So many of my clients come to me feeling stressed. Whether it is a therapist, a vocal coach or a stylist, they all seem to have one thing in common: too many ideas and they don’t know what to do first. My advice? Simplify. It is way better to work on one or two offers and really make them your main focus and product to sell, than have a long menu of different offers that confuses the client and does not make marketing easier.
It is so tempting to diversify your offers if one doesn’t work, or when your audience gives you the idea that you are ‘too expensive’. Also, we tend to look at what other people do, and if something seems to take off for them we quickly jump on the bandwagon and create something similar. A coach might offer five different types of programmes, an artist may create work in a lot of different styles without any cohesion, a photographer may offer both wedding packages and product shoots, a stylist may offer a long list of services at just as many price points. But is that the right strategy? Not in my opinion.
A little exercise to start with.
We’ve all been to that Indian curry house or an Italian restaurant with a zillion pizza’s on the menu. The menu dazzles you, and you are ready to walk out. Don’t be that restaurant.
What do you prefer in a restaurant:
A) a menu with a hundred different dishes that all sound the same after two pages and make you feel confused and overwhelmed?
B) a menu that offers less but very distinct dishes making it much easier for you to instantly know what you want to eat?
What’s your menu of offers like?
Your client is hungry and wants to eat. By being very clear on your menu what it is you are serving up, the person knows instantly whether they want to order a dish at your restaurant (and whether you cater for their needs or not). You excite the people that love you type of dishes and turn away the ones who are looking for a different type of food.
Too many dishes not only confuse the client but make cooking harder too. You see the metaphor? How many more ingredients would you need? How much more time would you need to prepare for each dish and try to sell each one of them?
Streamline your kitchen, baby. Simple does it.
Too much choice causes overwhelm, amongst your audience AND yourself.
Having too many different things for your audience to choose from will dilute your marketing message. What exactly are you helping people with? What exactly do you offer? People want to feel confident that they are in the right place, to help them with their problem or search. Make sure you deeply understand what it is they need help with, and create an offer that taps into this need.
High end offers vs lower priced entry points
Of course, you can diversify a little to cater for different needs and budgets. This is something I do as well in my coaching business. Although my six-month programme has, by far, the biggest results and offers the deepest transformation to clients, not everyone can or wants to commit to a four-figure investment, for whatever reason. I therefore also offer a lower priced product, such as my 90-minute Power Session, which gives clients another entry point to work with me 1-to-1. I don’t, however, have a multitude of offers to choose from.
But what this does, is simplify things. You no longer have to explain a million different things you offer when you meet a prospect. Instead, you only have to give them two or three clear options, focusing heavily on the outcome for this client. Understand their needs, and explain how your offer can help them get from A to B.
If you have children, you know that the less choices you give them, the easier life gets and the more likely you get them to say ‘yes’ to something you want them to do. This one – or this one? It offers clarity, and not only that; you will be able to deliver the message with full confidence because you know exactly what to say and how it will benefit them.
Less offers means more effective marketing
Having less offers to talk about also means your marketing gets easier. How? Because now you only need to create content for one or two products. People have the attention span of a goldfish and really need to be reminded often. With a clear message about one or two offers only, your content can become super strong, and resonate with exactly the right audience.
Imagine having a group programme you want to fill. If you have just that offer to focus on, ALL of your content needs to support that. Content can range from talking about the problem you are solving, to an interview with one of your happy clients, to a personal success story and anything else that will resonate with the audience for that group programme. If you are also promoting four other offers on your social media feed at the same time, your message about your group programme will get lost in the feed.
Simple marketing strategies
You can create clear and simple marketing strategies if you only have a couple of offers to sell. Once you know exactly what your offer entails, what it does for people, and whom you’re helping with it, you can decide on tactics to reach your goal.
Perhaps it’s paid ads combined with daily posting on Instagram. Maybe it is investing in improving your website SEO. Perhaps it is broadening your local network by reaching out to key people in your industry. When you have clarity around your key offer, audience and marketing message, you can create simple marketing strategies that work.
Simplifying your offers not only helps you create better marketing content, it also make your life easier. Now you only have to create one or two products or services, and do the admin for this, instead of trying to remember everything about ten different offers. Your business will feel more streamlined and easier to manage.
Need structure, clarity and accountability?
My name is Nina Eggens, and I am a creative business coach. I help small businesses and freelancers create a stable income from doing what they love by building a solid, sustainable business and making marketing simple and joyful.
