"If you want this choice position Have a cheery disposition Rosy cheeks, no warts! Play games, all sort"
Does that bring back any childhood memories?
Luckily for Jane and Michael Banks, the qualifications set out in their Perfect Nanny advertisement brought Mary Poppins down from her cloud and into their playroom.
A little magic could’ve had something to do with it, but I think Jane and Michael’s detailed letter painted such a clear picture of who they wanted that there was only one answer: Mary Poppins.
After rewatching the film on a plane trip recently and babysitting two of my favorite kids last week (No, I’m not comparing myself to Mary Poppins … well, maybe just a smidge?), it occurred to me that Jane and Michael’s advertisement perfectly exemplifies how your business should approach its marketing strategy — with precision, passion and purpose.
Using their nanny wish list as a guide, here’s how your business or organization can incorporate the three P’s above into your content marketing plan to successfully connect with and grow your audience.
1. Get to the heart of your business and audience
Jane and Michael had been around enough nannies to know exactly the type of person they didn’t want. So instead of getting stuck with another unfavorable caretaker, they wrote down every desirable trait they could think of:
“You must be kind, you must be witty
Very sweet and fairly pretty
Take us on outings, give us treats
Sing songs, bring sweets”
Like the Banks children, get to know your product or service better than anyone else. This not only includes the technical aspects of your business (what it is, how it works, why it’s better than others, etc.) but also understanding your audience and what they are thinking throughout the customer journey.
One way to do this is through empathy mapping, where you write down what your prospect or customer is thinking and feeling before, during and after they have purchased your product or service. This will help you visualize your ideal customer, create a bond with your audience and tell the story (i.e. provide the solutions) they care about.
2. Relate to your customer on a personal level
Once you’ve identified your ideal customer (a specific name helps, too), it will be a lot easier to focus your marketing message and give your brand a voice.
Like Michael, don’t be shy about what you like and dislike — “and never smell of barley water.”
After all, your business was created to attract like-minded people. The type of people who agree on one thing and have an aversion to others.
Your service is not for everyone, so your brand’s story shouldn’t be either. Appeal to your audience’s emotions and stand up for what your business believes in, as long as it is relevant to your mission. Wondering the best way to do this? These three tips will help get you started.
3. Don’t forget your call to action
You’ve done your research, you know the ins and outs of your service and you’ve begun to connect with your ideal customer on a personal level. Now, how can your prospects take the next step and purchase your service?
Through your call to action.
Jane and Michael do this with their newspaper advertisement, of course. They even instill a sense of urgency — “Hurry, Nanny!”
Sure enough, the next day, Mary Poppins arrives and blows the competition away (quite literally).
To achieve the same effect and present your audience with a magical solution, you need to thoroughly and directly communicate what your product or service does. Describe its features on a landing page, create a video showing how it works, post photos of what it looks like.
At the same time, use action content to illustrate the benefits of choosing your service. The goal is to clearly depict how your product will make their lives better. Customer testimonials and case studies are great at this!
The last and most important step is to then provide a simple, obvious way for them to engage with you, whether that’s following you on social media, downloading your ebook, signing up for your newsletter or buying a ticket to your museum.
Whatever it is you would like your prospects or community to act on, make sure you give them an easy, obvious way to do so, like a colorful button or pop-up window.
If sending your message up the chimney will help your ideal customer find you, then follow Mr. Banks’ lead. All I know is that a bit of Mary Poppins magic will make your business “practically perfect in every way.”