Have you ever had a coffee with a friend who wanted to talk about themselves … constantly… and never once asked you anything about you? It was all about them right? Frustrating and a turn-off? Did you feel like catching up again or did the thought of it turn you off … and overtime did the friendship drift apart?

Well the same principle applies with marketing – although this time the shoe could be on the other foot.

Is your marketing about you – or is your customer the hero?

You know that feeling when you start to feel lost as you browse a webpage; you start wondering: “How did I end up here?”

You see plenty of information about the business’s credentials and years of experience, but not a lot on how they can help you or the problems you might be facing.  You feel zero connection or sincerity, so you click that little x button in the top right-hand corner that takes you and your business away with it.

So how you do stop this from happening to you?

1. Make your customer the hero of all of your marketing – it needs to be all about them!

Your customer needs to be at the centre of everything you do and say when you are marketing to them. This means everything from your website to your social media posts and any off-line activities you might be doing.

All roads need to lead back to your customer and their deepest issues and desires.

2. Understand who your customer is on a deeper level

Do you know your customer like you know your best friend?

I’m pretty sure, you could tell me your audience’s gender, a general age range, likely profession and so on. But do you know what:

  •  troubles them? What are their deepest issues?
  • they are most afraid of?
  • solutions they are looking for?
  • influences them?
  • might attract them to you? How could you help solve this problem?

Start by asking yourself why you created your business and who you created it for. Who was that person and what did they need most?

If you can answer these questions in your marketing materials you’ll be many steps closer to having your customers fall in love with you!

3. Create an inspired brand story that makes your customer the hero

Once you understand what makes your gorgeous customer tick, it’s time to write an inspired brand story that makes them the hero and shows how you can guide them to success.  Writing this story will be the foundation for all of your future marketing.

What is an inspired brand story?

As human beings, we are captivated by stories – much more than facts. We’ve been telling stories around fires for millennia and nothing has changed in the 21st century. We still want to see and hear ourselves in the stories we are told.

To create an inspired brand story takes some time and insight.

To do this I recommend a meditation. You can access a guided meditation to help you with this process here. This will help you bring together all you have learned about your audience and give you inspiration to create a story that will resonate with them.  So to begin the meditation:

Light a candle, take a deep breath, close your eyes and take yourself into the space of your customer.

See them in your mind’s eye and move to sit in their shoes. As you settle into their shoes really think about what matters most to them and what are they struggling with most.  What would solving this problem mean to them?

Once you are feeling the struggle imagine another version of yourself coming into the picture. What will you do or say to help them most? How can you serve them at your highest level?  What do they need right now? What is the solution you can offer them that will solve their problem?

Take another breath and sit for a moment.

Straight after your meditation take your journal or your voice recorder on your phone and start to speak or write. Tell the story you have just witnessed. Write down every detail as it comes to you.

Once you’ve finished writing take a break for an hour or so and then come back to write your story.

Then allow some time for incubation. Take another 24 hours and do any final tweaks until you are comfortable with it.

Once you’ve done this take your story to a trusted friend or someone who is your avatar. Share the story with them and see how they respond. Make any final tweaks before you take the next step in the process.

Remember you can access the guided meditation to help you with this process here.

4. Ensure your inspired story translates into content that’s all about your customer

Once you have tested your story with your audience start updating your marketing materials. Start with your website and services/pages.  Make sure your About You page (typically the second most trafficked page on a website) is actually all about them.

It’s essential your inspired hero’s story is consistent across all platforms. Speak to the same person and solve their problems across your website, social media platforms, newsletters and any other channels you use to connect and sell.

With your customer as the hero you’ll produce much more engaging and original content that will actually be much easier and more enjoyable for you to create.

5. Beyond content how are you serving your customer and making them the hero?

As you change the tone of your content are there other simple practices you could incorporate into your business to make your customer the hero? With so many new approaches to marketing, we often forget about the value of simple gestures such as:

  • follow-up phones calls/emails to see how they are going (with no sales vibe)
  • repeat customer rewards/incentives/discounts
  • fast responses with a personal feeling (covering everything from email to social media). With this one be really clear about how people can best contact you. If you have too many channels available you can miss things (and I have!)
  • Asking your customers for their feedback and opinion – they’ll be glad you asked!

Serving your customer this way will make sure they see you as genuine and trustworthy.  You will truly be delivering on what you promise in your content.  Once they feel they have a trusted relationship, where you continue to serve their highest needs, they’ll very likely keep coming to you.

Want to explore how to overcome your fear of selling and self-promotion more?

If you are not clear on what that next step is or you want to explore this whole idea of making your customer the hero I invite you to download my free workbook here. Step Into Your Yes: 5 Steps To Help You Step into Your Power. Overcome Your Fear of Selling, Build Your List and Grow A Business You Love.

Also, I’d love to hear how you go with the tips I’ve shared here. Feel free to email me at hello@jenramsey.com or make a comment in the box below.

Until next time, take care and take inspired action!

love

Jen xx