For a lot of small business owners, the word “marketing” feels kind of… gross.
It brings up images of cheesy salespeople, spammy emails, and awkward cold calls. It feels like you have to put on a fake voice, puff out your chest, and shout into a megaphone about why you’re the BEST IN THE WORLD!
No wonder we avoid it. That version of marketing is exhausting, and it doesn’t feel like you.
But what if I told you that you’re thinking about marketing all wrong? What if marketing isn’t about shouting? What if it’s just a conversation?
Think about the best conversation you’ve had recently. Maybe it was with a friend over coffee or a customer who really “got” what you do. That conversation wasn’t a one-way street. It was a back-and-forth. You listened. You shared. You connected. You walked away feeling good.
That is what your marketing should feel like. It’s not about blasting a message; it’s about starting a relationship.
This shift in thinking—from megaphone to conversation—is the single most powerful thing you can do for your business. Let’s break down how to actually do it.
Why the Old “Megaphone” Marketing is Killing Your Vibe
First, let’s talk about why the shouty approach doesn’t work anymore (and why it’s so draining for you).
The Customer’s Perspective:
Imagine you’re at a party. You’re having a nice chat, and then someone walks up, interrupts you, and starts loudly listing all their amazing qualities. “Hello! I am a great friend! I am very loyal and tell funny jokes! You should be my friend! Here is my friendship brochure!”
You’d back away slowly, right?
That’s exactly how customers see traditional, one-way advertising. A billboard screaming “BUY NOW!” A social media post that’s just “HERE’S MY PRODUCT AGAIN!” A cold email with the subject line: “Your business is terrible, we can fix it.”
It’s interrupting. It’s arrogant. And it makes people tune out immediately.
Your Perspective:
Now, imagine you’re the person who has to shout all day. It’s exhausting! Creating content that feels salesy and inauthentic drains your soul. It feels icky because it’s not a true reflection of why you started your business in the first place.
You got into this to help people, to solve a problem, not to be a carnival barker.
So, how do we stop shouting and start talking?
The Four Rules for Turning Your Marketing into a Chat
A good conversation has a simple, natural flow. Your marketing should follow the same rhythm.
Rule #1: Listen First, Talk Second (The Power of Eavesdropping)
You’d never walk into a room and just start talking about yourself without first understanding what people are discussing. So why do that with marketing?
Before you create a single post or write a single email, your job is to listen. I call this “strategic eavesdropping.” You’re not being creepy; you’re being a good conversationalist.
Where to Listen:
Social Media Comments: What are people in your industry talking about? What are their frustrations? What questions are they asking?
Online Reviews: Look at reviews for your business and your competitors. What problems do people keep mentioning? What solutions are they praising?
Google & Forums: Type your main service into Google and look at the “People also ask” section. Go to sites like Reddit or Quora and search for your keywords. Read the real, unfiltered language people use.
The Goal: Don’t just guess what your customers want. Know what they want by listening to them.
Rule #2: Speak Their Language, Not Your “Biz-Jargon”
Once you’ve listened, you need to talk back in a way they understand. This means ditching the fancy, corporate jargon.
Imagine you’re a plumber. Which of these sounds more like a conversation?
Jargon Version: “We leverage innovative hydro-corrosion mitigation techniques to optimize your domestic water flow systems.” (Yuck.)
Conversation Version: “Tired of that annoying drip-drip-drip keeping you up at night? We fix leaky faucets so you can get a good night’s sleep.”
See the difference? The second one addresses a real feeling and uses simple words. It sounds like something you’d actually say to a neighbor.
Your cheat code: Use the exact words and phrases you discovered during your “eavesdropping” phase. If your customers say they are “stressed out and overwhelmed,” your marketing should say, “Feeling stressed and overwhelmed? We can help.”
Rule #3: Ask Great Questions (This is Marketing Gold)
A one-sided monologue is a lecture. A conversation is a two-way street. The easiest way to make it two-way? Ask questions!
Questions are like throwing a ball to someone. It invites them to play. It shows you care about their opinion. And it gives you priceless information.
How to do it:
On Social Media: Instead of just posting a picture of your product, ask a question. “What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing with [your area of expertise] this week?” Or, “Which of these two options do you like better?”
In Emails: End your newsletters with a question and invite people to hit reply. “What did you think of this tip? Did it work for you?” The subject line can even be a question: “Struggling with [common problem]?”
On Your Website: Have a FAQ section, but frame it as answers to the questions you hear most often in conversations.
When someone answers, you have to be ready for the most important part…
Rule #4: Actually Respond (Don’t Be a Conversation Ghost)
This is the step where most businesses fail. They ask a question on social media and then disappear. They get a comment and ignore it. They get an email reply and never write back.
This is the equivalent of someone asking you a question, you answering, and them just turning and walking away. It’s rude, and it kills the relationship instantly.
Your New Policy: Every comment, question, and message is an invitation to continue the conversation.
Thank people for commenting.
Answer their questions honestly and helpfully (even if the answer is “I don’t know, but let me find out for you”).
If someone sends a complaint, see it as a chance to have a powerful, problem-solving conversation that can turn a critic into a lifelong fan.
This part takes work, but it’s the work that turns followers into a community.
Your Simple “Conversation Starter” Toolkit
Okay, this all sounds good in theory. But what does it look like on a Tuesday afternoon? Here are some dead-simple ways to put it into practice.
1. The “Problem-Agitate-Solve” Framework (The Perfect Chat Structure):
This is a classic copywriting formula because it mirrors a natural problem-solving conversation.
Problem: Identify a specific problem your customer has. (You learned this from your listening!)
Example: “Struggling to get your team to use your new project management software?”
Agitate: Gently poke at the problem. Talk about the consequences and the feelings it creates. Don’t be mean, be empathetic.
Example: “It’s frustrating, right? Deadlines get missed, everyone’s confused, and you feel like you’ve wasted all that money on a tool no one uses.”
Solve: Offer your useful content, product, or service as the solution.
*Example: “I’ve put together a simple, 3-step checklist to get your team on board and actually using the tool. Download it here for free.”*
See? It’s not a sales pitch. It’s a helpful conversation.
2. Turn Your Email List into a Group Chat:
Stop thinking of your newsletter as a “blast.” Think of it as a weekly letter to a friend.
Subject Line: Make it sound like a text message. “Got a question for you,” or “Thought you’d find this helpful,” or “This made me think of you.”
Content: Share a short story about a mistake you made, a lesson you learned, or a cool thing you found. Then, ask for their thoughts.
Sign-off: Use your first name. Encourage people to hit “reply.” And when they do, answer them!
3. Make Social Media Your “Front Porch”:
Your social media profile isn’t a digital billboard. It’s the front porch of your business. You’re just hanging out, and people can stop by to chat.
Use “Stories” features (on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn) to post quick, unpolished videos. Ask a “this or that” question. Show a behind-the-scenes mess-up. It’s the most conversational format there is.
Go live and just answer questions. No fancy script needed.
Share other people’s content and tag them, saying “Great point from @username!”
What Happens When You Get It Right
When you stop shouting and start talking, something magical happens.
You Attract Your “Right-People” Customers: When you speak in a real, human voice about real problems, you repel the difficult, price-shopping customers and attract the wonderful ones who value what you do. They feel like they already know you before they even buy.
Marketing Stops Feeling Icky: Creating content becomes fun because you’re just sharing what you know and helping people out. The pressure is off.
You Get a Constant Stream of Ideas: Your customers will literally tell you what new products they want, what content they need, and how to improve your business. All you have to do is listen and respond.
You Build Unshakeable Trust: People buy from people they know, like, and trust. You can’t build trust with a megaphone. You build it through consistent, helpful, human conversation.
Your First Step This Week
Feeling overwhelmed? Don’t try to change everything at once.
Here’s your one mission for this week: Listen.
Spend 30 minutes “eavesdropping” in one place. It could be your own Instagram comments, a Reddit forum for your industry, or your competitor’s Facebook page. Just listen. Take notes on the specific words, problems, and questions you see.
Next week, use one of those exact phrases in a social media post or email.
Boom. You’ve just taken your first step away from the megaphone and toward a real, human conversation. And trust me, your business—and your sanity—will thank you for it.
Now, I’d love to hear from you. What’s the one part of marketing that feels the most like “shouting” to you? Hit reply and let me know. Let’s chat about it.
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Hi, I’m Heather.
Let me help you scale your Utah $1M+ biz to $20M+
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- Built & sold Queen of Wraps (yep, that’s my face on the side of I-15)
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