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Marketing is about
results. Key to achieving results is your
ability to be adaptive and forward-thinking
-- involved in a process that lets you
evolve your marketing campaign as new
information enters the picture.
People who achieve
great results from their promotional efforts
understand the marketing process. You'll
often notice they have high levels of
energy and a ceaseless flow of great ideas.
Indeed, it would appear they have the
ability to create "marketing magic."
If you want to tap into this magic, you
must immerse yourself in the marketing
process. When you are enthusiastically
involved in reaching your marketing goal,
you are better able to draw upon resources
and techniques which will produce high-powered
results.
Here are seven dynamic ways to create
your own marketing magic:
Keep
Your Business In Your Back Pocket
Nearly every act you perform, every word
you utter, holds the opportunity to promote
your business. It can be subtle and nearly
invisible, or overt and commanding, but
it never stops and it happens every day.
Every thought you have, every action you
perform, has a reaction at some other
time and in some other place. The degree
to which you consciously think about promoting
your business determines your ability
to spot opportunities whenever they come
and wherever they are.
Keep your business in your "back
pocket" at all times. Promote everyday
and in all circumstances.
Test to Achieve
Your Desired Results
You must be able to measure the results
of your marketing efforts. Unless you
have a way of identifying results you
can never fully utilize the power of a
dollar. Measuring results allows you to
make comparisons among advertising models
and make adjustments as needed.
Focus on Investment
Returns
You must focus on getting the most for
your advertising dollar. The real cost
of advertising is measured by the return
on your investment, not the cost of obtaining
the ad. Be willing to spend more up front
to make more at the other end.
In less obvious ways, this principle is
just as valid when dealing with people
or events that seem to have no immediate
bearing on your business. These are investments
of your time. Use discretion since time
is a precious and limited commodity. Yet,
never forget that businesses are often
born and millions are made when time was
the only initial investment.
Be An Insider
You need to be active within your industry.
Stay in touch with current trends, follow
the activities of your competitors, and
talk with like-minded people. Be on the
cutting edge by constantly expanding your
network of contacts. You'll discover you
can then tap into your market more easily
and target your promotional efforts with
greater success.
Know Your Customers
Understand who your customers are, where
they congregate, what they need, why they
need it... in short, get inside their
skin. When you know your customers you
can hit their "what's in it for me?"
buttons. Offer them more than they need
- both before and after the sale - and
your efforts will pay off.
Give People
Benefits
Realize that when people become interested
in something they have a voracious appetite
for information. If they've made an impulse
decision to buy, they want information
to justify that decision. If they haven't
decided to buy, they need information
before pulling out their credit card.
Either way, you must come through to secure
the sale.
Seek to inform people rather than sell
to them. Inform them in ways that show
what they will gain. Give them enough
to feel empowered as an informed buyer.
Use the Power
of Words
Words are magic when their power is understood.
In the hands of a skilled marketer words
are crafted to create a sense of need
and urgency in people.
Words arouse emotions. Used right they
can conjure up vivid and seductive mental
imagery. Words can inspire the trust of
a spy or satisfy the logic of a mathematician.
Words can motivate people to act on unfulfilled
needs and desires. Use words to induce
emotional responses in people and you
will achieve your marketing objectives.
Rudyard Kipling called words a powerful
drug. Use language to your advantage and
seize the power of this drug.These seven
strategies are very powerful for the dynamic
marketer. Set your sights on a desired
outcome, throw in a little enthusiasm,
and you've got a formula that's nothing
less than magic.
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