The Marketing Minute

Are you expecting too much from your marketing?

Did you read the paper today? Or watch TV? Spend any time on Facebook or some other website? Did you see an ad for something you wanted? Or read an article about a service provider you'd been considering?

Did you leap up from your chair, rush to the car and go immediately to that store or business to make a purchase?

I doubt it. That's not the way advertising works. It's not instantaneous. It is also not a one time shot. If you're thinking of running an ad (any ad) just once and expecting people to show up -- guess again.

If you're not in it for the long haul, you probably shouldn't do it at all. Remember the analogy --you don't plant a seed and dig it up when there's no plant the next day. Your marketing works the same way.

As a general rule, marketing takes time, repetition and patience. Sure, there are exceptions, but they're rare.

So how do you speed up the process?

You recognize that it's a marathon, not a sprint
You educate your potential consumer on how/why they need what you have to offer
You deliver those key messages in multiple ways, ideally through more than one media
You offer incentives to reward a quicker buying decision
You repeat

Sean D'Souza created a very funny but illuminating example of this marketing truth over at CopyBlogger.

What's your best technique for creating urgency?

Sphere: Related Content