The Secret Marketing Formula.....#27

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99% of adverts and marketing follow the same basic template. State the name of your company, what you do, your attributes and so forth. Many Top fortune 500 companies follow the same basic limited, marketing manifesto. All the others imitate, believing that this is the way it should be done.

The bigger companies invest huge amounts into advertising. It is repeated, continuous and prolonged exposure that brings them results - it has little to do with good marketing. For smaller businesses with less resources, replicating this limited formula will prove useless, time after time after time.

Lead generation mistakes

Take any local newspaper. Go online. Go anywhere to look at small business communications. Their lead generation is weak to be polite. There is no engagement, no emotional response, no interruption, no worthwhile offer.

In most cases it's an advert just for the sake of doing an advert. There is no understanding of the basic concepts of effective marketing and lead generation.

Why do the majority of small businesses fail spectacularly at their lead generation? There are three main reasons

• They fail to get professional help (read more).

• They don’t know about marketing fundamentals (read more)

• They don’t know how to generate immediate cash flow (read more)

  
  

The purpose of marketing

There are 3 objectives, when fulfilled, that assure the customer they must do business with you. This is your aim and is the purpose of marketing. The 3 objectives are;

1. Capture Attention

2. Inform & Educate

3. Reduce the risk of buying, assure the customer

Any true marketing professional will know this. If you are every considering outsourcing your marketing, put them to the test by asking what are their strategic objectives. You now know where their focus should be. Successfully fulfilling these objectives will drive more leads, increase conversions and increase sales.

The message

Your message should be structured around the above 3 objectives. Unfortunately, the message is the most neglected. It is this strategic element, the message, that makes marketing effective. What you say, and how you say it. This is the most important concept. Many business owners often blame the marketing medium instead of assessing the strategic messaging. This is what makes any and all marketing effective and profitable.

Solving Problems for Businesses

Everyone relies on platitudes

Everyone relies on platitudes, should you do the same? No. Do not make this mistake. How can you get noticed if you just do what everyone else does? Don’t make yourself another crab in the bucket.

Have you heard any of the following? We have the lowest price, best service, family owned and operated, best value, convenient hours, in business for 30 years and so on. Sounds familiar of course, I don’t need to ask.

This is the template for most advertising we see. Fortune 500 companies even follow this formula. It does not bring them results. They get results because of the repeat continuous exposure they pay for. They invest fortunes to get noticed. Platitudes will not bring results to any small to medium sized business.

Everyone wants the best deal

All human beings want the best deal when we buy something. It’s natural. How can we know what is the best deal available when everyone is offering the same thing, in the same way? With everyone using the same common clichés it is next to impossible to distinguish one from the other. It makes us distrust and not believe the communications because we have seen and heard it all before.

It is impossible to research all the competing businesses in any space therefore we always default to price. If not price then often we go with tried and tested. This is why is so important to communicate the true value of your business.

Business Strategies for Success and Prosperity

The formula

The 4 step formula is used to fulfil the main marketing objectives already discussed. The four steps are;

• Interrupt the prospect (emotional)

• Engage with the prospect (emotional)

• Educate (logical)

• Offer (logical)

Most marketing today does not include these 4 steps, the majority just interrupt and offer, leaving out the engagement and education. Everyone instead lists all the generic and “me too” services that all the competitors are also mentioning.

Implementing the formula

You interrupt the prospect by identifying their biggest problem. In print, your interruption is the headline. In video it is the first thing you say. The most effective interruptions are ones that stir the emotions, that solve problems at the deepest level. This is how you effectively interrupt the prospect. You create a market dominating positions around this (read more). It is vital.

You engage by giving the promise that information is forthcoming. This will be reflected in your subheading. Here will be the promise to solve the problem. This is all geared towards helping the prospect to make a decision. Again, emotional engagement is the most effective. It will facilitate the process of picking your business.

You educate the prospect by providing information so they can logically understand why and how you can solve their problem. This makes up the body of the ad or communication. Important and relevant information needs to be included.

You offer the prospect a low-risk way to take the next step. You can do a money back guarantee or try before you buy test drive or trial run. It could be a free marketing tool such as a report, brochure, seminar, video, something ideally to educate them. This offer will allow the prospect to feel in control of their final decision to call and buy from you. Make the offer so compelling that they cannot resist, make them feel foolish to do so.

Marketing & Sales Mastery

Use the formula for all marketing activities

Apply this formula to all types of marketing. It is always relevant and applicable. Let’s look at a website for example, one of the most common marketing tool for every business.

Typically, a prospect will stay on a site for 3 to 5 seconds. If they don’t find something that will provide a solution for their problem they will leave immediately. They’re gone for good

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Your website should build business, generate leads, get customers, generate revenue and attract new clients. It will do all of these things when you follow the formula.

Conclusion

Use the formula to position your business as a dominant force in your market. It will stimulate immediate cash flow and generate extra revenue and profit. Use these concepts as the minimum standard when you seek out professional help with your business.

Solutions to your business challenges

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