Today there are so many marketing messages that a person has to push through. In fact we are faced with nearly 7,000 marketing messages a day and the reality of it is we only notice about 5 in any given day. So how do you become one of the 5 instead of the 6,995 that aren't seen?
You see we are conditioned, harden up and we know when a marketing message is coming our way. Whether it by through direct mail, flyers, billboards, Facebook, twitter, and the list goes on we are ready to turn a blind eye and look the other way in a flash. As a prospect we are very picky on what we will give our limited attention to, we are busy and don't have time to read the sales pitch, see the offer or make a decision UNLESS we really are ready to buy that thing right now.
So how can a business ensure that they get a return on their marketing $$ and not become one of the 6,995 each day that is not seen.
The key to good marketing is around building relationships... It is around providing a solution to a prospect problem and it's around showing that what you have to offer is going to add value to their lives. So how do you do that in 10 seconds?
Well let's talk about one simple way that a business can attract more leads and keep prospects looking at their marketing message rather than throwing it away or turning a blind eye. It is called a 'hook' a simple object that your prospect wants and needs and really can't do without. In fact this hook is so powerful to your prospect that they will in fact hand over their contact details in order to get it.
Small business owners are starting to wise up to using a 'hook' in return for the prospects details. Instead of just promoting their product or service, small business owners, in their marketing are in fact promoting the ability to get this free hook. Hey we all love something for free!
The genius of this is for the prospect to get that something free they need to hand over their contact details, which means now the business can market to them and build a relationship with them over the coming days, weeks, months rather than trying to get the prospect to make a decision within seconds about their product or service.
So what sort of hook is good enough? The hook needs to add value and sort of provide a little solution to the prospects problem. It needs to educate them a little, and also why you are the best in your field. It needs to be intriguing enough for your prospect to want it. As an example a carpet cleaner might have a hook such as 'Free Report - The 7 Mistakes Carpet Cleaners Make 90% of the Time and How To Avoid Them" or a Personal Trainer might go with "Free DVD - 13 basic exercises that will guarantee you drop one size" you get the drift. The hook is something that allows you to capture details in return. Using a hook is extremely powerful for many reasons: however most of all it is allowing businesses to get their marketing message seen rather than thrown in the bin, because after all, your prospect is interested in getting something that will help them.
For 7 Free Marketing Resources Visit www.secretsofasupersmallbusiness.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Griffiths
