Slack marketing discipline makes you poorer and denies your potential customer base the opportunity to benefit from your products and services. You just have to get in there and take part in the competition with other businesses for the attention of potential buyers in the marketplace. You have to be sensitive and hardworking in todays marketing environment.
Remember there are just too many marketing messages out there, about 3000 a day per person by the latest estimations. Refine your marketing techniques so they are not disturbing and annoying. They should be targeted and welcome. You will have to work hard to prevent consumers from simply ignoring your message.
You might feel that your marketing efforts are wasted. This might well be the case if these efforts are not handled methodically and sensibly. Usually business owners in this predicament are forgetting the basics which are stashed somewhere there far in the back of their minds. Companies too often lack marketing discipline and making a few changes to their marketing habits and outlooks could make a huge difference to their bottom lines. The most common problem is that a company pulls in several different marketing directions at once. There is no centralized marketing strategy to draw the threads together.
Here is a list of areas you should attend to improve business marketing discipline:
1. Ensure uniformity when it comes to logo, taglines, colors, feel and design. Often within companies each department is doing its own thing when it comes to corporate identity. Rule this out by creating an easily followed corporate ID manual.
2. Do away with minimalist advertising campaigns. Too many business owners believe that a couple of print ads will lead to instant success. Forget about this technique. Create an overall, global marketing campaign employing a variety of marketing techniques.
3. Use professionals to do a professional job. It is no good getting amateurs and then expecting a professional job. Too many business owners fall into this trap. Use professionals
4. Make the most of your first impression. You have only one opportunity to make a first impression. Maybe it will be in the form of a business rep, your storefront or your website. Make it the best first impression you can.
5. Always understand, define and remember your target market. This is self explanatory but you would be surprised how many business owners do not do this. There is one way to ensure you stick to your target market. Write down who they are and keep referring to this core profile
6. Create a marketing plan and then implement it. It sounds so basic but thousands of business people fail to do this.
7. Keep track of your marketing expenditure and calculate your ROI. Again it sounds obvious. Make sure you do it.
8. Engage in effective and low cost networking and charitable giving. Do not get caught up in giving that will not promote your business. Keep a lid on it.
9. Sell solutions, benefits and good value to customers. Modern customers are way past wanting to see your spec sheets. Show them how their lives will change through using your product or service.
10. Do create an internet presence. As soon as you have finished this article go and reserve the domain name for your company. As soon as possible after that, create an online presence, no matter what business you are in.
Some definitions may be in order. "Push" marketing is where the marketer sends his or her marketing message directly to the prospect. This would include methods such as email, telemarketing, etc. "Pull" marketing, on the other hand, is where marketers attempt to attract prospects to their site through some other means, such as a blog or article, and then present the marketing message only when someone visits. Both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages over the other.
With the advent of Web 2.0, there has been a tremendous emphasis on the merits of "Pull" marketing. Pull marketing, by it's very nature, feels much less "salesy" and softens the natural resistance that most of us have toward someone trying to sell us something. Pull marketing works by building a foundation of trust and credibility first and then allowing the marketing message to come across as more of a recommendation from a trusted source rather than as an overt sales pitch.
The driving force behind Pull marketing is content. Quality content attracts visitors who are interested in the information you are providing. Since the visitor is the one initiating the contact (by visiting your website), she is much less resistant to any marketing messages presented. This is assuming, of course, that your marketing is crafted in an effective manner that comes across as a "recommendation" instead of a sales pitch.
While the current trend is decidedly leaning toward the merits of Pull marketing, the virtues of Push marketing should not be dismissed too quickly. Push marketing is much more "direct" and can be incredibly effective in connecting with potential prospects. Would you rather market to the internet at large or have a targeted list of people who know who you are, like you and are interested in what you're marketing? In my opinion, the list is a clear winner.
The use of opt-in forms to build a targeted email list is absolutely essential to success in internet marketing. Through prewritten messages in an autoresponder and the ability to "broadcast" to your list, you can quickly build a strong relationship and build trust. As with Pull marketing, this element is essential.
The use of SPAM and "Blast-Your-Ad-To-Ten-Million-Emails" types of Push marketing methods are a nuisance and a waste of everybody's time and money. Don't even think about trying this. It doesn't work and it could potentially get you in a lot of trouble.
The truth is, the most effective marketing on the internet is a combination of both Push and Pull methods. Every blog should have an opt-in form to your autoresponder so that you can build a "list." Every article you write should have a reference to your webpage, which should also have an opt-in form.
Once people subscribe to your list, you should be consistent in sending them informative emails that work primarily to build trust and credibility. Bombarding your list with an ongoing litany of sales pitches is a mistake and will result in people UNsubscribing faster than those opting in. Quality content is still king, regardless of which method you use. If you take this approach, when you DO send out a marketing message to your list, there will be a much higher response.
So build a marketing strategy that includes BOTH "Pull" and "Push" methods and you'll soon find yourself succeeding as an internet marketer.
Both James Copper & Tim Wright 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.
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