Is your marketing ‘salty’ enough?
by Terry Brock
Terry Brock is a marketing coach who helps business owners market more effectively leveraging technology. He shows busy professionals how to squeeze more out of their busy days by using the right rules and tools. You can reach Terry at 407-363-0505, by email at terry@terrybrock.com or through his website at terrybrock.com. Also, look for Terry on Twitter@TerryBrock.
You need to continually acquire new market-valuable skills. Always learn new information. Specifically, learn information that is valuable to your customer, that is worth their time, money and energy.
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The best marketers know that what worked before does not necessarily work today. The old idea of “push” marketing has now been replaced. It is not even “pull” marketing. Instead, the key is to be able to persuade people in a pleasant way to embrace you, your products and your services.
Relationship marketing
Today, things are different. You can’t force people to watch your ads. There are so many choices that people are programmed to flip channels at light speed. We also have a whole generation trained in “the art of the delete key” when it comes to junk mail.
I recently conducted a training session with some very sophisticated marketers struggling with the new reality of selling. Social media is about connecting with people. That feeling has permeated over into other areas of doing business as well. If you can’t push something on the public so they will buy, what can a serious marketer do?
Focus on relationship marketing. This is how you can attract people and build quality, mutually beneficial relationships in business today.
Generate customer interest
It has long been said that “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.” That is true.
However, if you give the horse some salt beforehand — I don’t recommend this at all, but work with me just for the sake of illustration — you will vastly increase the chances that the horse will want your water. Also, if you make the environment “hot” for your message, that horse will be mighty thirsty!
So what “salt” can you, as a relationship marketer, give to horses (your potential clients, customers and buyers) that will make them want to “drink?”
Today, things are different from before, but certain essentials remain the same. You have to generate incredible interest in what it is you are doing. You also have to provide serious value, as defined by your buyers, not you. What is it that your buyers are looking for? What is it that they need? How can you help them achieve resolution of their problems and the issues that confront them?
Do your research
To get this information, you have to do your research. Don’t just assume that you know what customers want. The desires and needs of your customers change regularly. What worked yesterday is not necessarily going to work today or tomorrow.
You need to continually acquire new market-valuable skills. Always learn new information. Specifically, learn information that is valuable to your customer, that is worth their time, money and energy.
When I was speaking to the group of marketers that I mentioned earlier, we talked about the importance of getting involved in Facebook and LinkedIn groups of their target market. The same applies to you. You should be involved in these groups, not as a pushy salesperson, but as a helpful resource. Be the person that customers want to go to for vital industry information. Keep honing and fine-tuning your skills.
Once you have the skills and the market gets to know you, your problem will be selecting the best offer. Not a bad problem to have!
Make your marketing and your exposure to the world very “salty.” The more appealing your marketing, the more people will gravitate to you to buy what you have. Your focus — particularly in times like these — should be on getting better at what you do in a market-valuable way. Get really good at resolving pain points for others, and make your service second-to-none.
Here is to lots of horses drinking your water, you “salty marketer,” you!