What Today’s Clients Really Want: Solutions, Not Spots
What Today’s Clients Really Want: Solutions, Not Spots describes a major shift in how businesses buy marketing in 2024–2026. Business owners no longer want ad schedules. They want solutions that fix real problems—like visibility, staffing, competition, or customer flow. This article explains how modern marketers can stop selling ads and start delivering solutions that clients truly value.
Why Solutions Matter More Than Spots in 2024–2026
Business owners face rising costs, digital competition, and time pressure. A schedule of ads doesn’t fix these issues. A solution does. Digital strategist Neil Patel explains that customers follow long, non-linear journeys before choosing a business. They move through multiple channels, compare options, search reviews, and need repeated exposure before acting. Reference: https://neilpatel.com/blog/digital-marketing-trends-predictions/ This validates what local advertisers already feel: single-channel ads aren’t enough. Solutions are.
Example: A Seattle restaurant struggling with weekday sales worked with a media partner who built a real solution instead of selling ads. The plan included Google Business Profile updates, mid-day radio reminders, and paid social lunch offers. A similar optimization guide appears here: https://moz.com/blog/google-business-profile-guide They saw a 22% weekday sales increase in six weeks.
A Better First Question for Marketers
Most sellers open with, “What’s your budget?” Solution-based marketers ask, “What business problem do you want solved in the next 90 days?” That one question changes the entire tone of the conversation. HubSpot explains this problem-first approach clearly: https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/sales-strategy
What Clients Actually Want When They Ask for Marketing
Business owners consistently want three things:
- A clear plan
- Visible results
- A trusted guide
Neil Patel reinforces this in his Local SEO research. He explains that customers choose businesses based on visibility + credibility + consistency, and that these factors work together—not individually. Reference: https://neilpatel.com/blog/definitive-guide-local-seo/
Example: An HVAC company in Oregon couldn’t hire technicians. Instead of generic ads, their media partner developed a real solution: employee testimonial radio spots, targeted Facebook job ads, and a short YouTube-style workplace culture video. Example video structure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pHNeWci9H8 Applications doubled in 30 days.
Why Spots Alone Don’t Work Anymore
Customers no longer respond to a single message or channel. They listen, search, scroll, compare, and review before choosing a business. Google’s research shows this multi-step behavior clearly:
https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/consumer-journey/ This is why clients now expect integrated solutions—radio to create awareness, digital to reinforce it, search to validate it, and CTV or social to close the loop.
How Solution-Based Thinking Builds Better Plans
A modern marketing plan should answer three questions:
- What problem are we solving?
- What tools solve it most effectively?
- How will we measure success?
A simple one-minute plan looks like this:
- Problem: “Weekday traffic is too slow.”
- Strategy: Increase awareness and improve search visibility.
- Tools: Radio branding, Google Business updates, social retargeting.
- Measurement: Map searches, coupon redemptions, web traffic.
Neil Patel stresses that Google Business Profile optimization is essential for local businesses because it increases visibility and direct customer actions. Reference: https://neilpatel.com/blog/google-business-profile/
Good, Better, Best Options for Using Solutions, Not Spots
Good: Ask a Problem-First Question
“What result do you want in the next 90 days?” This simple shift builds trust and moves the conversation toward outcomes, not inventory.
Better: Present a One-Page Plan
Include the problem, the strategy, the recommended tools, and the timeline. Clients prefer clarity over complexity. Example plan structure: https://asana.com/templates/marketing-plan
Best: Build a Full, Integrated Solution
Blend radio, CTV, streaming audio, social retargeting, and search improvements. This aligns with how customers actually behave—across multiple channels. Neutral omnichannel performance reference: https://www.marketingcharts.com This delivers the strongest results and longest client relationships.
Turning Business Problems Into Marketing Solutions
Problem: “Summer sales always drop.”
Solution: Seasonal radio storytelling, evening CTV reminders, and social retargeting tied to promotions. Inspiration: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-campaigns/
Problem: “People don’t know we exist.”
Solution: Daily radio branding, Google Business posting, and YouTube Shorts videos. Posting guidance: https://support.google.com/business/answer/9549735
Problem: “We can’t compete with big-box competitors.”
Solution: Personality-driven radio, community involvement, and search ads targeting local intent. Local search tactics: https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/google-ads-local
Why Solutions Build Longer, More Profitable Relationships
Selling spots earns a short-term contract. Solving business problems earns long-term partnerships. Solutions create credibility, expertise, and higher value. Neil Patel’s research confirms that customers respond best to consistent visibility across multiple platforms—not isolated messages. Reference: https://neilpatel.com/blog/digital-marketing-trends-predictions/
Conclusion
What Today’s Clients Really Want: Solutions, Not Spots is more than a phrase—it’s the new foundation of effective marketing. Businesses want partners who ask smart questions, create simple plans, and deliver real outcomes. To win more business today:
- Lead with a problem-first question.
- Present simple, one-page plans.
- Build integrated solutions using radio, digital, CTV, and search.
Clients aren’t buying ads. They are buying answers.
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