January, 2010

Thanks for subscribing and welcome to the premier edition of News & Views. I’m sure you’ll find this e-newsletters helpful in your marketing and promotional efforts. My plan is to deliver tips, techniques, resource links and other information that’s of true value to you. Please email me with any topics you’d like me to address or any specific marketing challenges you’re experiencing.

Well, with that said, let’s dig in, shall we?

Given the gruesome state of the economy, it seems most independent professionals, freelancers and small businesses are looking for the magic formula that will cure their marketing woes, bring them in loads of business, fame, fortune and planetary alignment.

The bad news is that, to the best of my knowledge, that magic formula doesn’t exist. Sorry. But, the good news is that in this day and age, marketing can be a lot easier and less costly than in days gone by. Social networking, email marketing, blogs and the likes have put free or very inexpensive tools into your marketing toolbox.

If there’s any trick to all this stuff, it’s being consistent with an authentic message, a differentiating value proposition and avoiding dumb things. What kinds of dumb things, you ask? Let’s take a look at a few of the more popular ones.

Not doing anything
This is the bit where a business owner believes that just because they have a great product or service, the world is going to beat a path to their door. So, why spend all the time and dough? The truth is that the world doesn’t really give a hoot. What they do care about is what’s in it for them. Perhaps it’s a sad testament to the human condition, but true none the less.

Marketing is about getting the word out so a prospect can learn that you’re the solution to their problem. It’s about “you,” and “your,” rather than “me” and “my.” When you craft a core message that addresses the prospect’s problem or pain point with a authentic benefit that’s of true value, you’re well on your way to a successful marketing program.

Doing a lot of planning, but never implementing
Planning is critical, but without implementation, it’s all for naught. This behavior is a type of avoidance, often based in fear. The person plans, makes lists and feels like they’re doing something. In reality, they often fear failure or have a lack confidence in their abilities.

Not having a plan at all
Without some sort of plan of action, you’ll never know if you’re achieving your goals. Your marketing plan doesn’t need to be a lengthy tome. It needs to be a straightforward document that addresses, at least, the following:

A. Your goals – What you’re trying to achieve with your marketing efforts.

B. Your differentiating factor – What makes you different, truly different, than the other guys. This is critical to gain visibility and avoid “me too” marketing (the same stuff everybody else is saying).

C. Your niche – This is a description of the audience you want to reach.

D. Your method, tactics and techniques – Describe what you plan to do such as direct mail, networking, entering awards, press releases, etc. Ideally, a marketing calendar should be created to keep you on task.

E. Your budget – How much can you afford for each marketing activity.

Not having a niche
When I give a presentation, I’ll often ask attendees who makes up their target market or audience. Inevitably, there are several people who say, “Everybody.” Sorry, wrong answer. Trying to market to everybody is a sure way to become a very tiny fish in a vast ocean. It’s simply inefficient and, potentially, very expensive. Give a bit of thought to how one would go about this. They’d need wide reaching media and wide reach means big bucks.

When one tries to be all things to all people, one often ends up being nothing to everybody. Generalists may thrive in small markets and also when business is booming. However, when the economy slows down, like now, clients aren’t as footloose and fancy free. They go looking for specialists. It’s reassuring to them to know the person or persons working on their project understands their business, industry, market and competition.

Plus, focusing on a niche – a particular industry or industries, geographic area or type of project – is a huge help in identifying qualified prospects and successfully reaching them. Also, by choosing a niche that’s small enough, yet profitable, it’s loads easier to rise above the pack and get firmly rooted on your prospects’ radar screens.

The corollary to this is choosing a niche where there’s no competition. It’s usually a red flag. If there’s no competition, there’s a very good likelihood that nobody’s interested in that product or service.

There are a lot more dumb things and I’ll address them in future editions. I’ll also address some smart things to help get your marketing mojo moving. Have a great month!

All the best,
Neil