Marketing To The Right Prospect

First let me start by clearly stating that the purpose of this article is not to expose or introduce the hottest or newest trend(s) in the field of marketing - on or offline. Sometimes it is necessary to take a step back, regroup, and start with the fundamentals. You hear this often from a college or professional football coach, "we just need to get back to the basics...". The same applies to the area of marketing. Again, this is basically a friendly reminder to revisit marketing 101.

My educaional and professional background are in the area of marketing, so I am always on the look-out for errors in one's approach or ways that I can improve myself. While I do have 15 years of experience in the area, and it is my daily profession, I certainly don't claim to be the "marketing guru" of the century. However, I do know what works and what doesn't. Sadly enough, much of it boils down to common sense. Many "marketers" market to the wrong people. Allow me to explain.

This is where I go back to the "fundamentals" of marketing. Simple and off-the-cuff examples are knowing your demographics and target market. But hey, you would expect any professional marketer to start here, right? Let me share a few examples of poor marketing that I encounter on a daily basis.

The first one is (and I may "coin" a phrase here?) - marketing to a marketer. I have found through the years that many marketers are not really selling anything in particular, but rather a concept. It's almost as if they are "selling a dream". Unfortunately, many people unwittingly get roped into these sales pitches. What the marketer is doing is selling the idea of marketing. They are "coaches". Don't get me wrong, many have legitimate and often free advice that can be put to practical use. The thing that gets me is that they don't seem to do their research first.

I have seen time and time again a marketing "expert" sell the idea that anyone can become a marketer, on or offline. This is, of course, true. However, these "marketers" aren't selling anything tangible. They usually want to steer you to an affiliate that may even steer you to yet another. How much marketing knowledge does this person really possess? Again, they seem to be "selling a dream".

The other mistake I see every single day is a marketer that does sell a particular product or service trying to sell their "goods or services" to someone that sells the EXACT SAME THING! Now all of my fellow marketers, if you are perhaps making cold calls and it was a simple mistake, that's understandable. All too often I see someone try to market me my own services. The problem here is the corresponence channel they took to reach me. This is the one I love the most! Marketing 101...

I am the managing editor, marketer, you name it for a few different websites. These sites are clearly labeled with respect to what their function is. I'll use the example my SEO Firm. Through my very own contact form or contact email address (and even the support ticket area!) I receive what I'll call "marketing spam" for me to use this site or that SEO company to increase my rankings! Did you check my rankings? I am on page 2 in Google SERPS for this service out of 90 something million sites!

Anyway, it makes me laugh. Is it persistance, ignorance, or what? What causes someone (marketers) to try and market themselves, their knowledge, or goods and services to someone doing the same thing? I suggest that these go-getters get back to the basics, back to marketing 101, and know what and who they're marketing to. I only say these things to help, not out of arrogance.