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Marketing is a lot like relationships.
No one wants to be with someone desperate. And if they do, it’s rare that there is good intention behind it. Maybe someone will be with someone desperate because they want attention or a free dinner, but it’s rare that they respect said desperate person. Desperate people are just a convenient filler, and unfortunately for them, a bit repulsive.
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Now, think of marketing. Marketing really boils down to a brand building a relationship with their end consumer.
I often see new companies desperate to get demand. Instead of thinking about the overall marketing strategy and the relationship they are trying to cultivate with their customers, they get desperate and impulsive, often deploying top of funnel tactics like giveaways or engagement farming to get any sort of attention. But think back to dating... No one likes desperate people.
When a brand acts out of desperation, all it’s communicating to the end consumer is:
“hey, no one actually likes us, we don’t have a good product, but we’re so desperate for sales that I’m ready to give you whatever you need if you engage with us!”
This will without a doubt drive top of funnel metrics like follower count and engagement, but when brands have transactional relationships with potential customers in lieu of building authentic connections, they’ll struggle to build the type of brand loyalty they really want.
So as a brand, stop being desperate, and start acting hot.
Hot people know their worth and don’t even try to get attention. They just get it because they are hot and more importantly, confident. They’re confident in who they are and what they bring to the table and they never waste a single breath convincing someone of that. Their confidence makes them extremely alluring, with people desperate to befriend them or learn more about them.
Not only do they have an easy time with attraction, but good things usually just fall in their lap; whether it's cool friends, a certain lifestyle, or good opportunities. They tend to always be in this positive feedback loop, where they know they’re hot, they know they can get what they want, and they continue to act confident, and in return, good things happen for them. In a business context, this means that for confident brands, their positive feedback loop is demonstrated by consistent and compounded growth over time.
So if you’re ready to be hot, here are a few easy tactics to stop being desperate:
1. Stop doing giveaways.
If you’re unfamiliar with giveaways, they’re a marketing strategy that follows a specific formula: do this (normally follow, like, tag, share a post) and in return, you’ll enter a contest where you can win a prize. This strategy is as transactional as it gets. This will drive top of funnel metrics like engagement, clicks, follower count, likes, etc., but it’s rare that this leads to a potential customer actually caring about your brand. They’re just following you because they want something from you, not because they like you.
2. Stop Engagement Farming.
Engagement farming is a term used to describe content that drives inauthentic engagement: “like this or have bad luck for 7 years.” Similar to giveaways, engagement farming basically translates to: “my content isn't actually any good, but throw me a like while you’re here so I can show my boss that my numbers are good!” I see this in multiple capacities from asking random questions on Twitter that have nothing to do with the brand like “what did you have for breakfast today?” to giveaways. Engagement farming will lead to growth across the top of the funnel, but it’s usually people that never convert or make their way down the funnel.
3. Don’t post bad content.
You can’t be lazy and expect engagement. Work hard, be creative, put out good content, and the people will eventually follow. Now here is a little exercise: think of the coolest, hottest person you know. They usually are super interesting, fun, creative, alluring, and that drives people in, wanting to know more. Content is similar. Give people a reason to want to get to know you - whether that’s your expertise in a certain domain, your personality, being mysterious, being exclusive, or anything else. But your content should draw people in, and bad content quite frankly won’t do that.
4. Stop giving people what they want when it's not a good fit for the company.
If there is one thing about confident people, it’s that they prioritize themselves and what’s good for them. If something isn’t a good fit, they don’t settle and they move on. In business, this translates to not being easily influenced in situations where someone else has the upper hand, and is proposing something that can risk the wellbeing of the company. For example, it could be a big prospective client asking for exclusivity rights; or a big potential partner not wanting to abide by the proposed partnership terms; or an angry twitter influencer that wants to know confidential information. A confident brand doesn’t sacrifice their standards or risk the wellbeing of the company. Prioritize what’s right for the company always.
5. Don't over-promise and under deliver.
I see nascent brands often over-hyper or over-promise very early on as a way to draw attention to themselves. And while you can certainly be proud and show off your accomplishments as a brand, be careful not to over-sell it. Over-hyping a product, team, or brand, again comes off desperate. It’s rare that successful people act this way. In most cases, it’s people that feel they have something to prove that are a bit annoying and like to show-off. Not to mention, if you over-hype your brand and it’s not actually at that stated quality, you end up disappointing your customers. Trust is way harder to win back once you’ve lost it.
6. No more fake followers.
I’ve been told about the “eye test” - the notion that once people see a high follower count, they are more likely to engage with a brand. But guess what? Those eyes don’t stop working once they see engagement. Accounts with fake followers are painfully obvious. They’ll have 50K followers, but 20 likes on their most recent post. As a consumer, I’m thinking: why would a good product need to buy followers? Count me out.
7. Stop being basic.
The allure of the hot cool girl is their individuality. They’re unique enough to pique your interest. Don’t be scared to define your personality or individuality as a brand. It will help you stand out from the crowd.
Next time you’re unsure about a marketing decision, just ask yourself: is this desperate? If this answer is yes, then ask yourself, what would a hot girl do?
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