Guerrilla Marketing’s Golden Rule #16 Your marketing has an obligation to capture the attention and hold the interest of as many prospects as possible. |
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Being Interesting
This rule deals with the difference between gaining
attention and maintaining interest. It doesn't matter
how good the content is, how poetic the prose, or how
flashy the graphics, if people don't pay attention to it.
Your marketing first needs to flag the attention of your
prospects, and that isn't easy to do. Most marketing
efforts either don't gain attention, or draw attention
to the wrong thing.
You must not only gain the attention of likely purchasers,
which is difficult enough, you must also hold that attention
until it motivates the prospects to purchase -- and long after.
Most advertising fails because it fails to plan for gaining
attention AND maintaing interest. Obviously, the first
step in maintaining interest is getting attention. One of the
best ways to get attention is to make your product or service
pertinent by outling the benefits it offers to your prospects.
In past issues we've explored the importance of being fine-
tuned to the needs of your customers and prospects. This
allows you to clearly show how your offering can improve
their lives. By talking about things from your prospect's
point of view, you can generate a high level of interest
and more sales.
People only read what interests them, listen only to what
intersts them, view only what interests them. You've got
to do evertying in your power to interst them. Not just
with your headline and copy, but all the way until they
purchase.
What are people interested in? 1. Themselves 2. How your
offering benefits them 3. The importance of those benefits
4. Not being ripped off 5. Why they should buy right now
Your job is simply to tell them what they are interested in.
Tell them how your product or service helps them, how itrelates to them. Reassure them with guarantees and
testimonials. Give them a powerful reason to buy right
now. "Think it over" means "put it off."
One of the biggest marketing mistakes is to try to say
everything to everyone. To be successful, say something
to someone. Because you've studied 'that someone' you
will know what they are interested in and what would
benefit them.
By saying something to someone, rather than everything
to no one, you will get the attention and maintain the
interest of your prospects and customers.
Their interest will translate to your income.
(c) 2006 Guerrilla Marketing Golden Rules e-zine
Steve Brewster
Executive & Business Coach
403.283.5706
www.brewsterconsulting.com
steve@brewsterconsulting.com