Marketing and business

Marketing Buzz asked:


Do you subscribe to internet newsletters, read books or buy the same magazine or newspaper on a regular basis?

If so, why?

Well my friends I’m going to take a stab in the dark here and say the main reason for you reading something on a regular basis is because what is being said is of interest to you. Yes I know that assumption or guess is hardly rocket science but when it comes to writing your articles you have to remember that the most important thing is the content.

The actual subject of your article isn’t really that important in a way as the chances are there are people out there who will be interested in what you’re writing about. However if you use articles as just another way to promote your business instead of focusing on your readers then I’m afraid your articles won’t be read, won’t be published by many people and won’t bring you results.

So if killer content is the key how do you actually make sure you do it?

Well here are 5 top tips on how to write an article that if followed will turn your thoughts, observations and words on a particular subject into article gold dust.

Top Tip Number 1 - A.I.D.A

For those of you already familiar with A.I.D.A you’ll know just how important having a structure to something is (be it a letter, an advertisement, a press release or an article).

A.I.D.A being:

Attention
Interest
Desire
Action

For many articles you will only get a small opportunity to get the readers attention and make them want to read more. Therefore make sure your article begins with a catchy headline and ensure the first paragraph explains what the article is about (in many cases a problem) and how the article is going to solve the problem.

So once you get your readers attention, make sure what you’re saying is interesting. How many times have you brought a book based on the cover, the title or what’s written on the back only to start reading it and think BORING!

The same applies to your article writing. It is pointless promising the world and delivering next to nothing. Not only will it annoy the reader but it will also put them off your writing long term.

Also on the subject of interest make sure what you’re saying is somehow different to the crowd (and believe me in the world of article writing there’s a pretty big crowd). Don’t worry though as they’ll still be hundreds and thousands (and dare I say millions for the right articles) of people wanting to read well written articles.

Desire - what do you desire? The secret to great article writing is turning curiosity into a desire to get something. If you do that your article writing will transform your life and the lives of others. By that I mean that you have to make people really want to know what you have to say. Just imagine an article with the headline of “The secret of life finally revealed”. I for one would want to know what it was (PS…I do actually know what this is so if you’d like to know please visit the Nettle Helpdesk at http://thenettle.com/helpdesk/index.php and just ask me).

Clearly your articles may not reveal such things but for many people across the World what you have to say will be important to them and they will want to know more. Examples being:

“This Years Top 10 Christmas Presents” - people will want to know what they are

“The secrets to playing better golf” - people will read it (I know I would)

“Why 8 out of 10 women prefer Chocolate to Sex” - women will probably want to know who the other 20% are and men will be checking the Top 10 Christmas Presents above to see if they should take the sexy underwear they’ve just brought their partners back to the shop and instead buy them a big bar of chocolate instead! (my tip on this is buy both - well, you never know!)

My point is, make people want and desire you knowledge.

The final point of A.I.D.A is Action but we’ll look at that more in Top Tip number 5 next month.

Top Tip Number 2 - Share your secrets

I’m not a religious man myself but I’m sure there’s a passage in the Bible somewhere about in order to receive you must at first giveth. The same is true with articles. The chances are you will be writing about something that you have some expertise in or you have a real passion for. With this in mind you shouldn’t hold back with your knowledge. Instead share your knowledge and yes your trade secrets with your readers. And the good news is even if they don’t agree with you; they will respect you sharing your thoughts with them.

Top Tip Number 3 - Benefits

If you’re not an Information Technology expert and you have ever gone to purchase a computer you’ll know what I mean here. You go into a computer shop and you’re told all about the latest computer and what features it has. RAM, Hard Drive, Multiple USB’s, Pentium Processors, Prompt Action Mean Drive. OK so I made the last one up but going shopping for a computer might as well be like attending a Rocket Science conference as far as many people are concerned because the sales people focus on the features and not the benefits. All I want to know can I set it up quickly and use the internet, can I write some letters and store accounts information and can I download and play the latest tunes and films. Tell me that and you might have a sale. Make me look stupid by using jargon and technical mumbo jumbo (is mumbo jumbo jargon by the way?) and I’ll smile and way away.

Top Tip Number 3 is to focus on the benefits that your article gives.

If you’re giving tips on how kittens can be taught to use a litter tray then focus on the benefits that your house and carpet won’t smell of cat wee. If you’re writing on how to get the best insurance deal then focus on you the fact that you will save time and money.

Features don’t sell. Benefits do.

Use benefits in your article writing and watch your profits increase and your business grow.

Wildfire Marketing Group asked:


We know the world of marketing is changing at all times, and in this constant state of flux, we see both positive and negative changes. For example, when email first began to be used on a large scale as a marketing tool, its results were so impressive that the masses rushed to use it for their own marketing and it quickly became an abused tool. On the other hand, this spawned the use of RSS as a marketing tool largely in part because it is virtually impossible to send an unsolicited marketing message any more than once or twice.

As 2006 draws to an end and we prepare for 2007, we can expect to see a number of changes, some positive, some negative and some neutral. Here is a short list of what I predict for 2007.

• Internet marketing will continue to grow dramatically, taking market share from traditional mediums like newspapers and television. There has already been a lot of buzz about advertisers utilizing online advertising to increase their brand awareness and more businesses will take advantage of this in 2007. Advertisers already have a lot of control in who their ads are shown to but I believe that they will be able to be even more precise in who they target very soon. We’re also going to see the landscape of search engine optimization change dramatically as the algorithms used by the search engines mature and as new services are provided, such as local search.

• Direct marketing will continue to grow both because it is generally much more effective than other traditional mediums, and because of its supporting role in a successful internet marketing campaign. However, rather than the old standard of massive direct mail campaigns based on volume, the campaigns that will succeed this year will be those that are targeted and personalized. Reaching the right prospects is more important than ever before, and when coupled with variable data printing, your results can be tremendous.

• Networking will become more important than ever. As technology has brought business owners the ability to reach out to a larger number of prospects at a lower cost than ever before, the number of marketing messages we receive each day has increased to the point of overload. As a result, the personal relationships that can only be developed by putting in face time with our prospects and clients have become critical to the success of our businesses.

• Consumers will expect you to differentiate your product or service on factors other than price. They’ve had the ability to compare prices on the internet for over a decade and now they expect more. What makes you different and better than your competition? If the answer is nothing, you’ll need to take steps to change that right away. Differentiation could range from quicker turn around time to higher quality, or better yet, a completely customized product or service.

• Consumer generated content will become more prominent and more important. If you want to climb to the top of the food chain, you’ll need to work on ways to allow or help your consumers generate content that will benefit themselves as well as your business. This can be a tough area for most businesses to navigate though, because it can be easy for even the most carefully crafted plan to backfire. Your success depends on providing a legitimate way to provide something of value that is beneficial to your consumers (without a catch) that will also benefit your business.

Wildfire Marketing Group asked:



Whether you’re starting a new business or attempting to grow an existing one, it’s easy to spin your wheels when it comes to effective marketing. Often times, business owners will try to make a big splash by running a large ad in a local newspaper or a television commercial during the most expensive time slot. While these will probably be seen, they probably won’t have much impact because there is often no repetition. The business owner runs them once (or a few times) and then simply stops with the conclusion that advertising doesn’t work. In order to achieve results from any form of advertising, you need repetition of your message. This has always been true, but it’s even more important with the number of marketing messages that today’s consumers are presented each day.
If you’re ready to start marketing your business, begin with the basic building blocks to form your foundation and grow from there.
Network — many networking events can be found in just about any city or town. If you, like most business owners, are short on time, focus on the ones that are during the evening hours. In many cases, these events are free, so the only cost is your time. Networking is a great way to make face to face contact with prospects without the distractions you would normally face during the work day. All you need is a handful of business cards, a winning smile and a great attitude.
Business cards — Obviously, you’ll need them for networking and sales calls. Don’t forget all the other ways you can distribute them. Business cards a an easy and inexpensive way to generate exposure for your business.
Direct mail — You don’t need to mail to a list of 50,000 for direct mail to be effective, you just need to be consistent. You can have 1,000 postcards printed, affix postage and labels yourself, and mail out 50 or 100 to the same targeted list each week. As you begin to generate revenue from this, you can increase the size of your mailing list.
Web site — If you don’t have a web site, you are wrong. Plain and simple. Web sites aren’t just for e commerce, nor are they just for large companies. These days, people use the internet for comparing companies and without a web site, you’re out of the running. You don’t need all of the bells and whistles, but you do need an effective and professional web site.
There you have it. The basic building blocks you’ll need to effectively market your business. With these blocks in place, you can begin to add additional things, such as search engine optimization, television and radio advertising, or billboards. The idea is to build a foundation, and as you achieve results, add more to your marketing campaign.

Marketing Buzz asked:


Do you know what the best type of Marketing is for your company?

How about a Yellow Pages advert? Pay per click? Maybe some direct mail followed up a telemarketing campaign?

Well whilst each of these are perfectly valid marketing routes and one’s any forward thinking company should at least test the very best type of marketing for all types of business is the type that is FREE!!!

That’s right Ladies and Gentlemen, if you’re working with a tight marketing budget (or indeed with no set marketing budget at all) then you can now get exposure for your product, service or company in the form of PR (or Public Relations).

For large companies PR is big business. They will think nothing of employing staff with the sole intention of getting the name of their company in the media (be it written press, television, radio or online). And because the PR market is seemingly dominated by the larger companies small companies shy away from using PR in their marketing mix.

If this applies to you then good times could well be ahead as PR is a vital part of the marketing mix for smaller companies in particular as they often don’t have the time or money to spend on often expensive advertising or other marketing.

Successful businesses of all sizes use PR to promote their business, build their reputation and become a recognised expert in their particular field. And the beauty of PR is that everyone is an expert in something. And by passing on your expertise in a particular subject in the right way you become newsworthy.

And that is the real secret when it comes to good PR. It has to be interesting and newsworthy. Nobody cares that you’ve just launched a new website or that Mrs Jones in Accounts has just become a Grandmother for the second time (both subjects I’ve seen in press releases and both subjects I’ve seen in journalist’s bins!!). And if you’ve ever attempted PR only not to have it published then I wouldn’t worry too much about it as you’re amongst the 99% of companies who send out PR that isn’t newsworthy or interesting.

Here are a few words on Why PR is important.

Communication lies at the heart of today’s modern society. Be it on the internet, television, pod casts or whatever medium you choose. And with so many firms competing for the same business as you, how do your customers differentiate between you and your competitors?

The answer lies not particularly in the size of your Yellow Pages advert but how you project yourself and what your firm has to offer.

PR has a huge sway in the minds of consumers as the perceived third party endorsement that comes from editorial coverage can be substantial, maybe even more so than advertising that can cost hundreds or thousands of pounds.

PR done well can result in increased exposure, increased business and increased profits. And if you want your business to be the best it can be then becoming good at PR is something you want to do.

And remember, it’s FREE!!!!