Have you heard this before?<\/p>\n
Or perhaps it was, \u201cif we could only get our customers to come in just one more time per year, we\u2019d achieve -insert amount here- more revenue.\u201d<\/p>\n
This mindset is inherently flawed, because it focuses on the wrong thing.\u00a0 It\u2019s not about that one more time per year or trying to get a little more in the short term \u2013 that only leads to an impossible to sustain cycle.\u00a0 The mindset is analogous to bailing water from a sinking boat \u2013 it might make you feel like you\u2019re doing good and making progress, but in reality you\u2019re ignoring the larger problem.<\/p>\n
You win in marketing not by worrying about quick short term fixes, but by fostering genuine, long-term relationships.\u00a0 The kind of relationships that get people talking, that build affinity, that strengthen naturally over time and aren\u2019t easily broken.\u00a0 And, you don\u2019t achieve that with the mindset of purely trying to get people to choose you one more time per year for the sake of revenue.\u00a0 Sure, you could work to sacrifice the long term for a few more quick hits, but this comes at the greatest cost of all \u2013 the loss of trust.<\/p>\n
I could easily link you somewhere to get a quick dollar in revenue for your attention, but that wouldn\u2019t be prudent when I\u2019ve worked for years to build trust with you and deliver value.\u00a0 If I\u2019m going to link you somewhere,\u00a0 it is chosen because I personally believe in whatever it is I\u2019m linking.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t make much sense if I sacrificed that trust for a quick dollar.\u00a0 Because I don\u2019t view you with that mindset, I get the most valuable gift of all, the ability to share ideas\u00a0 (and vice versa, I learn from many of you as well \u2013 yes, email subscribers you can hit reply if you\u2019re too shy to comment here).<\/p>\n
It makes equally as little sense to mortgage the future for the present with your brand.\u00a0 You sacrifice the value of it bit by bit when you sell out your good name for the sake of making a little more in the short term.\u00a0 It is ruined just slightly every time you cut quality to shave a bit off the cost, push messages out without substance, or ultimately act in ways which don\u2019t add value to your customers.\u00a0 As an aside, adding value can mean many things, including knowledge, entertainment, resources, humor or anything in between \u2013 knowing your audience is key to understanding what this is.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not saying don\u2019t plan big wins and capitalize on what you can for buzz, attention and share of voice \u2013 absolutely do.\u00a0 Just do so in a way which plays into a larger picture and actually supports your efforts of tomorrow.\u00a0 Without question this can be done.<\/p>\n
A slight difference in price isn\u2019t what causes people to rave about you.\u00a0 Neither are more interruption-based ads.\u00a0 These things are what contribute to the short term, but not long term.\u00a0 Ask yourself, how does what I am doing to market my clients\/business\/products\/website\/blog truly build something special and lasting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Have you heard this before? Or perhaps it was, \u201cif we could only get our customers to come in just … <\/p>\n