I was browsing a couple online marketing forums the other day, and a number of threads jumped out at me.
They were all asking similar questions, like…
“Why aren’t people signing up for my email list? I’m giving away free stuff (a free report, free ebook, free sample, etc.) Doesn’t everybody want free stuff?”
Well, most experienced marketers already know the answer to this question.
But, for anyone (and everyone) who’s asking this type of question, let me answer it for you right now…
“Running a business without advertising and marketing is like winking in the dark; you know what you’re doing, but nobody else can see you.”
If you’ve been in business for any length of time, then you already know; there’s only 3 main ways you’re going to “stay in business”…
1) Increase your number of customers.
2) Increase the size (or dollar amount) of each sale.
3) Increase the frequency of repeat customers.
It’s not rocket science… it’s simple math!
– When you do 1 of these, your sales will go up.
– When you do 2 of these, your sales will multiply even more.
– When you do all 3, your sales, and profits, will expand geometrically.
Of course, there’s other ways to increase your bottom line, like cutting waste and streamlining efficiency.
But without customers, you don’t have a business; and nothing else is going to make a difference.
Unfortunately, here’s where most business owners go wrong…
There was a thread the other day, on one of the marketing forums I belong to, that touched upon a point of morality and ethics in marketing.
One of the members was called out for blatantly lying to, and deceiving his market, in order to promote himself as being a master marketer.
That member shot back, and basically told his detractors “The best marketers adjust the facts, so get off your high horses and start living in the real world!”
He then went on to justify his claim, demanding that he could “honestly” say he produced tens of millions of dollars for past clients, because he once worked for a company that did so.
And even though he wasn’t personally responsible for those transactions, he wasn’t lying. He was simple “adapting the truth” to fit his own needs.
Now, I don’t know how you feel about his justification; But to me, with that type of logic, a cashier at Walmart could say they’re a front line financial expert, managing an entire sector, at a multi billion dollar company.
To me, it sounds deceptive… what do you think?
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The most important marketing lesson for every business…
Meet the new boss; Same as the old boss
The Who – Won’t get fooled again
Wow, I was just listening to the old song “Won’t get fooled again” by the Who. And let me tell you, it really brought back some memories from my youth (I guess that shows you how old I am).
At the end of the song, Roger Daultry sings “Meet the new boss – Same as the old boss” and it instantly got me thinking about marketing.
OK, I can already hear you saying… “What? How the hell can an old rock-n-roll song make you think about marketing? You friggin egghead!”
Well, maybe I deserved that… and maybe not. But at least let me explain where I’m coming from, before you feed me to the alligators…
Hey, fellow business marketer –
Today I’m answering a question from one of my clients, Jim T, who asked if he really needs a small business website.
Jim is a local, self employed, handyman who says he doesn’t like to travel more than an hour for work; so he doesn’t see the need for a website because all his business is local.
Believe it or not, I still hear that statement from a large number of local business owners.
So, I decided to write this short post, just in case you’re still sitting on the fence about it.
The short answer is “yes” your business should have a website.
Your small business website doesn’t need to be fancy, and it doesn’t need to be expensive… But it does need to exist!