Finding 'your special'.
Your special…
…no that’s not a typo.
I’ve been working in advertising and marketing for 25 years. I’m qualified, perhaps even over qualified. I’ve studied consumer behaviour and I’ve specialised in it for many years so I know a LOT of jargon. Jargon is something my industry loves.
So with this experience and knowledge, I think I’ve earned the right to make up my own jargon. Only mine is always geared towards demystifying marketing because that’s where my passion lies.
Bringing me to the concept of ‘special’. ‘Your special’ is something I talk about often in workshops and mentoring sessions.
But what does it mean?
Have you ever thought about what makes you special? What your product or services do that are not only great but are really special? I believe that knowing what that is can be the key to unlocking your perfect marketing messaging. It can be the key to communicating to your customers in a way that they can understand and relate, in a way that makes them purchase, recommend and come back for more.
Let me give you an example.
The admin person at a popular mechanics might come to me and ask me to help them create strategy and content around their business. They have been posting photos from the workshop and not getting much traction. I would say “that’s not at all surprising because who would actually want to see photos like that on Instagram?”.
Rather than abandon the marketing channel, I would ask them what their customers say about them. I would ask them about why their customers keep coming back. I would ask them about the funny stories they have, the jobs that make them happy, the things they are most proud of. I would ask them about their team - who are they, how long have they worked there, what is their speciality? Who are their suppliers? What make of cars do they specialise in? Do they do restorations?
At the end of our conversation, we would have a huge list of content ideas that aren’t even about cars or motorbikes. I call that a Content Smash™
Do you know what makes you special?
And by you I mean your business / brand / product / services. If you can’t answer that question, try this:
Copy and paste all your reviews and testimonials into one document and look for patterns. Look for words and phrases that people often use. That’s a big clue.
Take those often-used words and phrases and split them out onto a page. Study them. Think about how they got there and what you did to get that response from your customers.
Can you rework that into a sentence? If you can, you’ve not only just found your special, you’ve found a way to communicate it.
Now take that sentence and put it where people will see it. Rework it to fit into ads and social media captions. Learn it and add it to your ‘elevator pitch’. Own your special. Tell people about it…
Now push it a little further. Take that ‘special’ and turn it around and use empathy to see what the customer sees and feels about you. Ask ‘why’. Why do they feel that? Why is your special important to them? How do/can you add value to their lives?
Your customers tell you this stuff all the time. They give you clues, don’t overlook them.
Once you know what makes you special. That’s what you build your stories around.
Hopefully right now you are having one of those lightbulb moments.
I did this exercise on myself and my special is being able to share my knowledge in a patient and accessible way. I know that this is important because social media and digital marketing can be overwhelming and overwhelmingly important. So through my messaging, through my content, through my courses and workshops I strive to break down the jargon. I really hope I’ve helped to do that today…yes I made a new piece of jargon but I think it’s way easier to understand than value proposition or brand values statement…am I right?
I am a marketing specialist with a focus on social media strategy and building community around regional and rural small businesses, not-for-profits and more. If you’re wondering “how can I use social media for business or for marketing” then please get in touch.
Follow me for more tips via Instagram or Facebook or find out about workshops, courses and training here.
