“5 Marketing Fundamentals That Don’t Change”

“5 Marketing Fundamentals That Don’t Change”
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       14915999_sOne of the biggest media currently for marketers– and anyone else for that matter– to get noticed, advertise your brand, etc., has been, is, and will continue to be social media.  And there seems no end in sight for it.  My point is, even though the media for marketing may change, sometimes drastically, the fundamentals of marketing don’t change.  Every business should be using certain fundamentals which, I believe, won’t change.  Here are the top five:

       1. Determining your ideal customer.  Who exactly IS your ideal customer? Unless you’re niche is really targeted, you’ll probably need to do some research on this in order to find their “hurt”.  What are their needs and, more importantly, their wants?  What magazines do they read? Where do they live? What’s their income level? What do they do for recreation? Figuring out the answer to these questions, will help you in determining who is your best customer for whatever product/service you sell. This even holds true for medical practices. I know one acupuncturist who targets fertility issues in women as a specialty. Now, that’s a narrow focus but she’s the best at it, and her marketing reflects it.

       2. Crafting an irresistible offer.  What are you offering and how do you sell it that makes people smack themselves in the forehead and say, “I’d be crazy not to buy this!”.  Ok, maybe a little extreme in making the point, but that’s basically how you want to write your offer, ads, etc. for whatever you’re selling.  You need to give people a good reason to buy it. Remember, people buy on emotion much more than logic, so if you can tap into their emotions in a way that makes them salivate for what you have, you’ll be a lot more successful.

       3. Provide the BENEFITS of your offer.  This is the “features vs. benefits” lesson in marketing.  An example would be selling an “in-home theatre surround sound system.  “It’s got 6 small speakers, along with a subwoofer that provides bass, that can be placed at strategic locations in your living room thereby covering the entire room” (feature).  Explaining in your marketing piece that “you can experience the same excitement and impact as going to movie theatre in the comfort of your own home, enjoying the full sound of the movie as if you were right there—without leaving your easy chair!”(benefit) See how it reaches your emotions and points out the benefit of buying the system?

      4.  Have a call to action.  It’s more important today than ever to tell people exactly what to do once you make the offer to them.  “CALL THIS NUMBER NOW!” or, “Click on this website to order!”.  Although it sounds obvious, you still need to lead people by the hand to tell them what to do–and make it as easy as possible for them to do it.  I suggest that you give them several options to call, e-mail, or visit a website. In addition, make it easy for them to buy.  Offer PayPal, debit as well as credit cards or cash, if you’re a brick and mortar business.  I’ve seen some businesses and doctor’s offices not accept cash lately. This, in my opinion is a very bad idea.  You never want to limit people giving you their money–in any form–for what you’re providing to them.

       5. Test, monitor, adjust.  There are no absolutes in marketing. You should be constantly testing things. Price points, offers, media that people respond  the most to your advertising, etc. The most successful business people find what works and keep doing it over and over.  And they continually keep trying new methods and techniques to get their marketing message out there to increase their customers and sales.

       What can you do today to implement even one of these marketing fundamentals?

Best,

Tim

 

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