Blog: Digital Marketing Trends - Whittington Consulting

Irresistible Results in Unsexy Industries

Written by Winston Chenery | August 21, 2013

We often hear companies say that inbound marketing won't work for them because their customers aren't online. Jeff Coon shares how inbound marketing tactics can achieve irresistible results in unsexy industries.

1. Sexy means being Attractive. Interesting. Exciting. Trendy. Glamorous. Let's define sexy:

2. What makes something sexy?

Good looking, Powerful/Strong, Smart/Influential, Mysterious

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, also known as your buyer persona or ideal customer profile

  • What do they find attractive? Interests?
  • How do you become trustworthy, interesting, memorable to them?
  • BE FOCUSED: YOU ONLY NEED TO BE SEXY TO THEM!
  • Solving problems is attractive

Being attractive is relative. Do a competitive analysis and determine where you rank? What's your plan to become attractive? It can be content or format, it just takes some creativity and personality.

What made them sexy?

  1. Talent - Showcase the talent within your own walls
  2. Image - Clearly define your company image
  3. Exposure - Increase awareness through content marketing

Inbound S.E.X.Y. = Signals, Exposure, X-Factor, Why

Signals - Define the signals of success for your industry: Certifications/Honors & Awards, Case Studies/Industry Reports, Media Coverage/Trade Publications

Exposure - How can you increase your awareness? Blogging, social media, webinars, PR and paid media, Co-sponsoring opportunities

X-Factor - How are you different and how will you be memorable? Industries may be more boring but the people and stories are not.

Y= Why - Why should anyone care about your products/service? Answer the question "What's in it for me?" How do you solve their problem? Keep them entertained?

Examples

Charmin's Sit or Squat Mobile App
The app is creative and memorable. It has impressive delivery and is actually useful.

Mr. Clean's Twitter profile.
The profile shares great, entertaining photos and video. Brings products and services to life. Don't underestimate social media. Communicate quickly to increase frequency.

R&R Insurance
"52 in 52" Series - Interview were conducted with 52 local experts, one every week, shared with customers and promoted on LinkedIn. All of the work was done with an iPad. Shot and edited on the iPad and then shared. Generated over a million dollars in premium for the business and increased brand awareness and connectivity.

Indium Cop
From One Engineer to Another
Created attractive content, leveraged internal experts and became thought leaders with national exposure. Be attractive to humans and search engines. Give employees a voice.

Action Steps:

  1. Start with a branding audit ; Content, visuals, media channels, format
  2. Benchmark you competitors and industry
  3. Look at your brand/company from a new perspective
  4. Identify kep personalities/thought leaders within your company
  5. Create. Measure. Iterate.