Naked Marketing – It’s Not What You May Think

Naked Marketing is Truthful Marketing. 

It’s based on treating customers with respect by stripping away the pretense, hype, and misleading claims that accompany much of today’s marketing. 

Naked Marketers see their product or service through the eyes of their customers and market accordingly.

Marketers That Practice Truthful Marketing Win More Customers

In my experience, buyers look – first and foremost – for what effect a product or service will have on their lives.  Will it solve a problem or fill a need?

We’re not talking about small dollar or impulse purchases such as a candy bar, a ticket to the movies, a souvenir at the ball game, or a bottle of window cleaner.  We’re talking about things that cost real money (anything over a $100-$200 threshold).  A new suit, refrigerator, digital device, vacation cruise, automobile, set of golf clubs, jewelry, or repainting your house.  Savvy consumers make their decision on the value and benefits they get from the purchase.  We Naked Marketers understand that our job is to give prospects the information that will help improve their lives.  As prospects consider a purchase they want to know “is it going to make us…”:

• Safer
• Sexier
• Smarter
• Happier
• Admired
• Healthier
• Wealthier
• More Attractive
• More Profitable
• More Productive
• Better at our jobs
• Better at our chosen game or hobby
• Better able to add to – or preserve – our wealth
• Better able to help our children prepare for college, career, and life

Remember, the majority of buyers want to make decisions on facts not fiction, and good marketers respect that by marketing truthfully.

Today, Buyers Are More And More Skeptical

Prospects first gather information to make their decision.  This may be a slow process. But… at the same time… they are very quick to eliminate from consideration products, services, and sellers that rely on hyperbole, clichés, and partial truths, rather than facts.

This process becomes more important today when many, if not most, of a young family’s “real money” purchases, are made through the internet.

• A 2019 survey found Millennials (ages 25-40) made 60% of their purchases online
• Only 9.6% of Gen Z (9-24) reports buying items in a physical store – considerably less than their older generations (Millennials at 31.04%, Gen X at 27.5%, and Baby Boomers at 31.9% respectively).
• Numerous studies show that readers who click onto a website will leave that site within 7-8 seconds, if they don’t find what they’re look for.

With these facts before us, we chose to look at how Naked Marketing works for small business websites and landing pages and why marketing truthfully works better than fancy slogans and hollow “promises”.

How Do You Know If You DON'T Market Truthfully?

One sure way is to see if you use trite, meaningless clichés, like “lowest prices in town”, “5-star customer service”, “huge selection”, or the ever questionable, “we treat you like family” in website, landing page, or advertising copy.

Buyers have heard those lines for years until the simply become background noise – or worse, trigger words for, “I can’t trust them”.  If you want people to consider doing business with you, you must consider the effect of your words on potential customers.

Anything less and you’re in for a rough ride.

Naked Marketing, or How To Market Truthfully

Follow the Naked Marketing formula by including the following information on your website home page and landing pages.

Here’s a quick checklist for you to work with:

1. An attention-grabbing Headline, sub-headline, and image, your name/logo/tagline…all should be seen ABOVE THE FOLD (without scrolling down on a laptop computer) answering the questions to which your visitor immediate answers:
   1. “Am I in the right place?” – “Who are you and what you can do for me” (benefits)?
   2. “Why should I buy from you instead of your competitors (real factual reasons)?”
2. As your reader scrolls down the page, you’ll want to include:
   1. A short video – preferably starring you – the “face” or “personification” of your business.
   2. Evidence as to why prospects should buy from you. In other words, PROVE the claims you made in 1(b)…and this doesn’t include a testimonial from your mother or third-grade teacher…it must be a third-party endorsement.
3. I like to tell readers what my company can do – and also what we can’t, or don’t do. I like to see this transparency on websites because it shows the marketer respects the buyer, and isn’t just trying to make a sale.
4. Your one Call-to-Action (CTA) coupled with:
   1. A motivating offer for those who are in the market to buy now.
   2. Free, helpful information for those who are in the “gathering information” stage of the buying process. (see Now and Future Buyers)
   3. A good risk reducer – like a strong guarantee.

If your website or landing page contains the elements of truthful marketing, and none of the hype or clichés you see in more bombastic, but less effective, marketing, you will come out very much ahead.

Give Naked Marketing A Try

I think you’ll find, as I do, that prospects react positively to this new (to them) experience.

Using truthful marketing is not only proven to bring you clients at a higher rate, but also maintain the relationship with your clients longer.  You might take heart in the comments of copywriting legend (an Original Madman) Bill Bernbach.

So, shed your doubts and inhibitions, peel back the layers of your knowledge, and join those of us who proudly practice Naked Marketing.

I Modestly Offer You One Final Example Of Naked (Truthful) Marketing

I’ve been marketing naked (no sniggering, please) for years.  Check out one of my websites, Write Like A Madman University.

Marketing should be fun.

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