| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
Embracing The Future - Marketing Yourself, Your Business And Your
Introduction Many businesses and organisations have a perception that marketing means promotions and advertising. They think being good at marketing is producing a glossy brochure and having an ad on the local radio or television. But marketing is much more than slick promotions and expensive pamphlets. It is about a process and having a clear strategy. It is also about structuring every aspect of your business to include a marketing function. It is also about understanding marketing strategies, the tools of marketing and the language of marketing. Many people are frightened or are put off by the jargon and concepts put forward by so called marketing experts. This article attempts to simplify the process. To provide a "how to" of what's required to develop winning marketing ideas. Many people also believe they are too busy or don't have enough time or energy to develop marketing ideas. It doesn't have to be difficult or complex. Many great marketing strategies are very simple and straightforward. In fact, I believe everyone has a great marketing idea inside of him or her just waiting to come out! What's stopping you from taking the next step? My goal is to help you overcome any procrastination and provide a framework where your ideas can grow and prosper. How will I know if I've been succesful? Well if I've been entertaining and informative - I'm in the "Edutainment" business. And if I've delivered what I call the "Three H's".
Why marketing ideas are important? Ideas, creativity and the ability of turning these into practical strategies will become the hallmark of successful businesses in the new millennium. Leading organisations will tailor all of their activities around these concepts to create a culture where ideas, innovation and a can-do marketing attitude are fostered. Truly successful companies are now doing this by building brands and customer loyalty around these names and symbols. It is the brand and the marketing processes around the brand that are the assets of new companies in this information age. With the huge amount of change happening - businesses and groups that are quick, nimble and have an ideas focus will have the potential to carve out new niches. They will be marketing and media savvy. In today's highly dynamic global business environment, truly successful leaders will know how to harness both marketing ideas and the power of the media. We are living through some of the largest social and economic changes we've ever faced. We're in the midst of a great gold rush, the likes of which we haven't witnessed in a hundred years. Marketing ideas are the gold of the 21st century. What is marketing? What does marketing mean to you? How would you define marketing? If you believe marketing is about selling or promotions, you're only partly right. Marketing is much more. Here is my definition I give to clients, customers and people who attend my presentations and workshops. Marketing is...
Take a moment to compare your views on marketing with the latest thinking on marketing. Are you prepared to shift? To see how marketing touches on every aspect of how you interact with customers and how you run and operate your business. If you've been able to shift your focus and change your attitude on marketing its now time to move on and develop your BIG MARKETING IDEA. Top 10 Reasons Stopping People Achieving their BIG MARKETING IDEA Many people never achieve their true potential in achieving their goals, dreams and aspirations. From my experience as a broadcaster, manager and marketer here are my Top 10 reasons stopping people from achieving their big marketing idea. 1. Not believing it can be done. The belief system has to be really strong. You really have to believe you can do it to overcome the hurdles. In 1992, the 500 farmers who started this Co-operative with $5000 must have had a really strong belief system they could make it work. 2. Doing Nothing. Some people just don't know what it takes. Instead of starting on a path they do nothing for fear of doing the wrong thing. 3. Don't think they have an idea or solution to a problem. Some people keep their ideas and solutions locked up inside them and neither see them or acknowledge them. It often takes an outsider to bring them out. Why not get an outsiders view of the challenge and brainstorm some solutions. 4. Not believing you can make money out of it. You often hear people moaning about being stuck in a job because it pays the bills or doing something because that's the way it's always been done. People are motivated by the need for food and shelter and your need to believe you can make money from your idea or solution. 5. Don't have time? Many people are caught up in the rush and "busyness" of today's life. I'm not suggesting you add more to your life by adding an extra action point, job or task to your "To Do List". I'm recommending you do less and eliminate something! If you watched one hour less of television per week that would give you 52 hours. What would you do with 52 hours of extra time? 6. Don't have enough resources? People often say they need resources - money, infrastructure, computers, printers and the like. But how much money does it take to write an idea down and then communicate it to someone else? 7. Persistence! You're likely to come up against a 100 barriers before you succeed. Persistence is vital in breaking through the barriers. 8. Is it practical? Is the idea or solution practical and does it work? Take the example of NASA in the US. They spent a million dollars developing a ballpoint pen that works in zero gravity! The Russians gave their cosmonauts pencils. 9. Are you afraid? Many people are afraid of many things - success, failure, rejection or just being different. These fears can become barriers. 10. Not being ready Many people are aware that what they're doing is not what they really want to do and creating barriers for others. They recognise the need to change and shift their thinking. They're just not ready at that moment in time to make the change. So that's what's stopping people from putting in practice their BIG MARKETING IDEA. What are the success factors for Marketing Yourself, Your Business and Your Co-Operative? 10 Tips on Marketing In summary here are 10 Tips on marketing. 1. Clarify your mission. 2. Have a plan and set some goals and strategies. 3. Know your strengths and build on these. 4. Identify and talk to your customers. 5. Find out who your competitors are? 6. Put a value on your service. 7. Let people know about your service. 8. Add value to existing services. 9. Differentiate your service from others. 10. Evaluate and review on a regular basis. Thomas Murrell MBA CSP is an international business speaker, consultant and award-winning broadcaster. Media Motivators is his regular electronic magazine read by 7,000 professionals in 15 different countries. You can subscribe by visiting http://www.8mmedia.com. Thomas can be contacted directly at +6189388 6888 and is available to speak to your conference, seminar or event. Visit Tom's blog at http://www.8mmedia.blogspot.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Seven Deadly Sins of Ineffective Nametags Your nametag can be your best friend. It can be a lifesaver in meetings, trade shows and events to start conversations when you meet groups of new people. Maximize Your Lead Generation Efforts by Recycling Your Leads The basic lead generation process is pretty much the same from company to company. Inquiries come in?they're qualified?and then sent to the sales team. The Most Powerful Marketing Strategy Available To Small Businesses Most small business owners want to generate huge profits, with little effort and in the least amount of time. If you fall into this category then joint venture marketing is the fastest, easiest and most profitable way to do that. People Pleasing Postcards Why are more businesses turning to full-color postcards as a key form of promotion? The biggest reason is the simplest: You don't have to open a postcard. It won't get lumped in with all the direct mail envelopes that people toss without opening. How to Turn Your Promotional Products Expense Into a Profit Center If you use promotional products you probably already know the power of giving away freebies. You may use them to thank current customers, or to give incentives to potential customers. Your Marketing Plan - Prerequisite to Success Marketing is a vital aspect of a business' operations. It has been said that, "Nothing happens in business until a sale is made". 10 Ways to Get Your Flyers Noticed An inexpensive way to promote your services is to createvarious flyers and distribute them wherever you go -- pinthem to the bulletin boards at the library, bookstore,handout out at networking events, or playing tennis. Hereare 10 tips on how to get your flyer noticed and remembered. Beyond Fear And Greed: Emotions That Sell Fear and Greed. The stock-in-trade of sales. Creating Your Unique Selling Proposition or USP Creating Your Unique Selling Proposition"Don't tell them what you do. Tell them what you do for them. Doing it with Class! Doctors do it, hair dressers do it, and salespeople can do it too.I have been working with a chiropractor for a few months and when it came time to give me a new appointment, she would use a quarter sheet of paper to check off the appointment time. A Point in Every Direction is the Same As No Point At All Ever try to be something for everyone and find no one wants it? Do you have trouble finding the time to focus on your business? Do you do so much for so many that you find it's difficult to make any financial progress in your business; much less make an indelible mark in the mind of your potential customers? I found myself on that road so many times, that I could be a tour guide for Please-want-me-ville.Where did this come from and how can you get it to stop?It starts publicly when we're very young. 5 Steps for Developing a Marketing Tag Line for Your Product, Business, or Website A marketing tag line is the one or two line descriptor that often comes after a product logo or company name. It is one of those things that looks simple but isn't. Effective Marketing for Small Businesses Effective marketing for the small business begins with market researchIf you don't know who your customers are, how on earth are you going to reach them? The most effective small business marketing strategies are the most highly targeted ones: the ones which are based on a clear understanding of who their target audience is. What's your target age group and income bracket? What publications do they read? What do they do for fun? For it to be truly successful, your marketing should try to address an issue your target market deal with, fulfil a need or answer a problem. Walking Talking Advertisements So you've made a sale. Great!Now what? You're not just going to sell your new customer a product and let them walk away, are you?Not when you're marketing on tight budget! You now have to use the customer in front of you to build your business, and you do that with a successful referral program. Coupons that Work Turn a coupon into a business card (or vice versa).Coupons are seen everywhere; you clip them from the newspaper to save on groceries, you get them in the mail to save on brand name items, you even get packages in the form of booklets delivered to your door. Beware: Marketing Sinkholes Ahead! Life provides your business with enough opportunities for failure. Don't help it along by creating sinkholes to consume your limited financial resources. Postcard Direct Mail Marketing Tips And Ideas Postcards are perhaps the least expensive way of reaching a large number of people with your sales message. Although they have their drawbacks, they are cost-effective at attracting new customers. Five Steps to Partnering with Companies to Build Your Client Base Wouldn't you love a simple formula for easily growing your small business? Here is something that could be just what you are looking for:1. Create an information product based on your expertise. Motivate Your Market Force IntroWant me to tell you something on how you can motivate your market force in 2005. I will do so today. 3 Ways to Gain and KEEP Customers Using Postcards In today's competitive (sometimes cutthroat) marketplace, savvy business owners need to constantly look for ways to get and, more importantly, keep their customers. When used properly postcards offer a great opportunity to do both.
|
| Article List | Index | Site Map |
|
All logos, trademarks and articles on this site are property and copyright of their respective owner(s).
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest is Copyright © 2006 CanadaSEEK.com - All Rights Reserved. |
