Marketing is really all about doing a lot of little things, that in the end add up to a desired result. Lots of us underestimate exactly how much work goes into doing even the ‘simplest’ of marketing tactics, or how much work SHOULD go into each activity.
As we move into 2012, I thought I would take the time to put together a list – a toolbox, if you will – of some of the key marketing tips and theories that you could consider before beginning any new marketing activity. For the sake of simplicity, and because I am such a huge fan of words and letters, I have dubbed my list “Marketing from A-Z – 26 steps to Marketing Mastery“.
You can expect a new post every two weeks, which should take us right through to the end of this year. And so without further ado…
A is for Authenticity
There is a lot that could be said about authenticity, and not only as it relates to marketing. In some circles marketing has gotten a bad-rap as being smarmy, misleading, and worse yet just flat-out lying, because lazy-pants individuals have used marketing channels to create hype and make noise without being able to deliver on the end product. Boo.
Although it doesn’t have to be this way, sometimes stretching the truth, or misrepresenting the facts can seem to make your product/service/offer appear more sexy. And quite honestly, it can be easier to make up stuff about your offer to make it sound more appealing, or easier to sell. But as tempting as this short-cut might be, please don’t do it.
At the end of the day, be it online or in a retail store, face-to-face or over the phone, your customers are people who want to do business with people. They want to do business with people that they know, that they like, and (most importantly) that they trust. You want to be that person.
Be the person that they can trust, and be that person in everything that you do. When you are posting to Facebook, introducing yourself at a networking event, or sending out your newsletter, be YOU… the real you. Believe me when I say that talking about who and what you really are and offer is significantly easier that have to pretend to be something your aren’t, or worse yet to have to apologize for promising what you cannot deliver.
So that’s my A… what’s yours? Leave a comment below and let’s see how this toolkit grows!
~Andrea