If your marketing isn't working - STOP IT now!

If your marketing isn't working - STOP IT now!

I wish I'd had a pound for everytime I've heard the phrase " Marketing doesn't work " .

The only time marketing doesn't work is when it is not done correctly. Lets look at the process and examine what exactly marketing is.

I beleive that when done effectively, marketing as a two or three stage process.

1) Identify prospects from your target market sector
2) Identify leads from your prospect pool
3) Convert these leads to sales ( more accurately classed as sales )

So lets look at the first two in a little more detail:

Identify Prospects from your target market sector.

So first you have to identify who in general is a possible purchaser of your products or services and attempt to segment them from the general population:

Gender
Age
Occupation
What media do they consume
What cars do they drive
What professional bodies do they belong to
What health clubs
What interests

and so on

You need to identify common ground and a route to get your message seen by them.

If you had a service used by accountants you could advertise in local daily press. Sure they would possibly see the ad but it isn't a very targetted attack. Most of the 'Eye Balls' would belong to people with no interest in your service.

Don't be seduced by advertising sales pitches when they state readership or listsners / Viewers. If they have 100,000 readers but none are in your target market it will never work.

So you find a place where your target market congregate. Now any advertising effort will be a hundred times more effective that anything non targetted but just what should you do now?

Remember step 2? Identify leads from your target prospects

However great your offer it is unlikely that more than a couple if anyone is willing to jump in and purchase as a result of an advert but many will be curious if the offer is compelling.

If you read my article on "The Power of Free" you will remember the tactic to use here. You basically need to allow interested prospects or leads to indicate their interest in a risk free way but in a way that creates an exchange of value . This shows their willingness to take things a step further and shows they are a serious lead.

Instead of blasting in with a one shot offer of 'buy this now' you should offer then a FREE information pack or report or educational item based on the problems your service ro product is design to solve or highlighting the pain your offering takes away. In exchange for this information you will require them to give you some details such as Email address or physical address in order for you to begin relationship marketing and gradually develop them as a lead until you convert them to a customer.

How do we do this? Well read the article mentioned above and all should be clear. If not, join The Business Builder Club and lets get you're marketing working for you.


By Steve Wardle - Founder of TheBusinessBuilderClub.com
http://www.TheBusinessBuilderClub.com