This is the time of year that most small business owners are gearing up for their annual plan. They work on the plan, they have their ideas and they budget (generally) for the execution. Then, once the company taxes are filed on March 15, everyone jumps out there and starts.
If this is you, then this is such a critical time to listen to good advice. So, here is some that seems so simple, so practical that it would seem like common sense. However, in my observation, this is the single most ignored principle in marketing a small business.
The principle: Communicate with people in the way they want to accept the information.
Believe it or not, most of the marketing decisions I wind up reversing do not adhere to this principle. To me, it is shocking but the fact is, many people get caught up with what they want to say and don’t consider the listener. This impacts the message and frequently the medium chosen.
Until you train yourself on this principle, you have to assume that everyone of your prospects speaks a different language than you. In fact, they do not all speak the same language. So, you have to modify what you want to say and speak their languages.
In basic cases, this can be as simple as talking about features and benefits. Benefits are what are important to the people in your market. Features are what are important to you. So, at the minimum, you have to speak their language, focusing on benefits. Otherwise, your message is not translating.
Taking it out a level, how you communicate is equally important. In this technological age, we have enough measurement tools available to really understand how people shop and research a given business. There does not need to be a lot of guesswork involved anymore if you are using the right tools. So, if you refuse to look at behavioral trends in your own marketing, you are probably making the classic mistake of communicating the way you think works, or in a way that works for you, or in a way you think should work. All of that would be great if you are communicating with yourself, but the point is to get NEW people interested in what you offer. So, we have to speak their language.
I see some of my clients being very successful on Facebook and some not even trying. One in particular is having excellent success just by being social and active on Facebook. He initiates more than once daily, introducing ideas, questions, comments... and all the posts are not all-business. Some are lighthearted and therefore attractive. A lot of comments and questions gets stirred up and he ushers those offline and into consultations. THAT is an example of communicating in their language, using a medium in which people want to communicate these days.
If you are looking at refining and want to have a really smart, effective effort marketing in 2010, then gearing all your messages and choices for marketing toward how the market wants to accept the information. Learn to speak THEIR language. It requires giving up a little of what you want to do and accepting a lot of what you should be doing. This is what my coaching program is all about. It is inexpensive at $300/month but the guidance can refine tens of thousands of dollars in marketing and advertising that is just off enough to where it is not hitting the mark.
If you are interested in learning how to speak THEIR language, why not try my coaching program out for 6 months? If you are interested, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com or call me to discuss it at 888-321-4004.
This is one example where you can get better easil
