Never Start With the Solution

“Great marketers don’t use consumers to solve their company’s problems; they use marketing to solve other people’s problems,” is the concept behind Seth Godin’s marketing philosophy. That is why, he tells us content writers, never start with the solution, but with:

1. the group you want to serve
2. the problem you seek to solve
3. the change you want to see made

In terms of all three of these elements, Godin reminds readers that, as humans, our decision making is primarily driven by one question:

“Do people like me do things like this?

The “things like this” refers to the changes you want to see made and the problem you seek to solve, but the first and most important item to address is the “people like me”. (Who is the “me???)

To achieve any degree of success through blog marketing, for example, your knowledge of your target audience needs to influence every aspect of your content, including the content itself, the style of writing, the length and frequency of posts, and the degree to which you elicit comments and feedback. It’s all about knowing – in detail – who the “me” is.

Fully seven years ago, friend and admired sales training expert Tim Roberts explained that, when it comes to teaching problem-solving skills, he encourages salespeople to focus on finding problems (perhaps those your customer hadn’t yet considered) before offering solutions. Translated into content marketing through blogs I explain to Say It For You clients, when searchers’ query relates to what you sell, what you do, and what you know about, those readers will find your blog. But, what if your content, rather than jumping into the solution, focused on raising questions and inviting input, rather than offering standard answers?

As I heard sales trainer Tory Buchan of Great Deals Marketing emphasize the other day in a presentation, branding is never a one-and-done affair. That means that for us content marketing means answering the “Who is ‘Me’? question not once, but over and over.

Great marketers start, not with the solution, but with the people they aim to serve!