When I’ve thought of traditional marketing in the past, I’ve thought of a person with a very large megaphone a few inches away from my face trying to get me to pay attention to them. I can remember distinctly when I started to think of marketing as more of a relationship.
I was at a conference and this speaker was going on and on about tactics and tricks to get people’s attention. All I could think to myself was, “why don’t you just tell them how you’re helping?”
As I continued to ask myself this question, I started to ask the same question to our clients. The reality is that more small businesses start from a need or a passion but very few present it in a way that connects with their audience. So every site that we create tells the story with the user in mind and it goes something like this:
Intro: What does your business do?
Empathy: We understand where you’re coming from because we were there
Solution: This is why we created this product/service to help
Action: See how
If you are a visual person here is a quick video outline of the page structure I ran through on LinkedIn.
When you frame it more like you’re having a conversation or if you’re trying to build a relationship, then using a “cold” channel like a website doesn’t feel like someone is talking at me, but to me.
Here is an example of how we put that into action for our clients:
Here at RedTree, we use the word brand instead of marketing. By focusing on the brand for ourselves and our clients, we throw the megaphone away and start to have a conversation between businesses and consumers about problems and solutions. With this as the foundation of everything that we do, success is inevitable.
The word “marketing” can have different meanings depending on who you’re talking to. Some may have connotations of savvy business people in a boardroom with easels of logos and catchphrases and commercial pitches. Which, yes, is a form of marketing. To me, however, marketing is more intimate. When I think of how marketing applies to my day-to-day, I’m thinking of a visitor’s experience on a website. I’m thinking of a person waiting in line, quickly scrolling through a website on their phone trying to find something specific. I’m thinking of a technically challenged visitor and how to make their interaction easier. I’m thinking of my audience.
When starting a website design project, one question is always, “Who is the audience?” The answer to this question plays a large role in my process of organizing all the pieces. Knowing what the visitor wants, needs, and limitations help to shape the look, feel, and user experience the of site. What are they looking for? How do we make sure they find it and know what to do with it when they do? How can we engage them further?
Using the answers to these questions, and many others, as well as designing for accessibility, clear hierarchy, and calls to action are all part of marketing. Seeing the completed execution of meaningful engagement, guided visitor flow, and measurable results on an aesthetically pleasing responsive site is one of my measures of success.
When I’ve thought of traditional marketing in the past, I’ve thought of a person with a very large megaphone a few inches away from my face trying to get me to pay attention to them. I can remember distinctly when I started to think of marketing as more of a relationship. 
