(Updated 4/18/2022 with additional customer focus information.)
I recently had the occasion to observe the digital marketing of a particular company, which I will refer to as “WidgetCo” in this post. (WidgetCo is NOT a current Bredemarket customer, and for various reasons will probably not become a future Bredemarket customer.)
Without going into detail, most of WidgetCo’s digital marketing (online information about the company on its website and its social media channels) emphasized its financial achievements, all related to startup funding.
If you’ve been around me for any length of time, you know how I reacted.
So what?
Let me give you an example of why bragging about your Series X funding is meaningless to your potential customers.
- When you go to Amazon, Best Buy, or a similar online product-buying service, you can search for products based on various criteria.
- For example, you can search for TVs based on screen size, or can search for computers based on the available storage, or search for CDs based on the artist.
- Have you ever seen an online marketplace that lets you search for a product based upon the company’s Series C funding amount?
The reason that you can’t search for a product based upon its company’s Series C funding is because the customer doesn’t give a, um, hoot about the company’s Series C funding. You never hear a customer say, “You know, this product is good, but this other product comes from a company that just completed a $25 million Series C funding round. I’ll buy the other one instead.”
So why do people talk about this so much?
Customer-centric marketing
Marketing efforts need to begin with the customer, what the customer needs, and how you can fulfill the customer’s needs.
From Bredemarket’s perspective, this means that I shouldn’t be emphasizing the needs of my clients, but instead should talk about the needs of my clients’ end customers.
So, for example, my company Bredemarket shouldn’t EMPHASIZE my 25-plus years of biometric expertise. It’s fine to mention it in passing, but that shouldn’t be the most important reason why you should use my marketing and writing services.
Instead, I SHOULD be emphasizing that you should use Bredemarket’s marketing and writing services because I can help you tell the stories that you need to tell to attract customers to your product or service.
- You have the need to attract customers.
- Bredemarket can help you attract customers.
I think you notice the theme here.
There are various ways to tell these stories. Today I just want to talk about one of them.
Case studies
You can say that your company provides an excellent product or service.
But it’s more important when one of your customers says that your company provides an excellent product or service. Outside praise is more important than self-praise (something I realized myself when I set Bredemarket’s second goal for 2022), and a case study that quotes one of your customers speaks the same language as your other customers.
As of February 16, 2022, I have created fourteen (14) case studies for clients. For example, one of the case studies featured a law enforcement agency that used a product from a particular biometric firm. The law enforcement agency faced a particular need, the biometric firm provided a product that met this need, and the law enforcement agency apprehended a criminal with the product much more quickly than it could have without the product. (In fact, it’s possible that without the biometric firm’s product, the criminal may NEVER have been apprehended.)
So how does the biometric firm use this case study? It goes to OTHER law enforcement agencies and says, “Hey, YOU have this problem. Look at how another law enforcement agency solved this problem.” Because the case study was written from the perspective of a law enforcement agency, the message resonantes with other law enforcement agencies.
Cops talking to cops. It works.
Now YOU are asking ME, “So what?”
To be fair, some of the identity businesspeople who are reading this are saying, “I don’t work with law enforcement agencies. How can your case study services help ME?”
I have not only worked with companies that sell to law enforcement agencies, but with other types of firms, ranging from sole proprietors to huge multinationals, that need to communicate with their end users.
In addition, YOU remain an essential part of the case study creation process. (Along with the customer that we will feature in the case study, of course.) When you engage with Bredemarket, we start by agreeing on the goal of the content, the benefits to communicate, and the target audience.
Bredemarket’s content creation process ensures that the final written content (a) advances your GOAL, (b) communicates your BENEFITS, and (c) speaks to your TARGET AUDIENCE. It is both iterative and collaborative….
(At the beginning) You and Bredemarket agree upon the topic, goal, benefits, and target audience (and, if necessary, outline, section sub-goals, relevant examples, and relevant key words/hashtags, and interim and final due dates).
From https://bredemarket.com/bredemarket-400-short-writing-service/
You can read about how we will work together here, in my description of the Bredemarket 400 Short Writing Service. (If you want me to prepare a really LONG case study or testimonial, I can do that also.)
But will you enjoy the final product? I just happen to have a testimonial…
“I just wanted to truly say thank you for putting these templates together. I worked on this…last week and it was extremely simple to use and I thought really provided a professional advantage and tool to give the customer….TRULY THANK YOU!”
Comment from one of the client’s employees who used the standard proposal text
If my services can help you:
- Send me an email at john.bredehoft@bredemarket.com.
- Or go to calendly.com/bredemarket to book a meeting with me.
- Or go to bredemarket.com/contact/ to use my contact form.
Hey! Didn’t I just read something similar?
Perhaps you recently read a Bredemarket blog post that included many of the same words that you saw in this post, and you’re now wondering if you’re going through deja vu all over again.
Yes, I wrote two similar (but not identical) posts.
- One post is targeted to Inland Empire West companies who need Bredemarket services for testimonials (or case studies).
- This post is targeted to biometric/identity customers who need Bredemarket services for case studies (or testimonials).
Why TWO posts, each of which is targeted to SEPARATE Bredemarket social media channels?
Because I need to address the needs of DIFFERENT types of customers, by using my skill set as applicable.
(4/18/2022: For additional information on customer focus, click here.)
And if I grow both sectors of my business, my Series B funding round will be HUGE.
Bredemarket 
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