Your Online Marketing: All Talk; No Listening?

Online Marketing requires you talk to you customers not at them.

In today’s world, it is common to feel that everyone is talking but no one is listening, from websites to social media, to the point where no one is really listening to anything. That’s why it is critical to talk to (not at) your site visitors to draw them in.

In my experience creating websites, the site owner is mostly concerned with what they want visitors to know, not what they are looking for. These tend to be two entirely separate sets of data.

Opportunity Lost

Add social media to the mix where the poster wants you to know what they stand for and their company’s positions, all to leave an impression. They often use clickbait, knowing what will get your attention while not directly impacting their product or service.

The information offered on websites is primarily the company’s overall portfolio and branding efforts—what they want you to think of them. Many times, the most important message, which should revolve around customers’ needs, falls short or sounds too cliche. Go too far off track, and you’ll diminish your brand.

I see this type of messaging in big and small companies alike. For some, I’ve wondered why they don’t care as much about focusing on customers as they do about the feel-good stuff they post, which doesn’t ultimately contribute to customer satisfaction.

You have probably experienced this, too. How often do you feel the marketing messaging does not apply to you? So, where does the customer come into the conversation?

Time to Start Listening

When it comes to the topic of messaging, here’s my methodology:

Listen to my client’s questions and concerns. Then, cater to that information if it is in my wheelhouse and collection of services.
Advise my clients to do the same for their target market and help them implement a customer-centric messaging strategy.

How do we accomplish that? By listening. Carefully. Then applying.

My 3X Rule

When I first notice a concern or am asked a question, I note that in the client’s file. This helps to remind me of their preliminary concerns as we proceed.

If another client raises that topic or concern again, I also include that information in a separate file on my desktop to investigate in more detail when time permits. This allows me to track the concerns of my client base as a whole.

By the third time it comes up, I consider that a pattern is forming. I investigate ways to integrate that information in detail into my website, FAQ, onboarding, or future blog posts. When that very same topic comes up again, I can provide a link to more details along with my personalized response.

Moving forward, those with similar concerns or questions can find my detailed response on my website with little effort. I also do not have to provide the same information repeatedly.

Win-win.

Blah-Blah-Blah

How often have you visited a website to discover content wordsmithed to death? It’s all feel-good marketing blah-blah-blah, without any substance. You know, all the corporate gobbledygook that sounds like a team of attorneys or so-called intellectuals wrote what they thought they were supposed to say.

Words that have no meaning or impact on you. Content that makes you feel there is no sincerity behind the website, or that the person is attempting to appear as something they are not.

I see this on websites I am asked to critique all the time. No personality, no humanizing personal details, not a single sentence that you, the site visitor (or potential customer), can relate to.

The content is barely readable. (Is it all AI-created?) Nothing stands out as special or unique—just more blah-blah-blah. The company doesn’t appear to be approachable. Where’s that back button!?

While I now know how “great” they are, in their eyes that is, I really have no idea if they are a company that wants to do business with me. Or I with them.

Create Relatable and Understandable Content

The very same analogy goes for your website, no matter your size. Is your site filled with all the flowery, superfluous information YOU want potential customers to know from YOUR perspective? (Your perspective may not be theirs.)

Does your site talk TO your visitors, not AT them? What may surprise you is that these are two entirely different approaches to presenting your information.

A simple example:

Talking AT: We pride ourselves on being the company that produces the most widgets.

Talking TO: We will make your life easier by being the one-stop shop for all your widget needs. Here’s how…

See what I did? I made the statement about the customer — not the company’s production rate.

Epic Fail About Pages

The About page often contains generic corporate speak. Most About pages use verbiage that the site owner thinks will impress the website visitor—again, not what the visitor is looking for.
Don’t use “we” when it is just you. If you are a one-person show, there is no need to look bigger or have more people. Use you to your advantage.
Avoid writing in the third person. Write your About page as if you are talking directly to that one person on the other side of the screen. Being just you is an advantage that correlates to personalized service and attention.
If you have staff, let each of them have a section where they explain their work ethic and passions, again in the first person. This approach enables visitors get to know the people behind the scenes, humanizing your business.

People do business with those they like and feel they can relate to. Don’t make the mistake of trying to be something you are not. It’s inauthentic, and site visitors will know that.

For example, if you read anything on my site, you “hear” my personality come through. Those who talk with me find I am what I portray on this site—a knowledgeable, experienced straight shooter.

Customers First Site Content

Make the time to put on your customer hat and review all your site content. Think about what questions your site visitors have and what problems you can solve for them.

Avoid words or concepts that your target market cannot relate to. Create content that speaks to them in their lingo.

You do this by directly addressing their doubts, concerns, and needs. This approach caters to what they want (and need to know) so they can choose to do business with you.

At your service,