We just wrapped up the 7 critical elements to successfully marketing your products or services, and I hope you’ve taken the time to read about each of these 7 marketing elements.
If you haven’t already read them, you’ll find them here:
- Marketing Should Be Your #1 Responsibility
- Branding Is NOT Marketing
- Direct Response Marketing Is King
- Join The Conversation
- Educate Your Prospects and Customers
- Develop Real Relationships
- Marketing Consistency is CRITICAL
Okay, now that you’ve caught yourself up with what we’re talking about, there’s another critical distinction we need to make in order to truly understand marketing and see how it can help you grow your business. And that distinction is the difference between marketing strategies and marketing tactics.
Marketing strategies are the over-arching plan of attack. It’s the why you do what you do when it comes to marketing your products or services. It’s the roadmap that gets you from Point A to Point Z.
Tactics on the other hand are simply tools, methods, or mediums you use to carry out your marketing strategy. They’re the actual vehicles that get you from Point A to Point Z.
(definitions courtesy of Dictionary.com)
Unfortunately, when most people think of marketing they think of tactics, and not the strategy. As a result, they end up investing money on marketing methods or tactics that aren’t well suited for their particular business, they end up frustrated because they things they’re doing don’t seem to be working, and they end up with this false belief that marketing doesn’t work.
When you try to do anything without a clear sense of purpose or objective, you can bet it’s going to fail. The same can be said for marketing your small business.
In the next week or so I’ll be sharing some specific ideas and action steps you could take to help you implement a powerful, profit producing marketing strategy that will create new customers and clients for you, so stay tuned!
As I begin writing the conclusion to this 7 part series of effective marketing secrets, the fact that I haven’t written in a few days probably doesn’t leave a very favorable impression, especially since this last secret is all about consistency.
Consistency in what you say. Consistency in the end results you deliver. But most importantly, consistency in communicating with your marketplace.
Believe it or not, not everyone is going to jump all over your offer (assuming of course you’re presenting an offer EVERY TIME) the first time they see it. People’s lives go through cycles and let’s face it, life gets busy. As a result, it’s silly to expect a prospect to purchase your particular product or service the very first time they encounter it.
You see, there’s something in marketing called the Sales& Marketing Spectrum (see below), which is the idea that people enter your sales or marketing process at various points along a spectrum of ‘readiness’.
At the far left you have people that have just begun the process of thinking about your particular product or service as a solution to their want or need. At the far right you those people that have money in hand and are ready to fork it over.
The problem is, there’s a whole bunch of space that separates those two types of prospects and the time it takes a prospect to move from the far left to the far right could be days, weeks, months, and in some cases years. And it’s in the space between where they entered your sales process and the far right where they finally become a customer that they’re researching and trying to find answers to their questions, concerns, and issues.
So, how can you be sure that your prospects don’t forget about you or your solution during the time it takes them to move from the far left, where they’re just starting to investigate possible solutions, to the far right, where they’re finally ready to buy?
The key is to consistently communicate with them. While this communication is much more effective if it’s a direct communication, that’s not always possible. You certainly don’t want to call Mrs. Prospect every day to tell them about how much better their life would be with your product or service.
However, you DO want to make it possible for Mrs. Prospect to receive this information EVERYDAY if she so chooses.
Fortunately, there are many tools that allow you to communicate with your target market in ways that don’t seem intrusive or over-bearing, and while I could go on and on and on about all the available tools, I’ll save that discussion for another day.
The idea I’d like to convey is that given the time it takes the majority of your prospects to go from just beginning their search to actually forking over their cash, is time you should be using to develop a relationship with your prospects and position yourself as THE EXPERT.
The only way you can do both of those is to be consistent with your communication. In upcoming posts I’ll talk about putting some systems in place to help you be more consistent at communicating, but for now, I challenge you to do a better job at communicating with your target market. Don’t be a stranger. Share your knowledge and expertise. Help them realize that no matter how much they search, research, and study that you truly do offer the BEST answer to their problems, wants, and needs.
In Effective Marketing Secret #4 I talked about the importance of joining the conversation that’s going on about your industry, your products, your competition, and maybe even about you. Given the way marketing has changed over the last few decades, and much of that changed fueled by the growth of Internet usage, your target market and potential customers are most definitely having discussions with others about their problems and how you might be able to help them.
With this understanding, Effective Marketing Secret #6 is to actually develop relationships with your prospects and customers. And when I say relationships, I do mean meaningful, actually has some value in your life relationships.
Now, I’m not suggesting you go out and befriend each and every one of your customers and invite them over each week for Sunday dinner. Not at all.
But we’ve got to keep in mind that business is and always has been about relationships, and again, because of the impact technology has had on our lives it’s becoming increasingly important every single day. In a nutshell, that means that your prospects are looking for much more than whatever product or service you offer.
What are they looking for?
They’re looking for an experience.
After they’ve purchased whatever it is you have to offer, they want to feel validated. They want to know deep down inside that they made the right decision, and you can help them with that by simply taking the time to develop a relationship.
Why do you think people dislike Walmart so much? Is it because it saves them tons of money on the products and items they purchase and use every single day?
No!
People dislike Walmart so much because it makes it incredibly difficult for the small mom-and-pop store to remain in business. And why do people like Mom and Pop so much? Because they really are interested in what happens beyond the financial transaction, something you’ll never get from a Walmart.
So, in today’s hyper-competitive marketplace, don’t get so caught up in simply providing your product or service at a price people will pay. Figure out the kind of experience your customers want and then give it to them. Learn about who they are as individuals. Talk about their families. Talk about your family. Show them you’re one of them and that you understand the hassles, frustrations, stresses, and joys that go with daily living.
Invest in creating the experience that your prospects and customers are craving and you’ll find that all of your sales and marketing efforts produce some magical results!
As we discussed in Effective Marketing Secret #4, marketing has changed dramatically over the years. Where marketers used to control the conversation with consumers, the script has been flipped and the control now rests securely with the consumer.
Not only do your prospects have the ability to determine how, when, and where they receive your marketing message (IF they do at all!), but thanks to the Internet and the vast stores of information it’s produced, they also now have the opportunity and ability to do some serious research into you, your direct competition, and potential solutions that you may not even be aware of!
So does this mean you’ll be stuck fighting harder than ever for the piddly scraps that are left over from the major players in your industry?
Well, yes and no.
Yes, IF you continue marketing the way you always have.
No, IF you understand these principles and apply them to the way you marketing your products and services.
You see, because of the consumer’s ability to do some serious research into your products and services, you MUST provide them with a compelling case as to why they should select you. Just as a lawyer would build a case for her client, you need to build a case defending your business and offering compelling proof that helps your target market ‘convict’ you of being the best option available.
As an example, think about the famous OJ Simpson murder trial that occurred back in the mid-90’s. Almost everyone thought he was guilty of the heinous crimes he was charged with. In fact, most people STILL think he’s guilty!
However, because of the incredibly compelling case his crack team of lawyers presented, he was found “not guilty” and if not for another boneheaded ploy, would be walking the streets a free man.
Why where his lawyers so successful at getting him off the hook? Because they analyzed every single piece of evidence and every possible question mark a juror might have and they presented evidence that convinced them that OJ was innocent.
So, how can you apply this to your business?
First, you need to identify the issues, concerns, questions, or objections your target prospect might have as it relates to your products or services. Do they think you’re too expensive? Not experienced enough? Not a high enough quality? Or some other ‘made up’ reason as to why they might not choose you?
Next, whatever reasons you think your potential customer might come up with, create some compelling case building materials that either supports their thinking or refutes it, depending on how you want them to view your business.
Case building materials are really the foundation of effective marketing because they educate your prospective customers on the relevant and important issues. They answer their questions and overcome their objections. They help your prospects know what constitutes a ‘good buying decision’ and they help them arrive at this conclusion on their own.
Remember, today’s consumer still wants to buy, and they want to make the best buying decision possible, they just want to do it on their own terms. Educating your prospects and providing them with effective case building materials that solidify your position as the ‘best choice’ available is the quickest way to overcoming much of the frustrations and headaches most people associate with marketing their business.
So, your challenge is to think about what case building materials you need in order to effectively engage and educate your prospects. What things do they need to see, hear, or read in order to gain confidence in your ability to provide ‘the best’ products or services?
Go ahead and share your thoughts in the comment section below. I’d be curious to see what ideas we can generate.
