Have you ever seen footage of people camping out overnight so they can be one of the first to get their hands on a new Apple product? Why would customers do that? It’s because they don’t consider themselves customers – it’s because they consider themselves members of the Apple tribe. Customers rarely feel loyalty to a [...]
Some small businesses think that the best way to success lies in getting more customers through their doors. So all their marketing is devoted to winning new customers so they can keep making new sales. But you don’t need a million new customers. All you need is a thousand true fans. Once you’ve got your thousand [...]
As a small business, you need to turn your relationship with your customers from that of strangers to that of friends. Why? Because the more customers regard your business as a friend, the more sales you will make. Marketing is a great way to turn customers into friends. The more times you get in front of [...]
“People aren’t impressed by the answers you give. People are impressed by the questions you ask.” Thanks for the words of wisdom, JT Foxx. If you want to ask your customers the right questions, you need to focus your attention on them, rather than you and your business – which, of course, is the key to [...]
Pushing the boundaries can be an effective marketing tactic, but there are four boundaries you should never cross. The first three, hopefully, are obvious – don’t produce marketing that is racist, sexist or homophobic. The fourth boundary may not be obvious – don’t talk about your rivals in your marketing. This is a bad idea for [...]
A lot of businesses are thinking two thoughts right now. “Times are tough, so we need to make sales!” “Times are tough, so we can’t afford to do marketing!” Both thoughts make sense – but they’re contradictory. No marketing, no sales Sales is the most important activity of any business, especially during a downturn. But what [...]
People rarely wake up and decide they have to buy a lawnmower right now or they can’t live another day without a particular pair of shoes. What usually happens is that they go on an emotional journey – which might take months or even years – before they make a purchase. Your small business needs to [...]
There are two main reasons why small businesses do marketing. The first is brand recognition. If customers don’t know you exist, you won’t make any sales, even if you have the best products in the world. The second is credibility. Even if customers do know you exist, they won’t buy from you if they don’t think [...]
“This is a giving competition, and we intend to win.” If you’re looking for a quote to guide your marketing strategy, you’ll struggle to find a better one. Why? Because when you’re doing marketing, your focus should be on giving, on trying to deliver as much value as possible to your existing customers and your potential [...]
Take it away, David Beebe. “Content marketing is really like a first date. If all you do is talk about yourself, there won’t be a second date.” This is a valuable reminder for small businesses: when you do marketing, you need to focus on your customers, not yourself. Don’t talk about how amazing you are. Instead, [...]
