Power Marketing Tip 30: Beware of Barketing

Power Marketing Tip 30:

Beware of Barketing

Check your marketing for signs of barketing. Does your competition say "Buy from us. We have the best service, best price, best quality, blah, blah, blah..."

Now compare your marketing. Are you echoing the same message? If you are sending the same message as your competition, then what your prospects hear is, "Woof, woof, woof, yap, yap, yap, bark, bark bark.".

What is Barketing?
Barketing is any form of marketing that looks and sounds like "me too" to your prospects. It feels to your market like you are competing for attention by shouting louder.
The best you might do is to confuse your prospects. Duracell and Energizer batteries did this to each other with their too similar TV ads.

A barking dog is probably not your friend. Maybe your customers conclude the same thing when you bark at them. Whether you are a big dog or a small dog barking is just plain annoying. People will ignore or shut out the noise.

Often that's what prospects do when you annoy them with your barketing. It's not their job to educate you so they just shut you out.

If your marketing is only appearing to send the same message as your competition you are only annoying your prospects with your noise.

An Alternative
When all the other dogs in the pound are barking, trying to bark louder will only get you noticed for the wrong things. When everyone else is barking you need to do something other than bark. Perhaps you should "meow".

For a good example of how to say "meow" watch the recent TV ads for Mac computers. The one with the two guys, "Hello I'm a Mac, Hello I'm a PC". These ads focus on the differences between the competition. They are bold, direct, and memorable.

Meow.

George Torok
Power Marketing

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Strong USP - marketing tip from Craig Garber

7. Your USP had better be strong and specific.

Your USP is your "Unique Selling Proposition."

It answers the question, "Why should I do business with you, instead of your competition?" Garber says, "This is the most important thing businesses need to focus on.

See, most entrepreneurs try and 'convince' people they need their goods and services. That's a very frustrating and unrewarding way of marketing. Instead, they should 'attract' those people who already want to buy these goods and services, and simply show these prospects why they should buy from them, as opposed to someone else."

In Garber's case, for instance, his own personal USP, matches the title of his book, "I show entrepreneurs how to make maximum money with minimum customers. You'd be amazed how much money people are leaving on the table. I show busy entrepreneurs how to earn all that money, multiple timesover."

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One of ten marketing tips for 2010 from Craig Garber aka King of Copy.

Author and lead generation marketing specialist Craig Garberfrom kingofcopy.com has just released his annual "Top 10Ways Entrepreneurs Will (And Won't) Be Making Money In2010" list. Garber is the author of "How To Make MaximumMoney With Minimum Customers: 21 Proven Direct-Marketing Strategies Anyone Can Use" and he has some compelling picks this year.
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George Torok
Marketing Speaker

Direct Mail Opportunity in 2010

6. Increased Use of Direct Mail

Advertising online is becoming extremely competitive. Every day you read stories about businesses spending more and more money on Google AdWords, just to make sure their ads show up higher on the page than their competitor's ads.

However, successful businesses will focus on outsmarting their competition, not outspending them. And one of the most effective ways of doing this is through direct mail. You're able to select targeted mailing lists and create marketing messages that address your prospects unique and specific needs.

Plus, mailboxes today are less cluttered, which means less competition for your prospects attention.
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Author and lead generation marketing specialist Craig Garberfrom kingofcopy.com has just released his annual "Top 10 Ways Entrepreneurs Will (And Won't) Be Making Money In 2010" list. Garber is the author of "How To Make MaximumMoney With Minimum Customers: 21 Proven Direct-Marketing Strategies Anyone Can Use" and he has some compelling picks this year.

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George Torok

Use emotion in your marketing

5. Increased use of emotional direct-response marketing

With marketing costs spiraling out of control, using measurable direct-response marketing to evaluate the return on your marketing dollars, is more critical now than ever.

On top of this, no matter how many bells and whistles you're using to get your prospect's attention, making an emotional connection is the most effective and reliable way of captivating prospects.

"People make buying decisions based on emotional factors. They may rationalize them later with logic, but all buying decisions are initially made to satisfy emotional needs. Doesn't matter whether it's vanity, greed, hope, or fear of loss -- pushing the right emotional buy-buttons is going to be a critical component of your success in 2010."

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One of ten marketing tips for 2010 from Craig Garber aka King of Copy.

Author and lead generation marketing specialist Craig Garber from kingofcopy.com has just released his annual "Top 10 Ways Entrepreneurs Will (And Won't) Be Making Money In 2010" list. Garber is the author of "How To Make MaximumMoney With Minimum Customers: 21 Proven Direct-Marketing Strategies Anyone Can Use" and he has some compelling picks this year.
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George Torok
Marketing Speaker

Build relationships, not brands

December 9, 2009 Pest Control Technology Magazine
[Growing Your Business] Build Relationships, Not Brands

Creating an emotional bond with customers can be more powerful than branding to build trust and loyalty.

Branding" is big buzz in pest management marketing these days, but one expert said small- and medium-size companies should focus on what they do best: building relationships.



The emotional bond of a relationship is stronger than "any kind of a bond someone can have with a logo," said George Torok, marketing expert and best-selling author. (See his marketing insights at http://www.torok.com/.) "Relationships make customers feel good," he said, while branding often makes the company look superior. A brand might imply only smart customers use XYZ pest services, while relationships give customers confidence. They build trust and make it harder for customers to leave, he added.



Although firms need to present a consistent, uniform message, they shouldn’t invest blindly in hard-to-measure branding, he said. Instead, nurture the relationships already in place.



A PERSONAL TOUCH. Technicians at Craig Thomas Pest Control in Hyde Park, N.Y., gather customer information, which is then plugged into the computer and shared company wide. When customer service and office staffers follow-up with customers, they have the account history as well as children’s and pets’ names, health concerns and other items of interest at their fingertips. Conversing on a personal level shows you care. It’s all about "demonstrating that we are part of the family," said President Craig Thomas.



Relationships must extend beyond front-line employees. "You want to put multiple hooks into your customer," Torok said. David Castro, president, Merlin’s Pest Control, Dover, N.J., rotates technicians’ routes. This allows customers to build relationships with multiple employees. "They’re comfortable with your company," which spreads the risk should a technician leave, he said.



Owners and presidents need to get out of the back office and interact with clients by phone, open houses, special events or direct mail, Torok said. Avoid "cold" direct mail "done like an ad" and instead send a memo or personal note from the president, he suggested. Thomas sends customers thank-you notes with 10 $2 bills for each referral. "Every time they pull out a $2 bill, they’ll hopefully think of Craig Thomas Pest Control." He also supports a program that resonates with customers: Nothing but Nets, which provides malaria nets to families in Africa.



Relationships with employees are just as critical. Most people tend to leave jobs because of bad relationships, Torok said. "If you have good relationships with your staff, it’s harder for them to leave." Open communication and regular customer service training build relationships with employees, which in turn helps them communicate the company’s values to customers.
Business relies on technicians until a long-term relationship is established, said Joey Toth, president of Pitbull Pest Control, Las Vegas. If customers have no attachment to their technician and can get quality service at an affordable price elsewhere, "they’ll take their business someplace else."



Contact the author at anagro@giemedia.com.


As published in Pest Control Technology Magazine

George Torok, marketing expert

George Torok is available for media interviews

George is available for speaking engagements

Be a Problem Solver, not a sales person

Craig Garber marketing tips for 2010

4. You must be a problem-solver, not a sales person - If you want to differentiate yourself, you're going to have to start being a teacher first, and a sales person second."Those entrepreneurs who can educate, entertain, and inform will easily attract and retain qualified business. If you focus on 'selling,' to the exclusion of everything else, you're going to find yourself in a terrible bind," says Garber. "Being a problem solver first and foremost, gives you the positioning you want and the credibility you need, to make big money. Remember, no one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care."

One of ten marketing tips for 2010 from Craig Garber aka King of Copy.

George Torok
Creative Problem Solving

Curiosity is King

Marketing Tips for 2010 from Craig Garber

3. Curiosity is King - Because the number of marketing messages consumers are being hit with, is increasing by incremental proportions, understanding what makes your prospects "tick" is more important than ever."Entrepreneurs who can create compelling marketing messages that arouse curiosity and self-interest will be handsomely rewarded. Self-centered messages focusing on the company instead of the customer, however, will be ignored even more in 2010."


One in a series of ten marketing tips for 2010 from Craig Garber aka King of Copy.

Marketing tips from Craig Garber

2. Value and ethics pay off
Companies that offer quality goods and services, and who actually deliver on their promises, will continue growing, very rapidly. "The world is getting smaller and smaller, and if you want to survive, you simply must provide first-class service. Deals and discounts alone will no longer make your cash register ring. People are very willing to pay top dollar for better quality, as long as you're giving them a valid reason why they should."