Throughout our marketing careers, we’re given a great deal of advice along the way, such as: “Set objectives and measure them,” “Keep it simple, stupid…” and “Focus on benefits, not features.” But have you ever gotten that one piece of advice that has stuck with you and really impacted your marketing results (and career)?
Here’s how some of our Facebook and LinkedIn friends answered the question, “What’s the best marketing advice you ever received?”
“If it ain’t being measured, it ain’t being managed.” (Kate Shopper)
“The customer can’t articulate his problem—that’s what you have to do it for him.” (Pamit D. Anand)
“Don’t tell the customer where to go—tell them why they need to be there.” (Teri Fisher)
“Your opinion doesn’t matter… Only your customer’s does.” (LuAnne Kay)
“Think creatively. Act strategically.” (Tricia Hrotko)
“Don’t assume anything!” (Stephanie Weagle)
“Marketing is not looking in the mirror.” (Mark van de Sande)
“Don’t always trust your gut … Test everything.” (Bob Hebeisen)
“Do not discount. Discounting for the most part kills your brand and your happiness level. You fee like you’re working thrice as hard for the same amount of money. And guess what? You are!” (Sean D’Souza)
And last but not least …
“Start by defining your target audience very precisely—the narrower and more specific the better. Then learn what makes them tick, how they think, what they value, attitudes, habits, practices, needs, current experiences, emotional connections, even the words they use when they discuss your category and their unmet needs. THEN develop your strategy. It’s too easy to take the shortcut and go right to strategy (or even implementation!) based on what YOU think and what YOU want. That’s a quick way to get in trouble. Better to assume nothing and ask the target audience for input first. And THEN test everything.” (Michael A. Goodman)
Your turn: What’s the best marketing advice you ever received?
Tags: customers, Marketing, Marketing Strategy
Branding is about emotions. How does your product or service make your customer feel?
Don’t spend money on offline marketing. Spend it online.
I’ll bet whoever gave you that advice had an axe to grind. Surely the advice doesn’t apply to every business. What if you are a mobile food vendor with a cart or truck? Your [offline] signage (or the speaker playing music on your ice cream truck) is likely to be more valuable than an online ad. And even among businesses that get a lot of benefit from online advertising, an integrated marketing effort that includes both online and offline approaches is likely to be better than online-only.
Don’t try to please everyone. Focus on your best customers and find more like them.
A ‘fact’ that I have always subscribed to: People do business with people they like!
Engage your clients/customers & understand their personality types.
They still expect & deserve results. They won’t do business with you for long if they are not getting them.
They will also become one of your greatest assets when you do!
I work under this principle – I have never lost a customer. They may not be running with me right now but I’ve never lost one!
Love that advice, Lou!
Your not selling a product, you’re selling an experience.
Great article Mega. The best advice I’ve received was from a marketing professor. He said if you forget everything you learn in this class, remember this: STP (for segment, target and position). Certainly I remembered more, but that being burned into my psyche has helped quite a bit when problems get overly complicated in marketing. That along with me mentioning it at a successful job interview makes it the best
Great advice, Ryan. Thanks for sharing.
These were more in the nature of discoveries than advice received, but still worth passing on. There were others, but these are the two that came to mind immediately. Both are quotes from real-life exchanges with clients.
1. It ain’t what we want to sell, it’s what the customer wants to buy.
2. Marketing begins with fixing operations.
I continue to be amazed at how so many marketing practitioners think it’s beneath them to learn the operations side of the businesses they’re in. If you can’t provide the customer with the product or service you’ve promised, all your marketing strategy and money are wasted.
Differentiate or Die.
Best marketing advice ever: drop offline marketing (i.e., intuitive marketing) and embrace online marketing (i.e., scientific and measurable marketing)!
In every marketing campaign (whether offline or online), always follow the AIDCA principle (for the best results) when writing/designing the campaign; i.e., 1) ATTENTION, 2) INTEREST, 3) DESIRE, 4) CONVICTION, and 5) ACTION.
If you do not like yourself how can you expect your customers to like you?
An old marketing course lesson that still rings true – “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole!” Figure out what people are really after and let that drive everything from the product design to the marketing execution.
Jim, I love that saying. Thanks for sharing.
If you’re not happy with it, don’t pitch it to me!
It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.
I received 2 great pieces of marketing advice when I first started and both dealt with testing. They are:
Test early. Test often.
Test. Measure. Adjust. Repeat.
Thanks for sharing the other great marketing advice!
Sharon
@sharonmostyn
“Don’t only do a marketing course, do a psychology course as well!”
always deliver on your promise
This is some really good marketing advice. Mine is kind of like the last one. “Get to know your customers so you can give them what they want, and answer the questions they have.” It’s easy to sell a solution to a problem, but hard to convince a customer to buy something they don’t see a need for.
[...] What's the Best Marketing Advice You Ever Received .Sep 27, 2011 What's the Best Marketing Advice You Ever Received? Tweet The customer can't articulate his problemthat's what you have to do it for him. (Pamit D. Anand). Don't tell the [...]