Possibly the question I am most often asked goes something like this “What should I do to market my product?”, or “How should I advertise my service?’.
I then ask probing follow up questions, and that’s where it tends to break down. In the euphoria to get the word out, we can easily forget the process and method to the marketing madness.
Make it Easy as 1-2-3
You can make your next campaign as easy as 1-2-3 by working through the following – in order! Please continue to email me for thoughts and ideas about your marketing, but be prepared for me to ask you about the following:
#1 Purpose
What is the purpose of your marketing? On the surface that may seem like an easy question, but not all marketing purposes are created equal – that is not all are designed to immediately sell more product.
The purpose of your marketing can be:
- informational focused
- a teaser to intrigue
- a sales generator
- a lead generator (not the same as a sales generator)
- Word of mouth “bait”
- A call to action
- Brand reinforcement
You need to know first and foremost what the purpose of your marketing campaign is. You can have multiple campaigns with different purposes, but you can’t have different purposes for one campaign.
#2 Message
Once you know why you are marketing. You can begin to craft the message.
Ask yourself “what am I trying to say to my customers?” Your key, or central message to the customer needs to be clear, concise, and laser focused. You’re not trying to tell me what War and Peace was about, you’re giving me the first sentence and letting me decide how I want to proceed. You can have multiple campaigns with different key messages, but you cannot have multiple key messages in a single campaign.
#3 Medium
Only after you know your purpose, and your key message, can you decide on the proper medium.
This is where I see people go wrong most often. They start with an idea they want to use Youtube to promote their service, and then work backwards to the purpose and message. Only after you know #1 and #2 can you decide on what the best medium is to reach your customers with your message.
Think about your current marketing…did you work through the steps? If not, would your marketing efforts been more successful had you of?
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Photo Credit: Bravo213
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Matt, when I’m ready to launch the next product – this will be the template I use.
Thanks for making things easy on us non-marketing types!
George
@Tumblemoose
I’m getting excited for your product launch, sounds like it’s going to be great!
Matt
hey buddy,
great peace.
I really like the way you present the plan of action here.
You are absolutely right about ideally working out the 1st and 2nd stage before entering the third. t’s after those that the “right” campaign presents itself. Sometimes a medium regarded as not sufficient or non completable in the beginning turns out to be the one most likely successful.
I can tell you this from my profession. The Real Estate Industry.
When hired by either a developer or a home owner to execute the task of successful real estate transaction,you first must examine what is the reason or purpose the individual is selling,(hardship, profit or relo) this will create a better understanding of the urgency. With that you are able to carve out the message or “sales presentation” if you will, to best explain and educate potential prospects and side lined buyers on known facts otherwise missed. Only with those two peaces can you truly determine the type and measure of the medium.
So there, I do agree with your article.
And thanks for putting it in perspective for everyone to consume!
Kfelino marked you as someone to follow on twitter. I can see why. I’ve subscribed and look forward to keeping up.
best,
Chris O.
Referral Key
“Your Trusted Referral Network”
@Chris O
Hey Chris, thanks for coming by! I preach a lot about word of mouth around here, glad to hear that’s how you found us.
Matt
I think most people with questions like that don’t know their market or they don’t know where they hang out. A good tip would be to find a buzzing market place online, create a product and sell there.
Thanks for pointing out marketing in these basic terms. These are the necessary building blocks for any small business before they can move forward with their marketing efforts. Helps to have a foundation and a focus. Great post.
Julie Weishaar´s last blog ..You are Your Brand
Thanks again – Here’s a link for you
Check out http://www.newhorizons123.com/wordpress/?p=621.
Julie Weishaar´s last blog ..You are Your Brand