Here is a great quote from social media marketing stalwart Gary Vaynerchuck:

“It’s an enormous mental shift about believing in what you do and understanding how to do it. Because, once you believe in what you’re trying to accomplish and you understand what the north star is, it gives you the ability to decide which tactics are right for you and your brand. You can be as tactical as you want, but you need to understand your marketing purpose first. It’s what separates salespeople from brand marketers. Salespeople utilize tactics, brand marketers believe in the religion.”

Gary says “Marketing is all about religion, not tactics.”

So what is marketing “religion”?

Believe in What You’re Doing

It’s the beginning of NFL training camp right now, so here in Colorado the Denver Broncos start to dominate the sports news.  The details of training camp and each individual player’s efforts are well documented.  Each position, person, and team tactic are analyzed.

Unless you’re really into football (which many here are), this seems like minutia.  What does any of this matter?

But when General Manager and QB legend John Elway is discussed, the purpose becomes clear.  Every move, strategy, and tactic is executed for only one reason.

To win the Super Bowl.

That’s the goal.  It’s what the Broncos believe in.  It guides everything else they do.  It’s a religion in Bronco country.

When you look at your business, what is your version of winning the Super Bowl?  What is your marketing purpose?

Are you passionate about what you do for people, or do you just want to make money?

If you’re just in it for the money, you’ll find it hard to connect with the very people you hope will pay for your offer.  Your strategy, tactics, and execution will be haphazard and misguided.

Having a purpose is the difference between being the Denver Broncos and the Cleveland Browns.

The Art of Reverse Engineering

Many new entrepreneurs that come to a marketing company like Marketing 360® try to start backward.

They want to discuss tactics and execution first.  Their primary interest is in getting conversions – in selling.  The goal is to make a profit and build the business.  Of course – that’s a goal for every business.

But it doesn’t create belief/religion/purpose that makes that goal possible.

Try this.  Picture a customer converting on your website.  They’ve taken the desired action.

Now imagine the journey that brought them to that moment in reverse.

• What were they feeling the moment before they actually took action on your website?  How did you help stimulate that feeling?
• How did they respond to the content on your site?  How did it answer their burning questions?
• How did you create a sense of trust so they felt confident engaging with you?
• How many times did they visit your site before they converted?
• How did you create touches with them as they went through their buying process?  How many touches were necessary to get to the point they were ready to convert?
• How did they find out about you?  Where did initial exposure to your brand take place?
• Where does your audience spend time online?  How do they search, consume content, and use social media?
• What need does your product fulfill?  How will your target audience know they have this need?  If they don’t recognize the need, how will you educate them about it?
• How will you help people?  What does your product do to make people’s lives better?  Why will people care about your offer?

The last question is actually the one you need to answer first.  If you don’t know why people will care about or need your offer, then you have no real marketing purpose.

When you have answered that question, you have the purpose that will let you move towards your strategic, tactical, and execution goals.

Become a Brand Marketer

Let’s analyze that last sentence from Gary Vee.

“Salespeople utilize tactics, brand marketers believe in the religion.”

The SMB world is filled with salespeople.  They have special offers, tantalizing deals, and limited-time sales that drive direct-response action.

But when you answer most of the questions outlined above and consider how you’re interacting with your audience, you’ll see that the content you need isn’t a sales pitch.

It’s brand marketing.

The content rich world of the internet has changed the way every business – including most small, local businesses – needs to promote their offer.

The customer buying journey is longer for almost every buying decision.  The internet is a research machine, turning practically everyone into a methodical buyer.  Social media is an unprecedented channel for getting in front of prospective customers – but you have to adapt your message to suit the native language of the platform.

Very little of this content falls under the purview of tactical sales.  It’s about making connections with people who will benefit from what you do, gaining recognition, and earning trust.  When you accomplish those steps, people will give your brand permission to present your promotions.  Eventually – when they know why they need you – they’ll seek out your sales pitch.

Every great salesperson knows the difference between a hot lead that knows and trusts you versus a cold lead you pushed yourself on.

Your goal is get those hot leads coming to you – but that’s not your purpose.  You have to fervently believe in what you’re doing.  You must know that it’s beneficial for the people you’re connecting with.

That’s your religion.  Today, marketing success only happens for true believers.