The Marketing Mirror Principle
A few weeks ago, a founder reached out to me and said,
I now get what you have been saying all along about using strategic partnerships. I just realized that co-signs, endorsements and strategic partnerships are basically the same things but I just have to use it in the context of my business.”
The reason a lot of people don’t respond to your marketing messages is that they need you to speak their language.
They need you to say that your product will work for their specific industry, their specific problem, their specific company size, their specific tech stack, etc.
It would surprise how many founders I have heard say ‘this will not work for my business’ when its really just because they don’t know how to apply what they have heard.
Most businesses only do what other businesses just like them will do.
They do not understand that principles can work in any industry and in any city if you understand how to apply them.
This is the reason people just copy what their competitors are doing.
I know of a founder who made over 7 figures in less than 3 months by simply attending events for medical professionals.
Even though he spends money on paid ads, his reasoning was that his prospects would be at those events as well so he should at least test his theory.
He found out that none of his competitors attended the event so he simply pitched and got all that business without struggling.
Most founders don’t look outside what they already know for new ideas.
It’s like staying in the same city all your life.
You won’t know about other cultures or other restaurants or new experiences that people around you are not familiar with.
This is why the only marketing most real estate agents know is having an open house and sending out mailers that look like everyone else’s.
This is why most SaaS startups do the same kind of marketing as their peers. The webinars are the same. The sales tactics are the same. Their paid ads and content are the same… and yet they wonder why it's so hard for them to attract the right customers.
The truth is that when your prospects can’t tell the difference between you and your competitors, they will most likely go with the cheapest option.
The right way to think is, ‘what is working outside of my industry/vertical/market that I can apply so I gain an unfair advantage over my competition?’
Make your marketing a mirror
Every market starts out with a handful of dominant solutions until the customer has more than enough options to choose from.
If you're in a competitive market, you have to make your prospect identify with your solution.
You can’t be saying ‘hey, we solve this problem so come and buy our stuff for a 20 percent discount.’. If you’re trying to reach CFO’s, you should speak their language by using terms they are familiar with. I once closed a senior executive by talking about Ebitda, cashflow etc in my pitch. Technically Ebitda is more or less profit but using those terms made him identify with me.
Remember, people, don’t just buy because they understand what you are selling, they buy because they feel understood.
Old school copywriters would use unique phrases that only their intended target could appreciate. This is what we call ‘dog whistle marketing’
Check out Eugene Schwartz’s Breakthrough Advertising to learn more.
Learn how to apply what isn’t obvious
Taking pre-orders for clothing is fairly common in e-commerce. Do you think it would work in the automobile industry?
Many people didn’t think it would work until they saw Elon Musk do it with the Tesla Model 3.
What about webinars? can you sell computers, phones, and speakers with them?
Apple has been doing this for years and many marketers can’t even tell that is what is happening.
Every year Apple has multiple events where they launch new products. These events are live-streamed to millions of people. Is that not a webinar/online video launch?
Just because the names are different doesn’t mean it’s not the same thing.
Some people say a couch is a sofa. Others say a freeway is a highway. Is a pop or a soda?
Finally…
Learn to look at the fundamentals while everyone is looking at the exterior.
Remember, business growth is founded on the pillars of marketing, sales, and innovation.
Your business may be unique but it’s no different so learn to speak to your prospects in their language.
Make them identify themselves in your marketing via the right words, images, testimonials, case studies, etc.
Secondly, learn to travel outside your industry for ideas that will give you an advantage over competitors.
