I am reading an amazing book, Mind Set!, by John Naisbett whom some of you might know from a wildly popular and much-talked-about book of some 20-ish years ago called Megatrends.

Naisbitt has an uncanny way of taking information from local newspapers and the proverbial person on the street and expanding it into predictions about future trends – not just passing trends, but “megatrends” that will affect our every day and our lives.

Of course, I couldn’t help but transfer what I was reading into my area of expertise, marketing. The over-riding message was that understanding certain mindsets will open up opportunities and put you ahead of the curve like nothing else. More than anything else, I think, being open and having an open-mindedness toward trying new things and changing old assumptions is what will change your marketing (and other areas of your life) for the better.

How many times have you continued with something that really wasn’t working so well for you simply because that’s how you’ve always done it? Staying stagnant will keep you, well, stagnant. Read my Quick Tips below for some myths I see ruling the marketing of so many businesses (small and huge) for no good reason.

Don’t change just for the sake of changing, but be open to change and anything else that will bring a new and ultimately successful era into your marketing.

Yours In Success,

Allison Nazarian

What's your marketing myth?

Businesses of all sizes make mistakes, right? (Even yours, I promise.) Sometimes, despite our best intentions, we don’t learn from our marketing mistakes -- and it’s not due to a lack of marketing know-how.

There are simply many marketing ‘myths’ that tend to be believed and acted upon even when they prove time and again to not be valid or productive:

Myth 1: Believing your own hype. Telling prospects your product is best is fine, but only if you understand what really motivates the buyer. Research customers directly to find out why your customers think a competitor’s product might be superior to yours and why your product isn’t performing as expected.  

Myth 2: The lowest-priced product or service wins! Thinking that your customers will buy your product based solely on price is not a good strategy by anyone’s measure. More than anything buyers want to believe they are receiving good value for their money. If you think you’re losing out to lower-priced competitors, you may ultimately lose out to higher-value competitors. Instead, focus your marketing copy on demonstrating how your product offers the greatest value.

Myth 3: Successful businesses are very serious.  Make doing business with you is easy – and may even be fun. It’s amazing how many companies make doing business with them difficult. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and insure that every contact – whether by phone, email or in person – is easy, fun and personal. Take some time to put together questions and advice to ask or offer to customers (and prospects). Make it simple to find things on your website or in your store.

Myth 4: Changing your marketing campaign frequently is the way to go. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” definitely applies here. Too many companies believe that frequently launching new marketing or ad campaigns is the way to go. Big mistake! It’s all about reach (getting to the right audience) and frequency (making sure your prospects are exposed to your message on a regular basis). Winning concepts should be given enough time to work… to sink in. Just because you’re tired of the same campaign doesn’t mean your potential customers have even come close to getting their fill or even recognize your brand.   

“The most effective way to do it, is to do it. ”

          – Amelia Earhart