The Follis Marketing Report

Repetition works. Studies show that people need to see the same message several times before they  even recall it, never mind act on it.

Shel Israel, the 50-something marketing/tech guru was recently asked this question on the LexBlog Q & A. His answer is worth hearing. (And I agree.)

Rob La Gatta:
It seems like while a lot of professionals utilize new media, the general public is less quick to adapt. Is a mass embrace of these tools - newsfeed readers, for example - something that will inevitably occur over time? Or will we continue to see this technological divide until the old model is rendered obsolete and retired?

Shel Israel:
I disagree with your premise. When you add up the number of people reading blogs, watching online video, [and] engaging in social networking, you probably have a number nearly equal to the number of people reading newspapers and watching TV. For example, there are 125 downloads on YouTube for every New York Times newspaper sold. Until a couple of months ago, Facebook was growing by a million [users] a week. I don’t see a technological divide. I see a generational divide. Younger people are in the habit of using social media tools and most older people are not. As the younger people age and replace my generation, their habits will not change.

So, what do you think?

The better you market your product, the less you have to sell it. This point is so important, it bares repeating. The better you market your product, the less you have to sell it. In other words, the better you can attract your customers, the less you have to spend time chasing them. And, as we all know, it’s always better to have a prospect find and come to you than the other way around. For more on how to do this, check out this booklet.

It pays to be creative. The more creative your message is, the more memorable it will be. The more memorable it is, in a positive way, the better your chance of making a sale. Here’s one Follis example:

Click here to see more.

Don’t confuse marketing with selling. In the B2B world, the job of a sales force is to sell, sell, sell. They work on commission so the more they sell, the more they make. Problem is, that no matter how smooth or sexy they do that, most prospects know they’re being sold. And, they have good reason to question if a sales person truly cares if the product or service they’re selling is really right for the prospect’s business. It’s an inherently faulty dynamic.

The job of marketing is to inform prospects in way that lets them come to their own decision. Done right, it grabs a prospect’s attention in a positive way, and then informs persuasively once it does. Bottom line: The better you market your product, the less you have to try to sell it.

“Expert advice.” — Andrew Mede / NY, NY

“Cogent, sage, essential.” — Barry Malvin, Pres./Internet Solutions, NY, NY

“A tremendous kick in the butt.” — Joanne Meurer, ID Inc. NY, NY

Don’t confuse “marketing” with “advertising”. Some people hear the word “marketing” and think “advertising.” Not the same thing. And to grow your business you must understand the difference.

Traditional “advertising” is about paying for traditional media exposure via newspapers, magazines, Yellow Pages, radio, TV, billboards, etc. It’s generally designed to reach a broad audience and the ad/media costs will reflect that. For many products and services advertising works great if it’s done right.

“Marketing” is a broader term that involves any possible way to get your message out. That includes PR, direct mail, your logo and tagline, personal networking, giving talks and writing articles, and many non-traditional and online strategies like having an effective website, sending out email newsletters and promotions, buying Google Adwords, pay-per-click, SEO, and using “social media” like blogs and podcasts.

Effective marketing includes the right mix of traditional advertising and non-traditional online strategies.

You can’t expect to do it yourself and do it well. I don’t know why some business owners still challenge that idea. Then again, maybe I do. Because it doesn’t seem like it should be that hard a thing to do. After all, it’s your business, right? So, when they try something and it doesn’t work, they simply conclude that marketing doesn’t work. It doesn’t occur to them that their marketing strategy is off base, or that they’re not really targeting the right audience, or that their creative excecution or production value is horrible, or that their website and/or online strategy sucks, or any number of other things that they’re not aware of because 1) it is their business and they don’t have the necessary objectivity, and 2) they don’t have the marketing expertise.

Businesses that are most successful, hire the best lawyer when they legal help, the best insurance person when they need insurance help, the best CPA when they need tax help, and the best marketing resource when they need marketing help.

I can’t recall being around as many people with a passion as I was last week at PodCamp NYC. It was delight to be around such positive energy and so many friendly folks sharing ideas and information about podcasting.

In his visionary book, The Pursuit of Wow, Tom Peters describes why the only products with a future are those created by passionate people. A bold statement. And yet, in an equally fascinating book, How They Achieved: Stories of Personal Achievement and Business Success, by Lucinda Watson, it turns out that twenty-one of the country’s most successful CEO’s, entrepreneurs, and visionaries all share one powerful characteristic:

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