Most businesses go about marketing all wrong. I’ve been partnering with small business owners for 11+ years and see the same mistakes again and again.
The issue is as simple as it is complex.
Many owners blame the *thing* or the media (email, advertising, social media, networking, etc.) when the offer fails to convert when, in reality, there were likely other issues that needed fixing before the offer ever should have gone out.
The primary sources of angst?
1. Tracking. In today’s world, it’s super easy to track the success (or not) of everything you’re doing and yet few business owners it.
Use special marketing URLs (like http://www.GetItDoneRightTheFirstTime.com) or bitly’s or ad tracking or LeadPages. See how many people clicked, how many opted in and how many invested. Record the answers. Test a different headline or price and do it all again.
2. Know Your Numbers. Do you know what it costs to bring in a new lead and for that lead to become a paying client?
If not, start with Tracking. If you’ve been part of my community for any length of time, you’ve heard me say that it’s less expensive to keep a client (Extreme Client Care™!) than it is to get a new one, but do you KNOW that? Have you determined your Average Client Lifetime Value? (If not, check out my Know The Numbers of Your Business workbook and CD set)
3. Overall Sales Process. The sales process must live up to and exceed all the promises inherently made by the marketing.
Is it easy to buy from you? Is the process consistent? Do you have a follow-up plan in place? Are your messages/nurturing sequences generated automatically?
4. The Offer Does it make sense? Are you promoting it to the right people? Can those people pay for your programs, products and services (PPS)?
Have you made a case for the value of your PPS? Spending a few hours to write a sales page and whip out a program isn’t enough. Do you know your prospective clients want what you’re selling?
5. And while arguably this could go first, the most critical mistake I see business owners make is confusing Relationship Marketing with Lead Generation Marketing. They’re not the same. Each deserves attention and, dare I say it, its own budget and tracking.
There is no “one size fits all” piece of marketing that will generate all the leads your business needs to survive.
As mentioned in this month’s topic call, we need to be everywhere our ideal prospective clients are and if you can’t afford (time, energy or money-wise) to be there now, you need to create steps to get there.
Lead Generation Marketing is about getting new people in the door. They know nothing about you and this is why you need to be in as many places as they’re hanging out as possible (remember that old Direct Marketing Association “Rule of 7” times people need to see you? I’m convinced it’s now a “Rule of 21”.).
Landing pages, smart pop-ups, advertising, direct mail, social media…these can all be Lead Generation activities.
Relationship Marketing is all about what happens once they step through your door — I like to expand this definition to those who are active, paying clients and those who are part of my community. Done well, relationship marketing creates referrals, inspires upsells, drives retention and is, for all intensive purposes, the largest part of Extreme Client Care™.
And since your community sees your social media and perhaps other Lead Generation activities, consistency of message is key.
Having the same communications, the same approach, the same copy in an attempt, consciously or not, to combine Lead Generation with Extreme Client Care™/Relationship Marketing is the surest way to watch your revenues and profits decrease.
What other items would you add to this list? Do you agree/disagree with the above? Please share below.