What is marketing? This is a question many marketers have tried to answer, and most get it wrong.
I’m not saying I have the definitive answer, but for me marketing is simple: It’s about creating a one-on-one relationship in a one-to-many way.
On first glance this may sound impossible, but it isn’t. And the key to this is intimacy.
What most marketers get wrong is they try to automate a process that doesn’t need automating. They do this because they’re obsessed with growth and scale, yet there’s a good chance they don’t need massive amounts of leads and customers to achieve success. Instead, all they need are quality connections that count.
The SSF Method
A couple of years ago, I created the SSF Method, and it’s helped a lot of entrepreneurs bring meaningful intimacy into their lead generation. Why? Because it removes this idea that everyone should get the same message as everyone else.
You can no longer create a single funnel or lead magnet and expect success. Your audience are at different stages, and your job as a marketer is to give them the right content at the right time. In general, they fit into one of three key buckets of awareness:
- The Sidewalk: Those who are not aware they have a pain or problem
- The Slow Lane: Those who are aware they have a problem, but don’t know enough about the process or methodology to move forward
- The Fast Lane: Those who are ready to commit to a solution, but need more information about what the solution is
If you create specific messaging for each, you bring intimacy into your lead generation and become relevant to the right people at the right time. But, it isn’t only the message that matters, because it’s when you share it when the magic happens.
How to serve the right content to the right people at the right time
Once you understand who your audience is and whether they fit in your sidewalk, slow lane or fast lane, it’s easy to create specific content for them.
- People in your sidewalk are not aware of their problem, so you need to produce micro content that illuminates their pain.
- If they’re in your slow lane you need to educate them of your process, which means more in-depth content (articles, guides, longer…
