Today, we want to share with you seven marketing secrets, tips, or tricks that nobody is really talking about. These strategies are a bit more complex and subtle than the quick hits we usually get when it comes to social media. Instead of focusing on posting at the right time or tweaking your content for algorithm adjustments, I'll delve into why your marketing might not be as effective as you want. Understanding these seven strategies will allow you to immediately improve your results, gain more clicks, traffic, and sales. Moreover, I'll show you how to think about and process different marketing strategies, tools, and resources.
1. Identify the Marketing Sweet Spot
When people say their marketing isn't working, it's often because they aren't doing enough marketing. It's a matter of volume, not just quality. Many believe that posting a single ad will make them go viral, but marketing requires consistent effort, just like other business functions. Most businesses fall into the trap of the "Minimum Effective Dose" (MED), where they do just enough to feel like they're marketing but not enough to see significant results.
Imagine a bell curve with three sections:
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MED: Barely any impact.
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Sweet Spot: Optimal marketing saturation where your efforts start showing significant results.
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Diminishing Returns: Extra effort yields minimal additional results.
Most businesses need to push through the MED phase and increase their marketing efforts to reach the Sweet Spot.
2. The Rule of Seven
For someone to make a purchase, they need about seven points of contact with your brand. This means engaging with your audience multiple times through various platforms and content types. Depending on your product's price, this could be more or less. For higher-priced items, it might be 7-14 points of contact. Ensure you're consistently appearing in front of your target market with valuable content and offers.
3. Mere Exposure Effect
Psychologically, we associate frequency with trust. The more often people see your brand, the more they trust and like you. This is the Mere Exposure Effect. Regularly appearing in front of your audience builds familiarity and trust, essential for conversions. Ensure your marketing strategy includes consistent exposure through email marketing, social media, and other channels.
4. Depth Over Breadth
When defining your target market, be specific. Saying your market is "everyone" dilutes your message. Instead, focus on a niche audience where you can make deeper connections. Use the Ideal Customer Avatar (ICA)to define your demographic (age, gender, income), geographic (location), and psychographic (values, interests) details. Understanding your audience's "Miracles and Miseries"(their desires and pain points) allows you to position your business as the solution.
5. Sell Benefits, Not Features
People are driven by emotions rather than logic. Highlight the benefits of your product or service instead of just listing features. Benefits show how the features will positively impact the customer's life. For example, if you're selling a pen with a cap, the feature is the cap, but the benefit is it prevents ink stains. Lead with benefits to connect emotionally with your audience.
6. Be Persistent and Strategic
Marketing is about persistence and strategy. If one approach doesn't work, try another. Use a mix of emotional and logical appeals, social proof, testimonials, guarantees, and risk reversals. Understand that marketing is a continuous process that requires ongoing effort and adjustment.
7. Have a Marketing Funnel
A marketing funnel guides potential customers through the buying process, from awareness to purchase. Without a funnel, you're leaving conversions to chance. Ensure you have a well-thought-out funnel that nurtures leads and converts them into customers.
The key takeaway is that you need to do more marketing, but strategically. Push through the minimum effective dose, leverage the rule of seven, understand the mere exposure effect, go deep with your target audience, sell benefits, be persistent, and have a robust marketing funnel. By applying these seven strategies, you'll see better results in your marketing efforts.