The best marketing strategy ever

While a lot of what we see now as common marketing practices is "new" I find it fascinating to draw on my experience of nearly three decades as a professional marketer and explore timeless principles and how they can be applied for maximum impact today. 

22 years ago I was an enthusiastic 26 year-old General Manager for an International Sports Marketing Agency running event & sport sponsorship programs for multi-national organisations around the Sydney Olympics.

The excitement was of the role was an absolute thrill, over many months my team and I created outstanding Olympic hospitality packages for sponsors of the German Olympic Committee.

We even charted a 600-passenger cruise liner and parked it directly opposite the Sydney Opera House.

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I guess you could call it the ultimate dream job.

Hosting global executives at the best restaurants in town, going on helicopter & seaplane flights – I did a lot of this in the name of researching and creating the best experiences possible.

All in the lead-up to one very important date. 

On September 15th, at the very moment I am writing this email, I was sitting in the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney Olympics.

   

The ultimate highlight.

The day we had worked steadily for three long years to get to.

Everything leading up to that day 15 September 2000 in Sydney Australia.

And for our clients and their guests, it was all about one big word……EXPERIENCE.

In this case it was about so much MORE than just the Olympics.

It was about luxury accommodation, transport, entertainment, food, merchandise, ticket seats, corporate entertainment, access to global superstars – all of it.

Why?

Because experience matters.

When people are treated well, they feel valued.

They remember it forever.

This is why “corporate hospitality” is even a thing.

Why firms invest in it.

It's powerful than “gifts” alone.

Because it’s about the experience.

And the inherent care that sits behind each of the details that come together to make it special. 

Corporations that have a great working environment and retain their staff know this.

Businesses who treat their customers well and enjoy repeat businesses get this too.

In the words of Gary V, "caring" is hands down the best marketing strategy - and more important than ever when you are a personal brand or the face of your business.

I recently ran a program, at the end of which 75% of participants chose to work with me again straight after the experience ended.

A freakily high number, (I can tell you that as a marketer.) 

This was a hybrid model of mentorship, curated curriculum a small group community and lots of personalised support.

And here’s the reason.

Working with me is not just about great content, cool systems, cutting-edge insights or even implementation support. And that the program delivered on it's promise. 

Yes it’s all of that – but that alone is not what would prompt someone to renew after they already had access to this.

It’s about the EXPERIENCE.

I know people are “programmed out” and by and large fatigued with sitting in front of a computer, bombarded by information and pressure left, right and centre.

And so I took it upon myself to create something fresh and different -  that was energising, nurturing, encouraging and uplifting.

All while being supremely practical.

What my experience “does” is take people from feeling unsure and unsupported around doing their marketing and putting themselves out there – to clear and confident and ready to go.

While providing a safe, supportive, nurturing space to put the training wheels on.

It's equally about the experience you go through as you're doing it!

And how this makes someone feel. 

There are SO many things I do differently to mainstream.

And it’s proved to be a game changer.

Not just from a business perspective, but uplifting personally too.

Yes it’s about the brand.

Yes it’s about the content.

Yes about the confidence.

But mostly, it was about valuing the individual, “seeing” their uniqueness, helping them realise the potency of that, and what to do with it.



We are all suffering from information overload.

We are all managing more demands on our time than we’d like to.

That’s just modern life.  

So my encouragement to you today,  as you apply this to your own business, is how can you “up” the “experience factor” when you deliver to your clients?

And it doesn’t matter what industry you’re in.

Legal, tech, finance, wellness, marketing or any other service.

Yes, you’re about the knowledge and expertise.

But these days what people remember most is the experience.

How they felt when they dealt with you.

Like my customer must have felt when she posted this in my group this morning.

It’s always been a factor, but right now "caring" it’s the biggest single differentiator between those that have longevity, and those that are fly-by-nighters or flailing.

If business is booming, great.

Don’t grow too fast and neglect your current customers.

If business is slower due to the times we are in……

…. take it as an opportunity to review each and every aspect of your customer interactions – both before, during and after the actual experience.

ESPECIALLY when YOU are the brand.

Because what people experience when they are with you – whether in person, online, via email, or content – is what they remember.

And it’s your way to build strong bonds with the people you most want to serve.

That’s the type of business that brings the most joy.

For you, your clients, and those that come in contact with you.

What a beautiful way to do business.

And I’m here for it.

Are you??

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nina Christian is a Marketing Futurist & Global Marketing Mentor who helps people do their marketing in a more human way. 

She is a Certified Practicing Marketer (CPM), Life Member and Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute & AMI State Chair (Vic) and for 20 years was director of Braveda (Winner, Best Marketing Agency, Australian Marketing Excellence Awards).

Several years ago Nina saw the world of marketing shifting – this time as people became their own brands.  With this, she created a new business as a thought leader, combining her expertise in brand building with personal positioning, resulting in a breakthrough praxis known as Marketing Me™.

She has a knack for simplifying the complex which comes from being a hands-on mum to five children, and uses this to turn time-sucking activities into easy-to-follow systems and processes that make a lot of sense and get outcomes fast.

There are different ways to work with Nina based on your situation and organisation size - with all of them you'll see rapid transformation and tangible outcomes fast. Book a chat with Nina here.