the top 3 rules of marketing you should NEVER violate
If you want to generate more sales and make MO DOLLAZ (as I like to say), then make sure you never violate the 3 most important rules of marketing:
#1 — No one cares about you.
#2 — No one cares about you
And #3…
NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOU, they only care about themselves.
(And by extension, they don’t care about your company or brand).
I learned this brilliant but humbling truth from Neville Medhora, a successful copywriter who was instrumental in the growth of the software marketplace App Sumo.
Now, pick your ego off the floor because there’s good news.
These rules have a caveat.
No one cares about you, your company, or your brand…
YET.
Here’s what I mean…
Everyone, even the most altruistic person, does things for selfish reasons.
We care about ourselves first and foremost.
So when someone lands on your website or sees your ad, they don’t want to hear about YOU.
Because they don’t care about you…YET.
First, they need to know what’s in it for THEM.
Once they know what you can do for them, then they’ll care enough to get to know your brand better and eventually buy.
The biggest mistake so many companies make is focusing their message on the product or company itself.
You see a lot of headlines that use the word “We” or focus on what the product is.
Instead, you should focus on what the product does for the customer.
According to legendary copywriter Gene Schwartz, the most powerful word in advertising is NOT “free”…it’s “you”.
Here’s an example of a homepage headline that violates the top 3 rules of marketing:
This doesn’t tell me why I should care and continue scrolling.
Even if I’m in the market for a Motorola phone, why should I buy from them?
Now, if I scroll down a little bit, there’s a much better message:
This message clearly tells me why I should care about them.
If this were the first thing I saw when I got to their page, I’d be more interested in doing business with them.
Let’s look at another example:
Let’s say I’m looking for a new wallet and I land here.
Maybe I’m familiar with the concept of RFID blocking and maybe I’m not.
All this tells me is the company thinks their wallet is “a better way to carry cash and cards.”
But why is it better?
What’s in it for me?
So let’s look at a better example.
This one has copy that’s pretty clear what benefit I get and why I should care about them:
Now, the headline is still product focused, but it includes a benefit that gives me an idea of what I get from it.
The subheadline is what really cinches it:
I can get all the carbs, protein, fiber, fats and 27 vitamins and minerals I need from a meal. Not only that, but I can save time on meal prep.
So if I’m really busy but want to make sure I’m getting proper nutrition, this would be the company I choose.
Personally, I think the copy in the subheadline should be the headline, but I’ll give this one a pass.
Today’s main takeaway:
Make sure your copy is customer focused.
Start with the copy on your homepage, mainly your headline.
Put yourself in the shoes of a total stranger.
When you land on the page, does it immediately tell you what benefit you get?
Does it make you feel like this company understands your problem and has a solution for it?
Or does it feel like the company is focused on itself?
If it’s CLEAR what benefit you (the stranger) will get, then you’re a step ahead of everyone else.
If it’s focused on the company or product and doesn’t immediately tell you what’s in it for you, then fix it ASAP.
Make your messaging more customer focused by describing the benefits they’ll get from your product, and watch your conversions go 📈
If you found this post valuable and want to learn more about marketing, email copywriting, and conversion strategies for your e-commerce/digital brand, sign up for my list at www.dash30digital.com. You’ll probably see this post as an email because it’s part of my welcome series automation 🙃