Some businesses get so excited by a sudden influx of customers that they think it means they no longer have to do marketing. “We’re making all these sales now, so we no longer need to waste time and money on marketing.” But what they forget is that today’s sales were the result of yesterday’s marketing. Similarly, [...]
You need to tell stories in your marketing. But that doesn’t mean you need to keep thinking of new stories. Several stories or even one story will do. The trick is to find new ways of telling old stories, so they continue to seem relevant. Remember, the more times you repeat your key messages, the more [...]
It sounds strange, but I sometimes speak to businesses that don’t want to make more sales, because they say they’re already overwhelmed with demand. But if you’re in the 99% of businesses that do want more sales, you need to take marketing seriously. That means doing it every day and forever. If you want consistent sales, [...]
FOCUS – follow one course until successful. This is a good rule to follow in business in general and marketing in particular. It’s so easy to get distracted by the latest marketing fad – our business has to be on the latest social media platform or advertise in this sexy new way. Trying new things is [...]
No one cares about your solution ... until they know they've got a problem. So bang on about the problem in your marketing. If you're a dentist and your patient doesn't know how seriously their gum disease will affect them later in life, why would they pay for your treatment? If you're a financial planner and [...]
Following up with a potential client is a great form of marketing, because the more potential clients you get in front of, and the more often, the more sales you’ll make. There was a time I was scared of this form of marketing, because I used to tell myself a false story: I’ve given people the [...]
Your marketing will become more powerful the moment you can prove your claims: If you say you’re good, prove it with testimonials If you say you can solve problems, prove it with case studies If you say one of your products is effective, prove it with statistics Consumers are sceptical, because there’s a lot of exaggerated [...]
You’ve probably heard that people don’t like to be sold to, but they do like to buy. That’s all about control and timetables. Customers want to feel like they’re in control of the buying process, not the vendor. And they want to act on their timetable, not the vendor’s timetable. That’s why you need to build [...]
When I started my content marketing agency, Hunter & Scribe, I made a key marketing mistake when speaking to potential clients. My mistake was to be passive; to present clients with a list of options and then leave them to decide. It took me a while to realise that people didn’t want to be left alone; [...]
Want to know the difference between good marketing and bad marketing? Bad marketing is all about what the business can get. Good marketing is all about what the customer can get. Unfortunately, many businesses do bad marketing, because humans are self-centred. Resist the temptation to focus on your need to get money from your customers. Instead, [...]
