KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
The Oscars will be handed out soon, and it's a perfect time to keep this in mind: If you're a business owner or manager, it's wise to think of yourself as a great film director who's telling a story. Having directed films, stage, television, and stage productions we noticed that the principles of great directing or filmmaking apply exactly to great marketing.
OK, so you don't need the baseball cap or the megaphone like a film director. But in order to attract the right "audience," you do need to communicate something critical ? the talents and services of your company. And, you need to connect with your audience ? so they will appreciate what you have to offer.
Think about it: When you're positioning your company, you'll craft an intriguing 'script' which you know as 'promotional messages'. You're conveying the fact that you offer something of interest, you do it well, you've hired the best talent (even if Tom Cruise isn't available) and really connect emotionally with those who need your services.
In great drama, you want to evoke emotions and meaningful reactions in your audience to make them laugh or cry. In great marketing communications, you want your audience to buy. They won't, if they feel there is no compelling reason . . . just as they won't cry watching a film if the heroine dies and they simply don't relate to her - or if they're emotionally conflicted or confused.
CREATE THE BUZZ
Now consider the last film you absolutely loved. It gripped you, didn't it? You wanted to tell all your friends about it, because it had such an intriguing affect on you, right? In marketing, it's all about creating that "buzz" - you want to evoke that reaction in your audience (or target market) through your marketing materials, your print ads, TV commercials, presentations, networking, and of course ? by doing great work, which offers lots of value!
In a film, the director carefully builds and develops each character so the audience can get to know her, to laugh with her or feel her pain, and to understand how she acts and reacts. In marketing, it's all about reaction - you want your audience to grow with you, to feel connected, and to relate to and trust in you. And you especially want them to learn about the enormously useful solutions you offer.
But, first you have to understand your audience. And that requires that you have in-depth knowledge of your existing clientele. In that way, you can attract more clients like the ones you already have and cherish, and enjoy helping.
FINDING YOUR IDEAL MARKET
We recommend a method for truly understanding your clients, and finding out what they value in the work you provide-having a third party interview them-but only one highly experienced in marketing interviews. When you fully understand what makes your clients tick (and more importantly, what they love ? or don't love -- about doing business with you), you can promote those qualities to other potential markets.
In this investigative work many wonderful surprises emerge. You might find that your clients need other services you could offer, or that you are undervaluing your services and could easily raise your prices (this is actually a very common discovery). Also, you might find that a simple change to your invoice system would make everyone much happier - your "audience" will laugh instead of cry. Or, you might learn that even though you believe you offer lightning-fast response time, your clients don't perceive it that way. From this information, you can often make improvements that lead to significantly more income.
Generally, your clients won't share this information directly. Most humans want to please others, and steer clear of offering suggestions that might provoke an uncomfortable or unwelcome response. And sometimes clients are fearful of hurting your feelings. While this is understandable, you might be missing some valuable lessons your clients are dying to share with you, that could benefit your business enormously. Or maybe they just need some prompting to think more deeply about the real value your business offers so they can share that with you.
BREAK FROM HO-HUM MARKETING ? IT'S TOO BORING!
Using the "great films as marketing" metaphor, think about how many classic films have taken radical departures from the ordinary ? from "Schindler's List" to "The Wizard of Oz" to "Gone With the Wind." These movies were huge attention-getters in their day, and became major cultural influences. Don't you want your work to be recognized as a significant influence, too?
Once you break from ho-hum marketing, and learn to put your deeper beliefs and values into your promotion, a remarkable thing will happen: You will attract precisely those clients who really need and appreciate the products or services your company provides. In other words ? once you know what your clients really value, making it available to them will be an incredibly simple process.
We firmly believe: "Knowledge is Bliss."
MARKETING IS AN INVESTMENT. SPEND IT WISELY.
Sometimes a company needs special tools to expand its marketing, promotion, or outreach. That's exactly why we've developed these Marketing Products Under $20 that will help busy business owners get what they need right away!
? Write Your Company Bio or Profile
? Close Sales Faster
? Learn the Most Important Website Marketing Tips
? Prepare for a Trade Show
? Create Advertising that Works
? Write a Job Description to Attract the Best Employees
? Stop Sabotaging Your Marketing
? Removing the Thorn: When Marketing Hurts
Allison Bliss Consulting, the creator of "Marketing as a Spiritual Practice" method, rebels against misleading, pushy, spam-filled marketing offering Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurs an integrated range of do-it-yourself marketing products & customized marketing strategy, plans, promotional materials, websites, and hands-on services.
Having studied with Frances Ford Coppola and other film greats, Bliss is a member of the Directors Guild of America where she crafted hundreds of films, tv shows, and commercials. She moved into marketing to help worthy businesses get noticed, and because she figured they needed her help more than Hollywood did. Her website offers tools to make marketing idiot-proof for under $20
If ever there was a lazy way to easy profits... Read More
CD Business cards allows any type of business that dynamic... Read More
Peek a Boo - We See YouDoes your company have... Read More
A while back a small business owner paid me a... Read More
Ten Crucial Questions for Your Business Future I'm... Read More
Many professional copywriters estimate that the headline contributes to 80%... Read More
Doing a current customer breakdown can help you find the... Read More
Do you want to be quoted by the national press... Read More
If the promotional items you give out end up in... Read More
Change is good, right? Not always. But when is it... Read More
You can have the best little business ever with wonderful... Read More
How many of your customers are loyal customers? More importantly... Read More
Do sales come from your ezine regularly? How many well-written... Read More
The foundation of success is in your mind. You do... Read More
Do you have a list of marketing ideas that you'd... Read More
Are you tired of living off handouts from big-name marketers,... Read More
Second in a series of three articles:What if you could... Read More
The key to great exhibiting is marketing. But marketing is... Read More
Our bodies work like our small businesses. They work best... Read More
No matter how small your marketing budget, your business can... Read More
Having a strong foundation enables you to build a thriving,... Read More
If you are a mobile auto detailer or mobile car... Read More
The writing of good classified ads truly is an art... Read More
If you're just dipping your toes into the waters of... Read More
In a world economy that is in constant flux and... Read More
It was probably first discovered out there in the caves... Read More
It's no secret that using a job site sign can... Read More
Building business relationships through networking is a great way to... Read More
Marketing is both an art and a science. Anyone who... Read More
RSS has been around for more than 10 years but... Read More
I was saddened to hear of the passing of one... Read More
35 Ideas to Spark Your Creativity:There are 3 ways to... Read More
Wondering if your marketing message is dancing in the spotlight... Read More
Are you suffering from feelings of indifference or a lack... Read More
Multi-level marketing is the biggest growth industry in the 1980's.... Read More
The trick to a good promotion is to attach your... Read More
Imagine how much your sales and profits would increase if... Read More
Most businesses realize that they are simply a click away... Read More
"Kevin, are you saying I need to go to Networking... Read More
Many artists create art but when it comes to marketing... Read More
A funnel is a good way to think of the... Read More
Businesses and other organizations use focus groups to research consumer... Read More
The Building Blocks to Successful MarketingIt's More than Sales and... Read More
Everyone wants to feel like they're getting a good deal.... Read More
Many of the business owners I speak with are looking... Read More
Some people are happy with just a business card. For... Read More
You may be engaged in a marketing activities that are... Read More
The REAL key to successful marketing of any product is... Read More
I'd like to introduce you to someone. I don't actually... Read More
If you are operating a business from your home and... Read More
Businesses rely on brochures as their front line in communicating... Read More
Certainly the newest earth quaking event in Internet Marketing insider... Read More
Networking on the Internet is the same as networking in... Read More
What Is A Joint Venture?A joint venture is an agreement... Read More
An important part of planning your business is to know... Read More
There comes a time in every small businessperson's life when... Read More
Value proposition is treated as the standards or service that... Read More
A well-designed chart can be one of the most persuasive... Read More
One of the most effective ways to market your products/services... Read More
Hey, as business owners we CAN'T be all things for... Read More
Your marketing weak link could be undermining the rest of... Read More
A church in my community provided me with one of... Read More
Think about all those Cracker Jacks you ate as a... Read More
We are all customers of one product or another. How... Read More
I am doing what you do, sitting at my computer,... Read More
Which product feature of yours is every buyer keen to... Read More
Marketing |