If you were to ask someone what they think the point of marketing is, you will likely hear that marketing is all about advertising, about letting as many people know about your company, to get exposure.
If that is what your goal is, then you will probably end up broke.
The truth of the matter is that you could shout your company name and slogan from the rooftops and it may not get you anyplace. Why not?
Because everyone is shouting from the rooftops, and your message is just one more buzz among all of the white noise.
Advertising Overload
Several groups have done studies on the amount of marketing messages that people are exposed to. The studies concluded that the average American is exposed to between from 247 to 3,000 marketing messages each and every day, depending on the specific study and what they considered a "marketing message".
But if you take a minute to consider all of the places we see ads, such as television commercials, in magazines we read while waiting to get our hair cut, billboards we see on our way to the office, bumper stickers on the car in front of us that is going five under the speed limit, then you will come to realize that our brains are literally bombarded with these messages.
That is why our minds have evolved a highly tuned filtering system that turns all of it into background noise. These marketing messages have become invisible.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to get the attention of consumers when there is such a cacophony of other marketing happening all around them.
The key lies in one simple word - differentiation.
Simply Put, How are you Different?
The newspapers and yellow pages are filled with companies that just put their name out there and pray. They think that just by making their presence known, customers will crawl out of the woodwork like roaches and begin calling them, wanting what they have to offer.
If you want to truly succeed in marketing, you need to figure out how you are different from the competition. Figure out a niche to serve or a unique benefit you offer that nobody else does. Then you have to figure out a way to clearly communicate that to your target market.
The Bottom Line
Come up with a compelling reason why consumers should do business with you as opposed to someone else. Then find a way to stand out in the way you get your message out. Be unique, be different, and make people notice you.
This is the true point of marketing. This is how you beat your competitors and keep people flocking to buy your product.
Brent Allan is an expert at marketing your small business and growing your profits. He is also the head honcho over at www.BizWarriorOnline.com and publisher of the “Million Dollar Newsletter.”
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Photo credit: Symic
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Good article Brent,
Differentiation is a must if you want to be noticed. I think the challenge for most small businesses is how do you do that. Like the commercial that has a banner at the end saying, we fix $6.00 hair cuts. Most businesses do not have the money to hire a PR firm but that doesn’t mean you can take good ideas and adapt them for your own niche.
My 2 cents, always give better customer service than your competition. Look for ways to give back to the community, people will notice. Do things that will help others without any expectations for anything in return. Be bold.
Thanks Rob