Photo / Thinkstock
In most businesses we have three basic marketing challenges to solve.
1: How do we get large numbers of ideal new customers to contact our business?
2: How do we convert some of these people into happy paying clients?
3: How can we get large amounts of repeat and referral business from the people who already know us?
In this column let me share one of my favourite marketing strategies to get ideal customers and clients to contact your business for the first time.
I suggest you create what I call an 'irresistible marketing magnet'.
Let me explain...
An irresistible marketing magnet usually contains helpful information that will help a potential customer solve a big problem or reach an important goal.
Here are two examples:
Example One:
I have a client who sells security cameras to places like retail shops. His service helps them to increase profits by reducing theft from employees, customers and suppliers.
On my recommendation he created a short booklet called 'Here are 5 proven ways to quickly improve profits in your Auckland retail store'.
The booklet is only 12 pages long and contains some amazingly helpful ideas for any retailer. They'll learn how to do a simple joint venture with another local retailer to increase their database. They'll discover how to get people coming into their store ready to buy rather than just look. They'll see how easy it is to increase the average size of each sale they make as well as increase profits by installing security cameras.
The booklet is given away for free but it contains such valuable ideas that many people (like me) are happy to recommend it to any retail person they know. (So it works well as a marketing magnet.)
Example Two:
I have another client who is a very successful chiropractor.
He has an irresistible marketing magnet called 'The Back Pain Solution- Five proven strategies for eliminating back pain I learned over 20 years of international practice'
This is a helpful 16 page booklet that talks about the major causes of back pain and some practical ideas on how to fix it. The booklet is jam packed with helpful tips and ideas on back pain solutions that work, mistakes to avoid when treating back pain and so on. This booklet is perfect for anyone who has back pain. And is super easy to recommend to other people who have back pain they want fixed.
Now your irresistible marketing magnet can take many formats.
It can be a booklet, a DVD or CD, webinar, seminar, article, ezine etc.
The key is it has to contain useful ideas that a potential client would be eager to have access to. And the ideas should preferably be so valuable that many people will be keen to mention your marketing magnet to other people they know.
Here are the types of ideas you may want to include in your irresistible marketing magnet:
Answers to the most commonly asked questions about using your product or service.
Details on the biggest mistakes that people make when buying your type of product or service and how to avoid making them.
3-5 Helpful ideas (explained in detail) that would be of great value to anyone who was considering buying your type of product or service
Once you have some useful ideas, put them into an easy to use format and start sharing them with potential clients.
Action Exercise:
Write down 3-5 helpful ideas that would be immensely helpful to a person who was considering buying your type of product or service. How could you turn these ideas into an irresistible marketing magnet?
"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing."
Abraham Lincoln
The Government has committed funding to the sector in an effort to support future plans.