Years ago I had a t-shirt that said, “I (heart) Me”.
And I do — love myself that is…
But, what shocked me was the response that the shirt got.
Someone actually pulled me aside and said, “I can’t believe you’re wearing that. Do you really think you’re all that?”
They were offended by the tshirt. They thought I was arrogant for wearing it. And even perhaps, for daring to love myself. Clearly, it said everything I needed to know about that person.
These days, while I don’t have a t-shirt that says “I (heart) Marketing”, I can imagine that message would provoke a similar response.
So many people out REALLY hate marketing. They think it’s sleazy. Pushy. Icky. And a hundred other words that have come to represent how they feel when they ask for money.
Why do so many people hate marketing when it’s literally the lifeblood of your business?
I believe that one of the biggest reasons that people are reluctant to market is a misunderstanding of what marketing really is — and it all comes down to how YOU personally define marketing.
And the way that most people define it literally creates a love/hate relationship with the most important activity in your business.
If you define marketing as the way you attract new customers into your business, and the way that you reengage existing customers, it can start to feel like an “obligation”. Even a necessary evil. Something you have to do to have a business. There’s no joy in that.
But that definition of marketing just barely scratches the surface of what’s possible…
I want to share what I’ve learned over the 5 years that we’ve been doing online marketing. This simple shift has allowed me to fall in love with marketing… and one of my missions in life to help you fall in love with marketing too.
And when you do — business gets a lot easier and a lot more fun.
Try this definition on for size:
Instead of thinking about marketing at the surface level as the process of attracting new customers into your business, try thinking about it at a deeper level.
What’s really happening when you do marketing well?
Marketing at this deeper level is actually “the process of helping someone create the mindsets, beliefs and conditions they need to make a change in their life that they want, but can’t attain on their own.”
Marketing is a way to be of service and provide life-changing value that allows your prospects to:
- connect with what they really want, need and desire
- make a choice about something that’s meaningful to them
- move forward with clarity and confidence
Everything changes when you shift your definition of “marketing” from attracting customers to connecting with people and transforming their lives.
Instead of feeling like you’re pushing your products, services or “commercial content” onto people… you can instead start to feel like you’re pulling them in with messages that they most want and need to hear.
Instead of being “that guy” or “that woman” that you unfriend on Facebook… you’re providing real value and inspiring people to engage with you.
Marketing is not about your products or services, it’s about engaging with the dialogue your ideal customer is having with themselves, and inspiring people to engage with themselves, discover what they REALLY want from their lives, and helping them down the path to achieving it.
Because that’s where the real transformation lies — when you help people toward where they most dearly desire to go.
So let me know in the comments: how does this deeper definition feel to you?
Are you feeling even a little bit excited about marketing yet?
What’s the most transformational marketing that you’ve ever experienced?
When did you feel excited to consume someone’s marketing?
How can you create that excitement in your tribe too?
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If I get enough comments below, I’ll share the 4 other reasons that hold people back from marketing their business in a future blog post.
I’m mission to help you fall in love with marketing and find your authentic marketing voice, so writing this kind of stuff is an absolute JOY.