So what is Marketing Whiplash, you ask?
I am actually referring to a slightly different phenomena depending on whether you are on the receiving end, or dishing it out to others, but either way it is bad for your business!
Marketing Strategy Problem - Marketing Whiplash First Scenario:
So this is where the marketing whiplash comes in. He starts promoting every product or system under the sun to the people with whom he has built trust, while giving the poor customer or potential business partner - Marketing Whiplash!
After steering his poor prospect in enough different directions to make her head spin, he has now lost all credibility and destroy the golden goose - his valuable opt-in list he worked so hard to develop.
Another example - a guy I know has established excellent visibility and ranking for his website, but his recommended network marketing business changed about 4 times in about a two month period! Can you imagine the poor repeat visitors experience? Ouch - Marketing Whiplash!
So how do you avoid subjecting your business prospects and customers to marketing whiplash - losing all credibility in the process?
Marketing Strategy One: Only Recommend Products and Services of Value
- Check out the product or service thoroughly yourself before promoting it.
- Get feedback from other people you know well and are in similar circumstances to those you intend to promote it to.
- If a product or service changes, so you know longer want to recommend it, let your customers and prospects know why and explain why you have chosen something comparable or better. People understand that things change. However, make sure you're not changing your recommendations every month - or every week!
Marketing Strategy Two: Recommend Products and Services that are Complimentary to Each Other
- Product & services you recommend should fit hand-in-glove. For example, you might recommend the Renegade Marketing System to help people learn how to attract people to them and learn how to utilize the internet in their marketing while promoting SiteBuildIt! - a system for setting up a quality website - those are complimentary tools.
- Don't recommend products/services that compete with each other, otherwise your customers are left wondering why they bothered purchasing the first product/service. Of course you may offer your prospect options, but explain the benefits and why each product or service would be better, depending on their circumstances.
Marketing Strategy Three: Create Multiple Opt-ins and Target your Recommendations to the Right Audience
For example, I have traditional business owners, as well as network marketers, opt-in to one of my lists requesting information about a card system I recommend for creating stronger relationships, improve follow up, increase referrals, improve customer retention and more. I am careful not to promote network marketing resources to this list because I may turn them off. I only send information that is of value to any business, the traditional business owner and the network marketer.When someone opts-in to one of my lists, I always offer other items of value they can opt-in to that are of interest to them. In this way, I am learning a little more about my prospects wants and needs, and also can provide information and recommendations of value to each group. So if people also request the
7 Great Lies of Network Marketing ebook
from me, I know they have an interest in network marketing information and resources, and will provide it to that list.
Marketing Strategy Problem - Marketing Whiplash Second Scenario:
Now I can appreciate there is a lot of junk out there, so a person may try something that sounds good, but doesn't work. Then they are on a search for something that actually does work. However, the person who is creating marketing whiplash for himself isn't even tapping into the resource he spent money on before moving on to something else!
Marketing Strategy Four: Prevent Self-Sabotaging Marketing Whiplash
- focus on the most important activities that will move your business forward
- write down your business goals and work backward to establish the daily actions you need to take
- track your activities and your results
- choose resources that are working for others who have had similar circumstances to your own
- make a list of marketing ideas you want to learn more about and prioritize
- start implementing a few ideas or strategies first, once you are getting some results you can add more
- when you see an interesting tool or resource save it in your favorites or in your notes for future reference
So hopefully I have helped save some marketers' necks, as well those of their customers and prospects!
For more information and marketing help visit my website, contact me, or request a complimentary consultation.
To your marketing success!
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Talk about Marketing Whiplash!
taco john starring whiplash the cowboy monkey
whiplash rides his steed like the wind through the city and country side spreading delicious and surprising taco joy to seemingly unsuspecting people... enjoy
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RodMackenzie
Thanks for the marketing therapy! I was wondering why my neck was getting a bit sore :) Posted June 27, 2008 |
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KimDion
Fantastic site I love the Marketing Strategies. Posted June 19, 2008 |
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Junyuan
Tremendous information you've got there on Marketing Strategies. I found the information to be really useful... I highly recommend your lens to all Internet Marketers! This is definitely a 5-star lens for me. Great stuff! I've also added your lens to my list of Squidoo favorites. You may want to check out my lens on Jumpstart Internet Marketing, where I reveal 5 simple steps for anyone to start making their first dollar online without spending a single cent. You may also want to consider adding your lens to my Internet Marketing directory to get more traffic to your lens. Cheers! ;) Posted June 03, 2008 |
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richgirl27
Great info on this subject, thanks for your lens.The ways to market are always changing , your lens can help those who want to succeed in this business.Thanks again Posted May 05, 2008 |
Excellent article Wendy! Great content and you've given me some great ideas on how to improve my own efforts. I can't get over the abundance mentality of this team! It is most refreshing!
Posted April 13, 2008
