Archive for marketing plan
3 Magic Ingredients
Posted by: | CommentsThere are, essentially, 3 magic ingredients to make any marketing strategy work (well, to make most things work, really)…
The three steps include:
1. Setting a Goal
2. Creating an Action Plan
3. Finding an Accountability Partner
Want to know more?
Each of these is outlined in detail in a brand new video on the Boost Your Fame Factor site. So click here and take a peak!
Sell People What They Want
Posted by: | Comments… Then You Can Give Them What They Need…
To help them get what they want.
People don’t always want what they need… but if what they need will get them what they want, and you can help them get there, it’s your responsibility to give them both.
The key though, is that you make sure that you lead with what they want, throughout your marketing and sales efforts.
Human psychology works in interesting ways, and it is much wiser to work WITH the way the human mind works, than it is to go against it… and you’ll end up with MUCH better results.
Let’s take a look at one of the biggest industries in the world and see how it plays out, and hopefully you’ll understand what I mean.
Consider Weight Loss
What is it that people really want when they want or need to lose weight?
I know what I want… I want to feel better about myself, I want to look better, I want to fit into my clothes, I want to feel better physically… and I want it to be easy. I don’t want to have to follow a lot of rules. I don’t want to limit what I eat too much.
In other words, I want my cake and I want to eat it too (and right there you have the crux of the problem)…
Now, in order to interest someone like me in a weight loss or health improvement program, you need to help me understand the benefits of what I am going to receive (what I want). That is what you should be focusing on as you develop your sales materials and processes.
It’s not necessary for you to give all the details about how the program works, in fact, the details will often turn someone like me off and I’ll go find some other option that doesn’t seem as difficult or complicated.
So, if you focus on sharing with me what results I’ll get from the program, and have some assurances that it won’t be too hard (preferably in the form of real, honest and believable testimonials, but we can talk about that another time), I’ll consider what you are offering and may decide to buy.
Once you have your client engaged in your process, you can then deliver what it is that they really need. They need support, they need information, they need understanding and accountability. And, you can give your client those things in ways that might not have enticed them to buy to begin with, but will give them what they need to get the results they really want.
So, you need to help someone understand where they are, the pain that they are in and the benefits of the goal or dream they want to achieve.
You sell them on what they want, and then it is your responsibility to deliver what they want – and generally that will happen through what they ‘need’, even if it wasn’t a part of your offer or sales presentation initially.
We get to what we want through what we need, but when we are making that emotional decision to buy, we don’t want to think about the ‘needs’ part – so keep that in mind as you work on your sales pitch and marketing and promotional materials.
How to do marketing that matters – Loyalty Campaign
Posted by: | CommentsWhen you start to dig in and learn how to do marketing, you often here about special gifts and discounts for new customers…things that will entice them to build a relationship with you and buy. But what about the customers you already have? It’s equally as important not to neglect your loyal customers as it is to get new ones.
As you learn how to do marketing you have to focus on many different areas, so it can be very helpful to create a marketing plan that includes developing specific promotions and systems to keep your current customers engaged. Many businesses fail to utilize one of the single most valuable tools they have, their existing customer database – you should consider it one of your best assets and make sure you continually work to serve the wants and needs of those people who have already invested in you.
One great way to incorporate a loyalty campaign is to offer something to those people who have been customers that you don’t offer to anyone else. If many of your customers are local you can host a cocktail party in their honor. You can create a special ‘premium’ group for clients and customers that come back often, giving them special access to discounts and deals not otherwise available, etc. When you think about how to do marketing with your loyal customers, you want to think about making them feel special and appreciated and you want to do something different for them that is not available to anyone else.
In some instances businesses even create ‘paid’ loyalty options within their marketing plan, by this I mean where you offer a premium membership level that has an annual or monthly fee, and gives the client access to products or services not otherwise available or to year-round special prices, closed-shopping experiences where only other premium level members can come, one-on-one services etc. If you look around you will see many examples of this, everyone from Costco to Country Clubs.
Create a loyalty campaign for your business today and you will be sure to keep your customers longer and drive more sales in your business, without the costs of new-customer acquisition. As you continue to consider how to do marketing for your business, keep this in mine, you’ll be glad you did.
Driving Traffic To Your Website
Posted by: | CommentsA common question about online marketing:
What is the best way to drive traffic to my website and find prospects on the internet? How can you generate more traffic to your website…immediately, even if you have no marketing skills?
Answer:
When it comes to marketing there really is only one way to insure success… build a solid series of systems that you work over and over and over again, test non-stop and continualyperfect everything that is going on. One suggestion is to focus on building relationships in social media, through follow-up sequences and by asking for referrals. Get to know your target market inside and out, and give them tons of great information so that they keep coming back for more and sharing you, as a resource, with others.
The best way to do this is to just dive in and do it. It takes time, energy, planning, testing and more to build marketing models that work in any environment, the internet included.
As for driving traffic to your website, there are many options. Just a few of the options for driving traffic and building your list – and remember, you don’t have to do them all, or all at once. Choose one and master it over the next couple of weeks, then begin to work on mastering another… like the guy with the spinning plates on old TV shows… get one spinning on a stick and make sure it’s stable, then start another, making sure you go back to the first one every now and then to give it a push and keep it going:
Make sure you give these new leads a way to ‘sign-up’ – sign up box on your website/blog – if don’t have get it going, WordPress is easy. Having traffic on your site and not capturing their information is totally wasted effort and energy.
Social Media – drive people to your site for blog posts and for free report, free teleseminar etc
Put an ethical bribe on the back of your business card, point it out to people when you share it with them
EzineArticles/Articles
Guest Blog Posts
Sign-Up Box on Facebook Fan Page
Tell-A-Friend box on website
Testimonials on other people’s sites
Reviews of related books on Amazon and other sites
Public Speaking
Networking Events
Google Adwords
Joint Ventures
And much more … you must be active and ‘out there’ or they will not come. But, the very first step is to create a way to capture the prospects information, as I mentioned at the top of the list. If you don’t already have an email list building system, there are many to choose from including ConstantContact, Aweber, MailChimp etc. One of my favorites (and I’ve tried many of them) is 1shoppingcart. If you want to check it out, you can use my personal link: www.monetizingmarketing.com. Their system has some extra options most of the others don’t, so you can start with just the email list program and add the shopping cart and affiliate program as desired.
There are about 10×1000 other ways to get your name, products, services and websites out into the web sphere – pick one and start today.
What is the best way for you to succeed in marketing?
Posted by: | CommentsAnother question that comes up often in my teleseminars from a variety of different entrepreneurs is, “How can you succeed in marketing?”
The answer includes many things, but the top two in my mind…
First: Constant education for ‘do it yourself marketing’ and
Second: Constant implementation
Education: There are so many excellent books on marketing, if you don’t want to spend a bunch of money building a marketing library, go to your local library and get the books that seem appropriate. Some of the best include Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples, Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins, books by Joe Sugarman and Dan Kennedy. Consider investing in your education – sign up for an online course, or a course at your local college. Again, if you aren’t sure which course would be good for you, I have taken many, so may be able to recommend something that would be the right fit for you. Also, I am putting together a marketing essentials ‘A-Z’ course – a compilation of things I’ve absorbed from seminars, books, mentors and experience – putting it together in a way that I’ve not been able to find in one place – a real foundation in the essentials of marketing for small businesses. If you stay on my mailing list you will find out about it when it is ready to launch in the fall.
Implementation:
The first step, as we discussed at the beginning, is to define your target market, develop your niche and create your targeted message, clearly identify your USP etc. Then you can begin to get your message out there through many low-cost and free options. Don’t skimp on the first part though – your success hinges on knowing your target market and knowing how to talk to them. Get really clear on this stuff by going through the exercises, even if they are tough. Then get started on trying different things, testing them, seeing what works. Taking action – implementing what you learn – is ultimately the only thing that will create ‘success’ for you in marketing.
