✋ The 5 Levels of Marketing
Hello! Adam Thornhill here. ‘The Podcast Guy’ saving you 10 hours a week.
Enjoy the 153rd Podup, with special thanks to ChatGPT Consulting - a proven 4-week program to transform your team’s productivity and creativity.
Today, you’ll learn about The 5 Levels of Marketing thanks to My First Million.
What are you really selling? Shaan Puri introduces his framework called ‘The 5 Levels of Marketing’. From promoting your product features to selling an identity, this model challenges you to rethink your positioning and aim higher.
What level are you?
Here are the 5 levels of marketing:
Level 1 - You sell a product
This is every shitty startup website. They just describe their product. It’s not compelling because I don’t care about your product, I care about myself.
Level 2 - You sell a solution
You’re selling a solution to a pain point. This is effective, but it’s competitive. It’s like Head & Shoulders saying ‘Fed up of having dandruff? We get rid of the dandruff.’
Level 3 - You sell a lifestyle
You present an aspirational lifestyle so people think ‘What do I need to do to live like that?’ You position your product as the answer. This is how you create a category.
Level 4 - You sell a feeling
Dana White from the UFC said ‘We sell holy shit moments.’ Disney sells a magical family experience. Louis Vuitton sells a feeling of status and importance.
If you give someone a feeling more consistently and more powerfully than anybody else, that’s what makes you box office.
Level 5 - You sell an identity
This is what religions do. This is what political parties do.
They give you a tribe. They give you a label. They give you a purpose and belonging.
That’s the highest level of what you can do - selling an identity in a box.
Shaan Puri
Learn from the past
Go and look at old cigarette ads if you want to see this in action.
They’re not selling a solution to a pain point. They’re not saying your lungs need a bit more tar in them.
It’s all about a feeling and identity. They’re giving you a feeling of a cool self-image.
Once you realize this, most people look like absolute rookies in marketing.
If you can get people to move and take action, then you have an unfair advantage.
Shaan Puri
Why it matters
Most of us get stuck at Level 2. We focus on selling solutions to problems and stop there.
If we venture into Level 3 and beyond, we can drastically enhance our brand loyalty. By selling a lifestyle, a feeling, or even an identity, we can tap into deeper emotional and psychological needs of our customers.
So, what level does Podup sit at?
Take a guess.
…
…
…
That’s right, I’ve been stuck at Level 2:
“Get smarter about business. We curate the best insights from the world’s leading podcasts, saving you 10 hours a week”
I’ve led with the solution. It’s average at best. Now, how can I evoke a feeling of curiosity and excitement? How can I make you believe Podup is the only way to achieve the lifestyle you want to lead?
“ONLY for lifelong learners. Fuel your ambition with insights from the world’s greatest business podcasts.”
What do you think? Comment below. Maybe, just maybe, this will be the unlock to help me catapult from 2,000 to 20,000 subscribers. Vamos!
Next steps
Self-reflect. Review your marketing messaging and campaigns. Are they focused on the product or solution? Or do they connect on a deeper level?
Define aspirational goals. What lifestyle, feeling, or identity can your product realistically represent?
Rewrite your messaging. Create clear and aspirational messages that resonate with your customers’ deepest desires and values.
Be a storyteller. Use customer testimonials to convey the emotional and identity-related benefits of your products. Show examples of how your product is improving people’s lives.
Review and improve. Gather customer feedback on your new marketing messages and adjust accordingly to improve how much it resonates.
Your thoughts?
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