The Power of Excluding Yourself from Your Marketing

“Exclude yourself from your own marketing.”

This is what I always tell my team, and it makes them grit their teeth and dig in.

Why?

Because it’s a trap. When you launch new content, it’s easy to get overattached to it.

After all, you created it. You like it. So it’s bound to work, right? Right? Bueller?

TLDR: 

• The goal: Create content that appeals to your target audience
• The tactic: Give your audience (not yourself) what they want
• The result: Release content that converts leads to demo 

Tactic 1: Look at your content from your audience’s shoes

Unless it’s other marketers, in most cases, you’re not the target audience for what you’re selling.

It’s easy to get caught up in what you find interesting or appealing. But your audience’s needs and preferences will often differ from your own.

Instead, take a step back and consider how your content resonates with the people you’re trying to reach.

So ask yourself these questions:

• Do you know what they want?
• What stage are they at in their customer journey?
• Are you addressing their pain points?
• Are you speaking their language?

Put yourself in their shoes to align your messaging with their wants and concerns, not what you think looks good.

Tactic 2: Give your audience something real

Authenticity is more important than ever in sales and marketing.

People are tired of overly polished sales content that at times feels disconnected from reality.

Rather, they want something genuine that reflects the challenges they face.

They also want solutions that address their challenges.

There’s no better way to appeal to your audience than by using their own words against themquotes in your marketing.

Even if those quotes seem cliche, cheesy, or plain.

At least they’re something real.

Tactic 3: Give your audience something valuable

Your content needs to deliver more than just information.

It needs to deliver value.

Your content should give your audience knowledge that they can apply immediately.

If you’re stuck on how to do it, revisit Tactic 1 and ask yourself what insights, tips, and tools you can provide to solve their problems and make their jobs easier.

When your audience feels they’ve gained something valuable from your content, they’ll see you as a trusted source and not just another brand pushing a product.

Tactic 4: Give your audience something recognizable

Familiarity is key when you’re trying to connect with your ideal customers.

When your content has recognizable elements, it fosters an immediate connection. This could be:

• A challenge they face
• The language they speak
• Specific examples and case studies from their industry

Memes, gifs, and other multimedia content can help build this connection, like this one…

It’s recognizable for almost everyone, although it might not appeal to everyone (that’s why you should consider Tactic 2 when picking content. People have different standards for value).

Once you’ve established a connection, you should deliver a 1-2 punch by following up with content that shows you “get” them and understand their world.

You can do this by tapping into shared experiences, relevant examples, and scenarios your audience relates to.

The Result

When you combine all four tactics, your content will resonate with your audience. The result is sales and marketing that feels personalized, relevant, and trustworthy.

In turn, your audience becomes more likely to:

• Respond to your outreach
• Take the action you want
• See your business as one that serves their needs
• Stay loyal and satisfied