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Developing a Marketing Plan
We hear it said that in order to be in business, you must have a Business Plan, and this is true. Without one, you are like a person in a dark room trying to find something. Eventually, you may stumble across it, but how much time did you waste in...
Do You Know The Common Direct Marketing Measurements
John Wanamaker, a 19th century entrepreneur, once famously made the statement, “I know that half of my advertising is wasted, I just don’t know which half.” Fortunately for today’s marketers, there are scientific ways to determine which half is...
Niche Marketing with the Underachiever System
Underachieving is essentially the concept of doing the least work, or at least very little work in the process of trying to gain an income online. With underachieving, one has to target a small sub-culture on the Internet, usually called a...
Small Business Marketing Plans Are Bad For Business
If you are a small business owner or independent sales professional and you are working on, thinking about or reading about creating a marketing plan - STOP!!
So many so called "marketing experts" say you need a marketing plan and puke out all...
The Art of Using Blogs to Their Full Marketing Potential
As an Internet entrepreneur, you're more than likely aware of the ability of blogs to increase the bottom line of your e-business. Most everyone who sells online, either their product or someone else's, or runs a blog that they have monetized with...
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Writing Marketing Copy That Sells
When your prospects see your marketing materials, your brochure, your web site or your ads you want them to read them. You want prospects to read not just the first sentence but the majority of your copy. Once they've read it, you want them to decide that they need your product or service and either make a purchase or contact you for more information.
When prospective clients and customers see your web site, ads or brochures, you want them to be captivated and impressed. You hope they'll read not just the headlines, but all the way through the copy. And you want this scintillating copy to motivate them to take the next step, and make a purchase or contact you for more information.
Is it working?
Do prospects read your marketing materials? Does the copy convince them that they need your products and services? Do they understand the value you provide?
Do they contact you?
What's the key to writing marketing copy that grabs your prospects' attention, overcomes common objections and leads to a sale or an inquiry?
When you finally call a plumber to fix that leak under the sink, does he spend ten or fifteen minutes talking about how long he has been in business, the wrenches he uses or the process he uses to solder a joint together? Of course not.
You have a problem and, in most cases, you need it solved immediately. You don't necessarily care how he does it - you just want your leaky plumbing fixed. Of course you want to spend as little as possible, but you see the plumber's fees relative to the damage you're incurring from the leak.
Likewise, prospects' own problems and concerns precede their interest in your products and services. To capture their attention and get them to read your marketing copy; focus on what they want; don't begin your marketing copy with descriptions of the solution you provide or your credentials or
processes.
Prospects' problems come first, then your solution. Problem; solution. Prospects want to see themselves and their concerns clearly identified in order to feel confident that you understand their needs. By addressing this, you create the context so that when you do describe your products and services, they are the obvious solution to your prospects' needs.
Take a look at your marketing materials, including everything from your business card to your web site. Who and what are your marketing materials about; you or your prospects' concerns?
Make a list of five to fifteen things that your prospects want. Turn these into questions or statements about your prospects' problems. Asking questions is particularly effective in getting prospects to think about solving their problems.
If you're a financial advisor you might ask, "Do you want to learn how to make more in both up and down markets?" If you help people with marketing their businesses you might ask, "Do you want to learn how to attract more clients and increase sales?" If you sell golf clubs you might ask, "Do you want to hit further and more accurately with less effort?"
To attract new clients you need to get their attention, demonstrate that you understand their concerns and clarify the value your products and services provide. Focus your marketing copy on your prospects' problems, ask them questions and couch your solutions in terms of their objectives. You'll start more conversations, sell more products and sign up more clients. -
About the Author
2005 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved.
The author, Charlie Cook, helps service professionals and small business owners attract more clients and be more successful. Sign up for the Free Marketing Plan eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business' at http://www.marketingforsuccess.com
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KnowThis: For Marketing, Market Research, Internet Marketing ... |
KnowThis.com offers a wealth of information, forums, and resources for professionals, academics and students in traditional and internet marketing, ... |
www.knowthis.com |
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Marketing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
Marketers depend on marketing research, both formal and informal, ... The next big thing is a concept in marketing that refers to a product or idea that ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
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Marketing - Marketing Strategy - Marketing Plan - Marketing ... |
Learn about marketing careers, the stages of developing a marketing plan, how to begin marketing research, create a marketing strategy, and how to market ... |
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Marketing.org - Home of the Business Marketing Association |
Serves the professional, educational and career development needs of business-to-business marketers. |
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Welcome - American Marketing Association - www.marketingpower.com |
Dedicated to serving the educational and professional needs of marketing executives. |
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Advertising, Marketing, Media and PR News - Brand Republic |
Find the latest Advertising, Marketing, Media and PR news from Brand Republic, the online resource for up to the minute advertising and marketing news and ... |
www.brandrepublic.com |
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Marketing Magazine - Marketing News - Brand Republic |
Marketing Magazine - Marketing News - Brand Republic. |
www.brandrepublic.com |
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Marketing (Canada) |
Offers a Canadian source of news and articles on marketing, advertising and media. |
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BidVertiser - Pay Per Click Advertising On Sites Of Your Choice. |
Pay per click advertising - online advertising directly on sites of your choice, internet marketing solution for online advertisers. |
www.bidvertiser.com |
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Online Behavioral Contextual Advertising and Marketing. |
Promote your business with today's most effective online advertising technology, contextual advertising at a cost effective metric of CPC, PPC, CPM or CPV. |
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Sales Jobs / Marketing Jobs / Advertising Jobs - MarketingJobs.com |
Employment site for marketing and sales professionals. |
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The Chartered Institute of Marketing |
The Chartered Institute of Marketing is the world's largest international marketing professional body and helps with career support and information ... |
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Marketing: See what people are saying right now on Technorati |
See all blog posts tagged with marketing on Technorati. |
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Marketing Profs - Marketing Concepts and Strategies: Expert ... |
Marketing knowhow from professionals. Newsletter, articles and how-to's. |
www.marketingprofs.com |
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Guerrilla Marketing Online - The Official Site |
Guerrilla Marketing Online is anonline magazine for small business, entrepreneurs, sales people and marketers of all kinds. |
www.gmarketing.com |
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Business Marketing - Small Business Marketing |
Business marketing - Read everything your need to know about small business marketing. |
www.entrepreneur.com |
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All About Marketing |
Adapted from Field Guide to Nonprofit Program Design, Marketing and Evaluation ... Inbound Marketing Includes Market Research to Find Out: ... |
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Pages tagged with "marketing" on del.icio.us |
USA Network Announces a NASHVILLE STAR Marketing Partnership With ... - Yahoo! ... Direct Marketing Association: Telephone, Mail & Internet Marketing ... |
del.icio.us |
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ClickZ Internet Marketing Solutions for Marketers |
Includes columns with commentary and analysis on a wide variety of internet marketing subjects ranging from B2B marketing to search engine marketing. |
www.clickz.com |
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Direct Marketing Association: Telephone, Mail & Internet Marketing |
Trade association for users and suppliers in the direct, database and interactive marketing fields, offering seminars and resources, and lobbying for ... |
www.the-dma.org |
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