Is The New Marketing Really New?

A long time ago, maybe in the early 1900s, when NYC was filled with push carts, men and women sold everything from fruits and vegetables to clothes, shoes, dry goods and soaps and much, much more.

People bought from the push cart merchants that gave them the best deal. They bought from people they trusted. The NEW marketing says that you have to give people a reason to trust you in order to get them to buy. OK, that makes sense to me.. But why is this new? Would anyone do business with someone they didn’t trust?

Second: the new marketing says that you have to be relevant and furthermore you have to get a return on relevancy. What that means to me is that your product or service has to fit within the consumers’ sphere of purchasing options. Makes sense also. Nobody would want to buy a Cadillac if they were looking for smaller more economic vehicle choices. But is this premise really new?

Third; Google tells me to “build the plane while it is in the air”. Fine for them to say. They have a soft spot to land if the plane decides to come down. You and I really don’t have that luxury other than to develop programs we believe customers want We can and must research our product idea and test the product we are planning to offer. After all that, we will invariably have to tweak it, smack it around a bit  and only then be ready to launch it. Then, when you get feedback on it, you will have to modify and tweak it some more until it is as close to what your target market wants as possible. 

And finally, some marketing guru at Google says, “ALL marketing is now digital marketing”. To a large extent that is true, but I am not 100% convinced.  Is it because I still believe that digital marketing is a “delivery system” for your strategy? Could you, instead create something that gets the whole world watching, and in turn, drives a torrent of user-generated conversations on social? A great stunt can garner millions of dollars worth of impressions, and cost a fraction of the price of traditional social media buys. Think about it. Of course both are relevant, important and demonstrably intertwined.

So Here Is Fred’s New Marketing (Which Is Still Rock N Roll To Me) In Simple Terms 

1. Have a WRITTEN marketing plan. Have a process and a timetable to develop, research and test your new ideas. Don’t try to do something two weeks before the due date or slap a flyer together, only to have it sit on the desk. For each program, there is a reason, a season and a timetable. There are assigned responsibilities, due dates and accountability. Anything short of that is a disaster waiting to happen.
2. Digital marketing is certainly vital. I’d be a fool to say it is not. But don’t overlook the importance of mission statements and  strategy. Clicks and open rates are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what you need to measure. Making a sale is still a key measurement.
3. Understand WHY you are in business. If you say to make money, you are unfortunately off the mark. Making money is the RESULT of why you are in BUSINESS. According to Simon Sinek,  writer, speaker, consultant and author of “Start With The Why” says, “People don’t buy WHAT you do. They buy WHY You Do It.” Finding about the Why of your business will get you to start thinking about the internal motivation that is behind your customers’ buying decisions. In my humble opinion, Just a sidebar here: Sinek’s book is by far one of the best marketing books I have read. I strongly recommend you read it too… at least twice! It’s a quick read and costs less than ten bucks in paperback.
   
4. Believe in the product you have and market it with an undying  passion.
5. Make sure the customer has the best possible experience you can deliver. Consistently focus on improving it. “EXPERIENCE marketing” really is the NEW marketing.
   
6. Don’t do it because YOU think it’s a great idea. Do it because you researched it, tested it, tweaked it and your CUSTOMERS are TELLING you it is a great idea.
7. Believe in your front line workers. They hear what your customers talk about; heck, they just might know what your customers would like to have, before you do, and that’s a good thing. Acknowledge your employees and value them as being a key part of your marketing strategy, even if it’s someone lower down in the pecking order.
8. Above all be honest, ethical and truthful. Always try to do what you can to be part of the community. That’s how you gain trust. Every proprietor I know who has become deeply involved with a charity like BVL has seen his/her business increase. “Why is that”, you may ask,? Because it clearly demonstrates that you stand behind what you say and actually do something to give back and, therefore; they trust you and your business to do the right thing and treat them fairly.
9. Your potential buyers are narrowly focused on what’s in it for them. More specifically, how can what you’re offering help them solve a problem or increase their pleasure or, in some way, become more effective. Buyers want insights based on their role, their challenges, and their stage in the purchasing decision. So always make it about them and where they’re at in the buying process; it’s never about you.

After all, it’s your 21st century pushcart.