Top Ten Marketing Tips Revealed
With more than twelve months of experience in marketing, Internet marketing, and working with small businesses, Ive seen my share of unsuccessful and successful marketing campaigns. Regardless of the marketing discipline, online advertising, direct mail, etc., basic marketing principle stand the test of time.
Internet Marketing continues to evolve each and every day. No matter how complicated marketing seems to become, basic marketing principles still apply. It’s very common for those considering new marketing initiatives to abandon some of the tried and true methods in exchange for anything that’s new and promising. A good example is the concept of social media. Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon, sometimes at the expense of proven marketing methods.
Segment your market. One of the most powerful marketing strategies is market segmentation. With proper segmentation comes a complete understanding of your target market. This includes what’s important to them and what motivates them. Once you have this information, you can target campaigns with the right message and the right timing needed to deliver results.
It’s all about the offer. The success of any marketing campaign is directly related to the appeal of the offer. Many people believe that a good marketing piece is measured on good copy or design alone. One of the most important aspects of any marketing campaign in the offer. Without a strong offer you’ll never see results.
Split testing. The concept of split testing is pretty simple but surprisingly, few ever take the time to. When you split test a post card or jump page, you determine which version produces the better outcome. Each time you test a single element so that you continue to improve results over the long term. This is time and money well invested.
Build a team. No matter how talented you are, building a marketing team is a great way to improve results. As you develop ideas, a marketing team can build on that idea, improve it, and consider multiple options. Your team should be comprised of a diverse group of people who can add to each others ideas.
Don’t sell on price. I’ve seen so many marketers fail because they sell on price alone. This often leads to a discounting strategy, lower profitability, and often bankruptcy. Rather, focus on creating so much value that the perception of price becomes insignificant to the value you are creating for the prospect.
Use consistent messaging. Is your prospect hearing the same messages throughout the sales process? If the messages are inconsistent or contradictory, they’re likely to not sit well with buyers. Take yourself through the same process and messages that your potential buyers are receiving to check message consistency.
Generate value even after the purchase. As marketers, its our job to understand our market segment and build long term relationships, not dump people off at the front door of our store and walk away. Focus as much of your energy on building relationships with customers as you do prospects.
Test often. In addition to split testing, you should use multiple forms of testing in each marketing discipline. For direct marketing, test headlines, offers, copy, time of direct mail drop, etc. Consider testing a life long requirement.
Integrate your marketing. You should never rely on a single source of leads or customers. One way to avoid putting all your eggs in a single basket is to use multiple media types. If you are having success with PPC, then consider classified newspaper advertising as well. When prices increase in one area, you can switch or rely more heavily on an alternative.
Rely on your own experience. Many small business owners or website owners read a book and think they’re an expert. Nothing could be further from the truth. The best results I create have always come from my own experience. As you try new things, you learn what works with your audience and what doesn’t. Nothing can replace the actual experience you get by doing things by yourself.
These marketing tips have been built from more than a decade of experience. Consider applying basic techniques that can deliver results. Once you’ve established a baseline, test campaign variations and measure your success. Rinse and repeat. Keep these marketing tips in mind each time you initiate a new campaign.
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