I often hear the word “marketing” used to describe what a business is doing, but I don’t know if everyone is clear on what marketing is and what you accomplish when you market well.
Last week, I explained that marketing includes all the activities you do before a prospect interacts with your business, as well as what you do to reach out to prospects while they’re between times of using your service. Marketing is how you entice people to do business with you.
But what is the effect of marketing, other than getting people to notice your business? What results should you expect from your marketing efforts?
The most common answer is “getting more business,” and while that’s the end result we’re all working toward, that’s usually not the next immediate step in your marketing funnel.
You should expect a few things from any marketing campaign. First, you want to create a steady stream of prospects you can build relationships with. Next, you want to keep moving those prospects closer to a purchase—you want to keep reaching out and showing them the value of your business. Good marketing means continuing to develop the relationship with your prospect until they need your product or service, at which time they’ll be ready to buy from you without hesitation.
Many businesses make the mistake of moving too fast. They go from meeting you to asking for the sale in one jump. This works with impulse items, and it can work if other businesses have marketed to your prospect for some time, but for the majority of businesses, it doesn’t close the deal. In fact, it can cause businesses to lose many valuable prospects—ones who might have become great customers—by pushing too hard, too fast.
Instead of immediately pushing for a sale, successful marketing strategies work to develop a real relationship with prospects.
A great marketing process is like dating. You find someone you’re interested in, then spend time getting to know each other. Over time, you develop a friendship and trust. You don’t go from “Hi, my name is Brian” to “Do you want to get married?” over a weekend.
What process do you use to move people from simply hearing of you to becoming a loyal customer? How do you get them to come back again and buy more?
If you want help developing these systems, schedule a complimentary strategy session with Brian from Go Social Experts. Click here to see what times work best with your schedule.
You’ll leave the call with practical ideas and inspiration for your next marketing campaign. I’d be happy to work with you to implement those ideas, or you can do it yourself. I only ask that you let me know how it works for you. I love hearing about your successes and sharing the wisdom we create together.