Most business owners spend very little time on building their brand. Yet, it’s one of the most important “factors” in maintaining top-of-mind-awareness, brand recognition and reputation in your community (or with your buying public).

In other words, brand recognition with the people who live and/or work in your community, your city or town can help make you a household name!

Most professionals/business owners don’t think of themselves as a brand. This is a COLOSSAL MISTAKE. For example, if I were to ask you to think of a Cola company in the U.S., I am fairly certain that you would think of Coke or Pepsi rather quickly. And, when you think of Coke’s logo, I’m sure that you immediately recall their red logo with the white swoosh. Can you think of one of their famous slogans? I like, “Coke it’s the real thing”.

You might think of Coca-Cola classic, new Coke, diet Coke, etc. They have paid billions of dollars to get you and the rest of the world to recognize their brand.

Read more →

This marketing strategy is all about direct response marketing. If you don’t know what direct response marketing is, I’ll explain.

Direct response marketing can be a classified ad, an editorial, an article, a letter (piece of mail), a radio or TV commercial, an e-mail campaign or an insert that simply gets the readers/viewers/listeners to react or respond to your copy and/or dialogue.

One of the more popular direct response initiatives in place today is where the call-to-action (at the end of the letter, video, e-mail, commercial, etc.) asks the prospect to respond (in some way) in order to receive a free report. That is direct response marketing. And, it doesn’t have to be a free report; it could be a free-recorded message a free gift, free consultation, etc.

Read more →

This marketing strategy is all about makeovers. I’m sure by now you have been exposed to all of the different types of makeovers on television. Remember, the only reason they have so many shows about before-and-after makeovers, is because the public LOVES these stories! The story is what keeps the viewers attention. It’s time for you to get in the makeover game!

There are specific times of the year when you should pitch the makeover story: January (just after New Year’s), Spring time, just before summer, at the beginning of fall, and of course, during the holidays.

Read more →

I refer to this marketing strategy as the “let me see if I can help you” offer. You may meet people at the mall, at a restaurant, at a party, etc., and they may ask you how to take advantage of your services or your expertise. They may question whether or not they need or should utilize you/your services/products. What is the best way to handle this?

I find that most professionals, business owners and doctors immediately start “selling” these people on their services/products and try to convince them to come into their business/office right away. There is a better, more strategic way to handle this. Instead of jumping right into a sales pitch, try incorporating this “let me see if I can even help you” offer into your dialogue. Let me explain.

Read more →

Let’s talk about special titles, headlines and special event names.

I’m going to give you a handful of different phrases that you can use as headlines or titles for special reports, events, seminars, workshops, lectures, newsletters, special updates or research that you want to send to your patients/clients/customers. This will all make sense when you read the phrases below, but understand that these are incredibly compelling headlines that will compel people (more specifically your patients, clients or customers) to take action and want to learn more.

Read more →

When you create an ad, you always want to avoid talking about yourself, and instead, focus more on your readers (your buying audience).

Your attention-grabbing headline should be a completely benefit-rich statement/offer from you – how they (the readers) can benefit from you. The rest of the ad is really nothing more than a list of features and benefits, how you meet your prospects’ needs AND why you are the right choice. Admittedly, I am over-simplifying it…but that’s the truth.

This ad “structure” creates a funnel where you draw the reader down into the ad copy to an eventual special offer or opportunity, a way they can take advantage of your products or services, and then a call to action – where they can either call you to make an appointment, capture some sort of free handout or downloadable e-book, etc.

Read more →

Do you have a monthly patient, client, or customer newsletter in place? If you don’t have a monthly newsletter, direct mail letter, research or “news update” information piece going out to your database on at least a monthly basis, you’re missing out on an opportunity to maintain what is called “top of mind awareness” or “top of consciousness”.

Top of mind awareness or top of conscience is what Coca-Cola tries to do by advertising 375 times an hour. They want you to buy their product, so they put it in front of you throughout the day in every way (print, TV, radio, web, etc.)

Read more →

This marketing strategy isn’t a “traditional” marketing strategy, as you understand marketing. It’s a foundational understanding about what marketing is.

Marketing is simply a series of “tests” to see what works!

Believe me, I wish I could tell you that every marketing effort you launch will produce like crazy, but that is impossible. The good news is that you can learn from every marketing effort; tweak, perfect and then test some more until you have a homerun that produces for months OR years!

Read more →

Here’s a marketing strategy that is going to build your name, brand, fame, generate a ton of targeted leads and position you as an expert in your city.

Although this strategy is not new, it is extremely effective. This strategy will focus on generating leads with a compelling offer for a free valuable special report that solves a specific problem.

You’ll have to write a special report (at least 5-7 pages) identifying the cause, effect and solution to someone’s problem.

Read more →

Put this initiative in place and do whatever you can to make sure that your patients, clients or customers know you’re paying attention to them!

This marketing strategy may not seem like a marketing strategy to you, but I can assure you, if you do what I’m going to suggest you do, the positive word-of-mouth will spread like wildfire about you and your practice.

My advice is to do 3 things:
1. Listen
2. Listen
3. Listen

I know, you probably think I’ve lost my mind. Did you know that when patients/clients are surveyed about their doctors/professionals, the number one complaint they list about their doctors/professionals is that they don’t listen?

Read more →