Most entrepreneurs are totally lost when it comes to creating a successful marketing strategy for their venture. Endless buzzwords, fancy industry lingo and too many marketing channels can be really confusing and distract you from your goal – AKA the basics of any good marketing strategy – A KILLER STORY. Not a killer product description (anybody can do that!) — a story.
That was one of the first and most important lessons I’ve learned when I first got my foot in the marketing door, a little over 10 years ago. From one entrepreneur to another — I believe this is a lesson you should learn as well. Don’t sell products, sell stories.
Allow me to explain it using a few examples, and I’ll start with my favorite one: If you wish to sell a lamp, don’t sell the lamp — sell the light it’ll bring into your life.
Need a few more?
- Coca Cola is a drink, but they don’t sell drinks, they pitch happiness
- Nike make shoes, but they don’t sell shoes, they sell a tool that enables you to hit your goals and win at life
- Apple creates consumer electronics, but they don’t sell that, they sell a status quo and a cool, urban lifestyle
Not enough?
- twitter doesn’t sell you self expression, but the world’s pulse
- Linkedin doesn’t sell you a professional social network, it gives you a career boosting tool
- Airbnb doesn’t sell apartments, it sells an authentic, local experience
- Wework doesn’t sell a workspace, it sells the power of belonging
And Blockchain? It is by far the most basic, yet super genius case of the bunch
Blockchain’s problem: it all started with bitcoin (which lot of people describe is the first and most popular app based on blockchain technology) . and just as a reminder — bitcoin and blockchain started with a pretty sh*#&y rep. You see, during its early days people and different news channels only talked on the people that were using it to trade weapons or drugs. Further more, movies and documentaries all over described Blockchain as a radical anarchist tech, so needless to say, it was frowned upon by the masses, the banks and governments. It needed a “Don Draper”, type of magic spin in order to rise to the top
The solution: The evangelists stopped talking about use cases or specially about bitcoin. They started talking about the philosophic idea behind the tech: Blockchain’s ability to fully transact without intermediaries (aka banks, financial institutes etc.) and thrive in a mutually beneficial trading community based on TRUST.
A new positioning was born — The Platform Of Trust.
So why is TRUST an idea people all over the world love? Well, firstly it unites us against a shared “enemy”:
- We don’t trust banks
- We don’t trust the governance process
- We don’t trust anyone who doesn’t share our interests
But if you could actually TRUST a platform to guard your money, and if you could actually feel positive about it (sounds surreal, I know) wouldn’t life be much healthier? Along came Blockchain and it’s beautiful, idyllic platform of trust — who amongst us commoners can say no?! Even banks, government branches and big financial institutions were yapping about all the amazing things Blockchain are doing and the conversation around them was getting more and more positive by the minute.
So, the next time you gear up to sell a product — don’t sell a lamp, sell the LIGHT. Don’t sell Blockchain, sell the TRUST. Tell a story, and if it’s a good one — I’ll buy it.