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I don't like most movies. As a rule, I go to a movie because my wife or some friends want to go. I think most movies are boring and predictable. Oddly enough, that's how I feel about most of the marketing I see. However, we saw "The Patriot" with Mel Gibson last July, and I must admit, it's a good movie. It's emotional and exciting with a couple of touches of humor. As I thought about it, I kept hearing in my mind that this is what comprises good marketing. Marketing that touches people on an emotional level and gets them excited will generate stronger results. When you're thinking about doing some marketing, you may want to have a checklist that will help you remember to make it emotionally interesting to the prospect. It's funny to me that you can learn from anything. If you look at things from a different angle, you may find answers to some of your marketing questions. So, as you go through your day, look for opportunities to learn. Learning is a fun process and the more you know, the more you grow! I learned some other great marketing ideas from "The Patriot."I'm not a history buff, but I had always heard that the Revolutionary War was won by fighting in nontraditional ways. That is exemplified in the movie. When it comes to marketing, I see the same thing. Companies that market themselves the way other companies do are bound to make the same mistakes. In the movie, they show the soldiers lining up to fight because that was the way you fought a war at that time. It may have been the accepted way to wage war, but it was not the best way to win. When you think about your marketing, I want you to think about your goals and the best ways to reach them. It's important that you look at what works and try to do it better. Most of us do not have an unlimited budget, so we need to out-think our competitors. When you think, you gain great advantage over the competition. In the movie, officers are a prime target for the shooters for a simple reason - if an officer is removed, it weakens the rest of the troop. When you look at your marketing, think about how you can target key prospects in a way that will make it easier for you to win. As you think about your next seminar, mailer or ad, I also want you to ponder how you can "attack" your prospects and win. What can you do to stand out and get noticed so your prospects want to take action? One last thought. You want to "attack" where you have the best chances of winning. You have the best chance of growing your business with the people that you are already doing business with. What is a solution they need that you could offer them now? "The Patriot" is a good movie. It's probably not in the theaters now, but if you rent it, you'll be entertained and, if you're not careful, you could even learn a little about marketing, too! Marty's Thoughts On Marketing You don't need Mel Gibson to have a blockbuster success. You need some of the key ingredients, though. \
Marketing is easy
once you understand that you need to focus on how you are going to help make a person
happier, healthier or wealthier. Martin R. Baird is a nationally recognized expert on marketing for financial advisors. Baird is the author of "Guaranteed Results," an easy-to-read book filled with more than 100 marketing ideas, methods and tools. He's president of Robinson & Associates, Inc., a Phoenix, Ariz.-based marketing management company. Baird also is president of advisormarketing.com, a Web site that offers free marketing information for financial advisors. The only Web site of its kind, advisormarketing.com is the premiere source for free marketing advice, information and tools for self-driven, success-oriented financial advisors who are demanding information that helps them market their practice, meet the needs of their clients and increase sales. Advisormarketing.com also is an electronic forum where advisors can learn from each other by discussing common problems, sharing ideas and gaining new insights from their peers. Traditionally, many advisors have not focused on marketing. Now, increasing competition is bringing the value of effective marketing to the forefront, and advisormarketing.com is designed to help advisors strengthen this crucial aspect of their business. All the information at advisormarketing.com is available at no charge because the site is sponsor supported. For more information about advisormarketing.com, visit Baird's Web site at www.advisormarketing.com or e-mail him at mbaird@advisormarketing.com. Baird also may be reached at 480-990-1775 or 800-279-1775. Martin
R. Baird |
