By Dennis R. Green, Marketing
Expert
There’s
an old saying I love in the advertising business that goes like this: “He who has a thing to sell and goes and
whispers in a well is not so apt to get the dollars as he who climbs a tree and
hollers!”
Kind
of sing-songie, but it has a very profound meaning when you reread it a couple
of times. Up in a tree, yelling at the
top of your lungs, you will certainly draw attention. Perhaps not the attention you are really
seeking, but attention just the same!
“Good attention” comes from well-conceived and correctly targeted
marketing. “Bad attention” comes from
making false claims, selling inferior products or services, and not delivering
what you promise. You see, the world
today is all about marketing. Besides
the obvious cars, furniture, foods, medicines – even doctors, lawyers and
hospitals these days, which was unthinkable
a generation ago – ideas are
being marketed to you many times daily!
Political, religious, cultural, gender-based, and on and on!
Whatever
product, service or ideology you are going to sell, you will be marketing it to
some highly- targeted audience or audiences who you hope will want to purchase
it. And today, your marketing options
are basically endless. Traditional media
like radio, TV, newspapers and magazines, direct mail, brochures, billboards,
et cetera, still have their place. But,
your money is also being hotly pursued by the “New Media”, which includes the
Internet (obviously), email, mobile marketing, specialty sites like Twitter,
Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Groupon and hundreds – if not thousands more to
come! Also, don’t forget about Press
Releases to the same media you are considering purchasing. They are used free and can certainly help get
the word out for start-ups, special events and other purposes!
Even
with gigantic marketing budgets, large companies cannot utilize every outlet
that might be relevant to reach their prospective
customer/clients/patients/fans – or whatever they call their target
audience. So, this is where it gets kind
of dicey. RESEARCH your options
carefully! Get outside advice, perhaps from
similar businesses in other geographic areas that pose no threat to you – or
vice versa.
If
you have an online business that sells to the world, this may be a bit harder
to accomplish. But, research is the key. Gather
pricing, audience reach numbers, frequency of issue if appropriate, and other
demographic data about the medium and its audience. If you can spend a few extra dollars, hire a
marketing person (or company) to help you with this very critical aspect. In any event, seek advice and validation from
someone who knows more than you do about marketing!
But,
above all, remember that the most important “thing” that you market is YOURSELF!
Particularly if you are a small start-up with zero employees, or
just a couple or three. If you are in
the store, on the phone, responding to emails, speaking on Skype, or having any
other direct contact with your prospect, YOU are the key to making sales
happen. Remember, even with a large
company – say General Motors – the Chairman is not at the dealership, but the
dealership’s owner, sales manager and your salesperson are there – trying to
charm you into making a very significant purchase based on liking the vehicle,
of course, but more importantly in most cases – liking and trusting the
individuals you are dealing with at that very moment!
When
you market yourself, you must come off as being sincere, interested,
knowledgeable, trustworthy, friendly and businesslike – all at once! Selling a six-pack of Coke in a party store
may not compare to selling a house or a car, but if people don’t like you, you
won’t sell much Coke!
As
with our “hollering from a tree” example, once
is not enough (with apologies to Gloria Steinem). Don’t expect to run one ad in the newspaper,
radio, TV, Internet, et cetera and have the world beat a path to your
door. Unless, of course, you are selling
twenty dollar bills for a nickel! Marketing
is built on consistency – both of frequency and similarity in content. You may have to try a few different
approaches, styles, content – even company name and slogan – but once you find
something that is working, stick with it in subtly changing gradients. Don’t be one company on the radio, and
somebody totally different in the newspapers.
Synergy is King, Consistency is the Queen, and confusion is the Joker!
Above
all, put on your climbing boots, shimmy up that tree and give your lungs some
exercise! There can be tremendous
“fruits” from your labor! And, as
always, best of luck!
#
Dennis
R. Green is a 45-year veteran of the Advertising and Marketing industry. He offers free consultations and low-cost freelance
solutions. He can be reached at (248)
884-2626 or TheGreenBrain@gmail.com.
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