Have you seen the Halloween stuff in the shops??
Sheesh! We’re talking pumpkin heads, scream masks, severed hands, the lot…some of them near Hollywood standard. And going for a tenner!
Bit of a culture shock, that, for someone like me who rarely leaves the house.
I mean, I grew up in the 70s. Back then, you’d be the best dressed ghoul on the street if you stuck a sheet over your head and went round shouting ‘Boo!’
Okay, you’d get bollocked by your mum for cutting out the eye holes. But it was still a darn good cossie.
These new-fangled creations? Yes, they look amazing, but give me the sheet any day.
Anyway…all this to say, Halloween’s a-comin’. And it’s got me thinking. About scary monsters – and why they’re a big part of your business.
I remember, many years back, swallowing some tale from a babysitter about The Bogey Man, and how he lived under my bed. (No, I wasn’t 28…I was 2 or 3).
Till then, my bro Jerry and I had been fighting all night long. But once we both got terrified, we were on the same side – we were our own gang, Vs the evil monster.
Now, just think about that. We were no longer divided…we united against our common enemy. A shared cause breeds fellowship that way. The whole ‘Spirit of the Blitz’.
And that can make a whopping difference to your marketing.
Just ask yourself, who is your customer’s private monster – their number one problem? Then set yourself up as Head Villager: the guy who dishes out the torches and pitchforks, and leads the angry mob.
Suddenly, they’re all behind you, as you take on the monster. They’ll follow, wherever you lead them…because you’ve won their hearts and minds.
So, who is that evil monster in your business?
Well, it could be anyone or anything. A person, a trend, a mental hang-up, a goal that feels out of reach…anything that forms a barrier between your customer and the better life they dream of.
Example: if you’re a start-your-own-business coach, the monster is the customer’s boss…the nasty man or woman who makes their 9 to 5 a living hell. Or, it’s the voice in the customer’s head that says “You’ll never make it”.
If you’re a tradesman, the monster is the cowboy who botches every job. Or the scammer who promises the earth and delivers a handful of crap.
If you sell weight loss or fitness products, the monster is the food that keeps on tempting the customer. Or, it’s the couch that keeps them inactive. Or the gym bunnies who make them feel inadequate. Or the busy life that makes it hard to wrestle back control.
You get the idea. The monster is a person, a thing…any kind of roadblock. Once you villify it…give it a name and a face…you’re leading a cause. And followers gonna follow.
So – ponder that question for me: who is the monster that terrifies your customers? And what will you do about it, as you plot your marketing funnel?
Aim to give yourself an answer by midnight on Halloween.
<Evil Cackle>
(Oh and um, boo!)