Magical Marketing Pill Exposed. Is the “hot new thing” really the solution you need?

It’s the cure for all problems. It will make any business grow dramatically. Use it and profits will fall from the sky.

It’s the next “big thing.”

It’s the “magic pill” that is constantly being offered up by self-proclaimed business and wealth gurus. Just buy their new information product or attend their latest seminar and you too can instantly make millions with no time or effort.

Sadly, we live in a world where people are looking for quick fixes instead of using simple, effective, and proven fundamentals. Quick? Probably not. But much more likely to guarantee a payoff.

Let’s look at some of the magic pills that have been promoted lately.

“You need a slick website and you’ll get thousands of customers.”

“There are billions of people who use the internet every day. With a website, you’ll tap into a huge source of customers who are ready to buy.”

Like most cons, there is a kernel of truth here. The internet is huge and there are billions of people who use it. It has revolutionized the way business is done.

Just having a website, however, doesn’t guarantee you a single new customer. It needs to be part of an overall program for getting new business. You see, a website doesn’t find new prospects, it is a response mechanism. Someone has to learn about you first and then they can go to your website.

To produce results, a website needs to do an effective selling job. It is, in effect, your company’s substitute for a live salesperson. Unfortunately, many sites represent their company so poorly they actually unsell the visitor.

Here’s another magic pill that is wildly popular.

“Get a Top Ten Ranking on Google and you’ll be flooded with business.”

The hook is that this claim is usually connected to buying a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) program that will guarantee a top rating on Google.

Again, there is some truth to the statement. Millions upon millions of people use Google. And, being listed on the first page of a search gives you a huge advantage. (I can attest to this from personal experience.)

If you serve customers worldwide, or at least nationwide, there can be enough people looking for your product or service to build a business this way.

But, if you deal with people on a face-to-face basis, you are limited to people in your local area. This drops the number of real prospects coming from Google like a shot bird. High Google rankings can be a good source of customers. But for the average business, there will rarely be enough volume from Google or any search engine to boom your business.

It’s simple but worth repeating. You must have a marketing system in place for growth to occur. While search engine optimization may be part of your plan it won’t do the job alone.

The following is one of my favorite magic pills that’s wildly promoted.

“Social Media is the hot new thing that will make your business successful.”

Just in case you have been living in the wilderness for the past year or so, social media includes networking sites like Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter. The idea being promoted is that if you build a large network of “friends” or “followers” your business will boom.

Yes. Yet again there is a tiny bit of truth to a basic claim. A lot of business is based on building and maintaining a network of relationships. But, it’s almost impossible to build any business on social media alone.

I was in a meeting with a group of about 15 public relations professionals talking about Twitter. The consensus was that if you are a famous celebrity with an avid fan base, daily updates on what you are eating or where you are going can be very effective.

The job becomes much tougher for a typical business. What will you say each day that will be new, exciting, or beneficial to your followers? And, how will you say it in 140 characters or less? (The maximum length of a Twitter message known as a “Tweet.”)

It takes a lot of time and dedication to build and maintain a business following via social media. The question is whether or not it is even appropriate for your business, and how can you get a return on your investment?

Social media can be an effective tool in your marketing toolbox. But it is no where near a total solution by itself.

Okay. So what beats a magic pill?

There are always people who are promoting quick fixes and miracle cures. What it takes to make your business grow is a complete marketing system. It needs to consistently reach out to potential customers, get their attention, raise their interest, and get them to respond to you.

It’s not magic. It’s a proven set of fundamentals which are correctly applied.

There is an old adage in football that the teams that are the best at blocking and tackling win championships. It is not one razzle-dazzle play that makes the difference. It is a whole season of executing the fundamentals better than anyone else that puts you in a Superbowl.

I’m sorry. I know that this is not a sexy revelation. The question to ask yourself is which do you prefer: sexy? or successful?

An ideal marketing program addresses everything from contacting prospects to having them become customers. It may include websites, Google, and social media. But it certainly must also include effective selling messages, direct response mailings, and a host of other tools of the trade.

A character in one of my favorite plays said, “Come on! It’s not rocket surgery!” And, its also true for growing your business. What’s needed is a working system for promoting your business and using that system in a high-volume and consistent way.

If you want to speed the process and increase the success rate of building your marketing system, call the team at Sentium Strategic Communications at 1 (800) 595-1288.

We will arrange a no-obligation, telephone meeting where we can explore how to make your system more effective. Of course, this meeting is free. You’ll pay zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. But you’ll gain insight in how to improve your marketing success.

Instead of chasing a “magic pill” you can have something much more valuable – a marketing system that will actually help your business grow.

To Your Business Success,

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