Why Your “Why” Is Critical for Successful Inbound Marketing”

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May 18, 2016

Every organization on the planet knows what they do. Some of them understand how they do it—their USP. Very few are able to articulate why they do it—their raison d’ȇtre. Yet, people don’t purchase because of what you do—they purchase because of your why.

In one of the best TED talks of all time, Simon Sinek challenges companies to live out of their “why”—their cause, their driving belief. It’s also one of the fundamental elements we emphasize with our clients. To be successful in inbound marketing, you absolutely must have agreement about your “why” as an organization—and you’ve got to live out of it.

Why Your Why Is Critical to Successful Marketing

Why is your “why” important for successfully doing inbound marketing? After all, inbound is all about targeting personas with the right content to generate more leads, right? That’s true, but knowing your personas is only one piece of the puzzle. You also need to know yourself—specifically, why you do what you do.

Making a purchase, specifically large-ticket items or B2B services, requires a stronger emotional attachment by the buyer. Relationships are key. Clarifying your “why” communicates who you are and what you stand for. No one buys from Apple simply for their product—they buy from Apple because Apple believes in thinking differently, and that “why” drives everything Apple does in designing their products.

Inbound marketing is based on attracting the right buyers. If your entire purpose is just to make money, that’s what you’ll communicate to potential buyers. Gaining more traffic, leads, and sales are just results—they’re byproducts of an amazing experience that resonates with your buyer personas.

To create that resonance, you need to understand why your company does what it does, and then align that with your ideal customers and personas. This is vital in B2B and professional services, because most companies have little to differentiate them from competitors.

What’s Your Why?

As you begin to implement inbound marketing, spend time on your company to help clarify what your “why” is and why your “why” matters to your personas. Gaining alignment internally will enable your marketing and sales teams to deliver a cohesive message that truly resonates with your core buyers.

As Simon Sinek puts it, the goal isn’t to do business with everybody who needs what you have. The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe.

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