Your industry isn’t boring to your target audience.
We recently attended a great breakout session with Dan Moyle from AmeriFirst Mortgage. Dan talked about marketing a mortgage company and how, at first-glance, it seems like a less-than-glamorous industry to try to sell. But, to someone looking to buy a home, their story isn’t boring at all. You just need to find those people, those warm leads,and show them that you can help solve problems and/or answer their questions.
Warm leads are searching online every day for a business or product like yours.
Here are the 5 tools to help you market your “boring” industry to your target audience.
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Use buyer personas
This one probably warrants its very own blog, but in short, personas are made-up people who represent your target customer. The tech-savvy traveler; the stressed-out mom; the overworked restaurant owner…whoever the person is that your product or service would be most appealing to. Build out these personas: give them a back-story, a name. It will help you flesh out your efforts to reach them where they “live.” And share these personas with your team so they understand who they are trying to reach too.
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Blog
If there is one thing all inbound marketers will encourage, it is blogging. Dan noted in his presentation that 92% of companies who blog daily got a customer through that channel. By offering valuable information, your blog can get people to the next step in your prospecting process: the landing page. That is where they will give you their email address, allowing you to reach out to them personally.
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Use email marketing
We all get a ton of email, and most of us are inclined to delete “junk” emails, but people WILL read your email if you can convince them that you are going to solve a problem for them.Use emails to direct people to your website where you offer relevant content to draw in your target audience.And then take your content to the next level by offering peripheral content…content addressing other related problems/questions your prospect might be facing that you can help solve. Talk about the icing on the cake!
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Socialize
Your potential customers are already sharing their problems and questions on social media, so try engaging them in a helpful conversation or answer their questions in a conversational, approachable tone. Social media are great places to share success stories in a fun, less-formal way. And, you can bet those personal stories will get some shares/likes!
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Make videos!
This is Dan Moyle’s secret weapon. Video is a very social medium. People feel like they know a person once they see them on a video; they feel connected. (It’s just like how I feel connected to George Clooney.) But having video on your website is more than just building trust with prospects; it is also highly searchable, especially if you put in on Google’s very own video library: YouTube. You don’t have to be a Julliard-trained actor to make a video for your company; just be helpful and concise and show a little personality. For example, check out Dan’s 60 Second Mortgage Tips for AmeriFirst.
No industry is boring to the people who need its products or services. Inbound marketing can be used to promote ANY industry to their target audience – just offer them a helping hand, some useful advice, a roadmap to a solution. As Dan said: “Helpful is the new sexy.”
