A strong foundation will hold the tower up.
What do you think will happen to this tower?
Why Most Business Marketing Fails
Time and time again, we see business owners pour thousands into marketing—yet skip the fundamentals that make it actually work.
They invest in the latest tool, strategy, or idea. Then, when little to no results come in, they wonder "why, why, why!".
"Why isn't my marketing working even though I invest all this money on ads, digital marketers, content creation, etc.!"
Then they go and blame Google or Facebook for taking their money or their digital marketer, who frankly probably doesn't even know anything about marketing.
But what they don't realize is that successful marketing, just like everything complex in life, also has a foundation. And that foundation must follow a set of principles or rules.
For example, a building, a boat, or an airplane, no matter how complex they are, have a foundation. And that foundation is based on the laws of nature (gravity, density, force, etc.)
If the building, boat, or airplane doesn't have a strong enough foundation, that building will collapse, the boat will sink, and the airplane won't fly.
Marketing also needs a strong enough foundation if you want it to be successful.
And the more complex your marketing is, the stronger the foundation has to be.
If you don't have a strong enough foundation, then no matter how great or big you make your marketing machine, or how much money you invest in it, it simply either will not work or it won't produce the results you are looking for.
Doing marketing without a strong enough foundation is like trying to make the building material stronger so it doesn't fall. But no matter how strong your building material is, if your foundation is weak, it will fall.
But when you build a strong marketing foundation, everything changes. Your chances of success go way up—and the money you invest starts working harder for you.
Just look at the image below: a small, solid foundation holding up a massive tower.
It’s strong, stable, and built to last. You could stack even more on top, and it still wouldn’t fall.
A strong foundation will hold the tower up.
What do you think will happen to this tower?
Marketing Fundamentals
Before we can build a strong marketing foundation, we need to understand the core principles it's built on.
For example, before building a boat, we first need to understand the law of buoyancy—the fundamental principle that explains how objects float.
Once we understand how buoyancy works, we can design the hull, choose the right materials, and do everything needed to ensure the boat floats.
Now, don't worry, we are not going to build a boat. What we want to build is a marketing system that floats, I mean works (heh).
In marketing, the rules come from buying psychology—understanding how customers think, shop, and make decisions.
Once we understand how a person buys, we can then build our marketing system based off that.
So, how does a customer shop?
Here is the general and basic breakdown of how a person buys. I will not go much into detail. Just understanding the general idea will be enough.
A problem/concern/desire arises: The only reason sales and marketing exist is because people have problems/concern or desire. This is where their journey starts. You either create the awareness of a problem/concern/desire, or they already have it and you are just there to solve it.
Searches for the best place to fix the problem: Awareness is the spark. Once a person becomes aware, they will look for the best places to fix the problem or fulfill the desire. That might be asking a family, friend, or neighbor for suggestions. Or that might be a quick Google search on their phone. Or maybe it is a walk into your store.
Does research: Once a person learns about your business through their search, they don’t just buy right away. They dig deeper. They check your website, your reviews, your business pages, your social media—anywhere they can find you online. They’re looking for trust, proof, and a reason to choose you.
Looks what other options are available: You're not going to be the only business they seek. They weigh you against every other option they can think of. Another business. A different approach. Or even the choice to delay, ignore, or do nothing at all.
Takes time to decide: The more expensive the decision, the longer people take to make it. It might take hours, days, weeks—or even months. But even with smaller purchases, people often pause. Some will even overthink a $5 item on Amazon. In the end, the business that stands out the most during that decision window—the one that leaves the strongest impression—is the one that wins.
Expect fast response and good customer service: Today, people expect businesses to be fast and professional. If you take too long to respond to a question, concern, or inquiry, they won’t wait around—they’ll move on to your competitor. And if your tone is rude or unprofessional? That’s game over too. One bad impression is all it takes to lose the sale.
Every buyer goes through this process—some faster, some slower, and some may even skip a step or two. It all depends on stuff like how familiar people are with your business, the cost of the product/services they are seeking, how busy they are, how much risk they’re willing to take, and other factors we may never even know about.
All you need to know is this: if you want your marketing to actually work, build it around the steps people naturally take when making a buying decision.
System Revolving Around Customer Journey
So, how do we build a system revolving around the way people buy?
Simple, you meet your potential customer at every step of the journey.
How do you do that?
Things your system must do
Stir the problem/desire or create it: The first thing you need to do is grab your customer’s attention—and the best way to do that is by tapping into their biggest problem, concern, or desire.
Most businesses jump straight into the solution. And sure, that can work—especially if you’ve got a great deal—but more often than not, it falls flat.
Leading with the problem makes your message feel personal. It shows you understand them. It builds trust.
Leading with the solution? That’s all about you.
Be where your customers are searching: Where do people go when they need a product or service? Google search? Social media? YouTube? What keywords are they using to find it?
If you show up in the right place, at the right time—where the intent is highest— your chances of getting the business increases.
Become an authority by providing valuable content: If people are going to do research about your business and/or industry, then you want to provide the information they’re actively seeking.
This can take the form of a detailed FAQ section or a knowledge base where you address common questions they may have.
Go a step further and answer the questions they didn’t even know they should be asking. By doing this, you don’t just inform—you demonstrate your expertise.
Stand out: If the customer does not clearly see how you are different or better, then they will see you just like the rest of your competition.
Follow up: In the time customers are taking their time to make decisions you must follow up or else they may forget about you. We live today in a time where people are busy, easily distracted, and take their sweet time doing things. So, if you're not following up, you won't be top of mind. And if you're not top of mind, you will get left behind.
Respond fast and great customer service: Once a person is ready to buy or just want to talk to someone when they have questions/concerns, then you must be quick to respond and respond professionally. Many businesses lose leads this way by not responding quick or by being rude or unprofessional.
Things your system must do
Lead with the problem: Whenever you are trying to catch a customer's attention, you lead with the problem/concern/desire. Like this you connect with the customer better than just leading with a solution. Leading with the problem shows empathy, leading with solution is selfish.
Be where your customers are searching: Where is the place they are most likely to be when they need a product/service? Google search results? Social media? YouTube? What keywords are they using to search for your product(s)/service(s)?
Provide persuasive and valuable content: If people are going to be doing research, then you must provide persuasive and valuable content that builds trust, interest, and makes you stand out.
Stand out: If the customer does not clearly see how you are different or better, then they will see you just like the rest of your competition.
Follow up: In the time customers are taking their time to make decisions you must follow up or else they may forget about you. We live today in a time where people are busy, easily distracted, and take their sweet time doing things. So, if you're not following up, you won't be top of mind. And if you're not top of mind, you will get left behind.
Respond fast and great customer service: Once a person is ready to buy or just want to talk to someone when they have questions/concerns, then you must be quick to respond and respond professionally. Many businesses lose leads this way by not responding quick or by being rude or unprofessional.
The Solution
So, how do you build such a system that does everything I just said earlier?
One of the best ways to do so is with a website.
4 main reason.
Why a website?
Most likely to be visited: First, a website is the place people will most likely go visit no matter where they learned about your business. Whether it was through an ad, your social media, or wherever.
Most likely to be visited: First, a website is the place people will most likely go visit no matter where they learned about your business. Whether it was through an ad, your social media, or wherever.
Most impact: And second, because a website has a ton of space you can work with, it is the place where you can make the most impact.
Third: With the power of AI and automations, you can follow up on leads and respond to them quickly and professionally.
Something called a smart website that sells.
Why a smart website that sells?
Here are the following things a website can do for you when combined with AI and persuasion:
Show up on top of search engine: The highest quality leads are usuall