The Simplest Marketing Advice Ever

There is one thing that I think separates good marketers from great marketers. It's actually very simple -- anyone can do it. It doesn't take a fancy education or even a whole lot of experience. All you need is a little imagination. (A bit of research helps too.)

It's empathy. Put yourself in the shoes of somebody you're targeting. Speaking of shoes, we'll walk through an example as if that's what you sell. Close your eyes and imagine somebody wearing your shoes. What else are they wearing? Where do they go for lunch? What do they do on the weekend? What do they do for a living?
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Answering questions like these will provide insight that can guide you through everything else you do. Once you "know" this person, you can connect with them.
Now... Let's dig a little deeper. Let's say you're selling these shoes. (below)


Let's try to picture the person who is wearing them. In my mind, I'm thinking of someone who is interested in sports or fitness. Possibly running. If I were wearing these shoes, I may have had a smoothie for breakfast and will probably do a workout after work. This person is confident, disciplined, and has a lot of friends. They're 25 -- 34 years old and college educated. They're mid-level in their career with aspirations of growing professionally. They prefer to communicate through text message or social media.

What you've done is begun to build a persona. Now take it one step further. Try to think of someone you know who is like this person and dig a little deeper into what makes them tick. Where do they shop? Do they consult online reviews? When they buy online, are they willing to pay for shipping? If you don't know, shoot your friend a text (because that's how they prefer to communicate) and ask them. Now that you've associated the person you're selling to with somebody you know, you'll have even more insight as to how to reach more people like them in meaningful ways.

With the answers to all these questions, you can start to think about what to say to these people and where to say it. You will be able to say more with less. This is important because in our world, you only have a few seconds to capture somebody's interest.

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If you don't take the time to think through who you're going to be talking to, you may be doing a lot of work and not getting your best results. I'm passionate about finding ways to connect with all kinds of people. If you're not interested in someone's life or you don't take the time to get to know them, you're not really connecting. The more you can connect, the more you'll sell.

Tonya Cardinali

Pursuing the extraordinary with passion.