Without Spending a Fortune on Branding and Advertising
“Most of the time it’s not what you say in your sales pitch that sways decisions, it’s the trust and authority you build before you even start to talk.”
~ Debra Hilton
Right now, Black Friday is over and we’re in the thick of Christmas promotions. If you haven’t launched yours yet, don’t despair… unlike retail stores who need to ‘get in first before people have bought their presents’, it’s not too late even now to launch an effective seasonal campaign.
HOWEVER, if that’s how you’re managing your marketing, then I’m guessing you’re often in ‘client hunting mode’ and you probably want to read on and discover the 6 ways to create your own blue ocean through sustained, strategic action.
WARNING: If you’re looking for a quick fix or an easy button, this isn’t what you’re looking for… but if you want measurable, stable growth, then keep reading.
The Human Psyche Hasn’t Changed… but Technology Has
The methods of persuasion and influence that have worked for thousands of years are still 100% relevant and worthy of your study. If you want to sell more, you still need to create and earn trust and create strong emotional appeal… a subtle appeal to the emotions people like to hide is especially powerful.
Direct response marketing (getting people to raise their hand and show interest in an appealing offer) is just as powerful today as it was in the age of travelling paddlers, open markets, newspapers, magazines and every other type of media. Modern technology actually makes it easier to track people who show interest and raise their hands in response to your appeal to their emotions.
Commit 100% to Your Business Model and Highlight Personality for Exponential Growth
I’ve noticed that many businesses change their business model regularly in search of faster results. There is no perfect business model, but there are a lot of effective ones so pick yours and then bring your own personality into it so your customers never get confused by copycats.
You’ll get much better results from steadily working out and refining a single model, than you will if you try to jump around and follow the latest fads. The business models that actually work are mostly derived from the principles which have been around for hundreds of years.
Commit to Your Marketing Model, Plan Your Year, Work Your Plan
For most businesses, consistency trumps perfection. I’ve seen a lot of businesses who jump from one marketing strategy to the next without even waiting to see results, and then heard them complain that they don’t have enough clients.
Marketing is like exercise, weight loss, musical skill, and learning a language: commitment and follow-through is at least as important as your methodology. While I’m not a fan of shotgun social media posting as your primary marketing method because I think it’s mostly inefficient, if you are consistent and appeal to your target market, it will eventually get results.
I believe that direct response marketing is the fastest route to consistent, measurable results, but it still takes commitment, consistency, and some patience.
Now is the time to set up a detailed execution calendar, determine your metrics and goals, and put a visual dashboard in place so that you can see how you are tracking.
Tweak Your Customer Reactivation Campaigns
If you know your customer’s average buying cycle you will know when they need to be put into your recovery campaign. I’ve noticed that some companies are far too quick to activate this, but it’s better than not having a recovery campaign at all. If you know that your average customer buys every 6 months, it doesn’t make sense to put new customers into a “You haven’t bought anything for 30 days, take advantage of this great deal or we’ll deactivate you” campaign (Don’t laugh, I’ve seen it done in service businesses, as well as retail), but do reactivate them if they don’t buy at the 6-month mark.
Run Internal Marketing Campaigns as Well as External Ones
Internal marketing campaigns are sent to existing customers and your house list. If you’ve segmented these lists effectively you can send relevant offers easily and it’s a great opportunity to introduce your customers to other products and services you offer.
One of my clients sends internal offers 2 weeks out of every month, and this promotes his subscription program for the last week, which is when most people sign up anyway.
Partner with Businesses or Charities who Already Attract Your Ideal Clients
Partnerships with non-competing businesses who work with the same target market, or charities which are popular with your target market are an easy way to reach your ideal customers, especially if you are already running a referral program and regular communications (which you should be).
There are many ways to reward partners for sending you clients and it’s an effective source of highly qualified new leads and customers who share your values.
It all comes back to the quality of your list and the consistency of your strategic actions…
There are no real shortcuts, but there are ways to speed up your growth once you have a quality list of eager buyers.
The biggest mistakes people make are:
Trying to appeal to everyone and not really interesting anyone;
Stopping and starting instead of committing to consistency;
Never selling anything, just providing value;
The most effective branding and exponential growth occurs when you know who you are; think, speak, and act accordingly over time; and stop changing direction every time you hear a new idea.day
