Hint: Don’t Throw it Against the Wall

When I was a youngster (in the days before the Internet was part of anyone‘s marketing plan), I spent my nights at the UC Davis Extension learning the “official” rules of “Product-Price-Place-Promotion.”

One of my first professors (I think his name was Mr. Aguilar) had a strange attachment to the term “pasta marketing.” He must’ve used this term at least twice each night. His point was that lots of people do their marketing like they cook their pasta: they throw it against the wall to see if it’s done. If it sticks, they think it’s good. And if doesn’t, well…they go back to the drawing board.

Week after week, he drilled it into our brains. “This is NOT a smart way to spend your marketing dollars. Focus, people. Focus!”

For the record, I don’t test my pasta by throwing it against the wall.  (By the time it’s done enough to stick, it’s over cooked.) Nor do I test my marketing this way.

And after all these years, I can vouch for Mr. Aguilar. The only way to ensure your marketing works (e.g. sticks), is to:

1. Do your homework (research!), find out about your target market, and focus like a laser on your niche.

Sure, we all know what we’re supposed to do. It’s the actual DOing it that seems to trip us up. Is that true for you?

What I’ve seen over and over again is that getting your marketing done means setting aside the time every day to:

2. Create a Marketing Plan (outline the different ways you’ll reach your target market)

3. Carry out your plan

4. Test (did it work?) and then, yep,

5. Plan again.

If you’re spending at least 20% of your day on marketing and still not seeing results, it may be time to go back and do more research.

Ask yourself these questions. If you don’t know the answers, then it’s safe to say you need to do more analysis:

  • What does your prospect worry about most? Or, What does she want or desire most?
  • Why can’t she solve her problem? Or, why can’t she get what she wants?
  • How is she making do? Who else is helping her get what she wants?
  • What emotional benefits do your customers get from buying what you offer?
  • Where do your potential clients hang out? What do they watch on t.v.? What radio stations do they listen to? What do they read?
  • What are your customers talking about? Dreaming about?
  • And what are you an expert at?

The answers will help you understand who your target market is, what niche you serve, and how to connect with your prospects. In short, the answers are a crucial foundation to getting your marketing to stick.

If you’d like help with any of this, you might consider watching Prosperity’s Kitchen. Our first episode covers a lot of this.

If you’re doing well with your marketing, what do you attribute your stickiness to? Share!


Photo Credit: Skånska Matupplevelser


Pin It on Pinterest

Share This