6 Surprising Ways to “Start With Why” in Your Marketing Strategy

A lot goes into creating a marketing strategy. It can easily become complicated and overwhelming. There’s so much to do and so many channels and best practices to keep track of.

So, how do you simplify all the chaos?

We’d argue that the best place to start is with your “why.” Once you get back to the root of your original purpose, you’re much better able to prioritize what matters and what doesn’t. And you may just happen to feel more motivated, too.

Perhaps you’ve heard of this “Start with Why” concept. It originated from Simon Sinek in his TED Talk, “How Great Leaders Inspire Action.” (“Start with Why “ is also the title of one of several books written by Sinek.)

Here’s the talk, in case you haven’t seen it yet:

To summarize, a business and its marketing messages are greatly improved when, instead of starting with “what,” (such as “We make athletic shoes,”), you begin with your “why,” and then move to the “what,” (“We believe in challenging yourself to do new things. We help athletes find it within themselves to reach the height of their abilities. Our athletic shoes are comfortable, functional, and durable-so you have one less thing to worry about as you push yourself to the next level,”).

When you start with why, your messaging is so much more emotional and impactful. It helps readers feel the purpose behind your work, and makes them want to be a part of it, too. As Sinek says, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

But how do you “start with why”? There are multiple approaches, and to some extent, you’ll have to figure that out on your own. But let’s explore 6 simple ways to get you started. Not only will these tips help you keep constant focus on your purpose—they’ll also significantly simplify your marketing efforts. So you can know you’re focusing on all the right things.

Know your purpose

Now it’s time to apply Sinek’s ideas to your marketing approach. Before doing anything else, you need to determine your “why,” or the overarching goal of your brand, and write it down. Companies often refer to this as a mission, a vision, or a purpose. Regardless of what you call it, this is the reason behind your business’s existence-the life force behind everything you do.

Keep in mind, your purpose is not “to make money.” Sure, that’s one of many results that you hope for and work toward. But it’s not the motivating force that drove you to start this business in the first place. It’s not the reason your products or services are important. And it’s not life-changing (except, perhaps, to you).

Once you’ve determined your “why,” focus on it through every marketing channel and activity. Allow your “why” to positively impact your marketing content, and you’ll notice your audience react differently. A brand that is led by their purpose is the one that will have the greatest impact.

Narrow your focus

Focus on your niche. Become super clear on who your target market is. Who are the people whose problems and pain points could be solved by your business? Once you define this, your messaging becomes clear—you know who you’re talking to and what they need to hear.

It’s also much more effective to be specific in your outreach than to just throw a blanket out and hope to reach the world. You’re actually more likely to reach more people within a specific group than you would if your efforts were too broad. So you don’t waste your time, energy, or money—nor that of the people who won’t fully appreciate what you have to offer.

This not only increases efficiency, by helping you focus your attention toward the market segments and activities that will yield the best results. It also helps ensure your audience feels cared for and special. You’re not just blasting out the same message to everyone. Instead, you know who your audience is, and you’re tailoring your products and your messages to be made just for them.

Offer genuine value

One of the best ways to build trust with prospects early on in the conversion process is to offer them real value—for free, in the beginning. Often, this comes in the form of information or insights. This can be on your blog, or perhaps something the user can sign up for, like a mini-course or a free trial of your program. People love to be able to test out what you can offer first, before making any buying decisions. Plus, being so generous with your offerings reminds both you and your audience that you’re not just in it for their money-you really want to help.

And, of course, always meet or exceed expectations with the value you provide—whether for free or through a purchase. For example, if you create a free e-book to send out to those who give an email address, ensure it provides all the information and guidance you promised it would. If you sell a product, ensure it functions properly, looks great, fits great, and is durable. Always deliver on your promises.

Satisfy your customers, and they will not only become repeat customers—they’ll also write great reviews and recommend you to friends and family. If they’re unsatisfied, they’ll pass the word on, too—and it will likely spread faster than anything positive. So don’t let that happen.

Be conversational in your content

If you’ve written academic papers, you know how easy it can be to get in a rut of writing extremely informational pieces, packed with information and monotony. On the other hand, if you’ve read or written fictional stories, you know that these are often more entertaining to read, but tend to be long-winded and extremely descriptive.

Digital writing is different from both of these. You want online content writing to draw the reader in and keep their attention, but you also usually want to avoid being too lengthy or flowery in descriptions.

Keep things concise and professional, yet relaxed. Like you’re talking to a friend. Your purpose in marketing is, after all, to be a friend to your audience and help discover and solve their problems. Taking on this kind of conversational tone will build your readers’ trust in you as a friend they can truly rely on.

Streamline content creation

Content marketing can be a time-consuming feat. To save time and guarantee you’ll always do it right, it helps to have a process that you consistently follow with every piece. Here are a few important steps to include in your writing process:

• Brainstorm. Write down every idea you can think of — even if it seems dumb at first. You don’t have to use all your ideas, but getting them all out on paper may help open your mind to new ideas you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.
• Outline. This helps gather all your thoughts on a piece before writing it. Lay out all your ideas and organize them into sections. It’s also a good time to determine what sources you’ll use and where you’ll include them. If you start with an outline, you’ll help ensure that your final draft isn’t missing anything.
• Proofread. Once you’re finished with your first draft, set it aside for a few hours, or even a few days. Then you can come back to it with fresh eyes. And when you do come back, try reading it out loud. Doing so will help you go more slowly and catch any mistakes you’ve made.

Streamlining your writing process in this way not only increases efficiency, it will make your content better overall. (For more tips on smoothing out your process, download our guide to content creation by subscribing at parkwriters.com.)

Don’t be afraid to outsource

Sometimes, focusing on your “why” means delegating some efforts to others with expertise in those areas. Outsourcing saves you time and allows those with the right skill sets to take on those responsibilities. Additionally, it leaves you with more energy to channel toward your personal core competencies, such as leading and overseeing.

Creating content for your business is an important task. But if you need to focus more of your time and energy elsewhere, you might consider outsourcing to Park Writing—check out our services here .

Start with your why to simplify

Marketing is no longer like a pushy salesman going door to door. Instead, it’s being a friend trying to help someone out, by finding an actual useful solution to a real problem in their lives. When you keep your real purpose in mind at all times, you become a business that truly helps your consumers. And when you take the right steps to keep that focus, it simplifies your efforts significantly. Save yourself the money, time, and energy to put toward what really counts.

Originally published at https://parkwriters.com on March 18, 2021.