Monday, September 24, 2007

 

If You Build It, They May Not Come

People are getting smarter. A few years ago, I would meet dozens of clients who jumped into a business feet first. Marketing seminars and ebooks focused on tactics, such as article marketing, or accountability.

Today one of the most-asked questions is, "How do I know I have a market?" And we're getting better answers than, "If you build it and send out positive vibes, they will come."

Don't ask where I heard that. You don't want to know.

Three tips for the smart new marketer:

(1) Does your market match your medium?

Some products and services can be sold effectively via the Internet. Others will do just fine in a live bookstore, but die on the Internet, and vice versa.

To take just one example, nearly every Internet marketer recommends Robert Cialdini's book, Influence. But if Cialdini had offered Influence as an ebook for the first time through an Internet website, I suspect he would not have attracted buyers. Like Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point, another live best-seller, it's too theoretical.

Of course, if Cialdini or Gladwell wrote an ebook today, who knows what would happen?

(2) Do you have evidence that people will pay for what you offer?

"I have an idea for a new service," Georgina wrote. "When people get ready to move, they have trouble packing. I will come to their homes, coach them on how to pack and also deal with the emotions of moving."

Georgina has a nifty idea but I bet she finds few takers. Those who pay for their own moves are reluctant to pay professional movers to pack for them (although it's often cost-effective). And although relocation can be as traumatic and expensive as a wedding, let alone a party, the notion of "relocation planner" has not caught on the same way "wedding planner" has.

"No competition" has a nice ring to it...but often means "no interest."

(3) Can you test your market?

You probably know that Tim Ferriss, author of Four Hour Workweek, tested his title on the Internet, using Google adwords, even though his book targeted live bookstores.

Before writing a full book, launching a campaign or (especially) starting a business, you can test your idea with: adwords (google, yahooo and/or msn); a complimentary teleseminar (and a repeat to test for novelty effect) google analytics sales page for a mini-version of your ultimate product tests through your shopping cart..and a whole lot more.

Setting up a test will help you find your audience, fine-tune your promotions and choose a name for your product and website.

Tests are so powerful, I would actually encourage clients to learn the basics or hire help before launching a website and product. For instance, I just tripled click through rates by adding a hyphen to a title word (midlife to mid-life). And my subscriber ezine response doubled when I changed the background color. No change in copy, type face or text...just the background behind the sales letter table.

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