10 smart ways to improve your marketing and boost sales TODAY (with examples)
I talk about strategy ALOT. Haven’t you noticed, aherm?!
I like things that make good use of time, like a plan.
It makes it easier to get results, and it frees up time for other things that keep the business moving.
Most experts and marketing gurus sell tactics, which might explain why so few get results from their 2.5 actionable steps and ‘best practices’.
Not all tactics are bad, though.
You’ve just got to know which ones will work for YOUR business.
I also like tried and tested – proof that something works.
That’s what’s so good about the principles and concepts backed by behavioural science.
We have proof and studies' results to show us what works and what can be effective for any business.
I’m going to share some of these that are super easy to implement and could make a big difference to how your brand is perceived, and increase your sales.
They can also enhance your strategy, and make it work harder for you.
Use any of the following - so long as it *fits* into your strategy and feels intuitive to your brand:
1. Production enjoyment (I’ll explain!)
2. Place cues and messages across your website
3. Polarise, do the opposite of your competitors
4. We prefer things we’ve created ourselves
5. Handwritten note replies and inserts
6. Time-sensitive bonuses
7. Limited edition products/offers
8. Scroll-stopping content
9. Don’t use influencers, use real customers
10. Align to an emotion: one that your brand can manifest consistently ( people will never forget how you make them feel)
Production enjoyment*
This is when we tell people (our customers or clients) how much we enjoy creating or making what we sell.
Sounds crazy, right?
This can actually impact how people buy and create more sales!
A set of 10 studies looked at everyone from Etsy sellers, SEO solo providers to brownie cake sellers.
They showed that sharing how much you enjoy what you do or provide as a service increases initial interest in that product or service.
They saw click-throughs for an SEO solopreneur increase by 40% on Facebook ads when they highlighted how much the SEO enjoyed his job.
By simply showcasing enjoyment it made his offer more appealing.
Brownies sold at a university student fair booth were divided into two sets.
One highlighted a quote from the chef saying these were his most popular brownie.
The second set highlighted a quote from the chef saying these are his favourite brownies to make.
Out of 300 people who visited 67% indicated they were willing to pay more and actually chose the *enjoyable* brownies over the *popular* ones.
So the production enjoyment not only beats social proof in this case, it also wins out overall.
Here’s the caveat… authors of the studies say the production enjoyment works really well for a product or service that requires a slightly higher level of skill.
Lower-skill tasks would not get the same reaction.
For example: an automatic dog wash machine vs dog hand-wash. We all know which one we would value more and pay more for.
Across all studies, it was apparent that people will pay more for services and products when they know you enjoyed their work.
The short of it?
You can sell more if you showcase your effort!
* https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00222429241257913
Place cues and messages across your website
There’s a relatively well-known study that was done in the UK to determine how in-store music determines wine purchasing choices.
It found that when French music was played, people bought more French wine. When German music was played German wine outsold French wine.
When asked if music influenced their choice of wine the shoppers said it didn’t!
We can’t be certain if the music would influence them entirely when used in isolation (retail outlets usually have other influences and concepts at play such as lighting, layout, scents etc) but when questioned afterwards most of the shoppers confirmed that the music made them think of France or Germany.
Now think of the power of cues on your website to *influence* people as they browse.
A study from 2002* showed how website visitors to a sofa brand had their attention drawn to the goal of ‘comfy’ merely by placing fluffy clouds on the background wallpaper of the website landing page.
This led visitors to assign a greater level of importance to comfort when asked what they were looking for in a sofa. They had also been found to search the site for information on comfort levels of the sofas and most notably choose a sofa marked as comfortable when purchasing.
Other visitors were shown a website where the landing page had their attention drawn to the goal of economy where pennies were depicted instead on clouds.
Visitors here designated greater importance to value and price, searching the website for information on cost and inexpensive sofas.
Most participants afterwards refused to believe they had bee persuaded in any way!
What could you add to your website to leverage these findings and capture valuable attention? Remember colour could also play a role in persuasion, not just imagery or sound.
*https://academic.oup.com/jcr/article-abstract/29/2/235/1839982?login=false
Polarise, do the opposite of your competitors
One of the easiest and most powerful ways to get ahead, get noticed AND drive sales is to stand out via a polarising viewpoint.
It’s also a strategic approach – build your business and brand on being the opposite or different to everyone else.
Think about the brands you admire or those you remember… they don’t always do something groundbreaking.
They are often brands sharing a contrarian message and doing things very differently to others in their category.
Here’s a simple example below from the FAYT clothing brand in December 2024.
They don’t do anything extraordinary - but they thought about how to stand out at a time of year that is full of noise and most brands are doing the *same* thing.
Fayt clothing brand doing the opposite to its competitors in December 2024.
We prefer things we’ve created ourselves
Professor Mike Norton is the scientist ( Harvard Professor) behind what we call ‘The Ikea effect’. Yep, he named a psychological bias.
The Ikea effect states that we prefer things we’ve created ourselves, where effort is valued.
It explains that I prefer a bookcase I built myself to one that you built. I hold onto ugly craft sculptures I created years ago because I made them, even if they look like crap!
A study to confirm the Ikea effect was done in 2022 with golfers. The authors found that golfers performed better with a golf putter they assembled themselves compared with an identical pre-assembled putter!
Apple applied the principle to their packaging.
Apparently, they spent months creating the right amount of drag and friction to their opening process, to introduce an exciting pause during the unveiling of your new phone.
You are welcomed inside, not just tearing open a regular box.
This has also worked when ordering food.
When customers watched doughnuts being glazed at Krispy Kreme, or the creation of a sandwich at Subway there was a 22.2% increase in customer-reported quality according to a 2014 study by Ryan Buell.
Simply by seeing the food being prepared ( and the same applied to restaurants) and observing employees engaging in their work customers appreciated that effort more and therefore valued that service more.
Starbucks are reported to have slowed down the speed at which they made their coffees as their baristas were not seen as skilled enough.
Instead of making four coffees at once, baristas were asked to make only two at once.
Effort changes perception.
Slowing down was perceived as more effortful and the customer started to enjoy their coffees more.
Handwritten note replies and inserts
In experiments, handwritten notes increased future customer spending 2x .
Notes must be either handwritten or a photocopy of the original – this worked just as well.
With such a personal touch point vs online interactions, it’s such an easy way to connect uniquely with your customers and increase purchase intent.
Make sure not to combine the letter with a discount, offer or freebie. This will make the positive effect disappear!
Studies have shown this works equally as well for e-commerce as it does for service brands (hotels, restaurants, accountants etc)
It works effectively with customers who have some feeling of loyalty to a brand i.e. those who have made a purchase.
Time-sensitive exclusives
Introduce limited-time offers or products, available for a short time only, to keep people interested, as well as give them what you know they’ll love.
This could be existing products you know will create a flurry of activity, but it’s a great way of testing new ideas and products.
Make sure to put a time limit on it though - don’t be tempted to keep extending as this will take from the excitement and interest and reduce the impact of any future exclusives.
You’re tapping into the scarcity principle here, alongside urgency.
Proven to be effective, the time limit creates urgency and encourages your customers to act.
You can use the product recommendations tool on your website (e.g. on Shopify) to recommend and add related products to your customers' baskets.
It’s a super simple way to up-sell and get the most from your efforts.
You could also add a timer to your website to highlight the time limit or offer.
https://shopify.dev/docs/storefronts/themes/product-merchandising/recommendations
https://apps.shopify.com/essential-countdown-timer
Limited edition products/offers
There’s nothing quite like exclusivity and the feeling of getting something unique that others might not have to put a pep in our step.
Different to time-sensitive offers, limited edition requires quite a lot of hype and is likely to be more successful if you have a loyal fan base.
Think about creating something rare or desirable from your brand, maybe a unique product or collaboration, or something with a unique twist.
This can be even more powerful if you pair scarcity with nostalgia or tap into the origins of your brand and what you became known for.
You can generate excitement and deepen the connection with your audience.
Limited editions not only drive sales but can also position you as innovative, and forward-thinking.
You could also be seen as in-demand, making your customers feel like they’re part of something truly special and they are at the heart of your brand.
Scroll-stopping content
This sounds more difficult than it is.
Ideally, you should be clear on your unique point of view and position in the world as a brand.
Your brand strategy will have brought your brand character and personality to life - so now you know how to show up as them every day.
This in turn allows you to craft a social strategy that inspires your content i.e. ensures that the content you create is showcasing and communicating your messages, that you are showing up as your brand character and saying and doing things that only they would do.
This allows stand out from your competitors.
Simple things to consider include:
Define your look and feel - what you show up wearing and what represents your brand every day. The little things matter such as colours, styles and how you present your brand overall. Keep asking yourself – is this how my brand character would show up today? Assign your brand an archetype and show up as this every day.
·Define where you shoot your content. Are you an on-the-go brand character, or do you shoot in one location only? Using only certain locations that are *on brand* will help people to recognise you and know it’s you. Even better if this is a location or set-up that makes you stand out and stop the scroll
Use props as hooks. A visual hook at the beginning of your videos helps to catch the eye
Use text overlays and captions that match your brand and are clear and specific
Be relatable to your audience. Once you know who you are attracting you will know what will connect them to you so they can ‘relate’ to you
Do things your way, don’t be tempted to copy
Make sure to map out your content across the customer journey – focus on creating 80% attract and trust-building content. This gives ample opportunity for experimentation and scope for uniqueness.
Stopping the scroll is often as much about creating a unique and consistent style, and staying true to your message as it can be about doing something outrageous to the scrolling eye.
Don’t use influencers, use real customers
I’m not against incorporating influencers into your strategy.
I just don’t recommend it.
Here’s why!
The creator and influencer worlds are under serious scrutiny by the consumer.
Scepticism is rife and people are fed up with being sold to.
What if you could leverage the authentic voices of your satisfied customers?
Real people sharing genuine experiences with your product or service carry far more weight than a paid endorsement.
User-generated content, testimonials, and customer success stories create trust and relatability that influencer marketing simply can't match.
When potential customers see others like them benefiting from your offering or brand, they're more likely to believe in its value and make a purchase.
Featuring real customers builds a community around your brand and encourages others to share their positive experiences.
It also costs a fraction of what an influencer campaign costs.
Some brands are already there, seeing the value in real people.
A few examples to inspire you include:
REFY Beauty and their customer trip to Mallorca
Duolingo facilitates connections: even a marriage!
https://blog.duolingo.com/falling-in-love-on-duolingo/
Airbnb Made possible by Hosts campaign
https://news.airbnb.com/made-possible-by-hosts-2/
Your happy customers are your most powerful asset.
They will be overjoyed if you involve them and connect them to your brand in meaningful ways. It’s a win-win!
Align to an emotion
one that your brand can manifest consistently (people will never forget how you make them feel)
Marketing is all about eliciting a reaction i.e. an emotion.
What you want to master is the art of creating intrinsic motivation in people - make it so people *want* to buy, get involved, follow, and engage with your brand.
The experts tell us that intrinsic motivation leads to long-lasting habits.
Imagine being your audience's long-lasting habit ?!
Think about the brands you like most or that get you excited - it’s because they’ve been brilliant at creating a strong emotional reaction in you. Some even give you a dopamine hit!
The biggest risk to any business is not being noticed, blending into the background and never being seen or heard.
Being intentional about what you say and how you show up could be the difference between blending in or eliciting a reaction where people take an action.
When creating your content strategy (or tweaking it now) make sure to consider what emotion your brand aligns to, how you want to make people feel and communicate that in ways that are either polarising, relatable or inspirational.
When you intentionally consider the type of content and emotion it should create, especially in attract (top of your marketing funnel) content it helps you to remain true to your brand and more likely to evoke a response from the right people.
Build a business and brand people remember – frame your content around the emotion you want your brand to make people feel.
Thanks for reading,
Claire.
Are you a founder or small business owner curious about doing better marketing?
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Hi! I’m Claire,
If you're a founder or business owner with big dreams of success and growth—and a big, scary to-do list standing in your way every time you sit down to *do* your marketing—nice to meet you, I'm your new solution.
I'll help you find your target audience, and your brand's voice, perfectly position you, and craft messaging for your content strategy that will resonate with your ideal audience.
And I'll do it all while keeping your goals to ensure that your brand aligns with what you want to achieve.
I’ve been in marketing for over 20 years and I’m busting through the bull**** and industry nonsense to give you straight-talking and proven strategic marketing that will grow your business.