Why No One Cares About Your Product,
And What You Can Do To Change That.
No matter what your business, 99% of people could care less about it. Why? Because some people simply aren’t good prospects. But for many others it’s because you haven’t convinced them otherwise. In fact, there are thousands of people who’d buy you IF you got them excited and convinced them of the value of your product.
Do you Believe in Marketing?
It’s a key question. Because if you don’t you’ll sabotage whatever half-hearted efforts you make — like driving with the brakes on. Done right, marketing is an investment, not an expense. And, what better investment than your business?
Getting Started.
Like any investment it involves planning and patience. Starting with a simple, clear and realistic objective you can then determine what it will take to achieve it. That involves the understanding and analysis of factors such as:
• your industry.
• your product or service.
• your target audience.
• your competition.
• timing.
What will it Cost?
Depends on your goal. For a larger business, 5% of annual sales may be plenty. For others, 10% may not be enough.
How to Spend your Marketing Dollars.
Good question. Between social media, SEO, direct mail, online newsletters, PR, web design, branding, taglines, the Yellow Pages, newspaper ads, radio, blogs, podcasts, and another dozen or so options to choose from, this is where it wouldn’t hurt to spend some time with an independent outside expert who truly understands marketing for small business and isn’t biased toward a particular marketing discipline. For example, if your advice is coming from a Yellow Pages gal, or a web guy, it may not be the most objective, sound advice.
The Problem with Do-It-Yourself.
Business owners who try to take on the daunting marketing challenge themselves usually fail for two reasons: 1) They don’t have the expertise. And, 2) They don’t have the necessary objectivity. Most savvy business owners realize they aren’t marketing experts. The problem is, they aren’t sure who is.
A Common Mistake.
One common, but big, mistake is the assumption that the nice gal who does brochures, or the guy who does websites, is a knowlegable, integrated marketing expert. For example, I was once shown an ad campaign created by a company’s design firm that looked pretty, but had no idea. The design firm had no expertise in strategic thinking or creative advertising. The really sad part was learning that the client had just invested $800,000 on it. Regardless of whether your budget is $800,000, or $800, you must be savvy enough to find the right help and use it.
Measuring Effectiveness.
Measuring effectiveness is a tricky proposition that even the big boys struggle with. However, there are a host of methods to utilize. One of the simplest, cheapest, and most overlooked is simply asking your customers how they found out about you. Other methods include response mechanisms like a phone number, web address, etc. Of course, a big reason for the Internet explosion is the easy trackability of web-based marketing initiatives. Via programs like Google AdSense, Google Analytics, and a host of others, business owners can have a much better idea of their ROI. Certainly, a noticeable sales increase, or decrease, is also a helpful barometer.
A Word about Word-Of-Mouth.
I get a kick whenever a business owner tells me they “don’t really do marketing” because they rely on word-of-mouth. What they don’t realize is that a smart, cost-effective, creative, marketing effort can build word-of-mouth fifty times faster. Depending on the specific product or service a well-planned creative mix of non-traditional marketing such as Viral marketing, Buzz or Guerilla marketing, PR, and Social Media like blogging and podcasting, can take a business to a whole new level. If any business owner isn’t interested in hearing about that then, despite what they may claim, they really aren’t that interested in building their business. And, the only problem with that is, that before they know it, their more savvy competition will put them out of business.
So, if you need to get motivated about marketing, remember that no one (beyond your immediate family) gives a damn about your business unless you give’em a reason to. But you don’t have to figure it all out yourself. •