Archive for the ‘Featured Articles’ Category
In marketing, messages are important. The best ones are also designed to prompt your reader or listener to take some kind of action.
There’s a formula for doing this that is easily remembered because of a famous Opera: AIDA.
Here’s how that works to help you create a meaningful and moving message:
A . . . ATTENTION. The first element of an effective marketing message. You need to ‘hook’ your reader’s attention or they won’t spend the time needed to get the rest of your message. An intriguing headline is usually the best way to do this.
I . . . INTEREST. The second element of a good message. This means appealing to the interests of your intended reader or listener – not about you, your product or service. That’s boorish. It’s also not interesting or helpful.
D . . . DESIRE. The third element. Effective marketing messages don’t just inform; they must also prompt people to take some action. How? Pain or Gain. These are basic human motivators. PAIN . . . suggests a reason to act to avoid or stop Pain. GAIN . . . suggests a reason to act to maintain or enjoy something you want and value. Focus on either one and your message will be ‘motivational’.
A . . . ACTION. The last (but not least) element. OK, you’ve hooked someone’s attention, captured their interest, and stimulated their desire to do something. Now what? Simple. Invite them to do something. In marketing, it’s called an ‘offer’ or ‘call-to-action’. Make it a good one . . . and easy to take . . . and a qualified prospect for your business will take you upon on it more often than not.
KEY POINT:
Effective marketing messages are formulaic. AIDA is one such formula. Once you know the ‘formula’, you can replicate it. And repeated use of a winning formula will help you go to the bank a little more often and . . . with a lot more money.
P. S.
If your marketing messages aren’t as effective as you’d like, CALL ME. Let’s discuss what changes will make them more productive — 860-798-6964
A common business challenge is generating a respectable ROI for the time, money and energy you invest in building your relationships with prospects, clients and centers-of-influence for your business or practice. Invest ‘too much’ with the ‘wrong’ people and your ROI will suffer.
A simple way to do avoid that is to practice the ABC’s of relationship marketing.
The Basic Idea . . . Unlike what President Washington said, all people are NOT created equal — for purposes of marketing your services.
A . . . these are people who have demonstrated their ability and willingness to either:
- 1) buy what you offer, and/or
- 2) refer people to you (or, vice versa). Preferably, BOTH
You want to maintain a relationship with these individuals and be their preferred provider whenever they (or, people they know) develop a need that you and your problem-solving expertise, product or service can address. They are your ‘gold’!
B . . . these are people you feel could become an ‘A’ but, it just hasn’t happened. Not YET.
It may be just a matter of time (too little) or opportunity (not enough) to demonstrate their ability to buy and/or refer. Regardless, you feel it’s likely to happen and you’re committed to cultivating the relationship until it does. You definitely want to build your relationship with these individuals! They are ‘near gold’.
C . . . You don’t know if they have the potential to become ‘A’s for your business.
Why? You probably haven’t had an opportunity to determine their potential ability and willingness to either buy from you and/or refer others to you. You’ll want to assess these people as soon as possible and then ‘invest’ your resources accordingly. They may be ‘gold’ waiting to happen or ‘sludge’ you’ll want to clean out ASAP!
KEY POINT:
You have limited time, money, and energy to invest in building relationships that will help you build your business or practice. It’s important to ‘invest wisely’ (and, appropriately!) in your business relationships. Knowing who is ‘most’ deserving of your limited resources, based on their potential to buy and refer — will help you make the best ROI for the marketing resources you’ve got and get you what you ultimately want — profitable growth!
You’ve probably heard of Groupon, right? It’s the ‘daily-coupon-in-your-email-so-you-can-save-money’ service that just turned down a $6 Billion (yeah, with a ‘B’) offer from Google to buy them out. The 28 year old CEO of Groupon must have been either a) drinking or b) smoking something to turn down that offer.
Groupon’s CEO forgot two key concepts in marketing . . . “NEW” and “IMPROVED“.
Google quickly responded by deciding that, since Groupon’s concept is so good, Google will create their own version of it . . . and they already have $6 Billion dollars to do it!
What’s really sad is not that Groupon said, “No, thanks” to Google. It’s that Groupon forgot the basis of true market differentiation. You have to be BOTH 1) unique and 2) beneficial. Groupon was both. Now, thanks to Google, it may be only one. And now, Groupon can take it’s place in the middle of the ‘pack’ . . . it was and could have been the market ‘leader’ but it forgot about what ‘standing out’ requires.
KEY POINT:
You must be both UNIQUE and BENEFICIAL to differentiate your business. Assuming you’re beneficial, you have a limited window-of-opportunity in which you’ll also be unique. Sooner or later, if you’re really beneficial . . . your competitors will be on to you and that, my friend, is why ‘New and Improved’ gets such traction in marketing!
