Goal Setting... Marketing 2009 ..ringing in the New Year
Written by Deb St. George, Publisher, DebStGeorge.com
1. Physical Health:
We all have a physical vehicle that gets us from place to place, helps us
communicate with our loved ones and helps us solve the problem of living in this
physical universe. It's important that we take care of our body; get lots of
sleep, excersize, eat at least 2 meals per day, drink lots of water, take
vitamins, spend time with loved ones, have a means of supporting oneself and a
healthy mental outlook on life. As marketers we need to be healthy in order to
provide marketing service solutions.
2. Financial Resources/Wealth:
In goal setting, it is important to know where you have been in order to know
where you are going. What skills do you have that can be used to generate new
and lasting income for yourself and your family? What financial marketing tools
will you be using to generate that income?
3. Environment:
In order to be truly productive we need to spend time in an environment that is
conducive to thinking and working. Setup your computer work space so that you
are able to concentrate on your plans and goals without interuption. Place goal
setting information in a place where you can see it daily. Sometimes we lose our
focus but a visual reminder can help us focus in on what we want to be thinking
about. Setup a few hours each day to focus on your goals. What is the marketing
environment like today? To sell your product competively you must understand
your product's swot (strengths, weaknesses, opportunites and threats).
4. Mental Focus:
What are you willing to give up in terms of time in order to get a new mental
tool. What field of knowledge are you interested in. If you are unsure of where
your interest lies, what new class will you take or what new book will you pick
up to explore new possibilities? What marketing communication will you provide
to your clients so that they better understand how to use your services and
products?Will you focus on the U.S. market or expand into international markets?
5. Creating Your Plan of Action:
Set a few minutes aside each day to create your plan of action. List out the
steps of your major goals and then underneith the major goals list out the minor
steps it takes to reach your goals. Use visual diagrams, create lists, write
down your goals and then set up timeframes when you wish to have the goals
accomplished. Don't expect every goal you set to be met within a certain
timeframe. It's best to be flexible, try different paths to get to the same
outcome. We all have circumstances that help us or heed our progress. One of the
major goals in your plan of action is "determination to succeed". Another goal
is to have a "backup plan" in case one of your goals is momentarily
side-tracked. How will you setup your marketing and planning guide this year?
Will you be using only the written word or will you be using audio and
multimedia vehicles to market and promote your product?
6. Follow-Through
Don't give up, follow-through. Every step leads you closer to your goal. Don't
put off until tomorrow what you can do today. "There is no time like the
present" to follow-through on your plans towards your marketing success goals.
How Does Humor Help In Viral Marketing?
Written by Deb St. George, Publisher, DebStGeorge.com
What is viral marketing? Viral Marketing is when you share something you
enjoyed and pass it on to someone you think would enjoy it. Here is an example
of something that is viral because it is funny and something you can share with
the family.
Aaron Wilburn--Krispy Kremes, Men And Women, and Funny Names
Viral Marketing Tips:
1) Before you try and sell someone a product make sure that the
person you are selling the product to recognizes your name.
The first email you should send should be an email introducing
yourself and before you introduce any products that you are selling
you should be asking permission to add the prospective customer to
your list. If you just send out an email to someone and they haven't
asked to be on your list then you don't have a qualified lead
because the person may not be interested in what you are selling. If
you send out an email and ask permission to send some information on
your wonderful products to that person, you might be surprised to
find that by asking permission that your prospective customer will
be more open to the information you are sending to them.
2) Most
people don't want to be sold on buying a product! There have been
discussions on which sells better a long sales letter or a short
sales letter? Most marketers would opt for the long sales letter but
most customers will only read the headline and then jump down to the
bottom to see if the product is within their budget. Then most
people if the product is something they can afford will lightly scan
the bullets to see if your product is something that might be useful to them.
3) The email must have an attention getting headline or it will
not be read! There are some marketers that believe that if they tell
their life story to the customer... the customer will like them more
and then buy from them because they know more about them as a
person. As much as we'd like to read every email, you'd probably not
open an email that says "Look what I did on my vacation in the
Bahamas" as quickly as you would that said, "Free Product Download
To My Valued Subscribers!"
It is just a fact of life that we want to know as customers
"What's in it for me?"
You will find that offering a discount is not as appealing as
getting something for free. When building a relationship with
someone it is better to give... then receive.. for at least the
first six emails. The reason for this is that if you are not
on the customer's wave length then they can forever delete you from
their email list.
4) So what if you don't have a free product to give to your
customer? If you are bringing them to your website you might
write an article and at the bottom of the article grant the reader
permission to reproduce the article on their website. Most people
sell their products with a free introductory newsletter that your
customer can sign up for. The newsletter highlights what they will
be getting when they buy your product and every link at the bottom
of your newsletter should lead back to your product sales page. If
you'd like to see what a newsletter email autoresponder series
looks like then sign up for a product newsletter at one of my sites at
http://www.debstgeorge.com/AboutUs.htm
5) Your Sales Page should have an Attention Getting
Headline....bullets should clearly outline all the benefits of the
product... most marketers offer a guarantee of satisfaction or their
money back within a certain time period (30-90 days)... and their
should be a closing statement with instructions on how to Buy The
Product and what will happen when they've purchased the product.
Will there be a digital download or will the product be send through
the mail? Most closers forget to ask for the order! There's no point
to the sale page if you don't ask your customers to BUY NOW!
P.S. You have permission to reproduce this article on your
website as long as you include my name -Deb St. George and a link
back to this website
http://www.debstgeorge.com/AboutUs.htm - Happy Viral Marketing!
Marketing Artists Reivew
Written by Deb St. George, Publisher, DebStGeorge.com
Sarah Dillion held an exhibition of drawings and prints at Green River
Community College at the The Helen S. Smith Gallery. The theme of the exhibit
was "Flight Plan" or birds sitting on an electrical wire drawn on acrylic,
charcoal, walnut ink and gesso.
Some of my favorites were "Migration 1 and Migration 2" that are drawn birds
on a light purple and light yellow background. The drawings were created in 2008 on mixed media
background. The mixed media background was made of handmade
paper and nautical charts.
These drawings are well done and is a look at nature (birds on an
electrical line) where birds must adapt to perching on electrical wires
instead of tree limbs. The pulse of electricity nearby could be
hazardous to the birds and yet they linger unknowingly.
It is amazing how as people that we don't realize that plants and
species can become extinct at any moment. Just because a plant or animal
exists at the moment does not mean that the species will continue to
survive. We create the environment for ourselves and those of the animal
and plant species around us. What we create affects the world around us.
Sarah's theme looks at how birds live in an environment that could be
hazardous to their health.
Here is a good example of Sarah's Marketing:
Ad 1: Plein Air
Painting and Hiking Workshop! 6/3/2008 - 8/31/2008
Join artist Sarah Dillon as we trek into the Northwest landscape. We
will hike, and then select a location along the trail to paint from
observation. Local hiking sites in wokshop series will be within 1 hour
of Seattle. All materials are provided. Start Time: 2:00 PM Location: Hiking site to be announced Cost: $279/ hiker. Save $20 if you sign up with a friend! Contact: Sarah Dillon 360-870-2220 Sponsored by: Sarah Dillon Studio Website:
http://sarahdillonstudio.blogspot.com Email:
Ad 2: Sunset Oil
Painting! 6/4/2008 - 8/31/2008
Couples, looking for something creative and romantic this summer? Join
us for a trek into the park to paint and watch the sunset. Professional
painter Sarah Dillon will instruct lessons in landscape painting.
Beginners welcome. Mulit-sessions avail. Start Time: 6:30 PM Location: Park site TBA Cost: $200/student or $350/ couple Contact: Sarah Dillon 360-870-2220 Sponsored by: Sarah Dillon Studio Website:
http://sarahdillonstudio.blogspot.com
I have been taking a pottery class at Green River Community College and part of
our class was to view Sarah Dillion's drawings. My pottery teacher,
also like crows as I do. Some of his work can be found at:
http://www.galleryima.com/artists/metivier.html
I am really enjoying Paul's
class at Green River Community College and I recommend anyone wanting to learn
to throw some pots to take his class.
