This is not a popularity contest

People think of content marketing as a big popularity contest. But we should leave that in the past with the prom kings and queens.

Sometimes when I listen to people explain how they approach their marketing, I find myself thinking that it sounds eerily familiar – like they’re trying to win a popularity contest. If I’m the most popular, I get the most from people.

But then one day, after explaining how I approach marketing for the 5,000th time, I realized I’ve been using a much different approach. One that doesn’t assume there are a finite amount of clients to be had in each industry.

(And sure, there technically are a finite number, but most of the time, that number is big enough to go around.)

So now I explain my approach with just two words: speed dating.

Don’t run. It’s much less scary than actual speed dating. And about a million times more effective – I would know, I’m 31 and single.

Try this first…Think about your marketing as introducing yourself to prospective customers. You’re putting all the information out there about who you are, what you provide and what makes your business yours. And they’re taking in all that info as well as the same kind of info from other people providing that service.

You’re both looking for the right match. Some will be perfect, some will be good enough, but it will keep you – and prospective customers – from landing in a bad match.

Not every customer is a fit for every business. And vice versa.

When we try to win a popularity contest – and inadvertently try to win every person as a new customer – we end up wasting our time, effort and mental space on people who either were never going to give us their business to begin with or will try us once or twice, but be short-lived.

Instead of going for quantity, I aim for quality. The customers who are that perfect match – who will buy from you, support you and tell their friends about you.

And when you cut out those bad matches, you can find a lot of the good matches.