This people first mindset is not just something you say but should be part of your company culture.
In March I was invited to speak with a group of entrepreneurs as part of the annual Phoenix Startup Week. I’m an entrepreneur myself and began to think through what I could offer to help this group grow their businesses. One lesson that I’ve learned throughout my career is that people matter. From your customers to your investors and from your employees to your strategic partners, putting people first can quickly escalate success.
As a marketer myself, I know that creating and implementing a people-first marketing strategy doesn’t have to break the bank. When you define your target audience, you can use that marketing research to communicate effectively and invest in strategies that reach your target audience. Great, but what does this mean? If your product or service is designed for moms ages 24 to 36, you won’t be advertising on sports channels or using social media influencers who are experts in the automotive industry. Similarly, you don’t often see diaper brands advertising during the Super Bowl.
Once your audience is defined, understand what is and is not important to them. How can your product or service make their life better? Show how your product solves a problem or relieves a pain point. When you demonstrate that you are invested in improving their life, you’re demonstrating their needs are important to you. This people-first mindset is not just something you say but should be part of your company culture.
You’ve defined your audience and you know what matters most to them, now it’s time to create a marketing plan. This plan will include a campaign brief, brand guidelines and outline what you’re trying to achieve. At this stage, it’s easy to slip into old habits and put company needs and objectives first. Need examples of companies to model who put people first every step of the way? Look no further than Costco, Zappos and Nordstrom.
With your marketing plan developed, identifying your tactics comes next. As an entrepreneur, it’s likely that you’ve invested your working capital into your product. That does not mean you can’t successfully execute your marketing plan on a budget. You can still make a substantial impact by leveraging the right tactics. Whether it’s influencer marketing or heavily targeted ads through social platforms, you can effectively deliver your message to your target audience via channels where they have opted-in.
The right message, paired with the right tactic, can yield remarkable results. An e-commerce site invested less than $10,000 into an influencer marketing campaign to promote a pair of shoes. Because the message spoke directly to the buyers, via the social media influencers they trust, the site sold out of those shoes within 24 hours. The company carried the people-first value into the message and the tactic, resulting in rewarding ROI.
Interested in learning more about how Find Your Influence leads with people-first values? Request one of our leaders for an interview or to speak at your event. Send your request today to tami@findyourinfluece.com.
