A long, long time ago in a forest far, far away, I got lost. I was about 10 years old at a Cub Scout camp. We had been playing a wide game, and amidst the adrenaline of hiding, chasing, and then being chased, two other boys and I found ourselves unsure of the way back to base camp.
Akela had said that we shouldn’t run beyond the sound of the whistle. But how do we know if we are beyond the sound of the whistle? Anyway, we decided on what we thought was the way back and, 15 minutes later, realized we were wrong.
It was getting dark. We started to panic, turned around, and went in a new direction. It all got a bit Deliverance-like until eventually, we saw some lights and found ourselves at the side of a road.
Car headlamps appeared in the distance. One of us stuck out an arm and put a thumb up to hitch a lift. I had been taught never to do such a thing. Ever. A little red Mini pulled over, and the young man inside wound down the window and asked if we were okay and where we needed to go.
Now imagine, at that point, instead of asking us where we needed to go, he started telling us about all the great benefits of his little red Mini, how crisp the sound from the stereo is, and how many miles to the gallon it gets. All we wanted to know was, ‘Could he take us to a safe place now?’.
The goal of marketing your business is to let your customers know where you can take them - the successful ending that culminates in an improved life; a healthier body, a more suitable job, the right insurance. Your potential client is looking for someone who solves the problem they have. They want to know where you can take them. Tell them about it and talk about the benefits once you are on your way.
At Simple Story Marketing we help purpose-led businesses bring change and success with simple, story-based marketing; content for your website, social media, and email campaigns that connect with your customers.
P.S. Back at base camp, Akela was a bit miffed. They never told our parents and neither did we.
