One thing I know for sure: your customers are busy people. They see and hear your marketing message, and they may think, "Hey, that's a great product!" Then a child (or the boss) starts to scream, or an ice storm knocks out power, or they run out of gas on the highway, and POOF! -- Instant Distraction. Placing just one advertising message and …
Why Marketing Fails #4: Blindfold Marketing
Remember the childhood game, Pin The Tail on the Donkey? You would be blindfolded, spun around three times, and a paper donkey tail would be put in your hand. Your job was to "find the donkey" and attach the tail to it, without raising the blindfold. Lots of fun! (When you were 6 years old. Not so much today.) In business and marketing, working …
7 Steps to Create Your Autumn Marketing Plan This Summer
Is your marketing plan ready for autumn? Summertime is the best time to map out your strategy for your autumn marketing campaigns to produce incredible results. Whether you're launching a brand new product or service, or marketing a perennial offer, don't fall back into using the same old, tired marketing techniques. Spend some time now to …
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Why Marketing Fails #2: Follow-the-Herd Marketing
Do NOT follow the herd when it comes to choosing marketing techniques. Doing what everyone else does, or doing what's the latest-and-greatest hot trend, is a sure path to marketing failure. People tell me they want a marketing plan, but what they really mean is, "Tell me exactly which techniques to choose and when to do them." Guess what? There …
Why Marketing Fails #1: Market Research
I'm going to be harsh here, so hold on to your hat. Have you CHECKED to see if people want your product or service? The first -- and ultimately the biggest -- mistake that small business owners make is that they fail to do adequate market research. We get overly-excited about a new idea and assume that our customers will love it, …
Why Marketing Fails: Introduction
We always want to know which marketing techniques are the best, the easiest, and yield the greatest results for our time and money. Any shortcuts to marketing are viewed with awe and respect. But what can you do when you try the "best" marketing techniques and they just aren't working for you? Do you ditch them? Or is there a simple tweak you can …