Seven Secrets of Magnetic Marketing
By Susi White
The Seven Secrets of Magnetic Marketing
1: Know what you stand for.
Knowing what your business is about is the foundation for successful marketing, and for a successful business. Many people think that ‘branding’ is only for big companies and big products like Nike or Guinness, but every business is a brand, whether it knows it or not. Your brand is your reputation, it’s what you stand for, it’s what you represent in your customers’ minds and it’s what people say about you when you’re not there. It pays to take some time to think about what your business represents in your customers’ and potential customers’ eyes. Do you have a strong identity? Do you have a clear area of expertise or a very specific product or service that you provide? Do you have strong business values and standards that you uphold? Do you know why your customers should come to you instead of to your competitors? If you don’t, how will they?
2: Know your target audience.
Many people go into business wanting to sell to everyone but in the process of doing so, end up selling to no-one. Not everyone is going to want the service or product you provide, so find out exactly who is most likely to buy your product / service and focus on marketing to them. You’ll know when you’ve found the right client base, because you’ll enjoy working with those people, and they’ll come back to you time and time again. How do you find out who they are? Think laterally about the kind of people you love to work with, or the best clients you’ve had – what’s set them apart from everyone else? Now, think about the particular skills, expertise and experience you’ve got (from previous jobs, or life experience, or other interests) and see what themes emerge. Who could most benefit from your skills, expertise, experience and knowledge? Those are your target clients. Now in order to market to them you need to think about how best to get in touch with them – find out what they watch, read, listen to, where they go and how they spend their time and you’ll quickly have a myriad of opportunities to communicate with them.
3: Know the benefits, not just the features, of what you’re selling
In order to really get your prospective customers’ attention, you’ve got to do more than just tell them what you’re selling. You need to tell them how it’s going to make their lives better. In other words, you’ve got to solve their problems. If you approach your marketing as the ‘solver of a problem’ then the benefits of your service or product are going to be much more immediately apparent to your prospective clients than if you simply tell them what you do and let them work out how it can help them. So if you’re an accountant, you could tell people that you file tax returns, but that’s just a feature of what you do. What problems do they have? Perhaps your clients get stressed worrying about their tax and the fact that they’re never quite sure when the returns should be filed, how it should be done, or whether they’ve done it incorrectly and will end up having to pay a fine. Tell them that by filing their tax return for them you’ll take away all the stress, anxiety and worry they have about their tax returns, and leave them with peace of mind and confidence that their tax return has been filed correctly and on time, and the benefits are much, much clearer.
4: Enthusiasm and passion are infectious
The best marketers, and the best business people, are passionate about what they do. Think of someone like Richard Branson; he clearly has boundless enthusiasm for his work and business, gets a real kick out of doing it, and loves his business with a passion bordering on mania. He’s certainly no longer doing it because he needs the money.
Enthusiasm is infectious. If you’ve got it, you’ll pass it on, so if you’re enthusiastic about the work you do and the benefits it provides to your clients, then the chances are that very quickly your prospective clients will be too. When you tap into the passion you have for the work you do and the kick you get out of it when a client is really satisfied or you see someone really benefit from your service, you tap into a magical, endless source of magnetic energy that makes the people you’re talking to feel as excited as you are. Connect with the love you feel for your work, and the enthusiasm you have for doing it, and you’ll quickly see others feeling as excited and passionate about it as you are.
5: Strong relationships are as vital as strong marketing campaigns
It’s said that it’s up to 12 times easier it is to sell to an existing customer than it is to sell ‘cold’ to a new customer, so it’s clear that brand loyalty is key. If you treat your customers as customers for life, then that’s what they’ll become: people who come back to buy from you time and again, and tell their friends about you too. So it’s worth investing in your relationships with your customers. Make time to talk to them, and to find out what’s important to them. Stay in touch with them regularly; send them newsletters, cards, emails, seasonal gifts and special offers – whatever feels right for you. Make sure they feel valued and important to you, and you’ll stay important to them, too.
6: You can’t beat extraordinary value
Many people will tell you not to give anything away, to safeguard your secrets and never do anything without getting paid for it, but this ‘scarcity’ thinking is not good for business. A generous attitude and a desire to provide your customers with extraordinary value, over and above what they were expecting, pays dividends. They will be ‘wowed’ by the value they receive, and are much more likely to return to you for more, and to tell their friends, than if they just get what they expect. That doesn’t mean selling yourself cheap, it means finding ways to give your customers extra; it might mean sharing your expertise, your ideas, or your network, or giving them special offers. Whatever it is, not only does it generate good feeling, it builds your reputation as someone who values their customers. It also provides an opportunity to ‘set out your stall’ and display your wares, which will entice more buyers. Strike the right balance between giving too little and too much, and you’ll be able to stand back and watch your business grow before your very eyes.
7: Your reputation is everything
We’re back where we started – with your reputation. Everything you do builds your reputation with your current and prospective customers. Remember that you have no idea who someone else knows; it’s a small old world and your business’s value is in its name, its reputation, and what people say about you when you’re not there. So think about what you’d like people to say about you, and ensure you take steps to make that happen. Only you know what you want your reputation to be, but it probably includes providing excellent quality, being professional, being pleasant to work with, and caring about customer service. I recently went for a facial at a spa I’d never been to before, and the thing that will stay in my mind (and stop me going back) is that the therapist used dirty towels. Imagine how little time and effort it would have taken for her to have noticed that and got some new towels. Instead, she’s lost a client and given the spa a bad reputation. Customers notice all sorts of things about the way we work, both big and small, so do everything you can to ensure that when people talk about you behind your back, they’re saying how great you are!
I’m a marketing coach, consultant and copywriter and I help small business owners create really effective, professional magnetic marketing materials with ease.
If you and your business would benefit from one to one help from me, email me at susi@thewhitehavens.co.uk and we’ll book a complimentary consultation to discuss how we can boost your business with some truly magnetic marketing.
For more information check out my website: www.thewhitehavens.co.uk
© Susi White 2007
www.thewhitehavens.co.uk
Susi White
Marketing Coach, Consultant & Copywriter
Tel: 01376 571 966
E: susi@thewhitehavens.co.uk
W: www.thewhitehavens.co.uk
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