4 things B2B Marketers can learn from Malik the billboard bachelor

29-year-old Muhammad Malik is running billboard ads in Birmingham and London to direct prospective partners to his website: www.findmalikawife.com

As well as being a light-hearted story to kick off the year, there are some things we, as B2B marketers, can learn from Malik (also, I’m still 80% holiday food and not ready to write about marketing funnels and hard KPIs yet). 

1. Be honest about your audience

Malik states on his website that he is looking for a Muslim woman in her 20’s. He also lists a few negotiable attributes. 

Remember: your product isn’t for everyone, so resist trying to cast your net as wide as possible – this only puts more pressure on your qualification process and wastes your sales team’s time.

Make your audience clear from the outset and let them self-qualify. This will save everyone time and make your efforts more efficient.

2. Be ahead of the conversation

Malik’s billboard features an photo of him under the headline ‘Save me from an arranged marriage’. It’s tongue in cheek, it’s attention-grabbing, it’s fun. But Malik understood that it could appear to be disrespectful to some, especially his community.  He tackles this on the website: “I think arranged marriages have a place and tradition in many Islamic cultures……I just want to find someone on my own first.”

It’s essential to recognize that your marketing will be consumed by a variety of people with different experiences, beliefs and cultures. As such, they will interpret your communications differently. 

Question your work and stress test it. If what you’re doing could provoke difficult questions, have your answers prepared before they’re asked. 

3. Be direct about your qualities

Malik has kept his website simple, sharing enough information to give visitors a well-rounded view of himself. He doesn’t offer a never-ending list of attributes, and yet you have a good idea of the type of man he is. 

He details parts of his life that it seems may not have worked well with girlfriends in the past: “P.S I’m an only child and look after my mom and dad. If this is a deal-breaker, I don’t think it’ll work out.” And he keeps his values clear and concise: “Always personality and faith over anything else!”

So, what is the single best thing about your product or service? What are your brand’s core values? Are these clear in your comms, or buried in a list of benefits and solutions because you’re trying to appeal to everyone? If it’s not clear, it’s time to refocus. 

4. Be a pleasure for prospects

Malik’s campaign takes you from a simple, striking billboard with a single CTA to a landing page that’s as good as the ad. It follows the same creative, features a lovely short video, and gives you more information without overwhelming you. And the ultimate CTA – the form – is accessible throughout the page.

When it comes to your campaigns, minimise friction within your journey and landing page, and make it easy and enjoyable for your audience to do what you want them to. I think the ultimate test of this landing page is that I have not needed to explain it to anyone I have shared it with. It’s all there.

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(Header photo:  Birmingham Mail)

Thank you, Malik, for your excellent campaign. Unfortunately, I am of the wrong age and religion, otherwise I’d be filling in that form. Good luck on your quest.

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(Header photo:  Birmingham Mail)