Gun aficionados are going to shoot me here (no pun intended), but whenever I use the term "Shotgun Marketing", I have this vision of Al Pacino blasting away in Scarface - I'm repeatedly told that he does not use a "shotgun", but you get the idea.
A shotgun shoots shells over an area with the hope that at least some of them hit the target. The word "shotgun" is actually defined as "covering a wide range in a haphazard or ineffective manner".
Examples of shotgun marketing include cold calling, bulk mailings and advertisements in large circulation general newspapers. In the online world, shotgun marketing includes banner advertising on sites that get large quantities of generic visitors and spamming emails.
If you are a professional services business (virtual assistant, web designer, etc.) and haven't adequately researched your prospective clients, your marketing is going to have the same ineffective scatter-type effect. You will blanket an area with postcards, direct mail campaigns, newspaper ads or online advertising without ever actually knowing if your prospects are "being hit". Depending on your business, this could be good or it could be bad - either way, it's going to get real expensive real quick.
You naturally get wider coverage using the shotgun approach to marketing - this could be good if you are trying to blanket an area to let them know you exist (for example, a new coffee shop or a new mechanic in town). The downside is that it's costly as studies show that you need to be in front of someone 7 - 10 times before they even recognize your name.
Rifle Marketing
I think you know where we're going with this one. Rifles bring things into focus, allowing you to take careful aim before pulling the trigger.
If you know your target audience, really know them, you should be able to initiate marketing campaigns with sniper-type accuracy.
"Rifle Marketing" allows you to be more personal in your marketing campaigns. You can also devise campaigns that are made up of more than just a simple postcard or letter.
For example, to symbolize how much time (or business) your potential clients are wasting (throwing away) by not hiring you, send your sales letter in a small trash can with a label on it (always send First Class). Your letter is bound to be opened more often (and more quickly) than all the other letters arriving in envelopes via Third Class mail.
Innovative campaigns such as the preceding not only increase the chance that prospective clients will call you, they tell the client something about you before you even speak: you are results-oriented, you think outside the box and you think before you leap. This is the type of person that smart business owners want on their team.
Which is better?
At first glance, you may want to say that the "rifle" approach is better than the "shotgun". However, it depends on your business, your personality and your target audience.
Shotgun campaigns are, by their very nature, less personal than the rifle campaigns. This may be appropriate to your business. I generally think of shotgun marketing as creating awareness and rifle marketing as getting results.
Whichever your preference, remember to keep your marketing campaign true to your personal style and that less done well is much better than more done poorly.
Copyright 2006 Sandra P. Martini
Assertiveness is one of those pop-psychology terms that confuses people. So, let's define it first, and then explore what it entails. In its most simple form, assertiveness is sharing what your experience is with another person. Think of it as playing a hand of cards. You have your cards facing you and your opponent has his cards facing him. You lay your cards down, face up on the playing table, so that he can see what you have. You are sharing what your have. Metaphorically, you are communicating what is your experience for another to appreciate. This does not require the other player to lay down his cards. Being assertive does not mean the other person has to say what his experience is or to communicate with you in any way. Assertiveness at it core is you sharing something about you, preferably in a matter-of-fact way. Assertiveness is not aggressiveness. Whey you lay down your cards, you do not throw your cards at your opponent. You lay them down nicely. When communicating, do so with aplomb or at least just state your feeling about something or your opinion about something without too much affect. Be direct and as we psychologist are fond of saying, use "I" statements. Yelling, name calling and/or hitting are all aggressive. Assertiveness is not aggressive and can be accomplished even while sitting on your hands and whispering. Not stating your opinion is either passivity or non-assertiveness, but these are not the same. Passivity is trying to accomplish something indirectly, usually manipulatively, by communicating something related to your real feelings but not quite spot on. It's goal is to get you to react but without you really knowing what is going on. Non-assertiveness is simply choosing to not react. It is direct, not indirect like passivity, and it may or may not have a goal. Non-assertiveness is conscious, clear and designed to just not respond, but it is a clear choice that does not aim to manipulate others. In real life, assertiveness is speaking your mind and asking for what you want. Even if you do not ask for what you want, it feels better in the long run to at least state your opinion out loud. And, if you ask for what you want assertively, the chances go up that you will get what you want. Assertiveness is no guarantee of this, but it does increase the likelihood. But we all know that most of us have, on occasion, passed on being assertive. I've written a to-the-point ebook titled The Five Steps of Assertiveness in which I outline the eleven or so most common reasons to not be assertive. Heading the list is the wish to avoid conflict with others. Second is the wish to avoid dealing with one's own feelings. There are a lot of excuses, some of them quite creative. However, none of these reasons justify the effort to self-sabotage, which is the net effect of not being assertive. This same ebook outlines the really simple and basic steps to follow to achieve assertiveness. I've made it as simple as is humanly possible to succeed. In my outpatient psychology practice, I teach this every day and believe me; it is not hard. The benefits are huge to effectiveness in communicating with your partner, decreasing anxiety and depression, and on and one.
Both Sandra P. Martini & Steven Griggs, Ph.d. are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Sandra P. Martini has sinced written about articles on various topics from Marketing, Shopping and Marketing. Online Business Manager and Entrepreneur, Sandra Martini, publishes the 'Effective Entrepreneur' weekly e-zine. She also coaches small business owners to more efficiently manage their businesses while increasing profits and having fun. Sandra's coaching p. Sandra P. Martini's top article generates over 165000 views. to your Favourites.
Steven Griggs, Ph.d. has sinced written about articles on various topics from Marketing, Cure Anxiety and Health. For more information about this and other psychology ebooks by this author, go to:For more information abou. Steven Griggs, Ph.d.'s top article generates over 14800 views. to your Favourites.