Interactive Marketing--Your Key to Success in 2005

Joe,
You asked me the secret to marketing success in 2005. Here’s my reply.

If you are relying on traditional market thinking and advertising for your business, you are going to be in trouble in 2005. The markets have moved beyond traditional thinking. I am not sure when this occurred or why. Perhaps it’s the speed of today’s market place, the variety of customer options and business competition, or the need for instant gratification. The whys are not important. You only need to recognize that it has changed!

If you are going to make it in 2005, you must adopt an interactive mode of market thinking. Interactive market thinking will gives you a chance, not a guarantee. A rule of the new market place is “there are no guarantees!”

The Traditional Market Thinking

Traditional marketing thinking is about passivity and waiting. You start with a widget you dearly love. You think everyone should buy your widget.

You start your business. You put an ad in the yellow pages. You print up business cards. Someone sells you on the need for a four color brochures that talks about your widget. You put some ads in the local newspaper.

You passively wait for customers to come in the door. Some do, but never enough. You try other advertising techniques. You create a flyer and coupons for Val Pac programs. You create a website. You join a networking group. You get a few more customers but still not enough. You even try good old fashion cold calling. You wait and pray for more business.

Joe, the traditional model is dead!

The Interactive Mode of Market Thinking

If you are going to have a chance in 2005, you must adopt an interactive mode of market thinking. What is this new mode of thinking? I will outline a set of four skills you need for interactive marketing.

1. You start with a position that the market will teach you. Your market is quicker, faster, smarter, and more diverse than you can ever be. If you think you know all of the answers your arrogance will kill you. You must start by believing the market will teach you what you need to know!

2. Second, you need to bring a different energy to your marketing activities. Do you remember the pitch men you see at the state fairs? They bring a special energy to their work. At the heart of a pitch man is the willingness to experiment, to change, to adapt, to be creative for the situation, to be a pragmatist. There is no need to be perfect, just good enough! Adopt the energy of a pitch man.

3. Interactive marketing demands work. Most small business owners do not want to do this work. You must test and test and test again. Find out what is working and what is not working with your marketing efforts. Find this out as quickly as possible and make the changes you need to make.

Try a bunch of marketing techniques and test them and retest them. When you find something that works run with it. It will work for a period of time. Then the market moves on and you must move on. The work of testing is the only way to succeed in today’s market place.

4. Have the mindset of an inventor. Thomas Edison did not have 9999 failures on his way to inventing the light bulb. He had 9999 ways the light bulb did not work. Interactive marketing is not a straight line. It zigs and zags. When you recognize this, you will not be frustrated by marketing efforts that do not produce the results you want. You realize you must try again to unlock the keys of your market.

An Example of Interactive Marketing

Everyone will agree that today’s markets demand more credibility, more proof. Look at any marketing manual and you will learn about the various forms of credibility. There are testimonials, written proof, expertise, guarantees, awards, credentials, etc. The critical question for interactive marketing is what proofs or credibility does my market need?

If your customer is a school system that wants you to teach a class, they may ask for a teaching certificate. They may even require the status of graduating from a certain university. If you are going into that same school to fix a water pipe, they may want to see your plumber’s license to see that if you have the expertise to do the job. In some schools, they may ask you for a union card because they will not accept just any plumber.

It makes little difference what you think is good proof or credibility. What your market place wants for proof and credibility is the only thing that really counts.
You identify what your market place wants by interacting with it, going back and forth, testing, asking, failing, succeeding, repackaging, experimenting, creating new offerings and making your pitch! When you use these skills with the market place it begins to teach you what you need to be successful with it.

Conclusion
Joe, interactive marketing is not a cute new phrase. It’s the way your business must relate with today’s market place if you want to get your business a chance for success in 2005.

Free Help to Grow Your Business
Interested in getting off of the small business merry-go-round that is leading no where? Call my toll free number 1-877-714-5500 and listen to a pre-recorded message about a free report that will push your business to the next level. It’s a free call, a free report, no sales pitch, so call any time. 1-877-714-5500.

Copyright Al Hanzal, 2004. All Rights Reserved

Hanzal Enterprises, Inc.
4191 Granite Court
Eagan, Minnesota 55123
651-485-3340

Business owners have been using Al's material to increase their profits and bring more customers to their businesses.