Being intentional means doing something “on purpose.” Marketing should be intentional. It should have a purpose, and it should be targeted at your specific market. Let me give you an example of the results of not being intentional, and see if you can figure out the “marketing application.”
Last week my husband and I went to the grocery store without a list. I knew we needed to get ingredients for three meals, but thought I’d figure it out as I went through the store. Bad plan! We ended up with about 7 partial meals, and not one complete meal – all because I was too busy and distracted to make a list.
Can you see where the same thing can happen with your marketing? You know you need to do something, so you start doing a little of this and a little of that without really thinking through the whole process.
You need a plan. You need TO plan. Remember the old saying… If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!
Over the next few posts we’ll talk about how to make a plan and how to implement it. And to get you thinking in the right direction, let me leave you with this to ponder… Who are your two best customers, and why? What is it about them that “qualifies” them as the best type of customer for you?
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
A Marketing Mindset
According to Investopedia, many people believe that "Marketing" is synonomous with "Advertising." But it's not. It includes advertising. And sales. And a whole lot more. Here's what they say:
If we are going to have an edge in our marketing, we have to have the insight necessary to be able to match our products or services with the right people. We can't just toss our treasures out into the universe and expect people to purchase them.
The key is to build relationships. In fact, there's a whole new area called "Relationship Marketing," and that's what's going to gain us our edge. The fortune, as they say, is in the follow-up.
People do business with people they know, like and trust. And those things take time. Next time we'll look at being intentional.
Many people believe that marketing is just about advertising or sales. However, marketing is everything a company does to acquire customers and maintain a relationship with them. Even the small tasks like writing thank-you letters, playing golf with a prospective client, returning calls promptly and meeting with a past client for coffee can be thought of as marketing. The ultimate goal of marketing is to match a company's products and services to the people who need and want them, thereby ensure profitability.
(marketing. Dictionary.com. Investopedia.com. Investopedia Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/marketing (accessed: May 23, 2008).)
If we are going to have an edge in our marketing, we have to have the insight necessary to be able to match our products or services with the right people. We can't just toss our treasures out into the universe and expect people to purchase them.
The key is to build relationships. In fact, there's a whole new area called "Relationship Marketing," and that's what's going to gain us our edge. The fortune, as they say, is in the follow-up.
People do business with people they know, like and trust. And those things take time. Next time we'll look at being intentional.
What's an Edge?
Dictionary.com gives the following definitions which pertain to our marketing edge:
- A margin of superiority
- A competitive advantage
- An improved position
Competition is fierce. You've got to be different, set apart from the norm, if you are going to be successful in the marketplace today. You've got to have something that will give you a margin of superiority, a competitive advantage, an improved position.
You can get that edge by being intentional about your marketing efforts. That's what this blog is all about -- getting intentional with your marketing. And how I'm getting intentional with mine.
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