You´d be surprised at the difference a perfect pitch can make. Here we’ll discuss some strategies to level up your pitch game.
The pitching game has become a must for most entrepreneurs out there. It began as a way of speaking with very busy individuals who needed to decide in a short period and has evolved to fulfill what almost every startup needs in the long run – like raising capital, applying and competing in startup competitions, establishing partnerships, giving keynotes, selling products, using of accelerator and incubator programs and so on.
Over 1.000 pitch decks are created a day, and despite having a similar goal, every pitch is different and unique in its own way. Because each business is pitching and looking for different things and diverse outcomes, it’s sometimes difficult to discern what will work and what will flop. With that being said, there are a few steps to take into account in every pitch process, and there are a handful of items each deck should include. For starters, each startup pitch needs to tell and sell a story! Don’t forget about that.
Similar to sales pitches, a marketing pitch is designed to win. it matters not if you’re pitching a new marketing campaign idea to your boss, or pitching yourself – and your digital marketing services – to a new client, a marketing pitch needs to be persuasive and engaging. A compelling story will convince your audience to adopt your ideas, and services, or move forward with your company. At the end of the day, knowing how to sell marketing services will require the same framework as selling a new business venture to potential investors.
Doing a successful pitch has become an artform by itself. People want to be told a story, to understand how your value proposition is going to mesh with their business and enhance it. How you accomplish that is where the magic happens, where your true artistry comes into place.
Along with the art of sales, you can think of them as partners in crime. The type of information is most likely to convince a person to buy or help them understand what you’re talking about.
It has become an essential aspect of the entrepreneurial adventure; it’s important to have the following elements in mind at the moment of planning your next pitch and leave your client satisfied with a jaw-dropping performance.
Ironically, the ultimate goal of a winning pitch is to make it seem as if you’re not pitching at all. Your audience should feel as if they’re taking part in a very interesting conversation and should be left wanting more.
What is a marketing pitch?
A marketing pitch is a summary of a product or service you’re trying to sell. They are often brief speeches highlighting key features of your business that you may use for networking, securing market opportunities, or suggesting ideas to your managers.
Key elements of a marketing pitch
Marketing pitches should be concise and focused. Here are elements you should include in a marketing pitch:
- product name: Tell your target audience the business plan and the different marketing strategies that will be implied. Tell them the name of the product and repeat it throughout your pitch presentation to help others remember it.
- How the product or service solves the problem: Explain how your product or service can benefit others.
- Key product or service features: Include several key features of your product that set it apart from competitors, such as what materials it’s made out of, the technology it uses, or how it promotes sustainability.
- Evidence or testimonials: Share evidence from research studies that prove the efficacy of your product or offer testimonials from customers.
- Strong closings: Use your closing as the last chance to take action to learn more.
- Contact information: Provide a way for your audience to learn more, like your contact information on your company’s website.
Creating a great pitch
Here are some bullet points ideas on how to reach a superb pitch:
1. Determine the type of pitch you want
Before preparing a marketing pitch, decide what type of pitch you need. Consider the purpose of your pitch and where you plan to use it. Considering other pitch examples as templates may be a fantastic starting plan for a good pitch. For example, you may be presenting an idea for an app to a group of industry professionals at a networking event. The factors influence the length of your pitch and the medium you use.
- Length: In some cases, you may have time parameters to work with. Other times, you may be presenting an idea for an app to a group of potential investors or speaking to a group of industry professionals at a networking event. These factors influence the length of your pitch and the medium you use.
- Medium: Most pitches are oral, but you may also benefit from sending written pitches to companies and colleagues. Additionally, if your space can accommodate it, you may choose to use visual aids or media with your pitch.
2. Write a General Pitch
Once you choose the best type of pitch, you can write a general version of your speech that covers the main elements of your product or service. Decide what features you want to highlight and what evidence you want to share. It may be helpful to start with the following guidelines:
- Intro: Opening statement, name, company
- Product: Product name, features, photos, or videos.
- Evidence: research studies and testimonials
- Closing: thank your audience, closing statement and contact information
3. Tailor your pitch to your audience
With a general marketing pitch written, you can tailor it to a specific audience or event. You may customize your pitch with different opening and closing statements to connect better with various markets. For instance, when speaking to investors you may lead with sales projections, but when talking to networking groups, you may open with a personal anecdote.
4. Memorize your pitch
Memorizing your marketing pitch can demonstrate your familiarity with your product or service and your confidence. This can help build trust between you and your audience. Knowing your material well can also reduce your anxiety before a presentation and help the pitch go smoother.
5. Lead with solutions
What’s the biggest pain point your product or service will address? Start your presentation by providing the solution right off the bat. Not only will this capture your prospect’s attention, but it will also keep them engaged and hungry to learn more about what you and your agency have to offer.
6. Include Case Studies
How can you support the solution you provided? Show the prospect how that solution can be applied. Case studies allow you to highlight specific aspects of your product or service that will positively impact the prospect’s company. This helps you build credibility and further develop trust.
7. Ask for feedback
It’s important to connect with your audience and make sure they’re engaged in your presentation. For example, you could ask “ Does this make any sense?”, “Are you following me?” or “Do you see how this would work for you/ your team/ your company? Asking for feedback ensures that you’re all on the same page.
8. Be open to questions
Let your audience know that they can ask questions all the time at any time. Be aware of your audience and their reactions throughout the presentation.
Useful key points while crafting your killer pitch
1. Know your audience
Do your homework and do your research, knowing who you will be pitching to is essential. Who are we dealing with? What do they do? Customize your speech to fit their unique business model. By adding a personalized, branded touch to your investor pitch you’re showing them that you understand them, you know what they need, you listened to them, and you’re ready to take care of them and represent them.
Don´t sleep on a professionally designed presentation deck. It might be the difference between closing a deal and losing a client. Many posts and videos on how to create a pitch deck focus on the content that the pitch should show to engage and impress your viewers. But there is a key element in achieving the purpose of the pitch that many leave out, and that is understanding your audience. Pitching without knowing your audience can be the same as arriving at the meeting without your proper garment or communicating to an English audience in Russian. Your visuals might be amazing and powerful but never leave the basics unattended because, in the end, nobody might understand what you’re trying to communicate.
To avoid getting lost in translation, do background research as we said earlier, it will make a difference. Find out what their background is, what is the technical language they speak and understand, and try to put yourself in their shoes.
Use this knowledge to deliver precise information to your audience, for example, if you´re pitching to a financial investor whose interests are only financial, avoid showing technical features about the product and focus on the financials. And this works all the way around too – if your investor is a technical person, show technologies and describe in detail what they want to know.
Whether your pitch is a long presentation for raising capital or an elevator pitch, always do your research. Don’t leave that behind. In case you run into an unexpected situation, try to find a bit about your audience before pitching, ask questions about them and then start pitching; they will even be nicely surprised since most people don’t ask.
2. Competitive Analysis
A competition analysis is research with a view to understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the competitors within a particular market. This can be really helpful for knowing how to position your business within your relevant market and for starting to look at your business and customer needs.
On the other hand, market analysis is evaluating an industry to find out whetther it is one that is suitable for your business. This can mean more quantitative research than qualitative, though it can incorporate both.
Combined, the information that you find from these different forms of research can be used in your pitch deck to illustrate how you will fit into a market and make a profit despite any competition.
There are three types of competitors:
- Direct competitors: These are the companies that are doing the same job as you, in the same way.
- Secondary competitors: These are the competitors that do the same job as you but in a different way.
- Indirect competitors: These are the companies that do a different job that has a conflicting outcome.
Now that you have discovered exactly who your competitors are, it’s time to figure out how you can position yourself amongst them. For this, it’s important to look at your similarities and differences in a variety of areas, before finding the “gap” that you can fill. This will be the reason why someone should choose your product over that of your competitors. After doing so, you should immediately go into the market opportunity and pivot to what you’re bringing to the table.
3. Identify the pain points you’re solving
It’s important to talk about the market opportunity and how your offering is filling a gap in the industry. What are the pain points of your audience and how does your company plan to solve them? With a firm grounding in what you do and why you do it, this is your chance to shine. By identifying the pain points your product or service will solve as it relates to your prospective customers, you’re creating your value proposition. This section should include a list of your key features and outline how each will benefit the client.
4. Marketing Strategies
After identifying the pain points your offering is solving, you should dive into your marketing plan or strategy. Tell your audience exactly what you plan to do for them, and how you plan to achieve it. Make sure to quantify your results so that they can see the true value in your service. This should break down your marketing plan, and all of your ideas and concepts and include any insights on the potential return on investment (ROI) they’ll see if they decide to go with your services.
5. Social Proof
It’s okay to share your wins. Including social studies or social proof from existing clients will help build your credibility and generate trust with new prospects. You might want to include examples of past work, testimonials from clients, or success stories from other campaigns. By including social proof, you’re backing up the story you’re trying to sell in your digital marketing pitch sales pitch. This will reassure your leads that you’re the right for the job, making them more confident in their decision to hire you.
6. A strong call to action
Your marketing pitch is all for naught if you don’t move your audience to action after the presentation is over. Your final slide should feature a strong call to action, whether that’s encouraging your audience to move forward with your service, or leaving them with your contact information for a follow-up call down the road. At the end of the day, an action item is 100% more profitable than a mere “thank you” slide.
Conclusion
Successful pitches are all about preparation. Treat each opportunity to pitch someone as special and rare. After all, if you sent them a lousy pitch, and it shows you didn’t put in any special effort, you may have burned that bridge permanently.
That can be very costly, especially as your reputation and visibility continue to grow over time. Do all the upfront work correctly, and the effectiveness of your content marketing efforts will be greatly amplified.
We all like to get an edge on our competition, and one of the best ways to do that in content marketing is to master and perfect your pitching process.
