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| 10 Marketing Tips To Take Your Marketing To the Next Level |
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| Written by Michael Fleischner |
| Friday, 18 September 2009 05:51 |
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With more than two decades of experience in marketing, Internet marketing, and working with small businesses, Ive seen my share of failed and successful marketing campaigns. Regardless of the marketing discipline, online advertising, direct mail, etc., basic marketing principle stand the test of time. Today, the art of marketing is far more complex than it once was. However, many of the same basic principles still apply. Too often professional marketers and small business owners overlook the tried and true techniques that have separated successful campaigns from those that never turn a profit. Here is my all time list of the most powerful marketing tips. Know your audience. Successful campaigns get that way because marketers know their audience. They fully understand their needs, how to help meet those needs and how to create demand. Knowing and understanding your audience through proper market segmentation means a well targeted campaign that generates a profitable return. The offer is very important. The offer you make to prospective buyers is one of the most important aspects of any marketing piece. Direct marketing studies have proven that the offer accounts for about forty percent of the buying decision. Don't spend your time in a way that doesn't give all your time to design or copy without considering your offer first. Split test your marketing. Never run marketing campaign without testing different elements. One of the most common is a split test that allows you to simultaneously test two versions of a marketing piece. It can be a web page, post card, or headline. Split testing is essential for improving performance of all marketing campaigns. Never work alone. The most creative marketing ideas come from working with other creative people. Don't feel like you need to have all the answers or come up with the next great idea on your own. You may start with an idea, but an open dialog with other creative individuals will make it better. Be careful about discounting. I've seen so many marketers fail because they sell on price alone. This leads to a discounting war, 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 individual. Use similar messages. Is your prospect hearing the same messages throughout the sales process? If the messages are inconsistent or contradictory, they are very likely to turn off buyers. Take yourself through the same process and same messages that your prospects are receiving to check message consistency. Create value after the sale. Marketing doesn't end at the time a sale is made. In fact, more emphasis should be placed on building relationships with existing clients. This can often create significantly more revenue at a much lower cost. Think about how you'll grow your customer relationships and invest your marketing dollars. This is an investment that you can't afford to overlook. Test all of your marketing. No marketing should ever be done without a complete understanding of you're testing all aspects of your campaign. Testing is essential for marketing success. As you improve your campaigns your results continue to grow. Integrated Marketing Works Best. You cant rely on one form of marketing to carry you to success. Its somewhat okay to generate many of your leads or sales through pay-per-click marketing for example but what happens when that dries up? Use multiple media sources to achieve your goals. Nothing can replace experience. You can run out and hire all of the best consultants in the world, but you still have to do the work. Nothing can replace actual experience. Having and using your own experience will make you a stronger marketer and more successful in the long term. 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 when you initiate a new campaign. About the Author: Looking for valuable Marketing tips? Visit the Marketing tips blog for leading guidance and marketing resources that can improve your marketing results. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites                             |