Artist | Author | Consultant | Radio & Podcast Producer | Television Host
We have all heard the saying, “build it and they will come!” That saying is very true, they may come if you have something of interest but they may also walk on by. So in order to offset that people will put out a big sign outside of their location, then their competitor will put out a bigger sign, and then everyone waits. They’re waiting for all the people to flood into their store because they opened a shop and put out a sign. Since they spent all their money on the sign they wonder why no one is coming into their shop, after all they built it, they should come! That may have been how it was done in earlier years but the truth is that anyone can build a store front now online. So people set up a store front and wonder why people don’t buy their product. They spent all this money on a website so there should be traffic.
People have so many options these days for products and services that it is not enough for you to set up shop whether online or brick and mortar hoping people will visit. The marketing is the secret and I see the difference all the time. I see people set up complex systems to sell their product online, create products that are exceptional, and then sit and wonder why no one is buying it. They didn’t market it. How many times have we seen a silly product make millions and wonder how the heck the company did that? They marketed the product very well and people became interested. The argument comes when people think that it is all about the money you throw at a campaign and the people you know. The truth is that grass roots marketing is very effective. It doesn’t matter how you decide to market a product because all marketing is doing is telling people about a product or service. If that means telling two friends so that they tell two friends then you’re marketing. If the product is good enough it will slowly catch on. If you don’t tell anyone then you may have a great product but no one will know about it.
Selling is not having a bigger sign, building a luxurious store front, or having the best website. All those things may be important to your customer but no one item will sell your product. Its how you market the product that is the secret. You need to let people know about your product and that means telling someone. Find a way to talk to people about your product without being in their face. When you can talk about your product comfortably you will then find it very easy to market your product on an ongoing basis.
About the Author
Bruce Outridge is an entrepreneur and author of the books Driven to Drive, Running by the Mile, and How to Start an Artistic Business in 12 Easy Steps. You can learn more about Bruce on his website at www.outridgeenterprises.ca