What is your definition of marketing?

Many people have many different and varied definitions of marketing. Early on in business I struggled with trying to understand exactly what marketing was. It seemed to be this mystical dark art…

I know what marketing is not; marketing is not selling. Selling is different.

Selling is one on one what you are doing face to face or on the phone.

Advertising is not marketing, it is part of your marketing mix.

Seth Godin said in his article; Which comes first, the product or the marketing?
“Marketing is not the same as advertising. Advertising is a tiny slice of what marketing is today, and in fact, it's pretty clear that the marketing has to come before the product, not after.”

Marketing done properly does the selling for you. It is selling in advance. Therefore, as Dan Kennedy said, “marketing is the quickest path to the sale”.

For mine, in it’s most simple form;

Marketing is what you say and who you say it to…

That means – having your particular message that speaks specifically to your desired audience, your selected group of people for whom you have a solution.

For your marketing to be effective you need to know

            Who you are speaking to

            What they want most

            And crafting your message to solve their problem or satisfy their desires.

The next puzzle to solve is how to get your message in front of exactly your selected group of people.

Brand Philosophe

Link to Seth’s Blog: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/02/which-comes-first-the-product-or-the-marketing.html

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"One individual plus courage is a majority" 

~ Source Unknown ~ 

How do you want this year to be different?

Make a quick list of the top 3 things you want to be different this year.

It mat be your income, profit, people, clients, your team, family, or your health... 

Most people make new years resolutions. The trouble is they almost never stick to their resolutions or achieve the goal.

To be successful, the first step is to write down your goals.

The things that you want to be different this year; and the things that you want to achieve.  

Resolutions are not goals. Most “New Years Resolutions” are just ideas. 

How will you know if you achieve the goal or not?  How will you know if you get to celebrate that goal and feel good about the effort you have put in? 

Getting fit, making more money and being happy are NOT decisions or goals, they are ideas. You can't measure the success of these.

A measurable goal is:   I will loose 10kg by 20^th March, I will run 5km in under 20mins. My gross profit will be a minimum of 40% by June 30, 2012. I will have 10 new clients by April 5^th 2012.

This is also why YOUR goal needs to be REALISTIC and ACHIEVABLE – so you can achieve it in the time frame you set. 

It is so important to understand and experience the feelings you have when you've achieved your goal, and by having a realistic set of goals that have an achievable time frame it will assist you in reaching them, growing as a person, growing your business and making 2012 all about you.

I believe that to be successful, or in other words to achieve your goals, you need 3 things: 

GOALS ~ IMPLEMENTATION ~ ACCOUNTABILITY 

• A goal not written down is only a wish

• An idea not implemented is only a thought  

• Accountability takes implementing your goals to another level

 

Our challenge for you today is:

  1. Write down your top 3 goals.
  2. Start implementing and taking action (even if you only pick 1 project)
  3. Make yourself accountable to 1 person.

Then, in 2 weeks time, Let them know how you have taken 1 step towards your bigger future.

Take Action with the 48 Hour Rule ~ This means going from an IDEA to DOING in 48 hrs - you know the "Get it done!" part

Yes, it's time to take charge and take back control. 

Take the Challenge and make 2012 your best year ever. 


Here's to your Success!

PS: Someone once said;  "the difference between a millionaire and a billionaire is that a billionaire reads their goals twice a day."

Happy New 2012!

Image: Dream Designs  

Welcome to an exciting 2012!

The floor is all yours .... 

Are you ready? 

Image: 2012 by:  Dream Designs 

Click here to see more of their work 

Working through our fears

"We cannot escape fear. 

We can only transform it into a companion that 

accompanies us on all our exciting adventures ...

Take a risk today, one small or bold stroke 

that will make you feel great once you have done it"

~ Susan Jeffers 

Fear is probably the biggest hurdle that comes up during a session or discussions with clients.  Fear on so many differing levels from the personal pressure we put ourselves under to be successful, make others proud of us, do what is 'expected' of us through to the fears we have for our business.

Most of us make our decisions based on what we think will keep everyone else happy and not necessarily what is going to the best for us or our business.  We worry constantly about what others think of us, how others will see us, talk about us and a hundred other 'fears' based on society's take on your decision.

When really it comes down to you and what you want for your business

A question that was posed during a recent conversation with a client lead to a very interesting path of discovery for them.... the question?   

"If you could do anything in the world at all without fear of judgement, what would you do?"

A road to travel 

"Trust in yourself. Your perceptions are often far more accurate than you are willing to believe" 

~ Claudia Black 

You only have 8 seconds….

You spend all this time and money building a website, more money on advertising, SEO, to drive traffic and attract visitors, Only to find out that the research has shown that the average visitor ONLY spends 8 seconds on a site before deciding whether or not to leave.

All that money, time and effort; then one “click” and they’re gone. So you have to get it right – the first and only time !!!

What this means is you only have 8 seconds to impress and inform a potential customer before they ditch your site for good. A good first impression is vital to your business’ site, and you only have one chance, and eight seconds, to make it.

So what ever it is they are looking for (what you are offering) has to be immediately apparent to them. With this being said, you may be wondering what should or should not appear on your website’s homepage. Below we have outlined what to include and how to include it.

Featured Products and Company Description

The key reason a customer is coming to your site is to find out more about your company and the products and/or services it offers. Your potential clients are there because they are looking for something so the first thing they want to know whether or not you can help them.

This is the most important point about your website if you want it to be an effective tool for your business – it has to be all about your clients not you.

Be sure to include brief descriptions of what your company actually does for your clients, how you help them and the various products or service areas you want to high light, not simply vague fluff.

The keyword in the previous sentence, though, is the word “brief.” The home page is not the place to write a long blurb about your company’s history or founders – that information should be left for the “About Us” page. The about us page is also very important – we can leave that for another article.

Also, on your homepage you may want to feature a few key services or products that you offer, either your most recent, or your most popular. However, try to limit the number of featured products; you want to get your product out there, not overload visitors with too many items. Use feature boxes to draw the attention of the visitor.

News and Events

Staying current and relevant is most important if you want your clients to take you seriously. Including news and upcoming events on your homepage is a great way to let visitors know that your site is up-to-date. Make sure not to leave items from 2001 under “Recent News.”

Ensure that the news and events section does not take up too much space on your homepage. Simply show teasers of news and events, and link visitors to a page dedicated to news and events. That way, new visitors can click on ones they are interested in and not get overwhelmed by the amount of information presented to them.

 

Customer Interaction

Including a “call-to-action” button to get immediate responses from your customers is one of the highest priorities. It is usually in the most obvious position and occupies the “highest value” real estate on your site. This will direct them to give you their email address in return for some valuable information (and or sign up for your newsletter). This is usually beside you welcome video, which will also direct them to leave their details.

 

Homepage Visuals

Your homepage’s overall visual appeal is also key to attracting and retaining customers. A clean, clear uncluttered look is critical so your visitors can clearly see what they are looking for straight away. 

Make sure that the visitor does not need to scroll left-and-right to access information. This is a big turn-off to first time visitors since it requires them to exert unnecessary effort. Another thing to keep in mind is “the fold.” The fold is basically the part of the website your visitor can see before having to use the up-and-down scroll bar. This is the most important section of your page, so include the most important info in this portion. At the same time, be sure not to cram too much information here.

One key thing to take away from the post is making sure your file size is not too large. It needs to load quickly. Simply dragging the image to shrink or stretch it does not change the file size. The file size depends on how large the image is when you initially upload it to your website. Some images may take three or four seconds to load, which means you are wasting valuable time to make a good impression. If it takes too long they will click away… and the opportunity is lost.

 

Final Tips on Homepages

Having a great homepage is vital to retaining visitors and getting them to explore the rest of the content on your site. Remember that new visitors decide whether or not your site is worthy of their time within 8 seconds. Here are some final tips for optimizing those 8 seconds:

§   A clear navigation bar – Should the visitor decide that your page is worth their time, you want to make it easy for them to visit the rest of your site and find what they are looking for. The navigation bar also gives a clear preview of the type of information that your site contains.

§   Be clear and concise – Include brief descriptions, not long ramblings on your homepage. Try to make sure there are only 100-350 words total. Remember that if you wish to elaborate on anything, you have other pages on your website on which to do so. Include links for more information.

§   Be audience-conscious – Be totally focused on your target audience, your ideal client. It is up to you to provide information that is relevant and interesting to them. You have to write and present your business, products and services from the point of view of your client. It is what they will be interested in NOT what you think they want to hear.

§   Update often – Keep your website relevant and update your site often so visitors are kept up to date on your business, products and/or services.

§   Preview and test – Make sure to preview your homepage before publishing to ensure it is the image you want to present to your customers. Also test the page to make sure that all links and images work, and check for typos.

Reference source: Webs Homepage Tips