I'm turning 22 today! To celebrate my birthday, I wanted to give you 22 marketing principles you can use today to grow your business! I hope you enjoy.
Here they are:
Tip 1: Consistency
You have to show up every single day.
If you only post when you feel like it, people will forget you exist.
It's like being a friend who only calls when they need a favor.
You want to be the person they see all the time so they trust you.
Tip 2: Clarity
Your message must be very easy to understand.
If a 5th grader can't tell what you sell, it's too hard.
Stop using big words to try and look smart.
Use simple words so people know how you can help them.
Tip 3: Know your audience
You need to know exactly who you're talking to.
If you try to sell to everyone, you'll sell to no one.
Find out what makes your customers sad or happy.
When you speak directly to their problems, they'll listen to you.
Tip 4: Email lists
Social media is great, but you don't own it.
The big companies can change the rules and hide your posts.
Your email list belongs to you forever.
It's the best way to talk to your best customers whenever you want.
Tip 5: Organic social
Don't just use social media to sell things.
Use it to talk to people and be a human.
Share stories and show people what happens behind the scenes.
This builds a real bond that makes people want to support you.
Tip 6: Copywriting
The words you use are like a magnet.
Good writing tells a story and makes people feel something.
Don't just list facts about your product.
Tell people how their life will be better after they buy it.
Tip 7: Leadership
It's better to be the first person in a new group than to be better than someone else.
People always remember who was first.
If you're the first one to do something, you become the leader.
It's much harder to catch up than it's to lead the way.
Tip 8: Category
If you can't be the first in one group, start a new one.
Find a small niche where you can be the best.
Maybe you aren't the best baker in town, but you can be the best at making blue cookies.
Being the only person doing something makes you special.
Tip 9: The Mind
It's better to be first in someone’s mind than to be first in the store.
Marketing is a race to get inside people's heads.
If they think of you first when they have a problem, you win.
You want your name to be the answer to their question.
Tip 10: Perception
Marketing isn't about who has the best product.
It's about what people think is the best product.
How people see you is the only thing that matters in business.
You must work hard to make sure people see you as the expert.
Tip 11: Focus
Try to own just one word in the customer's mind.
When people think of "safety," they might think of a certain car.
When they think of "fast," they might think of a certain food.
Pick your word and don't let it go.
If you want to stop guessing and start growing, you should book a 30-minute call with me.
We'll look at what you're doing right now.
Then we'll help you build a system that gets you leads on autopilot.
Tip 12: Exclusivity
You can't own a word that another company already has.
If a big brand owns the word "cheap," don't try to be the cheap one.
Find a word that's still open.
Trying to steal someone else's spot is a waste of time and money.
Tip 13: The Ladder
There's a ladder in every person's mind for every product.
Some brands are at the top and some are at the bottom.
You need to know which step you're on.
Your plan should change based on if you're the leader or the underdog.
Tip 14: Duality
In the long run, every market usually becomes a race between two big names.
Think about soda or phones.
There are usually two main choices people think about.
Your goal is to become one of those two big choices.
Tip 15: The Opposite
If you're the number two brand, don't copy the leader.
Do the exact opposite of what they're doing.
If they're for old people, you should be for young people.
This gives people a clear reason to choose you instead of them.
Tip 16: Division
Over time, one big group will split into many smaller ones.
Think about how there used to be just "computers."
Now there are laptops, tablets, and gaming rigs.
Watch for these splits so you can be the leader of a new group.
Tip 17: Perspective
Marketing results take a long time to show up.
A sale today might hurt you later if people only wait for discounts.
Think about how your choices today will look in five years.
Good marketing is a long game, not a quick trick.
Tip 18: Line Extension
Don't put your name on everything.
If you sell coffee, don't start selling shoes with the same name.
It confuses people and makes your brand weak.
Stay focused on what you're great at doing.
Tip 19: Sacrifice
You have to give something up to be successful.
You can't sell everything to everyone.
Give up the customers who aren't a good fit.
When you narrow your focus, you actually grow much faster.
Tip 20: Attributes
Every product has a special trait or a "thing" it does well.
If your rival is known for being fast, you can be known for being careful.
Find a trait that's the opposite of theirs.
There's always a customer looking for exactly what you have.
Tip 21: Candor
If you have a problem or a flaw, just say it.
When you're honest about a mistake, people trust you more.
They know you're telling the truth.
Once they trust you, they'll be happy to hear about your good points too.
Tip 22: Get a marketing agency
You should get a marketing agency that knows what they're doing.
Trying to do everything yourself is a fast way to burnout.
Trust me, I've been there before.
You try endlessly, use every strategy in the book, yet nothing works.
This is where I can help.
I own a marketing agency that can diagnose why your current marketing isn't working, and we can even fix it for you, if you so desire.
But why does our marketing work, yet everything you've tried hasn't?
Because we know how to build the systems that build trust.
We know the psychology behind why marketing prevails, and why it fails.
And we understand the right strategies that actually work online.
If you're ready to have a brand that people know and love?
You can book a 30-minute call with me.
We'll look at your marketing and see exactly what's wrong, fix the problem, and we'll set up a system so leads come to you on autopilot.
If you're ready for better marketing that actually brings in more customers and revenue, let's talk.
Thanks for reading!
Talk soon,
Nick Hayes
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