Tuesday, November 27, 2012

iPhone Marketing Strategy

As with all Apple marketing, the iPhone marketing strategy is very clear, simple and clever. With the plain and simple apple icon, Apple focuses on the pure innovative style of their products without all the "fluff". The iPhone was released by Apple in June, 2007. The ground-breaking style of the iPhone was touted for months before the initial release and has remained the best of the best when it comes to cell phones over the past several years. Before the iPhone's official release, Apple ran four television commercials promoting the new cell phone.

The first of the commercials portrays the new iPhone as the next step up from the popular iPod. The iPod was all the rage up until this point, and the iPhone was supposed to be the next-generation iPod, oh, and it's also a phone! The advertisement displays all of the enhanced features available in the iPod, and more, the point being "There's never been an iPod that can do this."

"So, say you're watching Pirates of the Caribbean"
Finger clicks on video and displays wide screen movie.
"Mmm, did somebody say Calamari?"
Finger clicks back to menu, selects Maps application to search 'Seafood'.
"The closest would be..."
Map displays all seafood locations and highlights location nearest to you.
"Ah!"

iPhone Marketing Strategy

Finger clicks seafood location, and restaurant phone number displayed. iPhone dial's.

The first four iPhone commercials flaunted the convenience, innovation, and usefulness of a single product with the functionality of not only a phone, or a music device, but a product that can, among other things, listen to music, watch videos, view photos, make conference calls, check e-mail, browse the web, and view maps.

Not only does Apple utilize television for their marketing strategy, but they make use of their website by posting videos, they also published a handful of press releases that could have been released in one single document. Apple often uses this tactic to build up hype and leave the consumer wanting more.

With Apple's brief press releases, giving the audience little to go off, "Apple leveraged a law of social physics - news, like nature, abhors a vacuum. In the absence of real information, those who care about a product will grasp at any rumor that comes their way. Apple may publicly disavow the rumor Web sites that scramble for scraps about the companies plans, but secretly their marketing department must be delighted. It would cost a lot to buy that kind of Web advertising." (Silverman, 2007)

The official iPhone website does more than just provide information about the product. The website provides top tips and tricks for the use of an iPhone, as well as a huge focus on apps. Almost the entire iPhone page displays images of apps, provides the "App of the Week," the website also contains sections titled "Apps for Everything," and the "Top Apps." Apple's website is a great marketing tool for current iPhone users and consumers that have an interest in purchasing the iPhone. The promotion of the apps will create a stronger source of revenue for Apple. As customers see top rated applications, they are more likely to download the app, rather than searching through 25,000+ apps to find one that may be of any value to the consumer.

Successful younger men were the target audience that Apple had originally focused on. Apple had hoped that with this target audience, and the fact that 48% of this audience did not already own an Apple iPod, would allow them to reach their forecast of 10 million sales by the end of 2008.

One month prior to the release of the iPhone, Solutions Research Group profiled a cross-section of those aware of the phone. The forecast of potential buyers for the day of the release ranked a majority of T-Mobile customers, AT&T's only GSM-based product competitor, at 15%. The second largest group expected to purchase the new iPhone was AT&T's existing customer base, at 12%. The Solutions Research Group also found that 72% of males, versus 28% of women were most likely to investigate the phone at its minimum price of 9. (Malley, 2007)

The obvious current target audiences for the Apple iPhone include young people between the ages of 20 and 35, affluent teenagers, "jet-setters", and "mobile" employees who work outside of the office.

Apple is known for their simplistic, but catchy commercials. In recent television commercials for the Apple iPhone, "There's an App for that" is the new catch phrase that places a strong focus on the apps available from the App Store. Apps, or applications, are in "every category, from games to business, education to entertainment, finance to health and fitness, productivity to social networking. These applications have been designed to take advantage of iPhone features such as Multi-Touch, the accelerometer, wireless, and GPS" (Apple, 2009). Apple currently claims to have 25,000+ apps available, and counting.

The focus on the variation of apps offered opens up the target audience greatly. There is essentially an app for everyone. As a few of the iPhone commercials advertise, you can find the snow conditions on the mountain, track calories in your lunch, find exactly where you parked your car. You can find a cab in a strange city, find your share of the bill for a table of 5, or learn to fix a wobbly bookshelf. You can read a restaurant review, read an MRI, or just read a regular old book. These are just a few of the features that Apple has promoted through television commercials. iPhone apps provide every functionality that one can imagine.

When the iPhone was initially released, it was priced at a hefty 9. Still, hundreds of thousands of people rushed out to get the new phone, forking over a third as much as they would have had they waited an extra 3 months. 3 months after the initial release, Apple reduced the price of the iPhone to 9. This enraged Apple's loyal customers and consumers who purchased the new phone just months earlier. One year later, Apple again reduced the price of the iPhone to 9, 66% less than the original price.

In July, 2007, the Apple iPhone was all the hype. I believe that Apple's decision to release the phone at 9 was slightly based on greed. However, their product was the most innovative out in the market place, giving Apple the freedom to price the iPhone at whatever they wanted. Many believed that Apple had cut the price after discovering lower than expected iPhone sales. Apple, however, states that the price cut was made "to spur holiday sales and predicted that Apple would meet its stated goal of selling its 1 millionth iPhone by the end of September." (Dalrymple, 2007)

As with the product life cycle of any cell phone or Apple product, including Apple's iPod, prices are often reduced drastically months after the initially release. Tech products are always competing against "the latest and greatest" while maintaining a relevant price in the market place. Had Apple not reduced the price of the iPhone, the customer base would have dwindled quickly as many consumers are unwilling to spend 9 on a cell phone, no matter how many useful features the phone may carry.

As the iPhone remains to be the number one smart phone around, the product continues to grow, increasing size capabilities, increasing the number of applications available, and providing new features that are released through new iterations of the phone, continue to provide a greater value to the iPhone while the pricing remains relevant.

At this time in the product life cycle, Apple continues to release enhanced iterations of the iPhone. With most iPhone users un-willing to purchase a newer version of the iPhone because of price, the target audience for the newer generation phones is new iPhone customers. With Apple's installed base continuing to grow, they have found a way bring in reoccurring revenue from their existing customers through the sales of their application downloads. As more and more people purchase the iPhone, Apple's audience for new customers continues to dwindle. Fortunately for Apple, they have built in another source for revenue that continues throughout the life of the product.

References

(2009). Apple: iPhone. Retrieved April 26, 2009, from Apple

Dalrymple, J (2007, Sep, 11). Lessons learned from the iPhone price cuts. PCWorld, Retrieved Apr 26, 2009, from http://www.pcworld.com/article/137046/lessons_learned_from_the_iphone_price_cuts.html

Silverman, D (2007, Jul, 10). Apple's silence helped the iPhone hype. Chron.com:Computing, Retrieved Apr 26, 2009, from http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4954824.html

Malley, A (2007, Jun, 6). Apple, AT&T neophytes to define iPhone audience - report. AppleInsider, Retrieved Apr 26, 2009, from AppleInsider Website

Mukherjee, A (2007, Feb, 28). iPhone under attack. Business Today, Retrieved Apr 26, 2009, from the business today website

iPhone Marketing Strategy
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Friday, November 23, 2012

33 Radio Interview Tips That'll Make You a Star

You've landed the radio interview and it's time to get ready to actually do it. Now what? Here's a list of interview tips you'll want to read before your next interview. Keep them nearby, you'll be glad you did!

1. Go to a quiet room in your home or office; be sure staff and/or family know you are on a radio interview and cannot be interrupted.

2. Turn off other phones, cell phones and anything else that could create background noise including air conditioners and the radio, etc.

33 Radio Interview Tips That'll Make You a Star

3. Have a glass of water nearby; there's nothing worse than dry mouth on a radio interview.

4. Disable call waiting: dial *70 and then call the studio number. This disables call waiting for the duration of the phone call. As soon as you hang up, it will be reactivated.

5. Be on time. Call the station exactly at the time they tell you, or be at your phone waiting if the station is going to call you.

6. Use a land line phone for best quality. Some stations won't allow a cell phone interview. If it is not possible to reach a land line then use a cell phone in a stationary location and not while you are rolling down the road as the reception could be interrupted mid interview.

7. Do not use a speaker phone or a headset; again, it's about good sound quality.

8. Be self-assured. Remember, you know your topic inside and out. Be confident in your ability.

9. Smile, smile, smile, whether on radio or TV - SMILE. You'll feel better, and for TV you'll look better too.

10. Put some pizzazz and energy into your voice. Try standing while you speak to liven things up a little.

11. Research the show and tailor your message accordingly. Just Google the host's name and station and check out their web site. Is it a national audience or a small town in Ohio? What is their format? Is it News/Talk, NPR or Classic Rock or something else? You need to know.

12. KNOW exactly how much time you will have on the air as a guest, three minutes or 30 minutes...so you can tailor your answers to the time allotted.

13. Practice your sound bites-out loud before the interview. Communicate your main points succinctly. Practice this out loud.

14. Be informative and entertaining without directly pushing your book, product or service. Make the audience "want more."

15. A kind word about the host can go a long way. It's good manners and good business.

16. A person's name is sweet music to them so commit to memory or jot down the name of the host and use it throughout the interview. When taking calls, use the names of callers too.

17. Be prepared for negative comments, from the host or listeners.

18. Be careful not to slide into techno-babble, jargon or acronyms that few know about.

19. Never talk down to your audience.

20. Be respectful of the host because everybody starts someplace. Today they're interviewing you from a college radio station; in a few years they could be a nationally syndicated host.

21. Don't Oversell. Remember you are on the air to provide useful information to the listening audience. If you are an author or selling something, limit yourself to TWO mentions of the book, product or service. You must make it interesting without the commercialism. It takes finesse but you can do it. Often times the host will do this for you and you won't need to mention it.

22. Think of a radio interview as an intimate conversation with a friend and not a conversation with thousands.

23. Radio interviews require verbal answers, not head nodding or uh-huhs. Hand gestures don't count in radio either.

24. Radio will often use interviews live and later cut them up for use throughout the day giving you more airplay. So keep your answer to a 10 to 20 second sound bite. You can say a lot in that amount of time and then you don't sound like you are babbling on. Don't go on more than a minute without taking a break.

25. Don't just answer questions. Tell listeners something you want them to know, something they wouldn't know unless they were tuned in, with the promise of more of the same when they buy the product or come see you!

26. Have three key messages. Short, not sermons. Sometimes the host opens the door, other times you have to answer a question and segue to a key message. A compelling message will have the host asking for more. Usually people can get in two key messages; the pros can get three. But even if you get in only one, you get a big return for the time invested.

27. Lazy hosts open with a lame: "Thanks for being here." Boom! Give a:15-:20 sec summary message. If the host introduces you with a question, be polite, deliver your summary message, then answer the question. "Thanks, (use name), for the opportunity to talk about....Now, to your question (name)..."

28. Maintain a Positive Attitude. BE GENUINE OR TRANSPARENT. Don't fake enthusiasm or sincerity. If you're in a bad mood cancel the interview. Don't pretend to know stuff you don't.

29. Re-read the press release or pitch that got the booking since the host is going to be using that as a starting point. Often a book publicist such as myself, will tie into a breaking news event that relates to your expertise. Be aware of that tie-in.

30. After the interview write a thank-you note. Since so few people do this, you'll really stand out from the crowd. And most importantly, you may get invited back.

31. Whether the interview is live or taped-live, if you stumble, or flub up just keep going. Often what you perceived as a mistake, the listeners won't even notice.

32. Ask for an MP3 of the recording before the interview. Often if you ask ahead of time the producer will record the interview and then you can use it on your web site. Be sure to listen to it later and critique your performance.

33. Ask for a testimonial. Often that MP3 will arrive with a note from the host saying how much they enjoyed the interview, or that " Scott Lorenz was a great interview, he really kept our audience engaged," or "the phones rang off the hook when Scott Lorenz was being interviewed." You can use those testimonials in future pitches and on your web site, blog etc.

Its a good idea to prepare questions for the host to use and include those in your press kits emailed to the stations. Often, the host will read those questions right in order since they may not have had a chance to read the book.

Make sure you know your own material inside and out and are comfortable with everything in it. You are the author of the book, or the press release and they'll ask you, "What did you mean about this or that?" You need to have the answer. You don't want any surprise. That's why as a book publicist I tell my authors they must be prepared.

The bottom line, RELAX, you'll do fine. The butterflies you're feeling are what will drive you to do your best! Just follow these helpful tips and you'll be a radio interview star!

33 Radio Interview Tips That'll Make You a Star
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Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with individuals and entrepreneurs to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz has handled public relations and marketing for numerous authors, doctors, lawyers, inventors and entrepreneurs. As a book marketing expert Lorenz is called upon by top execs and bestselling authors to promote their books. Learn more about Westwind Communications' book marketing approach at http://www.westwindcos.com/book or contact Lorenz at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090.

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Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Effective Marketing Ideas For Your Coffee Shop

Most of what I am going to talk about in this article is geared towards the new coffee shop. However, it can be utilized and directed towards an established shop.

Outside of your regulars, coffee is an impulse buy because the customer saw your sign. Aside from your regulars, most folks do not set out to 'go to the coffee shop' like they would to a restaurant (unless you ask them to so more on this later). You need a steady stream of customers outside of your normal morning commute business.

The morning commuters are your bread and butter, the rest helps fill in the revenue holes. These are your impulse buyers. They are going to come to you mainly via your sign outside, so instead of sending out 10,000 post cards to your neighborhood residents, spend that money on a premium location, visible sign and branding your image. You'll be glad you did:

Effective Marketing Ideas For Your Coffee Shop

As far as your signage, get one that is AS BIG AS POSSIBLE. That is, as allowable by your city ordinance and landlord, without being tacky! The bigger the sign is, the more visible it is.

By branding your image, you are identifying your existence within your community. Be sure you have a unique logo. If you cannot design it, get one custom made by a professional! I have seen a lot of cheap looking logos that do not help the image.

Another step in branding your image is to secure your shop's name on the world wide web by registering the domain name. Try to get all the domain tags: .com, .net, .org, etc. This is for email, and your website. You will be glad you did because it gives you a more professional image. Remember, the more common your business name is, the more difficult getting it registered online is going to be because the name may be taken.

As for your website, get one! If you can do this on your own, more power to you here too. I know just enough to be dangerous but you can get a nice website, even with online sales capabilities done economically. Check around locally, I bet there are a few web gurus in your area.

Here is where you have the chance to have every customer take your name with them when they leave allowing others to see it. Whether you have sleeves custom printed or you use stickers and put one on each cup or protective sleeve, they are all part of your branding. Be sure the design is clear and defines your shop well.

The same goes for stamps. You can have a rubber stamp made to stamp your whole bean coffee bags with. Note that the brown Kraft paper bags are what you'd need for this. If you use the foil bags, your stickers will work well for this too.

Press releases are an inexpensive way to tell the world what you are doing. A carefully crafted press release sent to the right person at the right news outlet can be the best form of advertising for you. Just be sure that whomever is on the press release as the contact person is actually available to be contacted.

Another great form of marketing is your use of tee shirts, caps and other wearable's. These are walking billboards for you courtesy of the folks that buy them. You can give them away if you want, it's all good advertising. Yes, they are expensive but I consider this great advertising and an expense under that category. Better, yes if you can make up the cost on them. But put this cost into your advertising budget. See if you can get them locally, if not there are several reputable companies on the internet. You will pay about .00 each in the end, but again the investment is very well worth it.

Where would we be without business cards? Think about it: how many people have you run into that do not have a business card for whatever it is they do for a living? Not many that I can remember. This is your time to tell everyone you meet that you are in the coffee business. Everyone you meet should get one of these and a few to spare. Do not be shy about handing them out!

Menus are a great example of simple marketing. These are the take out type so try to keep it simple. Under four pages, printed on an 8.5"x11" sheet of BRIGHT colored paper and folded in half is best. You can leave them at area businesses if they allow it. You can also put them on your counter by the checkout and anywhere else your customers will see and take them. You can have them copied at any copy place, or see if you can have a local copy shop do them. They should cost about .10-.15 cents each. All you need is a place to make them on a copy machine. Menus printed on a printing press will be more expensive in most cases.

Support materials are also a good way to advertise your products. You can usually get POS materials FREE from any supplier you are using. This goes for tent cards to put on your counter to full color posters to hang in your windows. Check with your distributor. If they do not keep these kinds of materials on hand, a call to the manufacturer can usually get them in your hands relatively quickly.

Vinyl lettering on your vehicle is another form of advertising, and another type of moving billboard. There are several places online that will allow you to use a particular vehicle template to design your lettering. Again, check around locally for better service and pricing. I had vehicle lettering made for my SUV: rear window and both rear side windows or under 0.00. Your vehicle will essentially become a moving billboard.

Vinyl lettering can be gotten for your store windows too, which will be similar to your vehicle lettering. Check with the same source.

Word of mouth is an excellent source of marketing. Customers can be your biggest and best marketing source for you. It can also backfire on you if you tick someone off or if a customer ends up having a bad experience at your shop, for whatever reason.

Make every effort that all customers are satisfied before they walk out of your door. You may never have the chance to do it again and everyone that that dissatisfied customer meets may be told of the unfortunate incident at your store. They may not come to your store if there was ever that chance they would.

Talk to the world online via your blog. This has got to be the best invention since a website and the internet itself started. Where else can you talk about nearly anything and let the world read it? You may just develop a following not only locally, but around the world.

Have event nights. This is great for weekends and 'dead' times. Earlier, I spoke about customers coming to your shop if you asked them to. This is where you have that chance. Events that will bring in business are almost plentiful. A few examples are trivia night, open mikes, singer-songwriter and other music performances, book signings and poetry. It can also be just about anything else you can think of that is of interest to others.

A word of caution about playing DVD's and TV/cable shows: Most of these are copyright protected and although you may not think you are breaking any laws, it can be construed as such. It's a royalty issue because you are making money on your beverages, in your establishment showing a DVD bought for 'personal' use. Just be careful here.

It's been my experience that this coupon mailers are usually a waste of money in the specialty coffee industry. There are way too many coupons in most of these mailers and most recipients throw them out. I know I do.

Internet advertising is good if you can limit to advertising locally using your zip code. You can reach a captive audience on the internet. It's relatively inexpensive because you choose what to spend on each ad and only pay per click. This is also good if you choose to sell whole beans online, however if you do not roast in-house this may be cost and inventory prohibitive.

Be careful when using coupons in any form. Coupons tend to cheapen the specialty coffee industry so I do not recommend using them. Bogo's (buy one get one) are OK for some advertising, like opening a new coffee shop but, you will get your bargain seekers that wait for those coupons in order to patronize you. You could create more monsters!

You will also, occasionally get regulars that bring in the coupons. Even though they are as deserving of the coupon as anyone else is, your aim is to get NEW customers so the 'coupon' doesn't always work. The only way I recommend a coupon is for a first time customer. You can usually get mailing addresses of new residents from your chamber of commerce and do a select, targeted mailing to the new residents only. So there are some easy, mostly economic ways to effectively advertise and market your coffee shop.

Remember, your customer service and quality will always have to be top notch but you can skimp on some advertising dollars by being crafty and conservative.

Effective Marketing Ideas For Your Coffee Shop
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Tony DiCorpo is a coffee shop owner, operator, barista and entrepreneur. He is also a coffee shop business consultant. He has authored many articles on the specialty coffee business and a business plan package that can be found at tonys-coffee-shop-business-plan.com

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Friday, November 16, 2012

Donald Trump, Robert Kiyosaki: Why We Want You to be Rich (book review)

The rich may be different, but millionaires and billionaires are people, too. One of the more entertaining aspects of Why We Want You to be Rich: Two Men, One Message by Donald J. Trump and Robert T. Kiyosaki is the glimpse into the private lives and motivations of these two very wealthy men who are committed to teaching financial literacy to as many people as possible. Beyond the entertainment--and certainly more important--is the information and the primary message, which is that you need to take charge of your own financial future.

The book is divided into five parts. In the first, Trump and Kiyosaki explain how they met and decided to write the book. In the second, they explain their theories on investing and why investing to become rich is not risky but very predictable--if you know what you're doing.

Parts three and four are worth reading and rereading. In part three, Trump and Kiyosaki share defining moments in their lives. Each chapter asks a "what did you learn from ..." question, and both authors reveal significant insights into what has shaped them into the men they are today.

Donald Trump, Robert Kiyosaki: Why We Want You to be Rich (book review)

Responding to "What did you learn from your father?", Kiyosaki notes: "Our traditional education did not prepare us for the real world. It prepared us to be employees. ... Regardless of whether we are rich or poor, smart or not smart, the one common denominator we all have is that we use money." To the question "What did you learn from your mother?", Trump writes: "My mother's advice was simple but wise. It cuts to the core and keeps me focused and well-balanced. 'Trust in God and be true to yourself.' It doesn't get any better than that."

In part four, Trump and Kiyosaki offer advice for readers at all stages and situations. No, they don't explain step-by-step how to invest in a property or choose a stock; instead they show readers how to educate themselves and take control of their financial lives, regardless of where they are at the moment. They don't tell you what to do; they tell you how to figure out for yourself what is best for you.

Finally, in part five, they push to you develop a plan and take action. They write: "Ninety percent of the investing public wants to be given the magic formula, the answer that will make them rich. ... You will need to find your own magic formula."

The book concludes with both Trump and Kiyosaki urging you to do some serious and perhaps even painful self-evaluation. By itself, this book can't change your life--it's just words on paper. But it can guide you to the plan and tools to do it yourself.

Trump and Kiyosaki, along with their co-authors Meredith McIver and Sharon Lechter, have produced one of their best works with Why We Want You to be Rich: Two Men, One Message.

Donald Trump, Robert Kiyosaki: Why We Want You to be Rich (book review)
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Jordan Taylor is the editor of Millionaire Mentor™ Newsletter, which is published by Whitney Education Group, Inc.™ To sign up for a free subscription, visit [http://www.russwhitney.com]

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Monday, November 12, 2012

Product Positioning Strategies

Positioning is what the customer believes about your product's value, features, and benefits; it is a comparison to the other available alternatives offered by the competition. These beliefs tend to based on customer experiences and evidence, rather than awareness created by advertising or promotion.

Marketers manage product positioning by focusing their marketing activities on a positioning strategy. Pricing, promotion, channels of distribution, and advertising all are geared to maximize the chosen positioning strategy.

Generally, there are six basic strategies for product positioning:

Product Positioning Strategies

1. By attribute or benefit- This is the most frequently used positioning strategy. For a light beer, it might be that it tastes great or that it is less filling. For toothpaste, it might be the mint taste or tartar control.

2. By use or application- The users of Apple computers can design and use graphics more easily than with Windows or UNIX. Apple positions its computers based on how the computer will be used.

3. By user- Facebook is a social networking site used exclusively by college students. Facebook is too cool for MySpace and serves a smaller, more sophisticated cohort. Only college students may participate with their campus e-mail IDs.

4. By product or service class- Margarine competes as an alternative to butter. Margarine is positioned as a lower cost and healthier alternative to butter, while butter provides better taste and wholesome ingredients.

5. By competitor- BMW and Mercedes often compare themselves to each other segmenting the market to just the crème de la crème of the automobile market. Ford and Chevy need not apply.

6. By price or quality- Tiffany and Costco both sell diamonds. Tiffany wants us to believe that their diamonds are of the highest quality, while Costco tells us that diamonds are diamonds and that only a chump will pay Tiffany prices.

Positioning is what the customer believes and not what the provider wants them to believe. Positioning can change due the counter measures taken at the competition. Managing your product positioning requires that you know your customer and that you understand your competition; generally, this is the job of market research not just what the enterpreneur thinks is true.

Product Positioning Strategies
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John Bradley Jackson brings street-savvy sales and marketing experience from Silicon Valley and Wall Street. His resume also includes entrepreneur, angel investor, corporate trainer, philanthropist, and consultant. His book is called “First, Best, or Different: What Every Entrepreneur Needs to Know About Niche Marketing”.

Check out his website at: http://www.firstbestordifferent.com or his blog at http://www.firstbestordifferent.com/blog

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Thursday, November 8, 2012

The Difference Between Marketing and Selling

Many people are confused about marketing versus selling. They're not actually the same thing. Marketing can best be described as getting the product to market, whereas selling involves actually closing the sale with a potential customer. Some people also refer to closing the sale as the "conversion," referring to the fact that the potential customer is converted into an actual customer.

Marketing then, involves a lot of preliminary work before the client ever becomes directly involved. This includes researching the market to identify who the target customers are and what they are looking for. It also involves identifying the best way to reach those potential customers based on their needs and desires. A good "marketing message" will draw potential customers in by addressing or meeting those needs and desires. This increases the chance that they will eventually purchase your product or service.

Marketing can be done offline or online via the Internet. Online offers some advantages because it is inexpensive or even free. By conducting a keyword search or using a search engine and some software, you can find out data that might otherwise cost you considerably to compile via other means. So this can be a very cost effective means of conducting research.

The Difference Between Marketing and Selling

There are some areas where marketing and sales intersect or overlap. One area is when you create the "pitch." Most people are familiar with the term "sales pitch," but the sales pitch is not about selling alone. It is also about the development and delivery of that marketing message so that consumers will receive it.

Effective marketing then also includes clear effective delivery of the "pitch" to consumers. This should be done through whatever means you use to communicate with your potential customers-including in print or media advertising or through point-of-purchase displays and other means. Your "pitch" or your message should be clear and professional and build trust.

Many sales people consider selling as a way of overcoming objections. If a consumer is considering the purchase of a product, they already desire the product, but chances are they have objections that stand between that desire and making the actual purchase. The research conducted during the marketing process should identify all the potential objections that might arise prior to a sale. It can also help address some of these concerns and objections up front. Then, you increase your odds of closing the actual sale.

Marketing then is a lot about numbers, research, and statistics. But that's not enough by itself. Marketing is also an art. It involves understanding human motivations, as well. Those motivations determine how, when, what, and why they buy.

Internet marketing-and in fact, all marketing-seems to be focused on numbers. You will often hear the media focusing on how many potential customers you can reach via a particular means of advertising or by sending emails, etc. But just because you expose your message to thousands or millions of people does not guarantee success.

You won't automatically get a particular percentage of people to purchase from you just because they hear about you. It's not that simple. Certain groups of people are going to be more inclined to purchase your product or service based on their specific motivations. So rather than just putting your message out there for everyone (and paying to do that), good marketing focuses on speaking to and being heard by the right demographic group that is more likely to purchase what you are selling.

Marketing - when done well - is pretty seamless. Compelling ad copy and attractive graphics make it seem easy. Effective marketing uses these tools to convey the appropriate message to the target market. When marketing is well done, products or services seem to almost sell themselves.

The Difference Between Marketing and Selling
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Monday, November 5, 2012

3 Questions to Ask Before Writing Your Book That Will Influence Your Book Marketing Plan

Many authors leave devising their book marketing plan until after their book is published. This is a grave mistake. How you plan to market your book will affect how you write and even publish it.

Prioritising the development and implementation of your book marketing plan will help to ensure that your book is a best-seller. The alternative is that your book is to left languish on a book store shelf or even returned to the publisher to be turned into confetti.

So here are three questions to ask before you write your book.

3 Questions to Ask Before Writing Your Book That Will Influence Your Book Marketing Plan

1. What will be the title and sub-title?

Your title should normally average at about 1-4 words long. It should be catchy and memorable. While the final title of your book may not be finalised until your book is nearly complete you'll want to have some possible book titles to work with. Author and expert book marketer, Rick Frishman, recommends having at least 10 potential titles to choose from. And you should register each potential title as a domain name.

Actually, the fact that a title might not be available as a domain name can be a deciding factor as to whether or not to choose that particular title. You want potential buyers to be able to easily find your book online. They will not be able to do so if it is associated with some obscure domain name or worse yet you haven't got a domain at all and have to refer individuals to the your book's URL on your publisher's website.

The sub-title of your book will reveal to a potential reader what they will gain from reading the book. In other words your sub-title should be benefit-rich and designed to persuade a prospect to want to read your book. Many authors omit a sub-title. This is a lost opportunity to promote the message of your book.

2. Will you publish a hardcover version?

There's no question that authors who publish hard cover versions of their books are seen to be more prestigious. A hardcover version of a book is generally released first and is, of course, more expensive than the later soft cover edition. It is often seen as a collector's item. Whether or not you print a hardcover version of your book will partially depend upon your target market.

If you're planning to publish more than one version of your book, then you may want to consider multiple launches. In other words, you want to create buzz around the publishing of each version of your book. So this should be taken into consideration when drawing up your marketing plan.

3. Will you make your book available in digital format?

There are numerous advantages of having your book available in digital format but there are some disadvantages as well. Whether or not you want to offer prospects a digital version of your book is a deciding factor in the type of publisher you work with. There are some traditional publishers who will not allow you to make do this.

If your book can be accessed in digital format then it will be more readily available for individuals to review. With the growing popularity of digital book readers such as the Kindle and Sony Reader you would be exposing yourself to another revenue stream regarding your book sales.

You can also create special promotions using the digital version of your book that will help to increase the sales of your physical book. One possible disadvantage is that people might share your book without your permission. You can prevent this by choosing a digital format for your book that allows you to control who can actually and by using tools such as Product Padlock to prevent digital piracy.

Alternatively, you could see the viral marketing of your book as a good thing as it reflects that people thought your book not only worth reading but also worth sharing. Within your digital book there should be, at the very least, be directions for readers to link to your website. In this way you'll indirectly gain sales even through unofficial viral marketing of your book.

3 Questions to Ask Before Writing Your Book That Will Influence Your Book Marketing Plan
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Check For Cookbooks Best Sellers 2012 Discount OFFER!
Check for Top 100 Most Popular Books People Are Buying Daily Price Update!
Check For 100 New Release & BestSeller Books For Your Collection

How would you like to get your next book to the elusive #1 position on Amazon? For a tested and proven, step-by-step marketing plan that will help you sell loads more books while becoming an Amazon Best-Selling Author visit #1: Amazon Best-Seller.

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