The Marketing Genius Of Jesus
Timeless Lessons From One Of The Greatest Marketers Of All Time
Most of us know Jesus the carpenter, Jesus the Messiah, but not Jesus the Marketer.
Surprising, right?
That the Messiah was actually a marketer.
Basically, what’s marketing all about? Marketing is the combination of every activity that makes the user/consumer aware of a product/service which then leads to sales, or any other business goal/objective.
Now, Jesus had a brand and was a brand. And in case you don’t know, a brand is the part of a business that the customers come to believe and buy into which then builds a community.
What does this mean exactly?
It means that Jesus was able to apply age old marketing principles that yielded tremendous results in just 3 years of ministry. In a little while, I’ll share the principles, but before that…
I’d like you to know that the ‘secret’ to good marketing is knowing the worth of your offer/product/service, and clearly communicating that worth to your audience. Especially if you are selling to a cold audience.
This was the ‘secret’ powering Jesus’ ministry, which allowed him to touch the lives of thousands and overcome the challenges most marketers face today.
Now, let’s go into details on the strategies he applied:
- He Gave Immense Value: Jesus’ ministry was the epitome of value giving. He healed sick people, raised the dead, cured blindness, taught lots of people. And this endeared him to his target audience (the Israelites), so much so that people from far and wide came to listen to him. He always gave value FIRST which kept retaining his audience, so when he wanted to teach and talk about his ministry, they were ready to listen. And that’s what most marketers fail to understand. They quickly rush into sales, and this almost always proves detrimental to their marketing efforts, especially to a cold audience.
In marketing, give 80% value, and make 20% sales
This is because people don’t like to be sold, they prefer to make that decision themselves. Trying to make that sale immediately you come in contact with them will only make you seem desperate, and you’ll lose them. People want to be in charge (feel they’re in charge) of the whole process, so at the end they can justify their decisions with logic. And Jesus understood this concept perfectly, so he gave value that made them lay their guards down.
2. He Inspired Confidence: If you’ve read about Jesus and his teachings, you’ll always detect confidence in his words (Or arrogance). This is a marketing strategy used to make the prospect/customer believe in one’s product/service. The truth of the matter is: If you don’t believe in what your product, the quality of what you can do, your customers won’t buy from you. As I said earlier, the secret to good marketing is knowing the worth of your offer/product/service, and clearly communicating that worth to your audience. And that’s what Jesus did. The miracles and healing were side attractions, lead magnets. His main purpose was to save the Jews as the Messiah. But if he had started with that, it would have flopped. So what did he do?
He started asserting himself as an authority figure in his field of interest. With statements like “I am the bread of life” “I will give him that is thirsty a drink from the fountain of water of life and he shall never thirst.”
And in those days, bread and water were a very important part of the Jew’s food diet. And he didn’t say it once or twice, he reminded them at any given opportunity.
Now…
When you repeatedly and confidently talk about the impact you or your product/service will have on your customer’s lives and you back that up with value…
It registers in their subconscious, and they start seeing you as the solution to their problems. Jesus knew that, so he capitalized on it. In your marketing campaigns, find a way to show yourself or your product’s impact to your customers. Put another way; show them what you can do for them. Inspire confidence in them to see your product/service as the most optimal solution available.
3. He Was Passionate: One of the rules of copywriting is “Write with passion.” David Ogilvy, one of the modern fathers of advertising said “Your customer isn’t a moron. She’s your wife.”
Why?
Because your wife is someone close to you, who knows some/if not most of your secrets, knows when you aren’t being sincere, or not passionate about something. And that’s how your customers are. Most customers these days are out there looking for the best solution to their problems.
But they aren’t dumb. This is because they have seen it all. The average consumer sees thousands of ads and marketing messages monthly. To them, most of the ads are just fluff and noise, no real value, and this has made them skeptical about marketing messages.
But there is a way to cut through their skepticism… By being passionate about your product/service. No extra gimmicks. When you do this, the passion you have is contagious and your prospects are infected. And this makes them choose you. Jesus understood this principle, and boy was he passionate about what he did.
4. His Ministry Was People-Oriented: In his short 3 years of ministry on earth, Jesus prioritized his audience (customers) so much that he inconvenienced himself most of the time just so they got the best experience. This is a very powerful marketing strategy because when you continuously provide your customers/clients with customer oriented services, they’ll keep coming back. And when they come back coming back. And when they come back, they aren’t alone! Which brings about more sales! This is the reason companies/brands we know are able to lead the competition. Because they focus on the customers and giving quality services. Jesus knew this, and fully implemented it. That’s why people kept coming in their tens of thousands to listen to him.
And there you have it. Marketing lessons from one of the greatest marketers of all times.