3 Marketing Steps For the BBO (Busy Business Owner)
Tired of Marketing Stress?
We've been talking about tackling business challenges, from quick fixes with the SOS Plan to building resilience with the Responsive Operating System (ROS). But there's another area that frequently weighs heavily on small business owners: Marketing.
Why is Marketing So Hard?
As a Busy Business Owner (BBO), marketing often feels like a burden1. Trying to write marketing copy yourself? You might even hate doing it. It feels like every time you need to create a new marketing piece, you're the "Neanderthal trying to recreate the wheel again and reinvent fire". Why? Because it takes too much brain capacity to switch from your core business work to these creative tasks. This constant switching between your logical left brain and creative right brain creates incredible stress and wears on all of us! Often, marketing copy ends up falling to the wayside because of this.
You can't necessarily afford a giant marketing firm1, and the typical result when you try to do it yourself is content that sounds canned and fake, when what people really crave is sincerity.
I get it. I know how frustrating that stress and lack of results can be, as a store owner, I endured this for many years. That's why, in our latest episode, we dive into a simple, straightforward framework designed specifically for BBOs like you. The goal is to help you create good marketing copy that resonates with people, without the usual pain.
This framework has three simple key points (plus one crucial thing not to do first!) and is designed to make the process easier, less stressful, and even a little fun.
Here’s a glimpse of what you'll discover:
The Crucial First Step (What Not to Do): Forget the Product. The very first step is counter-intuitive: forget about the product you're promoting initially3. Trying to push the product upfront often sounds fake3 and is about as effective as a server pushing dessert on you before you've even ordered an appetizer5. The product comes last3....
Step 1: Focus on the Problem
This is the most critical part, and often overlooked by busy business owners. Focusing on the problem clarifies things and simplifies your message. You need to identify both the physical problem and the emotional problem your customers are facing. Physical problems frequently lead to emotional ones, and identifying this emotional impact ("features and benefits on the negative side") resonates much more deeply than just stating the obvious physical issue. We discuss why spending 60-70% of your time focusing on the problem makes everything else, especially presenting the product, much easier. We even suggest you write these problems down.Step 2: Identify the Pessimist (Antagonist)
This step involves identifying the "bad guy" or antagonist in your customer's situation10. This could be a circumstance they want to avoid, a person, or even an idea10. Naming this antagonist is powerful because it helps galvanize people10. We explore how this concept can be used not only in your external marketing but also internally to align your team and strengthen your company culture. A consistent message between your marketing and your internal team is a significant, often missing, advantage.Step 3: Present the Product
This is the simple final step. If you've effectively identified the problem and the antagonist, presenting your product becomes much easier – like simply asking for the sale after a great dining experience6. The key here is to make it clear, simple, and bold.
This framework is applicable to almost any marketing medium you use4 and makes it incredibly easy to repurpose your core message across different platforms, maximizing your ROI. It provides a structure that keeps the initial effort on the more logical "left-brain side," allowing creativity to become the enjoyable part, not the stressful starting point. It's designed to be a "diving board" – a simple way to get you started without feeling overwhelmed.
Ready to make marketing less of a chore and more of an effective tool for growing your business?
Tune in to Episode 6 of The Maverick & The Method Man Podcast to get the full explanation of this simple marketing framework for BBOs and start creating content that truly connects.
Listen here: https://themaverickandthemethodman.podbean.com/e/episode-6-are-you-a-bbo-three-marketing-steps-for-bbos/
We look forward to helping you simplify your marketing!
Brian (The Maverick) Young