Good marketing is like the squealing of a delighted child; It fills the room and gets your attention every time. However, marketing not done right will amount to a failed business, as marketing goes a long way to determining the success rate of sales and conversions.

It is, therefore, safe to say that only the right approach used in marketing will lead to the anticipated success. Use the wrong one, and you can expect disaster.

Amongst the different approaches to content marketing, I find the art of subtle selling to be the best and most effective, and yes, it is an art. 

The art of subtle selling involves seducing an audience to buy your product or employ your services without making it obvious you are trying to sell and without you being all up in their faces. It is akin to exploring the mastery of coyness in grabbing the attention of a potential suitor through charm, allure, and the right amount of excitement— got your attention right there, didn’t I? (and yes, we are still talking about marketing). 

Think of it as selling without actually selling. A genius idea! 

People hate to be sold.

Do you remember that one time a sleazy salesman tried to badger you into buying a product and how much it annoyed you? Well, welcome to the world of humans, people. Some months later, you may have even gone out to buy the same product the salesman tried to sell. The only difference was that you bought it because you needed it, and no one was forcing you to buy it.

Long story short, people hate to be sold. Ironically, they love to buy. 

As beautiful as content marketing is, you should understand that being ‘all up in the faces’ of your audience with yet another product or service reeks of disturbance and confrontation. And no one wants this.

Instead of hassling to sell your brand by all means, you should be more focused on the needs of your customer— pain points, goals, and interests. The average person will give in to satisfying his needs without being convinced to do the same.

Also, be fluid-like in your approach, warming your way into the hearts of your customers by showing that you care about them and your primary existence is to meet their concerns. This way, customers look forward to buying, your business grows, and your brand becomes remarkable.

6 tips for nailing the art of subtle marketing

Ready to nail the art of subtle selling? 

Sit back and grab a glass of wine as we explore six powerful and proven subtle marketing strategies— yeah, yeah, no need to thank me. I’m a kind lady who cares about increasing your sales and conversions.

1. Converse with your audience.

People tend to be more trusting and relaxed when they feel they are in a safe space—a space not reeking of salespeople forcing yet another product or service down their throats.

The subtle selling approach in content marketing mimics having a sit-down with your audience and conversing with them.

Using conversational-styled blog posts, emails and newsletters, case studies, and whatnot, you can let your audience know that you see them and understand their pains. And right when they start trusting you, you subtly introduce your products and services. 

Can you see how this will make them feel like they are hearing from a friend offering a solution to a pain he understands? 

You are talking to them as an empathic human being, not a brand trying to sell. Furthermore, giving specific replies to individual comments and not just general responses connotes an attention-giving brand; that is, a brand that listens and cares.

2. Give value to get value.

The average human enjoys getting value for free. So before trying to sell your product, allow your audience to experience just a taste of your product or service value. As we all know, seeing—feeling or tasting— is believing.

When your audience or potential customer does not only see but feels or experience the essence of your product or service, enlisting as your customer becomes quite an easy feat. 

This strategy not only gets your target audience to patronize you, but it also makes your target audience your brand evangelists—after all, who wouldn’t herald the greatness of a good product or satisfactory service rendered?

This method of subtle selling saves you from the time-consuming rigors of trying to convince your target audience of your brand value. You end up spending half the effort to get twice the value. Good deal, don’t you think?

3. Explore an audience-focused strategy.

Your audience doesn’t care about you. However beautifully written your content is, the one question they have is, ‘What’s in it for me?’

Yea yea. It sounds selfish, but it is the reality.

Consumers are out for themselves. They could care less about how amazing your products and services are. Any marketing that involves singing the praises of your offering without stating its benefits to your audience will come off as gloating. All they want to hear is how it benefits them.

When adopting the subtle selling approach, remember to highlight and shout from the rooftops the benefits your audience will gain from your product and services, and watch their eyes sparkle. They don’t think you are trying to sell them. Instead, they are delighted to have found something that adds value to their lives—cha-ching!

4. Imprint your brand in the mind of your audience.

What comes to mind when you see the phrase ‘Just Do It?’ The Nike brand, right?

What about ‘The happiest place on earth?’ Yeah, you got it, Disney.

Through the years, these brands have imprinted their identity on our minds, so much so that they feel like a part of our lives. In the same way, you can imprint your brand in the minds of your audience. 

Want to know how?

There are several ways to build your brand identity and spread brand awareness. One of them is through content marketing. 

Here’s an example.

Neil Patel produces a lot of content on his blog about digital marketing. It has become my go-to place when looking for answers to digital marketing-related questions. The day I ever need the services of a digital marketing expert, guess who will come to mind first? Good old Neil, of course. 

It doesn’t matter the content channel you choose—a blog, a newsletter, et cetera—the more you produce value-adding content for your audience, the more you register your brand and expertise in their minds. Think of it as a win-win situation. Your audience finds value in your content, and your brand finds a home in their hearts. I love it!

5. Be Spot On.

The average human attention span is down to 8 seconds—a little lower than that of a goldfish.

Should this scare you?

Maybe a little. But more than causing you to panic, it should put you on your toes. We are in the internet age, folks. There is so much content going around, enough to distract your audience at the slightest opportunity.  

You either cut to the chase and get to the heart of the matter or risk losing their attention altogether. The choice is yours. Learn to cut through the noise. Focus on getting your message across only using compelling and valuable information—nothing more.

6. Render a top-notch delivery.

Now to the ace to your game *drum rolls* your delivery.

No matter the richness and wonders of your products and services, if your selling content is poor or half-baked, all you’ll get is crickets.

Want to increase your sales and conversions without actually selling? Then the delivery of your content marketing strategy must be compelling and irresistible.

Let the aura of confidence—not cockiness—and assurance saturate the delivery of your content. Your content should emit your belief in the efficacy of your products or services because how else can you get your audience to trust and buy a product when your marketing lacks luster? Get the point?

Even if your products and services are boring, the delivery of your content can give it life. 

A yay or nay?

So, which is it going to be?

Continue forcing your products and services down peoples’ throats? Or make them crave what you have to offer without pushing?

I’m guessing it’s yay for the latter and nay for the former. Of course, who wouldn’t want to make easy sales and conversions? Life is better this way for both sides. You save your clients the torture of enduring yet another sales pitch while you go to the bank smiling and whistling your favorite song—a win-win.

If you ever need help exploring this art of subtle selling to increase sales and conversions for your business, we at the Fourth Writers can help you. We are a team of writers who have mastered the art of subtle persuasion using the right words. We are a few clicks away. Feel free to reach out. We will be excitedly waiting on the other end to help you up your game.

See you soon.