I like to publish e-books from time to time.  Here is the latest offering:  Business to Business Marketing 2012  – New Kindle Book

Visit the Kindle Store.

This is the one question that every marketer is seeking the answer to. If you know how to motivate people to buy, then you can increase your sales and your conversion rate. And wouldn’t that be good for your profit and your business?

So what motivates people to buy?

It is often said that you should give people what they need, because that is what they are going to buy. That may well have been the case once but sadly today society has changed and people no longer buy what they need.

Instead they buy what they want and what they crave – hence people struggling to put food on the table, but have a 42” plasma TV, satellite system and a bottle of Jack Daniels.

You need to pitch your product not as something they need, but as something they absolutely must have; make it so they crave your product and absolutely must get their hands on it.

People also buy because they want to get pleasure from what they buy. Someone doesn’t walk into a car dealership and buy a top of the range Mercedes because they need it; a Chevy or Toyota would have done the job just as well.

They buy the Mercedes because they want the pleasure that goes with it. Whether this is the comfort of the car, the joy of all the gadgets, or the fact that it is a status symbol – they drive a Mercedes! Whatever their reason it will be because they have associated pleasure with owning a Mercedes and so they buy one when they could have saved tens of thousands of dollars and bought a cheaper car.
Another reason people buy is because they want to avoid pain. Volvo are one of the best selling cars in Europe. Why? They are not the prettiest of cars, nor that expensive, nor are they of the perceived class of a Jaguar, BMW or Mercedes.

Volvo’s sell well because people want to avoid the pain associated with car accidents. Volvo’s are some of the safest cars on the market and as such appeal to people who want to protect their family and passengers.

These are three of the main ways that people are motivated to buy. If you can work out how to use this in your sales copy, your emails, your newsletter and your website, then you can convert more visitors into paying customers.

Identify your target market and learn their pain – what problem are you solving for them with your product?

Understand this and your sales copy can become smoking hot and you can boost your conversion rate!

According to a survey from the Association of National Advertisers and the Mobile Marketing Association, 88% of client-side marketers say they’ll utilize mobile marketing in 2011. Read More

Something that a lot of business owners don’t consider is the fact that sometimes you have to do research before you can know what it is that your prospective clients need and want from their company.  One of the best things that you can do to help you draw clients to your website is to take a look at your competitors and see what it is that is, or isn’t, working for them.  Chances are good that if people have a problem with what they see on that website, they aren’t going to like it any better on yours.

If your competitor has a guest book, or a message board, this is a good place to start. This is where people will leave their thoughts, questions and suggestions about the website. See what people have said about it, and take notes.  Don’t copy your competitors’ website – the last thing that you want to do is to have someone mistake you for them, and have an upset competitor on your hands.

But as a part of the market research you want to know what it is that your prospective clients are looking for, and what they don’t like.  Remember, the better that you know your audience, the more successful your business will be. After all, a doctor goes to medical school to learn about the human body before they can treat patients.

You have to know what is wrong and what your clients need before you can fix it.

This was a great article on a Gatorade marketing program.  Give it quick read.

Click Here

Are you providing customer service or customer care?  There is a difference.  In the recent edition of  “No  B.S. Marketing Letter,” by Bill Glazer and Dan Kennedy. They discussed how many businesses have developed fundamental bad habits.  They use the analogy of putting money into a leaking boat but not fixing the main problem – wood rot.

One area that really caught my attention was the difference between customer service and customer care.  Customer service is just selling a client and making sure they got what they paid for.  Customer care is exactly what it says.  We should care about them and care for them.  There is no substitute for that.

“They go on to add that customer care is a by-product of both attitude and aptitude.  Investment in mastery of craft and its details; determination to see that represented in what goes out the door.  Respect for your craft and customer.  Ambition is fine.  But ambition for money de-linked from the ambition of of actually earning it is disreputable.”

As I have mentioned before in this blog. If you can only purchase one newsletter that discusses marketing like no other, than you need to get the “No  B.S. Marketing Letter,”.  Use a search engine to find their site.  I could link it here, but that would be too easy.  If you want the knowledge, seek it out.

Have a Profitably Day.

Cool app from Twitter 3rd Party Developer called Small Rivers. Create your own newspaper on Twitter using a hash mark, tag name, user name and by lists. Visit this one I created using #marketing. Visit the Newspaper by clicking this sentence.

Society is flooded with so much advertising these days that we face the danger of not being noticed by our prospective customers.  When  I looked on Google to find out how many messages the average consumer is exposed to on a daily basis, the range was from 547 – 5,000+ (Source: Google Answers). Will your customers know who you are without an ad staring them in the face to remind them?

In other words are you trying to rely completely on direct response to your ads (short term), or are you creating a broad and lasting awareness in the minds of your target audience?  Without a strong attempt to brand yourself you will need to constantly advertise your goods and services.

By branding, I’m referring to the act of exposing prospects to your name, logo, tag line, etc. on a frequent basis, and to the extent that people are already aware of you when they are ready to purchase a product or service that you offer. (NOTE:  I offer a complimentary e-book – “The Basics of Branding.” see sidebar for details.)

For best results a business needs to expose each prospect to the same ad impression at least three times within a week. By running a very strong campaign over the course of a month you can easily create a very lasting effect on the people you would like to have as your customers. One thing to aware of, consumers are bombarded with so many messages, they tend to block out some messages. Consider this when planning your marketing strategy.  There are many different formulas that media buyers will use to determine how many billboards, radio spots or online  pre-video rolls to purchase to reach the consumer effectively.

It is important to maintain continuity through use of the same logo, business name, or tag line in all your promotions so your targets are receiving the same impression with each exposure, regardless of the exact mode of delivery.

Radio, television and outdoor are by far the most effective means of brand creation available. These formats can be reinforced with online marketing, direct marketing and social networking.  The former creates awareness while the latter hopefully creates “brand ambassadors.”

You want people to be aware of your name, logo, or tag line and associate this awareness with your products and services well before they even need what you have to offer. What can you start doing right now to see that your prospective customers are exposed to the same message at least three times over a seven-day period?

Successful marketing tactics begin with the end in mind. After all, if you don’t know where you’re going, how do you expect to know how to get there? That makes it essential to understand exactly what the customer wants and anticipate their needs long before they begin a search for a product or service.

But how do you really know how to visualize the future?  What can you do to turn your small business into a huge business with high profits, high conversions, and high profits?

Start by knowing your customer.

This is the #1 marketing tactic that every marketer must know, believe, and understand. It’s not enough to have a general knowledge of the market and the customer. It’s vital to know the audience and relate directly to their needs. It’s about anticipating their next move and then their next move after that.And it’s about appealing to their emotional needs.

Understanding the customer begins with a clear picture of who they are and what key characteristics they share. It is those key characteristics or idiosyncrasies that make them the best prospects for your product or service. That’s why they are so important to your future success – because they have a need for what you have to offer.

Once you are able to clearly identify the customer and what they want, it’s essential to craft and create a message that speaks directly to them. A general message about a product and the features it offers is never enough.
Customers want to know “what’s in it for me”.

They are seeking value and looking for benefits or products. Your message must clearly articulate the benefits and advantages of what you have to offer. The message must appeal directly to the customer’s needs and appeal to him in a very unique way.

What are most customers looking for in terms of benefits?
People are always looking to save both time and money. If they can find a product that saves time, fills a need, and is appropriately priced, they will buy it. They’ll even pay more for a product if they truly believe it offers significant or multiple benefits over other similar products. They’re not as interested in features as they are benefits so focus the message towards their emotional buying needs. And don’t be afraid to highlight multiple benefits of a product to really engage the customer.

In today’s fast-paced world and advanced technology, people are always looking for the best and the fastest. They are also looking for ease of purchase. Marketing tactics must respond to this need and your message must be emotionally appealing and soundly convincing.

Back it up!

But just as importantly, be sure you can back up your claims of benefits and value to the customer. It’s not just a customer you want to attract. It’s a ‘repeat customer’ that can help your business soar too. Provide the customer with quality products and follow-up to make sure they are satisfied. Learn from your customers and use that valuable knowledge to anticipate the next need that will surface from customers.

Proactively create a marketing plan that integrates multiple marketing tactics to help ensure optimal success. Deploying effective tactics will quickly result in higher conversions and more sales. And with more sales, you’ll have a thriving business that grows exponentially as word spreads virally about your products and service.

Don’t under-estimate the value of utilizing proven, successful marketing tactics when it comes to marketing your products. Know where you want to go before you start the journey. Start with the end in mind.
Envision success and visualize the sale. Take advantage of tried and proven tactics to create a successful business and a secure future.

Success awaits those who can see ahead of the crowd.

Does your company use outside services for advertising, marketing or social media?