So, you probably know how important marketing is to your business success. But, do you know where to start? Marketing isn't magic. Nor is it rocket science, but people have spent an awful lot of time figuring out what works and what doesn't.
There's no point in trying to reinvent the marketing wheel. Any idea you have has probably been done before, and probably more than once too. Now, that's no insult. It's simply the truth. Marketing has been around since... well, pretty much since forever.
Marketing involves basic premises that have been tested over time, and more than a little common sense. One of those basic premises has to do with your typical client. Who is she or he? And why is it important to know her well?
An effective marketing message is written for that typical client. The best copywriting is like a conversation. While you're writing, picture her sitting in the chair across from you. She doesn't want to be talked to, does she? She wants to be conversed with. She wants a conversation.
In order to do that, you need to know a little about her. In fact, the more you know about her, the better your conversation is. Who do you have better conversations with? Someone you know only a very little about, or your best friend?
There are certain instances where it's vital to know more than just a little about her.
Let me show you with an example. A friend of mine and her boyfriend have taken a trip someplace warm for the last three years. Now, they haven't always used the same travel agent, but they did use the same one twice, in the first two years.
So, the pattern is a trip every year in January or February, smack dab in the middle of the coldest part of our winter. And trust me, it is cold here in winter. I shiver just at the thought…
Anyway, doesn't it make sense, knowing that these two have taken a trip every year for the last three, that these two might, just maybe take a trip in January or February of 2007?
And if you were a travel agent, particularly one of the two that have helped them with their travel plans, doesn't it make sense to send them a short note wishing them a Merry Christmas, and an "oh, by the way, there's a seat sale on such and such a date for Cancun. Would you like me to send you some info about it?"
Sorry for the long-winded sentence. But doesn't it make sense? Does to me. If I was a travel agent, you can bet your bottom dollar I'd be betting those two want to go someplace warm this winter. And you can bet your bottom dollar I'd find a way to remind them that I helped them get that great trip last year.
And while we're on the subject, doesn't it make sense to you to send them a short note before their holiday wishing them a good time? Or a short note after their holiday thanking them? Does to me.
Know thy prospect. And know her well.
'Cuz if you know her well, you can have a conversation with her on paper. You'll know her deepest wants and desires. You'll know her deepest problem. And you'll know how to convince her that you hold the solution.
She'll know you can give her exactly what she wants.
Eve Jackson owns Details Small Business Solutions, a company dedicated to helping your small business do big business. One of the areas I specialize in is direct response. Please visit my website to find out more about how I can help you attract more customers and increase your sales. |
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