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Scott Ginsberg: Outmarket Your Competitors

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11 ways to ensure your voice is heard.


This article originally appeared in the May 2015 edition of INSTORE.

1. Do you know which of your marketing efforts have been effective in the past? Find out where the rock created the ripple, then go back and throw more rocks. Repeat past successes.

2. Do your beautiful, award-winning marketing materials actually influence customer decisions? No, they don’t. Nobody cares. Nobody cares about you, nobody cares about your company and nobody cares about your crappy brochure. They care about themselves and what you can do to make their lives better. Get over yourself.

3. Does your marketing move people’s eyebrows? If not, you’re in trouble. Because this involuntary indicator of interest, intrigue and curiosity is the best instant barometer of your marketing. Ever. Huh? Before Aha!

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4. How are you getting permission from people to market to them? You are collecting email addresses, right? You are sending out a regular, value-driven newsletter, right? You are getting subscribers to your blog through RSS, right? Get permission early.

5. How are you enabling your customers to do your marketing for you? Build community. Cultivate fans, not customers. Build inherent “remarkability” into your products and services from the get-go. You’ll never have to waste your money on another worthless Yellow Pages ad again. Fans equal money.

6. How are you marketing yourself daily? The more answers you can come up with to this question, the more money you will make. Period. Market yourself daily.

7. How much money do you spend on marketing? On one hand, you could say “nada,” if your customers are doing your marketing for you. On the other hand, you could say “mucho dinero,” if everything you do is a form of marketing. Imagination, not millions.

8. How much time do you spend on marketing each day? On one hand, you could say “nunca,” if your customers are doing your marketing for you. On the other hand, you could say “todo,” if everything you do is a form of marketing. Imagination, not millions.

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9. How much stopping power does your marketing have? Nobody notices normal. Nobody buys boring. The effectiveness of a message isn’t necessarily dependent on its longevity, but rather its ability to evoke emotion in the moment. Make people stop.

10. Is your marketing making music or noise? It’s the difference between the homeless guy who sits on a street corner with a sign versus the homeless guy who stands in a subway station with a guitar. One gets money; the other gets ignored. Sing; don’t yell.

11. Is your marketing so good that it doesn’t even look like marketing? Not because it’s slick, but because it’s authentic. It’s you. A logical extension of your passion and love and fire. Movements, not campaigns.


Scott Ginsberg is the author of 13 books, a professional speaker and an award-winning blogger. Contact him at scott@hellomynameisscott.com.

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SPONSORED VIDEO

Family Legacy, New Chapter: How Wilkerson Turns 89 Years of History Into Future Success

After 89 years of serving the Albany community, Harold Finkle Your Jeweler faced a pivotal decision. For third-generation owner Justin Finkle, the demanding hours of running a small business were taking precious time away from his young family. "After 23 years, I decided this was the time for me," Finkle explains. But closing a business with nearly nine decades of inventory and customer relationships isn't something easily managed alone. Wilkerson's comprehensive approach transformed this challenging transition into a remarkable success story. Their strategic planning handled everything from advertising and social media to inventory management and staffing — elements that would overwhelm most jewelers attempting to navigate a closing sale independently. The results speak volumes. "Wilkerson gave us three different tiers of potential goals," Finkle notes. "We've reached that third tier, that highest goal already, and we still have two weeks left of the sale." The partnership didn't just meet financial objectives—it exceeded them ahead of schedule.

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Scott Ginsberg: Outmarket Your Competitors

mm

Published

on

11 ways to ensure your voice is heard.


This article originally appeared in the May 2015 edition of INSTORE.

1. Do you know which of your marketing efforts have been effective in the past? Find out where the rock created the ripple, then go back and throw more rocks. Repeat past successes.

2. Do your beautiful, award-winning marketing materials actually influence customer decisions? No, they don’t. Nobody cares. Nobody cares about you, nobody cares about your company and nobody cares about your crappy brochure. They care about themselves and what you can do to make their lives better. Get over yourself.

3. Does your marketing move people’s eyebrows? If not, you’re in trouble. Because this involuntary indicator of interest, intrigue and curiosity is the best instant barometer of your marketing. Ever. Huh? Before Aha!

Advertisement

4. How are you getting permission from people to market to them? You are collecting email addresses, right? You are sending out a regular, value-driven newsletter, right? You are getting subscribers to your blog through RSS, right? Get permission early.

5. How are you enabling your customers to do your marketing for you? Build community. Cultivate fans, not customers. Build inherent “remarkability” into your products and services from the get-go. You’ll never have to waste your money on another worthless Yellow Pages ad again. Fans equal money.

6. How are you marketing yourself daily? The more answers you can come up with to this question, the more money you will make. Period. Market yourself daily.

7. How much money do you spend on marketing? On one hand, you could say “nada,” if your customers are doing your marketing for you. On the other hand, you could say “mucho dinero,” if everything you do is a form of marketing. Imagination, not millions.

8. How much time do you spend on marketing each day? On one hand, you could say “nunca,” if your customers are doing your marketing for you. On the other hand, you could say “todo,” if everything you do is a form of marketing. Imagination, not millions.

Advertisement

9. How much stopping power does your marketing have? Nobody notices normal. Nobody buys boring. The effectiveness of a message isn’t necessarily dependent on its longevity, but rather its ability to evoke emotion in the moment. Make people stop.

10. Is your marketing making music or noise? It’s the difference between the homeless guy who sits on a street corner with a sign versus the homeless guy who stands in a subway station with a guitar. One gets money; the other gets ignored. Sing; don’t yell.

11. Is your marketing so good that it doesn’t even look like marketing? Not because it’s slick, but because it’s authentic. It’s you. A logical extension of your passion and love and fire. Movements, not campaigns.


Scott Ginsberg is the author of 13 books, a professional speaker and an award-winning blogger. Contact him at scott@hellomynameisscott.com.

Advertisement

SPONSORED VIDEO

Family Legacy, New Chapter: How Wilkerson Turns 89 Years of History Into Future Success

After 89 years of serving the Albany community, Harold Finkle Your Jeweler faced a pivotal decision. For third-generation owner Justin Finkle, the demanding hours of running a small business were taking precious time away from his young family. "After 23 years, I decided this was the time for me," Finkle explains. But closing a business with nearly nine decades of inventory and customer relationships isn't something easily managed alone. Wilkerson's comprehensive approach transformed this challenging transition into a remarkable success story. Their strategic planning handled everything from advertising and social media to inventory management and staffing — elements that would overwhelm most jewelers attempting to navigate a closing sale independently. The results speak volumes. "Wilkerson gave us three different tiers of potential goals," Finkle notes. "We've reached that third tier, that highest goal already, and we still have two weeks left of the sale." The partnership didn't just meet financial objectives—it exceeded them ahead of schedule.

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