Marketing Made Simple

With Valentine’s Day just passing, I had to chuckle at the emotions marketers were playing on. Dr. Phil, the spokesperson for Match.com, talks about how you need to stop being scared and just get out there and do it – meet the person that’s been waiting for you since you were born. And those jewelry store commercials are almost more than I can stand – I can’t tell you how many times I’ve teared up.

Marketing is all about playing upon emotions. Read the subject lines of the messages you get in your email. This morning, I got one that said “Heather, Someone wants to connect with you” – I opened it. Why? Because I wanted to know who wanted to connect with me! It played upon my emotions. Who doesn’t love to connect with people from the past?

Anytime a company can play upon our emotions, we’re sold. Think about all of the ads, headlines, and sales copy that have persuaded you to purchase something. Think about the last e-Book you purchased online. Why did you buy it?

Emotions are the key in the world of marketing. Remember that when you’re trying to market to your target. When you can tap into their emotions, you’re more likely to sway them in your direction.

3 Surefire Ways to Build Relationships Using Your Blog

Many people see blogging as nothing more than a fast and easy way to add content to their websites. However, a blog is a powerful tool that can be used to develop new and deeper relationships with your website visitors. After all, if your visitors like what you have to say, they will continue to come back to your blog again and again. After the relationship is formed and strengthened, a trust will be established. Your visitors need to trust you before handing over their money for a product or service; they need more than just your word and a virtual handshake.

Be Personable

Just because your blog is business-related, this doesn’t mean that it has to be formal. While you can post full articles that you’ve written, you can also post shorter “on-the-fly” comments. For example, you could post your opinion about a news article you just read, or perhaps you could post compliments (or complaints) about a customer service experience you just had. If you want your readers to feel like they are getting to know you, let them catch glimpses of your life behind the scenes. I don’t recommend airing your dirty laundry or letting your readers know every time your child eats, sleeps, and poops, but you could easily find a way to weave some off-topic comments into your posts about the Saturday afternoon you spent gardening. The more “human” you appear, the more your readers will come to trust you.

Admit Your Mistakes

It takes a big person to admit his or her mistakes. If you want your readers to think of you as an expert, you may feel like you have to present yourself as someone who never makes mistakes. The truth is that “perfect people” can be intimidating and unapproachable. If you never make mistakes, you won’t seem human, which will make it difficult for your readers to relate to you.

Don’t feel like you need to tell your readers every little thing that you’ve done wrong. You don’t. You certainly don’t want them to think that you mess up all the time, but sharing an occasional mishap from your past makes you seem more real. When your visitors see that you’re human and that you still found success, they start to believe that you can help them do it too.

Share Your Dreams

Who doesn’t have goals? We all have goals, don’t we? I’ve heard that if you are held accountable for your goals, you are more likely to achieve them. Why not make your blog readers your accountability partners by sharing both long- and short-term goals with them? At the beginning of each month, let them know what projects you want to accomplish and how you’re going to tackle them. Assure them that you’ll post an update at the end of the month, and encourage interaction by inviting them to share their experiences and goals -- or simply ask them for encouragement and advice.

Don’t go too far and get overly personal as you don’t want to take the emphasis away from your business. Turning your business blog into a personal journal could backfire and reduce the effectiveness of your blog as a business tool. If you enjoy blogging for personal reasons, start a personal blog and keep your existing blog for business purposes only. Use it as the powerful tool that it is.

Let your readers see you as a real person—one who makes mistakes, one who has dreams and goals, and one who shares personal experiences. You will find that doing so goes a long way toward building relationships with your readers, and in the end they are more likely to follow the advice of (and spend money with!) someone they know, like and respect.

If you want to post this on your website or blog you can! (You just need to include the following)

Heather Jacobson is the author of Making Dollars Out of Cents: 101 Tips for the Frugal Marketer, and is also the publisher of the popular ezine, Marketing Made Simple, a bi-weekly publication filled with simple marketing tactics designed to enhance one's marketing efforts. An expert in implementing marketing campaigns for companies on a budget, Heather thrives on coaching others to achieve financial success. For more information, visit http://www.HeatherJacobson.com

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