MARKETING MUSINGS

Don’t Try To Make Your Website or Ads Look “Pretty”.

Your graphic designer or your webmaster may want things to look “pretty” or “graphically appealing”. They know a lot about design but may know little or nothing about marketing.

Look for what this approach to ads, mailing pieces, postcards and websites will bring you as profits. They may look very good visually but do they get the results you want.

Remember that you’re selling and marketing your business not entertaining your viewers.

Test Everything You Write!

Testing is one of the most important things you can do with an ad or anything you send out. You can't guess how your prospects or clients will react  and what they'll do. Do they do what you want them to?

Different "ads" get different results. Different wording can get VERY different results.

Try at least two approaches. One will get more than the other. Do you know which one?

What do you do? How do YOU test?

Educate Your Clients

There are 3 things to educate your clients about:

1. What you offer. Whether it's a service or a product teach people everything about what you have available. Include a few of the negative aspects, too! (That'll make you more human and trustworthy).
2. How to do business with you. What times are you available? What's the best way to reach you? When do you check your email? etc ... This will make your life and theirs simpler.
3. What they need to know. What do people need to know? If they're not buying yet, that could be the reason why! Teach them without jargon so they understand. And if there's any jargon (for example, computer-ease refers to RAM and ROM and disk space, etc) give them the term and a simple way to think of it.

That should help them AND you! What do you do?   

What I Learned at IKEA

Thursday was the perfect day for a shopping trip to IKEA with a friend, her daughter and her niece. I noticed that there were fewer people there and that many of them were women or couples with babies.

I didn't think about it again. Got what I wanted and we went for lunch there.

Wonder of wonders! In the dessert area, there were jars of baby food available with small plastic bowls and spoons. Now you'd never forget your baby's dinner but what about dessert? How thoughtful on somebody's part to notice the adults with babies and to do something about it in the restaurant!

Details! Do you notice what your clients could use AND provide it for them?

Take Time for Friends and Family.

If you have a business you're probably VERY busy with its admin, and marketing not to mention DOING the thing you love and the reason why you started the business.

I just went to movie called "The Proposal" and what affected me most was a scene where Sandra Bullock's character is crying and saying to Ryan Reynold's character that he's so fortunate to have a family and friends who love him.

You may not think of the marketing side of this but I do. When you take time away from your business to be with your family or friends, you come back happy and renewed. THAT'S good marketing!

Do you take any time off from your biz to be with your family or friend so they know you love them?

Where Do YOUR Prospects Go To Get Information.

When we had a conference company in San Francisco in the late 90s, we called people to see where they went to learn or find out about an event. We learned not only where to advertise but those we  called asked us to keep in touch especially since we said that we were doing research for our event.

Here's what they told us. They learned ...

• in magazines on the topic (both ads and  articles)
• in newspapers either large or local (ads, articles, event calendars)
• at conferences
• at training seminars

Today people also go to

• search engines (like google)
• social media sites like facebook

Where are you? Are you in any of these places? How do people find YOU and what your company does?

3 Business Things I Learned While Getting Plants

The other day I went out with a friend to get some plants for my deck. A simple task ... and as always I was watching around me and learning what I could.

Here are 3 of the business things I learned:

    1. learn by doing it yourself. There was a child of about 8 or 9  putting 3 letters he had in the post box. He could barely reach the opening. His mom stood by and let him put each one in himself.

    2. ask for what you want. We talked to a woman outside (we were at a garden centre that the grocery store puts up each year) about pots to put our purchases in. She said they had none. We asked if she had clear saucers to put under each pot and she said yes, but we'd have to go inside the store to the plant section and get them there.
           While we in te store and asked for the 'plant saucers' (which we bought) we told the woman working there about our need for pots and that they had none outside. She told us that they had a program whereby people could bring in their used pots and get a credit against plant purchases.
            My friend went back and got 3 'for free'!

    3. go 'out of your way' to be helpful. The woman inside the store (unbeknownst to mus) went outside to the pant centre to remind the woman working there of the returned pots. And you can see that we got 3!

Whether you're out personally or doing business remember these things.

Do you?

How are marketing and sales different?

Wow! I was just starting to write an article on this and Seth Godin's blog has this. Read  Seth's blog and tell me what you think.  His blog starts with "Marketing tells a story that spreads.
Sales overcomes the natural resistance to say yes. ..."

Do agree or disagree?

Marketing - Art or Science - What a great question!

The question begs to be asked as often as possible. I think Seth Godin's blog (which I get delivered to my inbox regularly) answers this. Read what he has to say ... Is Marketing an Art or Science?

Good, huh? Tell me what YOU think!!

Read this book!

It will either change the way you see business or you'll feel as if you've "come home". This new book from Judith Sherven and Jim Sniechowski The Heart of Marketing  does just that AND when you buy it it you get 62 "gifts" from people who, like them, believe that you CAN bridge heart and marketing.

Do it now!