Coming up with an idea for a business and implementing it to create a company can seem more intimidating without having a proven strategy for spreading the word about your services or product. Understanding the constraints felt by new business owners and companies looking to scale their reach, the founder of Servant Marketing Co. and professional marketing consultant, Sasha Canady, encourages the practice of marketing to serve rather than sell. By showing value upfront with a bigger mission of bringing empathy back into the consumer-producer experience, companies can focus on attracting their ideal customers and finding their niches.
With so many gurus and experts teaching the next generation to focus on the latest algorithm shifts and growth tactics to double sales overnight, there isn’t enough focus on building a community and growing your brand through human connection. Coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970, being a servant leader is connected to being a servant first and focusing on the needs of others before your own. Leaning on the principles of servant leadership and applying them to marketing, Canady is hitting a much-needed reset button on how businesses should do marketing.
Treat Customers How You Would Want To Be Treated
Helping small business owners build life-changing brands through “marketing made human,” Canady’s idea stemmed from a background in corporate marketing feeling shackled by office politics and time-consuming processes. There’s so much opportunity to connect with customers through powerful copywriting and images incorporating storytelling to spark emotion and create action.
Rather than focusing on key performance indicators and bottom-line revenue every month, Canady hypes that once businesses provide value first and foremost, the time and effort will show returns in quality lead generation experiences and more powerful sales funnels. To expect customers to do something for your business, whether it’s providing a personal email address, incurring a cost, or referring a friend, they should clearly understand the value at every stage.
Ranging from adding an educational video on your website to enacting a retargeting strategy where there is no initial no ask from the consumer, Canady challenges business owners to consider making the sales experience focused on delivering value instead of as a transaction and see what happens. Utilizing customer research, data, and insights to drive campaigns that focus on serving the customers will build a large, loyal community of supporters for your business.
Building A Supportive Base
Start a conversation with your customer base by creating a community. Most people want to feel included in something bigger than themselves and connected to other people. Meet them where they are, bring them together. Be engaging and inviting while staying authentic and true to your company’s values to attract like-minded people that are serious fans of the work, rather than confused and uncommitted.
Canady argues that the most effective way brands can create aligned content and ads for their audience is by listening to and understanding the “why” behind their customers’ needs. Working to develop an empathetic experience for both sides of the aisle, companies can showcase the more personable aspects and connect to people with their proven testimonials. Share accomplishments and failures alike, and show accountability by honoring the customers by doing better next time.
One of the core values at Servant Marketing Co. is to put effort into overdelivering. Ensure that every marketing piece created is thoroughly considered to target the right market in a way that will resonate well with your audience. Going further than most to achieve your business’s goals will highlight you from the competition while connecting with and learning from other industry leaders.
Ultimately, showing gratitude for customers, and often, with attention to detail and focusing on delivering an experience that makes them feel special and appreciated for keeping you in business, will continue to allow your business to thrive. Establish the value upfront by understanding how it would fit into the consumer’s lifestyle, listen to feedback on how the business model can improve through the data. The results will show how customers positively respond to intentional calls to action through the numbers of returns on investment.
As Canady watched the newest generation of marketers come into the workforce not understanding the fundamentals of consumer-led marketing and the essentiality of creating an emotional connection with their customers, she was committed to closing the gaps in effective marketing and business education. Redefining what impactful marketing means to help businesses build a life-changing brand that customers are proud to support, Canady grew her TikTok account to over twenty-five thousand followers in five months teaching these principles. To learn more about marketing strategy with Servant Marketing Co. and Sasha Canady, check out their website for more information.