When it comes to marketing your business, the basics still rule.

They’ll never change.

 

A recent article proposed that online marketing is about to change, as we know it. While some of the points may be valid, I also think the “doom and gloom” proclaimed over the industry is grossly over exaggerated.

I’ve been in this game of business for a long time.  And during that time, I’ve seen MANY people come, and many people go.  Big names who were once the “go-to” person in their niche, now obsolete or irrelevant.

This happens ALL THE TIME.  It’s nothing new.

So how do we last the test of time?

Three things to keep in mind…

1)  Things are going to change… but the fundamentals NEVER do.  

Sure the “tactics” are going to change.  Even the “tools” and platforms are going to change too.  But the fundamentals behind what made these tactics work will always last the test of time.

It’s easy to get caught up in the “online product launches don’t work anymore” propaganda… but the reality is, launches work… and they continue to work really, really well.

What doesn’t work is when people use the same strategies year in and year out without updating or adjusting their marketing.  They get lazy.  That’s why their marketing has become less effective.  It’s boring or outdated.

It’s NOT that product launches don’t work.  It’s that their marketing doesn’t stand out. It doesn’t connect.  

I have many examples of this, but the first one that comes to mind is a coaching client of mine who essentially ran the EXACT same launch for nearly 3 years in a row (and it’s run twice a year).  It has always worked well, but recently, the results started to level off. Her launches weren’t growing.

So, what did we do?

We reimagined the launch.  We changed things up.  We gave everything a facelift in the way that we positioned the offer, in how we delivered the marketing, and ultimately how we connected with her audience.

Doing that is SCARY.  Because innovating means that you are trying something new. That means you’re entering the unknown.  And the tension between leaving what you’ve always known to try something new is real (and hard… which is why we avoid it).

But here’s the thing…

The innovation doesn’t mean that you completely abandon the fundamentals of a good launch.  It doesn’t mean that you completely throw up your hands and cry “launches are dead”.

It means that you have to get creative about your approach while STILL relying on the fundamentals of what makes a great launch work.  The anticipation, the social proof, establishing authority, community, providing value, connection, having a great offer, a deadline and everything else.

So, what happened with my client’s launch?

She was scared OUT OF HER MIND.  But… she trusted the process.  And she innovated anyway.

The results were…

Her biggest launch ever.  A HUGE discovery that simultaneously dropped her refund rates by almost 70%.  And FAR greater client results (which is only going to help her even more in her next launch).

2)  Tell great stories, win more sales.

At the end of the day, marketing is nothing more than telling stories.  It’s not “tricking” people into buying something they don’t want.

That’s what REALLY rubbed me the wrong way with this article.  The author kept saying things like “customers are getting smart” and “customers know what to look for and how to avoid it”.  

I don’t know about you, but I’m not trying to “trick” my customers.

Great marketing is NOT brow beating someone into a sale.  It’s not “tricking” or deceiving someone into buying what you have.

Great marketing inspires.  It tells a story.  It bridges a gap between where the customer is and where they want to be.

That’s why I am OBSESSED with the “Circle of Awesomeness”.  Which if you’re not familiar goes like this…

STEP #1: Make a sale

STEP #2: Get client RESULTS

STEP #3: Capture client’s STORY

STEP #4: Share client’s STORY

STEP #5:  Make more sales

But here’s the thing…

Long-term success for you and I depends on #2… helping your clients get the RESULT they’re looking for.  If you don’t do that, then your marketing instantly becomes WAY more difficult.

However, if you help your customers get the result they’re looking for, you have a great story to tell.  And if you’ve got a great story to tell, your marketing becomes SO much easier (and dare I say effortless?)

Why?

Because at the end of the day, people buy stuff because they have a need.  They have a problem they want solved.  And as long as your product, service, coaching, consulting or whatever you’re selling solves that problem (and you have a TON of evidence to showcase that), you’ll always last the test of time.

So, I’m not in this for the quick win… and I don’t think you are either.

We’re in this for the long-haul.  That means that we are crystal clear about the #1 factor that influences our long-term success… our client results.

3)  Love on your people.

At the end of the day, business is all based on relationships.

If your core approach to marketing begins with a commitment to serving your people and helping them get results, people will want to work with you (no matter what “tactic” you’re using for marketing).  

Why?

Because it’s just about communicating that commitment and showcasing the evidence that the results are real (aka… your stories!).

And when you do, your audience will realize that you have their best interests in mind.

That’s why this feeling that marketing is “tricking” people or “deceiving” people REALLY ticks me off.  It has NOTHING to do with that.

It has EVERYTHING to do with serving people and communicating how what you have can help them get the result they want easier and faster.

So all this “doom and gloom” is ridiculous.  

Do we always need to adapt and change?

Yes.

Do we need to constantly look at our marketing and try to improve it?

Of course.

But don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.

Online launches are NOT dead.

Lazy, boring marketing is dead.

But the fundamentals of great marketing are ALIVE and THRIVING.

So, don’t be lazy.  Don’t be boring.

Stick to the fundamentals.  Commit to getting your clients results.  Then share those stories.

Do that, and you’ll win long-term.