Four Differentiated Marketing Tactics Using Community and Audience

Kieran and I carried out an experiment with ChatGPT to brainstorm an unconventional advertising and marketing plan.

Listed here are 4 intriguing approaches it urged utilizing group and viewers — and why we expect they’re beneficial for entrepreneurs.

Within the newest episode of Marketing Against the Grain, we experimented with ChatGPT to develop a differentiated advertising and marketing technique for buying the primary 1,000 clients for a hypothetical SaaS product.

We aimed to bypass frequent ‘greatest practices’ and as an alternative iterate on concepts that deviated from the norm or supplied us a recent angle, whereas nonetheless enabling us to rapidly scale.

Whereas the real-time integration of AI was the entertaining (and unpredictable) spotlight of the episode, ChatGPT supplied a number of ideas to enhance our advertising and marketing approaches by tapping into our model’s viewers and group.

Listed here are 4 of our favorites, together with sensible ideas, examples, and assets.

4 Differentiated Advertising and marketing Techniques Utilizing Neighborhood and Viewers

1. Pitch the issue (not simply the answer).

One suggestion from ChatGPT that we love is to form your model messaging by highlighting your viewers’s particular challenges and ache factors.

Whereas most entrepreneurs give attention to perfecting their message to spotlight their product’s strengths, the counter-intuitive strategy embraces vulnerabilities to construct deeper emotional connections and makes use of creativity and boldness to interrupt by the noise.

It is about assembly your viewers the place they’re and exhibiting that you simply really perceive their struggles.

HubSpot did precisely this in its early days by straight addressing the core inefficiencies that gross sales, promoting, and advertising and marketing groups had been going through with conventional outbound advertising and marketing.

On the time, promoting within the Yellow Pages was changing into ineffective as folks had been discarding telephone books with out even trying by them. TV adverts had been additionally shedding their affect, as viewers fast-forwarded by commercials with their new DVRs.

HubSpot acknowledged these ache factors, constructed a model technique round them, after which introduced their inbound marketing resolution as a superior various. The remaining is historical past.

2. Flip the gross sales course of.

One other efficient tactic from our ChatGPT experiment is to reverse the standard sales process.

For instance, as an alternative of the standard strategy of pushing your product, invite potential clients to have interaction in distinctive challenges or interactive occasions that not directly display the constraints of their present options.

I like this methodology as a result of it curates a private and hands-on understanding of your product’s resolution and worth.

A fantastic instance of this technique is the Excel Olympics, which turned a well known legacy software program instrument right into a aggressive occasion.

Contributors competed in Excel-related challenges, showcasing the capabilities and advantages of the software program in a brand new and entertaining manner, finally going viral on TikTok and Twitter and capturing thousands and thousands of views on YouTube. Not dangerous for a software program that is nearly 40 years outdated.

3. Curate surprising consumer experiences.

A 3rd tactic urged by ChatGPT is to create radical experiences that shock and delight your viewers.

Whereas this would possibly initially sound like an apparent suggestion, this strategy goes nicely past merely having a standout product or function.

As an alternative, it is about curating a model expertise that is so distinctive and fascinating that it defies your viewers’s expectations and compels them to speak about it, constructing buzz and phrase of mouth.

An actual-world instance of that is multi-billion greenback firm Mailchimp, which differentiated its electronic mail advertising and marketing model so unconventionally that folks constantly selected them over the competitors — even when the competitors was extra technically superior and well-known.

Why? Kieran says it greatest through the podcast: “Completely different is far more memorable, far more sticky.“

4. Construct your tribe.

A ultimate thought from our ChatGPT experiment is to dedicate assets to fostering focused, community-driven engagement.

For instance, as an alternative of specializing in broad market acquisition, think about making a loyal tribe of followers by mastermind teams, unique content material, and member-only occasions.

These methods develop a way of belonging and advocacy, positioning your model as a central hub on your viewers.

One among Kipp’s favourite assets on this subject is Seth Godin’s e-book, Tribes.

Right here, Godin talks concerning the significance of main and connecting individuals who share a standard curiosity, leading to an viewers that successfully builds buzz by sharing their data and optimistic experiences.

Making use of Differentiated Advertising and marketing Techniques to Construct a Sturdy Neighborhood

Turning your viewers right into a devoted group elevates a model to a wholly new degree — however this requires assets, group, and goal.

Listed here are 5 sensible tricks to remodel your viewers right into a loyal and engaged group, utilizing the differentiated advertising and marketing techniques we’ve mentioned and our Community Management Templates.

1. Assess the present panorama.

Decide where your audience engages, whether or not owned or unowned, and in the event that they already determine as a group. This helps you perceive your place to begin and mandatory changes.

2. Perceive your group’s wants.

Determine why your group exists and who it serves. Understanding the core wants of your members, like how HubSpot recognized the inefficiencies confronted by outbound gross sales groups, creates a targeted and engaged group,

3. Map the member journey.

Perceive the experiences of recent, passive, engaged, and advocate members. Tailor your tactics to nurture each type of member and foster a thriving group.

For instance, creating distinctive challenges or interactive occasions can interact members at totally different phases and showcase your product’s corresponding strengths.

4. Tackle member wants.

Search and solve for the specific needs of your members. Offering actual worth — like masterminds or unique instructional occasions — will delight your customers and preserve them engaged.

5. Develop and iterate member profiles.

Create and refine detailed buyer personas to symbolize totally different consumer varieties. These profiles assist tailor your engagement methods to fulfill the evolving wants of your numerous viewers.

To look at our whole ChatGPT advertising and marketing experiment, take a look at the total episode of Advertising and marketing Towards the Grain under:

This weblog collection is in partnership with Advertising and marketing Towards the Grain, the video podcast. It digs deeper into concepts shared by advertising and marketing leaders Kipp Bodnar (HubSpot’s CMO) and Kieran Flanagan (SVP, Advertising and marketing at HubSpot) as they unpack development methods and study from standout founders and friends.