the Jankovich Group fascinating. It says that we see on average around 30,000 marketing messages a day, and that study was done 16 years ago. I can't even imagine how many marketing messages we see in 2023. And according to the Association of Advertising, our brains can only process about a hundred of those messages. That is what our capacity is for taking in that kind of information and making a decision about it. 100. That's it. The rest get ignored. So how can your message, your business be one of the 100 that is remembered instead of the 29,900 that are forgotten? This question vexes me and it's something I've been thinking about a lot, and the first recommendation I have is probably going to be a little bit controversial, but hey, I'm a rebel. That's what we're here for, right?

(02:55): My first recommendation is to forget the internet marketing stuff. Forget all of the stuff that we have been taught for years about how we can sell to the masses, like we don't have to get on sales calls, that people will just go to our website and buy whatever it is we're selling, and we can make tons of money by just sending a few emails. That is not true, and it's especially not true in 2003 when so many people are hesitant to take the next step.

(03:36): Trust is one of those things that Maggie Patterson and I talk a lot about on Duped, but it is at an all time low. People are being more skeptical. It's time to step away marketing for the masses, like all the internet marketers teach us and do some personalization. And personalization can look like outreach. It can look like sending very specific and customized emails to the people that you want to work with. When I was doing the launch for the Expert Up Club, the place that I started was generating a list of clients I have worked with, people who have gone through my workshops, even people I had consults with, but decided not to move forward. I wanted to send these people very personal invitations to the Expert Up Club, where yes, I created a template to do this, but within that template, I told them about how I thought the Expert Up Club could benefit their business, and I also told them why I thought they would make an amazing founding member. And that personal outreach did a lot to draw the right people into the Expert Up Club.

(05:11): Now, does this mean that you can just burn down your email list? You never have to write a blog or create a podcast again because we're going to forget about all this internet marketing stuff. No, but how can you use a tool like email marketing for personalization? One of the things that I did when I was launching the club to my list is if you looked at the sales page, which is something you can track, and almost every email service provider, I then sent you a follow-up email to see if you had any questions, hesitations or concerns about the Expert Up Club. And people would respond to that email and then I could start a conversation with them and help them decide, "Is the Expert Up Club for you?" It takes that level of customization and personalization to make a big difference in your business, and it's also going to be the thing that gets you remembered. Forget trying to market to the masses. That is not how you're going to stand out. Think about how you can take a more personalized approach to your marketing and sales process.

(06:35): And that brings me to my second recommendation. If you want to stand out, you've got to speak your clients' language. You have to be radically specific with who you serve. Internet marketing has taught us for years is that all we need is an ideal client avatar. The type of thing that's like, Sally is 45 years old and her children are almost out of the house, and she likes '80s music, especially Depeche Mode, and she listens to a lot of podcasts, and Sally doesn't freaking exist, and you can't market to people who don't exist. But what you can do that helps your business stand out in 2023 is actually capturing the voice of your client. And that means talking to people. Wow, more personalization and customization, right? Understand your client's point of view. Do interviews, do a survey, capture the language that they use and really deeply understand the language your client uses to talk about their problem and then use that language to talk about it and empathize with their struggle.

(07:57): And it is time for you to be specific about the problem you solve and who you solve it for. And the more specific, the better, because you'll stand out to that person. They are going to remember you because they feel like you understand them like you know them, you get what they're going through. And you do because you've done this work. You want people to feel seen and heard by any of the marketing you put out in the world, on any of the sales pages you're putting out there. So capturing that client language is so important and it's the way you stand out now in 2023.

(08:49): And I know some of you are saying, "But Michelle, if I get super specific, I know I'm going to lose some people." And unfortunately that belief is going to be the thing that's going to cost you money and clients in this current economy, because when we are not specific, we lose people who actually need us. They think we don't get them, we don't understand their problem, versus when we are hyper specific, people can make those connections. They can see their story in the client language you are using if it's a fit for them. So capture the voice of your client, use it in your marketing and be so specific that they, of course, they'll remember you.

(09:45): Hey, rebel, wouldn't it be amazing if people just recognized your expertise on the spot and decided to hire you? Of course it would. But we know business doesn't work that way. Instead, you have to show up and market. And let's face it, marketing has not been your jam and it feels like it doesn't work for your business, and there's a reason for that. In order to market effectively, so you grab attention and lead people to your offer, it takes having a one of a kind message and an ability to build the case for why people should hire you.

(10:26): And that's exactly what we'll create in the 3 Word Rebellion Messaging Intensive. Yes, we will co-create your three word rebellion, but you'll also create all of the other messaging your business needs to efficiently and effectively show up and market your business while translating your expertise into a message your clients want to know more about. Interested in that? Then let's chat. Go to 3wrcall.com. And that's the number 3wrcall.com and book a free consultation with me. I look forward to helping you get your message out in the world so that more people can hire you.

(11:16): The third recommendation I have is to have a vision, a solution that you can offer. Going against the status quo is all the rage. It's one of the things I teach you in the 3 Word Rebellion book, and I do think it's important to point out what's wrong. But what I've been seeing lately in a lot of marketing is people have "unpopular opinions" that are anything but. They are actually very popular opinions that many people agree with. Because I could say to you, "Unpopular opinion, ideal client avatars suck." But, oh my gosh, I am not the only person who thinks that. That is a real opinion many people have. Right?

(12:07): One of the ways to stand out is to make sure that your unpopular opinion is actually unpopular. Say something like, "Hey, why don't you ditch all that internet marketing stuff you've been learning for years and take a more personal approach to marketing." Right? That is a radical thing. Not many people will tell you like, "Oh, got to start ditching some of that stuff if you really want to stand out and get clients." As always, it is not enough to just point out what's wrong with the status quo. You need to have a forward-thinking solution. What is your vision? I'm just not telling you to ditch internet marketing stuff. I am also giving you a way forward, giving you some specific examples of how I'm adding a whole lot of personalization and high touch marketing into my business.

(13:08): I also believe that when you have a forward-thinking vision, a forward-thinking solution that people want to buy into that bigger mission. With the Expert Up Club, having that mission of helping experts get known and hired for their work to make online business better, because I know that the only way to get rid of all that manipulative stuff is to help experts who are amazing at what they do be able to promote their work, to have a voice in the marketplace that is strong and that stands out, and people buy into that mission because that's what they want too. They want business to be better. It's not enough to stand out just to go against the status quo with your popular unpopular opinions, but really say something that matters and have a forward-thinking solution, a vision for what you want to see next.

(14:19): Recommendation number four is to own your expertise. I know I talk about this a lot, but people are so sick of buying from people who are great at marketing and suck at actually delivering the results. You, as an expert, have a unique opportunity to stand out here. Highlight what makes you an expert. Show examples. One of the things I have done in the past is shown messaging makeovers so that people can see how my brain works and the recommendations that I make to clients and I make to people.

(15:06): And finally, you have to be able to translate your expertise into a meaningful message that resonates, that meets your client where they are. So going back to that, speak your clients' language that they can really understand. I do believe that people want to hire experts so that they can get results and get ahead on whatever problem they're working on, whether that is a business problem, a career problem, a personal problem. Show your expertise, tell us what makes you credible, especially on your about page, because that will set you apart when there are so many people who have just taken a course and now are teaching what that course taught them.

(15:56): And finally, this is a bonus one, but please, please, please, please stop using manipulative marketing like income claim marketing. This is starting to sound... It's not starting to sound the same. It does sound the same. There are so many people on Instagram who are seven figure mentors and who share their cash days and how much their business makes and how much their clients make, and they're all selling you the same thing. Some type of business coaching program that's going to help you take your business to the next level. But oh my gosh, there's so many of them that there is no way for their individual businesses to stand out. So ditch that stuff.

(16:45): Talk about the results you actually get your clients and tell stories around those results. It doesn't just have to be an event or an outcome. I always think about what's typical versus what's possible for my clients. And I've done the research so I know what's typical for my clients versus what's possible. And just get away from any of those marketing cliches that make you sound like everyone else. The other day, I got a cold DM on LinkedIn and this person was telling me that I needed to go to their event called Live Your Best Life Now. It's their million dollar accelerator that will help me nail down my unfair competitive advantage. And I'm like, "Whoa. There's three huge marketing cliches that tell me absolutely nothing about what it is." And I don't believe it's a million dollar accelerator if you're cold pitching people on LinkedIn that you know nothing about. And Live your Best Life Now. Come on, we can do better than that. How many people have talked about live your best life or some version of it? It's so trite and so over it.

(18:07): So move away from those big promises like make seven figures or whatever the hell that person was promising me, and get specific about the results because that is how you're going to stand out. If you can stitch some of the internet marketing stuff that we have all been indoctrinated in, start reaching out to people making those personal connections, if you can start speaking people's language and being specific, if you can have a vision and own your expertise and get buy in around that, that is how you stand out in 2023.

(18:54): If the Rebel Uprising Podcast is helping you claim and communicate your expertise so that your clients can find and hire you, please share the show with a friend. The easiest way to do that is through PodLink. You can find the show at pod.link/rebel, and that page will allow anyone you share the show with to subscribe and start listening in their favorite podcast player. That's pod.link/rebel.

(19:24): The Rebel Uprising podcast is a production of Yellow House Media. Our production coordinator is Lou Blaser. Our production assistant is Emily Kilduff. The podcast is edited by Steven Mills. Our executive producers are Sean and Tara McMullin. The Rebel Uprising podcast is recorded on the unceded traditional land of the Coast Salish peoples, specifically the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish people, original stewards of the land past and present.