Better Your Marketing Today?
For many service business owners, marketing can be a real mystery
. We do not really know exactly how it works. We are not real sure about what works best for us. And probably because of some past frustrations, we are not even sure where to start.
Most seem to at least have a notion of what is involved in marketing...a web site, Yellow Pages advertising, brochures, direct mailings, networking, seminars, trade shows, etc.
But if that is all it took, would not we all be attracting enough clients.
I am sure youve tried one or more of these things at least to some degree. And I am sure youve had at least some successes now and again. But are you able to make it work consistently for your business.
If not, what could be going on.
First, let is agree to a definition of marketing. Here is my favorite one for small, service based businesses.
Marketing is the use of strategies to generate a constant supply of high quality leads for your service business. Simple to understand and speaks directly to the results we want.
OK, so does not this definition take us right back to what we said we already knew about marketing... a web site, Yellow Pages advertising, networking, etc.Well maybe, but first its important to understand why your current marketing activities are not producing consistent results.
Put your message and materials to the So What test.
Start with your core marketing message. Pull out your most frequently used marketing tool and read it out loud. Put it to the So What test.
After you read it out loud, is it possible that your intended audience could respond with... So What... Why do I care... or What is in it for me If your message does not tell your intended audience what solutions you are providing to address their issues,problems,challenges, and how it relates to the benefits theyll receive from your services, then a So What response is exactly what you might expect.
Messages and materials that are all about who you are and the history of your company and what services you offer and why you are so qualified to provide these services and how you partner with your clients to achieve superior results, etc. are likely to fail the So What test.
Challenge all of your current marketing materials. Remember, it is the intended audience that counts. What is in it for them. Why should they care.
Listen, if your marketing is consistently generating all the high quality leads you can handle, then do not change a thing. But if you have not quite figured out how to generate a constant supply of leads for your service business, then you owe it to yourself to challenge your current marketing tools by putting them to the So What test.
Try these ideas,
Challenge all of your marketing tools that are not contributing to consistently generate leads for your service business even the ones that have worked in the past. Could you improve the message and get a higher return. Put it to the So What test.
Try the Xs and Os test especially with the last letter you wrote. Mark an X every time your marketing piece mentions your name, company name, or the words I or me. Mark and O every time it mentions the prospects name, company name, or the word you or your. If the Xs outnumber the Os, rewrite it before using it again.
Try gathering up a group of people you can trust to give you very honest feedback. You are not just looking for proof readers, but individuals who will give you honest feedback on whether your materials pass the So What test.
Be prepared for some negative feedback, but more importantly, be prepared to do something about it.
Do not just accept opinions, but try to get down to realistic response. For example, I think this part is too wordy and detailed.opinion versus I got pretty lost and confused with the level of detail in this part. response
Remember that it is the intended audience that counts. If it is not clear who the message is intended for when it is received, then how can it pass the So What test.
by: ma
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