Why most marketing does not work (1)

Marketing horror stories. You've probably heard them. You may have one yourself. These are the stories about how
someone tried a marketing technique, sent out a press
release, or ran an ad and "it didn't work." I've heard plenty of these stories. And as with most urban
legends, there's usually more to the story than meets the
eye. If you're reading this book, you're a coach, consultant,
speaker, author, or owner of a small business, and you want more from your marketing than you're currently getting. Or you may not be marketing at all because your business
is new, or because you're afraid to fail. Or perhaps your marketing is chugging along with mediocre returns or muddled measurement.
Take heart. Marketing isn't mysterious, and once you
understand how the pieces fit together, you'll be in a better position to market your own company or to oversee
someone to handle marketing for you. Take the first step in
the RESULTS model and recommit to marketing. Let's
start by looking at the seven most common reasons that marketing plans fail:
- No planning. This is true in both large and small businesses. Many marketing efforts fail because there is no
link between the marketing actions and the bottom-line
business plan goals that drive revenue. This happens because decision-makers get caught up with a vivid,
creative idea that isn't accountable to the bottom line, or because they take a "great deal" offered by a salesperson
for a media buy. Marketing without a plan is a disaster waiting to happen.
- Inappropriate actions. If there is no plan, then whatever marketing actions that are taken may conflict with each
other. It's unlikely they'll reinforce each other or support a
business plan goal. Disappointing results come about because of a "ready, fire, aim" approach where actions aren't anchored to business objectives and target audiences. Attempts to copy a successful competitor's marketing without understanding why (or whether) the
action is working for them is also a dangerous approach.
Lack of clarity about the target market. Mass marketing is dead. Blasting out marketing without a clear target is wasteful and unsuccessful. You can't hit a target if you
haven't identified it. There is a sweet spot of potential
customers who could become your ideal clients. You'll need
to get to know them to win them.
- Lack of clear goals. If you don't have an up-front understanding of what success will look like, you won't
know when you achieve it. Not only do your marketing
actions need to be linked to specific business goals, but each marketing action should be measurable. Build in measurability up front so expectations are clear.
- Unreasonable expectations. A single press release isn't
likely to create a big spike in sales. One ad probably won't
save your company. Many people become disillusioned with marketing, because they don't understand the
benchmarks for successful programs. For example, most direct-mail professionals are thrilled to get a 1-percent
response rate. One percent! Yet many small businesses
send out a postcard mailing and quit in disgust, expecting a
response of 20 percent, 30 percent, or more. It's important
to have realistic expectations so you recognize success when you see it.
^Unclear on how marketing works. For many people, marketing is a lot like a DVD player: they don't know (and
don't care) how it works. Your odds of creating successful marketing are slim without some knowledge of how the
pieces function and the process required to pull the pieces
together. With the Internet, new tools are emerging almost daily. You'll need to know how to blend New Media and Web 2.0 tools with traditional marketing to succeed in
today's marketplace. Understanding what makes marketing
tick is essential whether you're doing it yourself or delegating it to someone else.
Insufficient patience. "We ran an ad once and nothing
happened." We've all heard that. But did you know that marketing research shows that it takes between seven to
30 "touches" to make a sale? Customers won't buy until
they have an urgent need. Until then, all you can do is
create name recognition and a good reputation. That's the
value of the Rule of 30. Marketing has a lot in common with
farming. You wouldn't plant seeds one day, then go out the
next and dig them up in disgust because full-grown plants hadn't sprouted overnight. Seeds take time, and you can't hurry that. Marketing seeds also take time to grow.
Putting the 30 DayGuide to Use
Remember the RESULTS approach? In the next 30 days,
you can see your social media marketing go from zero to
full speed by applying the RESULTS formula.
Recommit to set aside at least 30 minutes each day (yes, weekends, too) to devote to developing your social media marketing strategy for the next 30 days. (Thirty minutes is a minimum. Once you get started, you'll want to spend an
hour, so block out the time now.)
Expect success by throwing yourself whole-heartedly into this 30-day commitment. If the little voice in the back of your head keeps saying, "This is ridiculous. This isn't going to work," you are programming yourself for failure. Program
yourself for success by writing down 30 things you would
like to achieve from your social media strategy. Some
ideas include:
- Reconnect with old colleagues, friends, neighbors, and
associates to broaden your active circle of contacts.
- Attend the world's biggest 24/7 business networking event with a global audience (otherwise known as the Internet) and put your best foot forward.
Take advantage of all the free information, education, and
competitive intelligence at your fingertips.
Now that you've seen those three examples, come up with
your own list of 30 success expectations and keep them
handy to check back on.
Seek partners. Social media is "social." You can meet amazing people on sites such as Facebook, and get access to experts you might not be able to reach any other way. Sites such as Linkedln are particularly good for finding
out what friends and colleagues are currently doing and who they know. Make a list of 30 friends, colleagues, and
associates whom you've lost track of, and commit to finding
them and touching base via social media.
Understand your audience in more profitable detail than
ever before with the exercises in Chapter 3. Make a list of 30 things you wished you knew about your best customers, and create 30 questions you can use for quizzes, surveys, and social media discussions.
Look for win-win scenarios by posting valuable content on
the right social media sites to attract more of your best prospects. You offer solutions, and they become your best
clients. It's a win-win. Write down 30 ideas for useful tips, articles, videos, or other content you could post right away by reusing information you already have.
Take strategic action by putting what you learn in this blog.