Millions of people around the world tuned into the Games of the XXVII Olympiad for the extraordinary displays of physical strength and prowess offered by the world’s greatest athletes. They weren’t disappointed.
Neither were the savvy business entrepreneurs who watched the games from Athens for insights and ideas to advance their marketing efforts.
What do the Olympics have to do with marketing, you ask?
Plenty… if you consider that the same strategies that led to victory on the track and in the field in Athens this year can also be used to bring you world-class success in your sales efforts. Here’s how:
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
A Sprinter’s Strategy - Hold Nothing Back
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
For the short distances that sprinters cover, a burst of speed that never lets up is the winning strategy that leads to gold medals. From the instant they hear the starting gun, sprinters put every ounce of available energy into a full-out, full-speed, nothing-held-back run for the finish line.
The headline of your marketing message needs to be as explosive as a sprinter’s start and twice as fast.
Consumers are hit with thousands of advertising “pitches” every day. They probably ignore as many as they notice. In order for your message to hit the mark, it needs to come out of the gate strong with all the power you can muster.
Sprinters bulk up on carbs for energy to win the race. Headlines bulk up on benefits, arouse curiosity, present what’s new, and offer a quick and easy solution to win the hearts and minds of consumers.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
A Marathoner’s Strategy - Pace Yourself
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
A runner who comes “off the blocks” at break-neck speed and expects to go the distance in a marathon may pass competitors early on, but he/she will likely run out of steam long before the finish line. To stay in the race for 26 long and grueling miles, you need a carefully modulated and always flexible strategy
A “Big Picture” perspective is also what’s required to keep your business in the race for years to come.
If you model your approach on the marathoner, use short-term initiatives to get you through “the first mile” (free gifts to customers) and you’ll have far-reaching plans to make sure that you’re still going strong at Mile 26(upselling, back-end sales, etc.)
Just as importantly, you’ll have a flexible approach to all your strategies. A marathoner never knows what’s around the next corner, and neither do you. (In business, only hindsight is 20/20.) So be prepared to “go with the flow,” and make changes in both your short- and long-term plans.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
The Hurdler’s Strategy - Clearing All Obstacles
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
When the race starts, a hurdler needs to know in advance the obstacles that are going to come along — when, where, how big — so that he/she has the right strategy in place to leap over each and every one before making the last dash to the finish line.
A successful marketer must be able to hurdle sales resistance in every way, shape, and form.
When you craft a marketing message, you need to anticipate why a consumer might say “No” — too expensive, too risky and then help them “hurdle” that obstacle with a bonus, benefit or iron-clad guarantee.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
A Relay Racer’s Strategy - One Step at a Time
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
They say there’s no “I” in team, and the relay race demonstrates the importance of a group of individuals working together like a well-oiled machine to achieve the highest level of success. In order for the team effort to work in the end, a series of carefully executed “hand-offs” are required.
Pass the baton in your sales message with a flow of benefits and resistance-killers that seamlessly move the customer from “start” to “finish” (aka a purchase)
A well-crafted sales message starts with an irresistible headline that “hands off” to a compelling opening paragraph, that in turn leads to benefit-oriented lists, testimonials, ordering, instructions, etc. The key is that as each section draws to the end of its “run,” it passes the baton to the next section in line without every losing the consumer’s interest and attention.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
The High Jumper’s Strategy - Raise the Bar
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
There’s only one way to win in this event — jump the highest. If your competitor jumps 7-feet in the air, you must be prepared to go to 7′1″. You won’t be a winner if you equal your competitor’s effortsyou need to do better.
Don’t be content to be “as good as” when it comes to what you offer. Raise the bar to a new level that your competition can’t surpass.
If your competition is offering shoes at “Buy 1 pair, get a 2nd pair at 50% off,” then you should offer “Buy 1, get 1 free.” If the “other guy” is offering a mechanical product, then you can offer the same product but include “free annual service call.”
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
The Long Jumper’s Strategy - Go Further
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Long jumpers seem to defy the laws of gravity — flying through space high above the ground. Like high jumpers, medal-worthy long jumpers must put in the extra effort it takes to go beyond what their competitors are able to achieve. And they don’t win by miles; they win by feet… by inches by tenths of an inch.
An extended warranty or guarantee is the best way to “out distance” your competitor regardless of how much further you ultimately go.
You don’t have to be twice as good as “Brand X,” but you must be better. If they offer a 12-month warranty, then you should offer 18 months. If their “free trial period” is 30 days, make yours 90. And don’t be worried that your “we go further” offers will bankrupt you. Studies show that expanded guarantees help convince many people to buy even though few take advantage of the guarantee.
It’s good to know that even if you’ll never be an Olympianeven if you can’t bench press 500 lbs. or run a mile in under 4 minutesyou can still “go for the gold” — by the bar by the box by the Brinks Truck full! Just translate what you’ve learned from the sports arena to the business arena!
Copyright 2004 Quick Turn Marketing International, Ltd.
Dan Lok is the World’s First Quick-Turn Marketer, with a proven track record of selling over $ 17.3 million dollars of merchandise and services. He’s the rebel copywriter who’s created hundreds of money-making ads and sales letter for over 39 different industries. And now you can get inside the head of one of the world’s top copywriters without paying a dime at http://www.QuickTurnMarketing.com
Tags: advertising, copywriter, copywriting, Internet marketing, marketing, small businessadvertising, copywriter, copywriting, Internet marketing, marketing, small businessShare This
If your organization invests a great deal of resources toward communicating programs and successes that build good will with customers, employees and the community, that’s good. Then, imagine if that investment could give you long-term advantage over your competition. Now, that’s great.
Corporate Culture Marketing is the term Danskin Creative Communication has given to a new category or strategic process for differentiating a company or organization in a marketplace full of corporate distrust and employee apathy. Corporate Culture Marketing integrates corporate public relations, advertising, internet marketing, community relations, employee relations and communication, public accountability and professional speaking to build visibility and trust with potential partners in order to overcome barriers to entering new product or service markets.
Simply put, Corporate Culture Marketing allows organization to win new business, regardless of where in the sales cycle you are with that prospect. However, the benefits of implementing a CCM program are dynamic, multi-layered, immediate and long-term. I don’t have space, here, to list them all. In fact, you will uncover many more as your program is customized to meet the needs and opportunities in your business.
How do you know your organization can benefit from CCM? Simply answer these questions:
1. Do you lament the long sales cycle in your business?
2. Have you developed a less-than-pristine reputation with customers or employees?
3. Do those working on RFP responses struggle to develop relevant and significant answers to questions?
4. Is employee morale lower than you’d like?
5. Are you unclear about the values that your company promotes? Do your customers, employees and other stakeholders perceive that the company is out of alignment with those values? (see gap analysis description)
6. Are you rarely aware of how well your group and the company are meeting its objectives?
7. Are your prospects and customers in the dark about your company’s ongoing performance?
8. Has it been a while since glowing publicity about your organization was published by periodicals or in broadcast media?
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, then your organization could benefit from a CCM program.
In contrast to traditional public relations or corporate publicity initiatives, Corporate Culture Marketing can utilize a broader mix of activity, and integrated marketing communication that includes public relations, internal communication and employee recognition programs, advertising, video production and video streaming, brand identity, graphic design, copywriting, direct mail, internet marketing, html email campaigns, podcasts, webcasts, article submission programs, and literature, etc.
The benefits are as diverse as the mix of promotional tools. They can include:
1. Improved employee morale.
2. Sharper focus on meeting important business objectives and goals.
3. Heightened integrity through accountability measures.
4. Better measurements for success or failure.
5. Improved communication with employees.
6. Gain direct access to decision-makers at prospect companies.
7. Brand identity is refined and strengthened.
8. Increased awareness of company’s products/services in the marketplace.
9. Employee retention.
10. Improved employee recruitment.
11. Stronger new business development and RFP response.
12. Increased recognition and awards.
13. Build visibility of key executives.
The list of benefits continues. I can’t think of an initiative within CCM that can’t be used to improve another initiative. In this sense, the value of every initiative is multiplied. This fact makes Corporate Culture Marketing a marketing opportunity that you should pursue, immediately.
If you would like us to conduct a CCM audit of your organization, please feel free to contact us at Danskin Creative Communication, Inc.
Opportunity: To find out how Danskin Creative Communication can help you build a CCM program, or improve the efficiency of your marketing, advertising, brand identity and development, web design or web strategy, broadcast ad spots, video production, graphic design, copywriting,public relations, etc., contact us at resources.danskincreative.com/index.asp?isFunction=contact
Tags: advertising, brand identity, Internet marketing, marketing communication, public relationsadvertising, brand identity, Internet marketing, marketing communication, public relationsShare This
Every Internet Business will need traffic in order to survive. If people do not know the existence of your website, you cannot expect to sell any product/service to people. Therefore, you need to advertise your website so as to bring in more traffic from many different channels.
There are a few ways to advertise your Internet Business. I will talk about paid advertising first. On the Internet, you will remember seeing ads that are displayed on some websites. Those are banners ads. So actually you can pay a company who offers advertising services and buy ads. In turn, the ads will advertise your product/service that you are offering. Once people click on the ads, they will be brought to your website. Or you can buy keywords to list ads, where each ad will cost from a few cents to a few dollars, e.g. is Google Adwords. Usually buying of keywords to list ads will bring targeted traffic to your site. For example, if someone searches a term “Golf” and you have bought the keyword ads from Google, your keyword ad may stand a chance to appear on the search results listing. For more information, check out http://www.google.com/ads/
You can also advertise using traditional advertising channels such as placing your URL (e.g. www.abc.com) on flyers, brochures, business cards, books, TV ads, etc.
Now I will touch on free advertising. Using free advertising channels may take more time to see results but they can definitely help you save a good tons of money if you do it correctly. Some of the channels are as followed:
a. Classified site, where you can post free classified ads on the website to promote your Internet Business.
b. Forums, post actively on forums that are related to your products/services that you are offering, and place your website URL in your signature.
c. Cross linking between sites, negotiate a deal with other related sites and see whether you can place your website URL on their site.
d. Submit articles to article submission sites and place your URL on the articles that you write.
e. Give away freebies such as e-books, and include your website URL in the freebies.
f. Word of Mouth, by physically promoting your Internet Business between people. This will automatically happen if people think that your Internet Business provides values for them.
I have shared with you some of the advertising channels that you can use. Try them out yourself and see which channels suit best for your Internet Business.
Warmest Regards,
HomeBizGears Team
I currently own a site called HomeBizGears.com, which i co-founded with 2 other guys.
HomeBizGears strive to provide the resources and tools for you to start you own Internet Business. At HomeBizGears, you can find lessons on Internet Business, useful links and articles.
Do visit our site at http://www.homebizgears.com for more information.
HomeBizGears Team
© Copyright 2006 HomeBizGears. All Rights Reserved.
Tags: advertising, HomeBizGears, internet businessadvertising, HomeBizGears, internet businessShare This
