Who Is Truly Benefiting From Your Marketing Efforts?
Jain Lemos
Jain Lemos is a New York Times No. 1 bestselling book producer, noted photography publishing expert, author and innovator.
Who Is Truly Benefiting From Your Marketing Efforts?
Deploying a basketful of marketing strategies may be the only way to determine what is actually working. Once you’ve tried just about everything to reach potential clients, take time to carefully review the results and consider hidden maneuvers for the next push. Ideas are there if you care to see them.
The Troxler effect is an optical illusion that affects our visual perception. If you have ever tried fixating on a particular point for a few moments, anything outside of that fixation point will soon fade away and disappear. “If presented with a steady image in the area of our peripheral vision, we actually stop seeing it after a while.”
Marketing efforts often reach Troxler levels faster than expected. We might be able to make a quick splash with something sparkly or shocking, but what we really want the viewer to concentrate on — hiring us or buying our products — simply falls out of view and the next flashy promo grabs their attention.
For many years now, luring people into our worlds by serving up something enticing has been front and center. Motivations that cause people to buy something haven’t changed:
Scarcity (only one spot left!)
Urgency (buy now or else)
Authority (this person knows everything I need to know)
Referral (someone I trust is recommending this)
Deal (I can’t miss a bargain).
There are several other motivators, even ones that feel more altruistic. One of my favorites is uniqueness (somewhat akin to scarcity), where there is no significant exploration of a particular subject matter. Photography pricing used to have uniqueness built into the equation, but this value-point became more and more insignificant as digital technology and worldwide “real-time” image delivery progressed. Still, offering something new is always worth risking.
Presenting your offer in an attractive way is always the right move. The more professional the images and graphics look, the care taken in choosing words that set the tone, and the ease or difficulty of making the sale once you’ve sparked interest are all part of smart packaging. But is this enough anymore?
“Marketing efforts often reach Troxler levels faster than expected.”
JAIN LEMOS
Review what’s working.
Run through this list of standard promotional and marketing activities to see what you tried in the past year and which methods were the most effective in terms of bringing you revenue.
Social Media Advertising (buys on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
Online Advertising (Google ads, click-through ads on major portals)
Mobile Advertising (within apps)
Personal One-to-One Selling (free consultations)
Direct Mail Promos (coupons, freebies, samples or trial offers)
Trade Shows & Conferences (exhibiting or attending)
Publicity and Public Relations (news stories, profiles, endorsements, referrals)
Email Campaigns (special offers to subscribers)
Video Marketing (YouTube, Vimeo channels)
Audio Marketing (radio ads, interviews and podcasts)
Returns that exceed the effort.
Can you figure out another way to reach people without relying on these traditional (and often played-out) marketing tactics? If we’ve been “trained” to fixate on these channels because we believe they are the only way, or the best way, to promote our work, what might be far more successful is something that has faded into the woodwork. What about trying platforms or channels that aren’t so obvious?
Why is it that artists tend to pay others more than they receive themselves? Who is really making money here? Instead of paying for social media ads or spending unpaid time creating free content just to put yourself out there where you think everyone will see you, why not become aware of who is truly benefiting from your marketing efforts. Why not join forces with the operators in the peripheral?
If you would like to explore this concept with me and hear how I can help you, please drop me a line.
“What about trying platforms or channels that aren’t so obvious?”
JAIN LEMOS
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