A MAJOR MISTAKE TO AVOID
Not focusing your business and marketing on your customers needs.
This may seem obvious but take a look through your yellow pages. Pick it up and just flick through and ask this question, are the ads telling you what benefits you get if you become a customer? Or are the ads telling you about the companies, where they are, how wonderful they are, what they do, how great their quality is, how great their service is, and all about them?
95% of the ads are totally focused on the business and not on what the business can do for YOU, the prospect!
Pay attention to adverts in newspapers, on the television, and even on radio. You’ll find the same thing happening in those places, consistently, every day. This type of image “look at me” advertising is stupid “institutional” advertising that is usually recommended by most marketers or ad agencies.
Institutional advertising produces, at best, deferred results, but usually is a complete waste of your much needed resources both financially and in the time it takes to create. Most businesses do not have the budget of Coca Cola so why should you try and compete.
You know it’s institutional advertising when it tells you how great the company is, or how old and stable they are, or some other fluffy, fancy look at me style content and non-compelling buffoonery.
Selfishness in your marketing message is what kills it and makes it ineffectual. Whether it be brochures, flyers, sales letters, advertisements, web sites, newsletters or eblasts your marketing message should let your prospects know that you are concerned ONLY WITH WHAT THEY WANT!
Anything about you should always come last. Your clients, customers, patrons, patients… whatever you choose to call them, should always come first.
All marketing materials you create should focus on what the prospects want and need. Every sentence should show that you understand their wants and needs.
So always remember when creating a new marketing message WIIFT – What’s in it For Them!