MARKETING is everything you do to promote your business, from the moment you conceive of it to the point at which customers buy your product or service and begin to patronize your business on a regular basis. The key words to remember are everything and regular basis. (Jay Levinson)
I remember when I bought the book Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Levinson.
I was familiar with the term Guerrilla Warfare, which was often used to describe the tactics used against the U.S. in the Vietnam War. The idea is that small groups of warriors (Guerra – war, illa – little) can oppose and successfully beat large groups of warriors.
When applied to marketing, especially chiropractic and health practices, the concept is that smaller and entrepreneurial businesses can use inexpensive tactics effectively to compete successfully in markets dominated by large corporations with big marketing budgets.
I embrace and enjoy the concept when used in healthcare marketing.
For example, showing up at a county fair and signing up 80 new patients that a hospital might have won over! For the WIN! (We've done that and more, by the way!!)
With a small budget, using Guerrilla Marketing, hundreds of inexpensive marketing approaches can work.
But Levinson makes a vital point in his book that I think is overlooked. And this results in poor marketing.
"Consistency equates with familiarity. Familiarity equates with confidence. And confidence equates with sales.
"Provided that your products or services are of sufficient quality, confidence in yourself and your offering will attract buyers more than any other attribute. More than quality. More than selection. More than price. More than service. Confidence will be your ally.
"And consistent marketing will breed confidence."
Here is a secret to consistency: assign someone the responsibility of marketing coordinator. As a project manager, their goal is to ensure all the marketing procedures continue. That they are consistent.
This was a fundamental element to the Marketing Manager System I wrote in 2000.
I will be covering this, by the way, on our new Management, Marketing, and Leadership course starting next week. (We have a full class for now. Our next program begins in February 2024. Let us know if you want to be on the waiting list.)
But the details are also in my book, The Goal Driven Business.
Management is not as exciting as a new marketing method, or as thrilling as an energetic motivational seminar. But managing your marketing to continue consistently produces sustained results long after the "Killer Ad" wears out or the emotional high from last weekend's seminar dims.
Here are 8 of the 10 marketing "truths" from Guerrilla marketing. Link to the full ten below.
"TRUTHS YOU MUST NEVER FORGET"
From the book Guerrilla Marketing
1. The market is constantly changing. When you stop advertising, you miss evolving opportunities and stop being part of the process. You are not on the bus. You are not in the game.
2. People forget fast. Remember, they're bombarded with tons of messages (an estimated 2700) daily.
3. Your competition isn't quitting. People will spend money to make purchases, and if you don't make them aware that you are selling something, they'll spend their money elsewhere.
4. Marketing strengthens your identity. When you quit marketing, you shortchange your reputation, reliability, and the confidence people have in you. The bond of communication is too precious to break capriciously.
5. Marketing is essential to survival and growth. With very few exceptions, people won't know you're there if you don't get the word out.
6. Marketing enables you to hold on to your old customers. Many enterprises survive on repeat and referral business. Old customers are the key to both. When old customers don't hear from you or about you, they tend to forget you.
7. Marketing maintains morale. Your own morale is improved when you see your marketing at work, and especially when you see that it does, indeed, work. Your employees' morale is similarly uplifted.
8. Marketing gives you an advantage over competitors who have ceased marketing.
Seize your goals by continuing marketing. Never stop.
Ed
Download the Ten Truths:
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If your practice building efforts aren’t taking you to your goals,
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The Goal Driven Business By Edward Petty
