I saw this article written by my friend and colleague, Samantha Hartley of Enlightened Marketing and immediately thought how valuable it would be for you to read this hot business strategy!
Samantha is an expert on brand consulting and brand marketing strategy for small business, consultants, and entrepreneurs.To read her article in full, you can do so here: "What If Marketing Doesn't Work." Otherwise, here are Samanatha's 10 ways to ensure marketing success:
Ten Ways to Ensure Marketing Success
by Samantha Hartley
1. Test everything! It's helpful to think of marketing as an ongoing learning experience. You should test many different of strategies, tactics and messages. Plan time for reflection on your results.Thanks Samantha for this hot business strategy on marketing!
2. Set realistic intentions. Don't expect a 100% return on your Facebook invitation to a teleseminar. Every prospect who receives a free consultation may not hire you on the spot. You'll feel a lot of failure if your expectations are too high.
3. Stick to a plan. Marketing plans don't need to be complicated; that can lead to failure, too. Instead, select three to five things you'll do over the year and write detailed plans for them. Then, just do it. Don't get distracted by a bunch of new and different ideas. Focus on your simple plan and see what works.
4. Keep your plan alive by revising and updating it. It may sound like a contradiction to the previous point, but instead of constantly seeking new tactics, adapt and adjust your original ideas over the course of the year to make them work better. If you're networking, you can test new elevator speeches or venues.
You're likely to get better results by improving something that works rather than always trying new things. Of course, you should always test out new techniques, but be prepared - many will not work perfectly the first time.
5. Put in place ways to evaluate or measure the results. How will you know if they work or not? Try using tracking methods, like asking "Who may we thank for sending you to us?" or having a dedicated landing page (unique url).
6. Focus more on active than passive marketing techniques. I'll give you an example. Generally, response rates to phone calls (active) tend to be better than those to letters (passive). So, if you're planning a mailing to decision makers, follow it up with a phone call to each of them. It may seem like you'll face more rejection, but actually, you'll get better overall results.
7. Consistency is more important that quantity. Instead of being a member of every organization in town, join one and attend regularly. Likewise, you'll find you get better results from doing one marketing method monthly, excellently, than trying to do ten things haphazardly.
[Honestly, one thing is enough. For the first 15 years of my career I only used one technique, networking. It worked!]
8. Tell people what to do and why. Be sure to include the key ingredients in every marketing effort: a targeted message and a call to action.
9. Become a student of marketing. The more you know about marketing, the better you'll be able to test, improve and learn from your efforts. Read books on your favorite kinds of marketing, and ask business buddies about their experiences. One of my favorite questions at networking events is "How do you attract customers to your business?" I'm collecting marketing best practices while I network.
10. Get help from an expert! Sometimes the best way to learn something is to be guided step-by-step through a proven process. You can work in a supportive environment and ask questions while you apply and practice new skills. Learn more step-by-step approaches on the teleseminar, "Branding for Infogurus: Get a brand. Get known. Get clients!"
Susan L. ReidAward-winning author of Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Journey to Business Success
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